Pursuing His Substitute Wife

“I love you, Liya. I always had”. Edward caressed Liya’s cheek ever so gently as he said to her, before he leaned for a kiss.

If it were before, his words would have melted away the very foundation of her heart.

But, it was not the same this time.

Her heart was piercing and heavy. She felt bitter, but did not want to lose composure in front of him or cry.

For the first time since they got married three years ago, she realized yesterday that she was not truly loved by the man she gave her entire heart to.

His drunken words yesterday.

The way he lovingly stared at the picture he had saved at his cell phone’s screen lock.

It was yesterday she clearly saw the face of the lady. All this while, he never let her come close to his cell phone.

But one reckless night exposed his true intentions to her.

She thought he had fallen in love with her at first sight.

She thought he had gotten married to her because he couldn't bear to let her live in a world apart from him.

But yesterday made everything clear, and it stung her deeply like a punch to the chest whenever she thought about it.

The truth? He didn't fall in love with her. Instead, he had fallen in love with her face, which was similar to hers. His real first love.

As their lips parted, she forced a smile on her face. “Please freshen up, babe. I will prepare your favorite”. Liya said to him.

“Okay. I will do as you said, wifey”. Edward winked at her, before his arm let go of her waist, and he headed for the bathroom.

The minute the door to the bathroom clicked shut, she clenched her chest and went to sit on the bed with teary and blurry eyes.

It turned out the tears she had suppressed, streamed down both sides of her cheeks, as she could not control them.

“Why? Why?”. Liya whimpered and clenched her chest tighter, rumpling the shirt she was wearing.

But, she could not care less about that.

“I don't care who you are or where you are. Edward is my husband now. You can't take him away from me”.

“We have built so much together. I won't let you ruin this for us”. Liya said, as if the other lady could hear or feel the pain she was going through.

She sniffed her nose and wiped her tears using the back of her hand as she turned in the direction of the bathroom.

She could already hear the sound of water splashing on the floor.

“Edward loves me. Yesterday was just a mistake”.

“She was his first love. So what? I am the one he got married to. I am his wife, the lady who swore the vow with him at the altar”.

“There is no way he would ever abandon me for her”. Liya convinced herself and tried to be strong.

It worked.

And so, she left the room and went to the kitchen to prepare his favorite meal.

Steak. With some little toppings.

Halfway into cooking, she paused, as she was reminded of her. Edward’s first love.

Other than her name, which she overheard yesterday, she knew absolutely nothing about her. “What is wrong with me?”. Liya muttered, as her heart felt heavy.

She could not focus, despite how much she tried not to overthink it or think about it.

“Sweetie”.

She flinched and was taken aback when an arm wrapped around her waist.

“What are you thinking about? I have been calling you”. Edward said to her as he placed a kiss on her neck, before resting his chin on her shoulder.

“No- nothing”. Liya replied to him. It was a lie.

A voice had whispered to her to ask him about that lady, but since she feared it was not a good idea, she had to stop herself.

Edward made her turn to him. “Your face looks pale. Are you sick?”. He asked, thus causing alarm in her heart.

‘Are you stupid, Liya? Do you want him to suspect?’. Liya thought, before she smiled. “I am alright. I just feel a little bit weak. But, I am getting better”.

“I am glad to hear that”. Edward said.

She wanted to remain longer in his embrace.

Those bare muscles which brought her warmth and butterflies in her stomach… she could feel them, as he didn't put on any shirt. And the scent coming from his cold body? It was something she could not get over.

But the burning steak said otherwise.

She sniffed one, twice… before realization kicked in.

“Oh no”. She made him let go of her as she quickly turned off the gas cooker.

Luckily, there was not much damage done to her steak. If not, she would have started afresh.

She sighed in relief.

Her hand placed on her chest as she breathed out heavily, before she turned to him and pointed her index finger at his bare chest, also touching it.

“You are a big distraction to me, babe. You almost made me start afresh”. Liya said, raising an eyebrow at him, as she looked heck serious, but not mad.

“My bad”.

“Just leave. Go to the dining room. Your dinner will soon be served, young Mister”. Liya teased him as she gently pushed him, trying to make him leave.

