Confessions Of A Domestic Failure

"I've been looking forward to this for so long..." Under the cloak of night, I had little choice but to suffer his advances. The advances of my husband. After a night of overindulgence, where I was barely in control of my senses, I slept with him, and things snowballed from there. I had no choice but to marry him and let this stone-broke man come and mooch off my wealth. I made sure to let him see my resentment; I insulted him, belittled him, took out each and every frustration on him. But he never lost his cool. He just sat there and took it, like a meek little lamb. That is, until I started to fall for him. That's when he said he wanted a divorce. Suddenly, my meek little lamb had turned into a snarling wolf. Overnight, my family fortune evaporated, while he had been secretly building his own. Out of nowhere, I was forced to rely on the very man I had looked down on with such contempt.

I had just given birth when the country sent me on a secret mission that kept me undercover for seven years. When it finally ended, I came home on leave. I was eager to see my husband and children, whom I had missed every single day. However, the moment my car stopped at the gate, I saw my two children—my most precious treasures—being shoved down the steps by a woman. They tumbled hard, and they were covered in bruises. The next second, three snarling wolfhounds were released from the house, and they pounced on the children with bared teeth. Fury surged through me, and I charged forward. I got the dogs away with a few swift kicks and punches. Amid the animals’ pitiful howls, my ten-year-old son instinctively shielded his sister. His young face was pale with fear. Meanwhile, my eight-year-old daughter snapped out of her daze and trembled as she urged me to leave. “Miss, run! You hurt her dogs, and if Dad finds out, he won’t let you get away with it!” I forced down my anger and gently said, “She set the dogs on you first. Even if your dad were here, he’d protect you just like I did.” I did not expect this to make their eyes instantly fill with tears. Alarmed, I was about to ask what was wrong when a woman’s arrogant voice rang out. “You vagrant! I have a close relationship with Martin Gray, and I’m also the lady of the Gray family! “You and these two brats who dirtied my house aren’t leaving in one piece today!” I froze for a second before I took a deep breath and called my husband. “Martin, who’s this woman proclaiming to be the lady of the Gray family? Where did she come from? You’d better have a good explanation for this. And tell me, when did the house I left for John and Katy get a new owner?”

After my birthday party, I got far too drunk and made a mistake I could never take back. I slept with my friend's daughter and got her pregnant. To make things right, I handed over more than half of my company shares as compensation. I promised him I would marry his daughter, Nancy Cooper, and give her the grandest wedding possible. After the wedding, I willingly stepped into the role of a househusband. I cooked, cleaned, and kept the home running. However, Nancy spent less and less time at home. Her business trips grew more frequent, and even our son began to look down on me, as if I were nothing more than a man circling the kitchen all day. At my mother's funeral, I noticed Nancy was nowhere to be seen, not even greeting the guests. I went looking for her around the venue. Just as I was about to return to the lounge to call her, a familiar voice drifted out from inside. "Easy… Don't let him find out. I won't be able to explain it when I get back." "Relax. He's an idiot, so easy to fool. Your dad set him up on purpose and drugged him because he wanted his family's assets. And you…" The man chuckled softly. "You made him play the role of our kid’s father. The whole trap was so obvious, yet he still didn't see it. What makes you think he'd notice us sneaking around at his own mother's funeral?" "He's just that stupid," Nancy said lightly. "He believes everything I tell him. Gilbert, just wait a little longer. Once I deal with those stubborn old shareholders, I'll rename Lawson Group to Shaw Group. Then, you can finally enjoy being the one in charge." I stood in place, frozen. It felt like the blood in my veins had turned to ice. This was the ugly truth. Every bit of it, every promise, every sacrifice, had been nothing but a carefully staged lie. Something inside me went cold and quiet. Whatever hope I had been holding onto was shattered completely. I decided then that I would disappear. Not just leave, but vanish. I would stage my death and make a clean break. I would erase myself from Nancy’s world forever. However, after I left for good, she lost her mind, telling the world she loved me and begging me to come back.

For over thirty years, my wife Janet faked being broke—for her flimsy ex. When our son Asher landed in the hospital, I begged and borrowed from everyone I knew. Still came up fifty bucks short. Janet? Said she was tapped out. So my mom sold off her own meds to cover the bill—never told me. She died without treatment. I handled my mom's funeral alone. When I went to pick up Asher from the hospital, I found a stash of Janet's old shopping receipts. Custom suits. Million-dollar watches. A damn private jet. I grabbed them and stormed off to confront her. Asher cut me off. "Dad, Mr. Sackett's sick. Mom's just helping him out. Why are you freaking out?" I stared at the kid who only lived because my mom died. It felt like something cracked inside me. Janet barely looked up. "Connor's educated. He deserves the finer things. Unlike you—crying over fifty bucks like some househusband. See? I didn't give you the money, and Asher's fine." Fine. If that's how they see it, I'm done with this family.

I married him without love. I never knew he despised me… or that I would be blamed for a tragedy I didn’t cause. In a house full of secrets and lies, can I survive a husband who sees me as his enemy and maybe, just maybe, make him love me?

"You unworthy riffraff! I can see you've grown wings", Mrs Caroline, my mother in-law snapped, focusing every ounce of her strength as she addressed me with disdain. "Who gave you the right to talk to my daughter in such manner? Because we gave you the privilege to sit at table with us?" ~~~~~~~~ Bella's only mistake in life was offering herself as Alex's bride after Linda, his betrothed, ditched him on their wedding day. She thought it was an opportunity for the man she's always loved since college, to finally notice her and fall for her. But her fantasy crumbled into three years of being treated like trash by a husband who saw her as nothing but a stand in, and a family she constantly shrunk herself for, like her entire existence was a debt she owed them. She finally snapped out of her reverie when the Hayes sweetheart, Linda returned, determined to claim Alex back. But this time, with darker intentions. Bella demands a divorce, but strangely, Alex refuses to let her go — a plan spoiler to Linda's scheme. He traps Bella in a dangerous deal—one that keeps her in his bed, his home… and under his control for as long as ever. Now the man who once pushed her away is the same man burning to keep her. But Bella is no longer the woman who begged for his love, neither the one scared to walk away even if it destroys the entire Hayes.