The Billionaire's Hidden Wife

The night had fallen once again. The moon cast shadows across the ground as a thin, misty fog began to settle, drifting through the air with a suffocating heaviness. Standing by the window, Catherine frowned slightly, her hand unconsciously resting on her flat stomach. A sharp, familiar pain made her wince. She despised this kind of gloomy weather — it always aggravated her old injury, making the ache unbearable. A chill breeze swept in, making her small frame shiver. Catherine raised her hand and shut the window, hoping to ease the discomfort. After a moment, she turned and walked back into the living room. She glanced at the clock — seven o'clock. Was he really not coming home? With a heavy sigh, she climbed onto the sofa, crossing her legs as she hugged a cushion close to her chest. Her small chin sank into the cushion, and her eyes drifted to the calendar on the table. A red circle marked today's date. Seeing it, her already flushed face deepened with disappointment. Thinking of this, Catherine quickly grabbed her phone and checked the message. Sure enough, there was no reply. She felt a pang of sadness, but it was no surprise. After all, today marked two years of marriage, and in those two years, he had returned home fewer than ten times. When he did, he barely spoke more than three words to her. Only once had they shared a bed, and even then, he had called out another woman's name. She knew this was his way of punishing her, but no matter how much he wanted to hurt her, she would endure it alone. She owed him that much. This path was one she had chosen for herself, and she would walk it to the end. Catherine stayed in that position, sitting foolishly from seven until eight-thirty. The food on the table had gone cold, just like her heart. If he didn’t want to come home, she wouldn’t force him. But to ignore such a simple, heartfelt plea — he couldn’t even be bothered to reject her. Did he really despise her that much? With another deep sigh, Catherine closed her eyes, letting her body sink into the sofa. She tried to empty her mind, to think of nothing at all. Time passed in a blur until her phone suddenly buzzed, followed by the familiar ringtone. It was her best friend, Chloe, calling. Catherine wasn‘t in the mood to talk, but the ringtone pierced through the silence, too irritating to ignore. Though she didn’t want to answer, her hand moved on its own, pressing the button. “Hello.” Before she could say more, Chloe's excited voice exploded through the phone. “I thought you’d died or something! Took you long enough to answer! Listen, Cathy, I’m about to get the scoop of a lifetime! You have to come help me. I’ll send you the address — hurry up!” Her words were rapid, frantic. Strangely, the storm clouds in Catherine’s heart seemed to lift a little. Maybe getting out for a while would help. Being alone tonight was unbearable. "Alright," Catherine decided. “I knew you were the best, Cathy! Mwah! Hurry up, okay?” Chloe was over the moon, clearly on an adrenaline high. Her enthusiasm was such a sharp contrast to Catherine's despair, but maybe that’s exactly what she needed right now.