But, he was having fun making things difficult for her.

“I don't want to go anywhere. I want to remain by your side”. Edward budged, refusing to leave her side, and even going as far as wrapping his strong arms around her waist, and refusing to let go of her.

In the end, she shook her head in defeat and had no other choice than to let him have his way. With his behavior, it made her feel more certain that yesterday must have been a mistake.

Who knew? That lady might not be his lover anyway.

She began to believe that he must have mixed things up and must have mistaken that woman's picture for her.

As for the name he muttered last night. It must have been a random name.

She chose to believe all those theories because of how loving a husband he was to her.

Unfortunately, she remembered one of the tantrums her mother in-law threw concerning the fact that she hasn't given her a grandchild. She was very much fertile and could conceive children but she can't disclose why no child has surfaced yet.

…

“Ha. Finally, I am done”. Liya said with a sigh and wiped her face using the back of her hand.

She soon arrived in the dining room, where she saw Edward waiting, with his cell phone in his hand.

She continued to smile as she went ahead to arrange the plates on the table.

But, she felt it was strange that he had not acknowledged her presence. She could clearly see that his mind was fixed somewhere else. His cell phone, to be precise.

And he was staring at it so intensely, making it seem as if nothing else around him mattered.

“Honey, dinner is ready”. Liya said to him, hoping that whatever he had given his mind to, would have to wait. Unfortunately, he didn't answer her.

“Baby”. Liya called him again, and when he did not answer her the second time, she went as far as placing a hand on his shoulder, and that instantly worked, as he, at last, gave his attention to her.

“Oh, baby”. Edward said, before his eyes shifted to the delicacies on the table. ‘When did she arrive?’. He thought to himself, feeling a bit taken aback by how absent-minded he was.

‘What is so important to him?’. Liya felt bitter as she thought.

She tried to stare at his cell phone, but he was always a step away from her, making her pretend as if everything was alright.

“Your dinner is ready”. Liya said with a forced smile, and could not stop feeling so hurt deep within.

She did not know why tears wanted to escape her eyes, while she tried forcing them back in.

“It smells so delicious”. Edward complimented her, before he rose and gave her a light kiss. “Thank you for your hard work”. His forehead rested against hers as he said.

This action lightened her mood a bit, but she needed some space to herself to calm down.

“I… I will go get the juice. I will be right back”. Liya said, and after he let go of her, she returned to the kitchen.

The first thing she did was to rest her back against the wall, as she slid down to a squatting position. “What was so important to him? Is it more important than me? Is it perhaps the company?”. She muttered, as she tried to understand.

But no matter how much she thought of it, her mind kept on drifting towards her. His first love.

‘What if… what if it was her?’. She dreaded the thought and quickly erased it from her mind.

“I must be overthinking. Yes. That must be it”. She convinced herself yet again, before she weakly rose to her feet.

She needed to serve him the juice, because she knew if she did not return to the dining room in a minute, he might come to her.

Due to that, she went to the refrigerator, took the juice box with two glass cups.

She left the kitchen afterward, and left everything that happened in the kitchen behind.

But what she never expected after she returned to the dining room was to see Edward stand up from his seat, and he looked like he was in a hurry, making her wonder what had happened after she was gone.

“Babe, what is it?”. Liya asked him and looked very concerned.

“I have an urgent meeting I must attend”. His reply was quick, before he walked past her after placing a kiss on her forehead.

For a second, she was taken aback as she stood still, lost in her thoughts. “A meeting? By this time of the evening?”. Liya muttered and found it strange, before she ran after him.

She did not even drop the juice or glass cups on the table. All she had in her mind was to ask him what was going on.

“Baby, wait. What is going on?”. Liya asked, as she continued to run after him, even after he grabbed the car key on the table and left the house.

When Edward glanced behind and saw her following him, his brows furrowed. “Just go back, Liya. Not now. This is very important!”. He raised his voice at her, making her halt as she could not believe it.

This was the first time he had yelled at her.

“Edward?”. Liya called him, and as he turned to her and halted, she almost flinched because she did not recognize him. Those pair of brown eyes which had always stared at her with love, were now staring at her like she was a complete stranger.