Chapter 3: Married to Hate
1119 Words
The ceremony was over. Just like that, Jane was now Robert’s wife.
The reality hadn’t quite settled in yet. It felt like a cruel joke, a nightmare she was still trying to wake up from. Everything had happened so fast—one minute, she was nothing more than the overlooked child in her family, and the next, she was forced into a marriage with a man who despised her.
Back in her room, she packed in silence, folding her clothes with stiff, mechanical movements. The agreement was clear. She was to leave with Robert. Her husband. The word tasted bitter, foreign, like something that didn’t belong to her.
She glanced toward the door, half-hoping—half praying—that her parents would change their minds, tell her it was all some mistake, maybe even beg her to stay.
Nothing.
No goodbye. No second thoughts. No hesitation.
They had made it clear—she was no longer their problem.
Her hands trembled as she zipped up her suitcase. Don’t cry. They don’t deserve your tears.
She had met Robert’s parents before. His mother had been polite, though distant, while his father barely acknowledged her existence. They both knew their son loved Alice. And Jane… well, Jane wasn’t Alice.
Robert barely looked at her. His resentment was suffocating, thick in the air like a storm brewing just beneath the surface. When she had accidentally called him brother earlier out of habit, the sharp flicker of anger in his eyes had been impossible to miss.
There was a time when they weren’t like this. When Robert didn’t hate her. But those days were long gone.
Now, she was nothing more than the girl who ruined his life.
A sharp knock on the door shattered the silence.
"Are you done yet?" Her mother’s voice rang through the hallway, cold and impatient.
"Robert’s waiting for you downstairs. Hurry up. You know how slow you are."
Jane swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady. "I’m almost done, Mom. Just sorting out my school stuff. I don’t want to forget anything."
Not that it mattered.
Her mother sighed, exasperated. "Well, now that you’re married, your life is Robert’s responsibility. We won’t interfere. Alice is leaving for New York next week. Maybe then she’ll finally forget this whole mess."
Alice. Always Alice.
Jane clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palm. "I hope she forgives me someday," she murmured. "I still don’t understand how it came to this."
Her mother scoffed. "Oh, spare me the innocent act. You’ve brought nothing but shame to this family. I don’t know what you were thinking, but it’s nothing but trouble."
Jane bit her lip. "Mom, I didn’t want any of this. None of it."
"Stop with the theatrics. Just finish packing and leave. I can’t bear the sight of you right now."
The words cut deep, but Jane refused to let them show.
"Why, Mom?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "Why don’t you love me like you love Alice? What did I do wrong?"
Her mother turned, eyes flashing with irritation. "Alice brings honor to this family. She’s beautiful, talented, driven. What do you have? Nothing. No ambition, no achievements. Don’t you dare ask why we favor her. It’s obvious. She’s everything you’re not."
The air left Jane’s lungs in a painful rush.
She knew she had never been the favorite. She had always been the shadow, the one left behind. But hearing it said out loud—so plainly, so brutally—was something else entirely.
No more tears.
She zipped up her bag, straightened her shoulders, and walked out, head held high.
The car ride to Robert’s estate was suffocating.
He sat in the front with the driver, deliberately putting as much space between them as possible.
"Take us to the mansion, Arthur," Robert ordered, his tone void of emotion. "She can’t stay in Alice’s house. That’s for me and Alice. No one else."
Jane’s grip on her suitcase tightened.
Right. Even after marrying her, Alice was still his priority.
She said nothing. What was the point?
When they arrived, Jane’s breath caught in her throat. The mansion was enormous—marble floors, gold chandeliers, ceilings so high they made her dizzy. Everything about it screamed wealth, and yet, all she could feel was emptiness.
A uniformed maid greeted them at the door. "Good afternoon, Young Master."
Robert ignored her. His cold gaze landed on Jane instead, and she felt the temperature in the room drop.
"Nana Yara, take Jane to the Servants’ Quarters. She’ll be staying there. Teach her everything she needs to know."
Jane blinked. Servants’ Quarters?
"But Sir, Mrs. Amelia said she’s your wife…" Nana Yara hesitated.
"I don’t have a wife, Nana. Not her," Robert said flatly.
The words landed like a slap.
A sharp voice cut through the room. "Robert, what’s going on?"
His mother, Amelia, stepped forward, confusion and disapproval written across her face.
"Why is Jane going to the Servants’ Quarters?"
Robert barely spared her a glance. "You heard me, Mom. She’ll stay there because I don’t have a wife. The only woman I want in my life is Alice."
Amelia’s expression hardened. "Robert! You weren’t raised this way! Jane is your wife, and you will treat her with respect."
"She’s nothing to me." His voice was sharp, cruel.
"You weren’t raised to be cruel," Amelia snapped.
Robert clenched his jaw. "I’ll decide where she stays, Mom. She owes me, and I’ll never accept her."
Jane swallowed past the lump in her throat.
Amelia turned to her, face softening. "You don’t have to stay in the quarters. We’ll find you a room in the main house."
Jane hesitated. "I don’t want to cause more trouble. I’ll stay where he wants me to."
Amelia’s gaze turned gentle. "Call me Mommy," she said quietly. "You’re part of this family now."
Jane blinked at her, stunned.
Mommy. The word felt foreign. But warm.
"Mommy," she whispered.
Aunt Amelia smiled. "Come, dear. I’ll show you your room."
As Jane followed her, she stole one last glance at Robert.
He didn’t look at her.
His fists were clenched. His eyes were cold.
Hatred. Disgust. Resentment.
The feeling was mutual.
When Amelia opened the door to Jane’s room, she nearly gasped. It was stunning—soft pinks, elegant furniture, luxurious fabrics. Nothing like the quarters Robert had planned for her.
"This will be your room, dear. Robert’s is just across the hall," Amelia said.
Jane nodded. "Thank you, Mommy."
"Rest now," Amelia said with a knowing smile. "Dinner will be served soon. You’ll need your strength."
As Jane sat on the bed, she exhaled deeply.
What kind of life awaited her now?
- Writer
