chapter 5

Rose 

I drove home with my heart pounding so hard I swore it might burst right out of my chest. 

Mr handsome scent still clung to me, clean, warm, and masculine, and every time I breathed it in, a flutter swept through my stomach. 

Without realizing it, a smile tugged at my lips, the kind of smile I hadn’t worn in years. 

Lord, what is wrong with me?

When I pulled into the driveway and stepped inside, the first thing I saw was Lucas and Eva at the dining table, eating the breakfast I had made hours ago. 

Oh, so they came home last night without even telling me.

“Good morning,” I greeted them with a smile that felt almost foreign on my face.

They both looked at me like I had grown two heads. Normally, that stare would have pierced straight through me, but not today. I won't allow their silence to destroy the lightness blooming in my chest.

I headed upstairs, changed out of my clothes, and began my chores. Of course, I did them alone. I have no house help. Lucas said it was better for me to “move around more” because, in his words, I was getting fat like a pig. 

Over time, the insults had stopped making me cry. Now I scrubbed, dusted, and mopped in silence, not just to keep the house in order but to keep my mind from collapsing into the dark places it liked to visit.

Loving people who didn’t love me back… that’s a battle I have been fighting for years. And sometimes, I wondered why I was still fighting at all.

When I came downstairs to the dining room, the table was empty. They had finished their food, but the dirty plates were still there, another little habit of theirs. They ate. I cleaned. That was how it had always been. 

I gathered the plates, brought them into the kitchen, and started washing the dishes. That’s when Lucas walked in. I almost dropped the plate in my hand.

"What does he want?" I thought, but I kept quiet. 

We barely spoke unless it was absolutely necessary. He went straight to the fridge, pulled out the fresh fruit juice I had made, poured himself a glass, drank it, then grabbed the rest of the jug. He was nearly out the door when he stopped.

“Uh… dress well. We’re going out tonight,” he said, his tone cold, like it was an order and not an invitation.

I blinked. Going out? With him? I couldn’t even remember the last time he had taken me anywhere.

“Where… where are we going?” I asked carefully.

“There’s a contract I want to sign with Wilson’s group,” he replied flatly. “They require me to bring my… wife and our wedding certificate before they finalize it.”

Wilson Group is one of the biggest companies in the world and it takes the grace of God to get a contract with them.

Oh, this is the reason.

I nodded, my smile fading just a little. I knew it wasn’t because he wanted to spend time with me. Still… somewhere deep inside, a tiny, foolish part of me felt grateful that at least he still remembered I was his wife.

******

Later in the evening, I was in my room, standing in front of the mirror, fastening my earrings, when the door clicked open.

I spun around and saw Lucas stepping in, carrying a shopping bag.

For a moment, I just stared, stunned. This was the first time he set foot in this room since the day he ordered me out of our matrimonial bedroom, claiming I snored too loudly and kept him from sleeping. Since then, I have been exiled here, to the guest room that felt more like a stranger’s quarters than a wife’s.

He glanced around briefly, his eyes cold, before setting the bag down on the table.

“I want you to wear this,” he said flatly, “to at least look a bit… okay.”

The way his lip curled on the word okay made my chest tighten. And then, as if twisting the knife, he muttered under his breath, “Not as if it will even fit you.”

He probably thought I wouldn’t hear it, but I did. Every single word.

It was like the air was suddenly too heavy to breathe.

 I promised myself this morning that I won’t let their words get to me, but promises are easier made than kept. I'm a human after all.

With a heavy heart, I sighed, forcing my hands to stop trembling as I reached for the shopping bag. 

My fingers brushed against the crisp paper, the sound loud in the silence between us. When I opened it, the bright flash of red almost hurt my eyes.

A tight, short gown. Blood-red. With a small size matching heels.

I swallowed hard. “Uhmm… thank you,” I said softly not to sound ungrateful, my voice barely more than a breath. “But this… this gown won’t fit me. You know I... uhm…”

“Just say you know you are a fat pig and you can’t wear sexy dresses.”

The words hit me like a punch to my already shattered heart.

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. My chest felt too small to contain the pain swelling inside it. But I tried to laugh it off, to sound calm. 

“Lucas, you know it’s not my fault I’m this size. And besides, there are thousands of people far bigger than me. I’m only like this because...”

“Enough.” His voice cracked through mine like a whip. “I’m not here for this. This is the dress I want you to wear, and I don’t care if you have to squeeze yourself inside. Just wear it.”

And then he turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the empty doorway, his words still echoing in my head. My throat burned. Tears came before I could stop them, spilling down my cheeks. I wiped them quickly with the back of my hand, furiously, as if speed could erase the fact they had fallen at all.

Pull yourself together, Rose.

I put on the dress anyway. Like Lucas said, I squeezed myself into it, the gown stretching in protest. My skin ached where the fabric dug in. The heels bit into my feet before I even took a step.

When I looked in the mirror, my stomach dropped. God… I looked like an overstuffed sausage about to burst. My belly pushed against the tight fabric, my breath already shallow. I’d suffocate if I wore this all night.

And I didn’t want to die tonight. Not like this.

I peeled the dress off and tossed it onto the bed. From my wardrobe, I pulled out a golden gown, long and flowing, covered in tiny stones that caught the light. A gown that didn’t shame me, didn’t make me feel like I had to hide.

I slipped into matching golden heels, brushed my hair back, and smiled faintly at my reflection. This was better. This is me.

But my smile faded the second I stepped downstairs and saw Lucas, holding hands with Catherine. 

My stomach twisted so hard I thought I might be sick. 

Wait, I thought he wanted me to go with him? Or is this one of his plans to humiliate me again?