THE WIFE HE LEARNED TO LOVE

I had just stepped out of the bathroom and was preparing to go to bed. My husband was already in bed, looking as handsome as ever. For a second, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, and a creepy thought lingered in my mind, but I quickly shook it off. I picked up the brush and gently brushed my hair, but the thought returned. This time, I couldn’t shake it off. My marriage with my husband was a loveless one, or so he thought. But not me, because I had secretly loved him. Mateo and I had never been friends or spoken to each other before our arranged marriage, but growing up, I had seen him a couple of times. His father had worked for my grandfather for fifteen years. He was well known for his loyalty and obedience, and my grandfather trusted him completely. I had liked Mateo since I was a teenager, hoping he would look my way one day. But he never dared to even glance at me. It wasn’t because I wasn’t pretty, but I believed his father must have warned him to stay away from his employer’s granddaughter. Seven years had passed since my parents lost their lives in an accident. I was only twenty then. Being the only child, I invested all my time and effort in the family business. I worked tirelessly, with no time for myself. I was the only heiress left, along with my grandfather. I learned everything I needed to know, and today, I had inherited the family business. One important thing bothered my grandfather. He had taught me everything I needed to know, and the company was doing so well under my control, but one key part of my life was missing, and that was what scared him. He had watched me invest my time in everything else except my personal life. Without hesitation, my grandfather arranged my marriage to Mateo, the son of his most trusted employee. To him, I was incomplete without a man by my side. The family business was huge, with so many responsibilities resting on my shoulders. I was twenty-seven years old and capable of handling everything, but my grandfather wanted someone beside me, someone he trusted to love and cherish me. Someone to help me handle the responsibilities and, above all, someone to love me when he was no longer around. He didn’t need my permission to approve the arrangements. He knew he had my best interests at heart. At first, I wasn’t interested because men had always wanted to be with me, not out of love, but because of the wealth I possessed. But when he told me it was Mateo, his former employee’s son, my heart melted. Memories of myself secretly hiding behind the curtains to admire him came rushing back. As a teenager, I had dreamed of marrying him, but after taking over the business, I had forgotten about everything else. Now, that dream was becoming my reality. I didn’t know how to react, but I trusted my grandfather’s judgment. Today, we were married. He did everything a husband would do for his wife. He cared about me, made sure I wasn’t hurt, and whatever I needed, he would go all out to get it for me. He gave me everything except one important thing: love. He was a responsible husband, but why couldn’t he love me? I was beautiful, young, hardworking, and very caring. What was missing? Why wouldn’t he just love me? Was I doing something wrong, or was there something I hadn’t done that I was supposed to do without even realizing it? We had been married for six months. I knew love grew over time. Getting married to a man who didn’t love me, I believed that with time, he would eventually fall in love with me. But it had been six months, and he still saw me only as a responsibility. On our wedding night, we hadn’t consummated our marriage. I was aware that we didn’t feel the same way about each other, and it was my wish that we both love each other before getting intimate. He had assured me he wouldn’t do anything I wasn’t ready for. I had waited for him to love me, but he hadn’t. Staying with him this long had only made me love him even more. “Lily! Lily!” He suddenly called out to me, but I was lost in my own thoughts. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking at me with genuine concern. “You have been staring at the mirror for like five minutes. What’s on your mind?” “I’m okay. Nothing is on my mind,” I assured him. “Okay. You should come to bed. Let’s sleep,” he requested. I wished I could tell him everything that was on my mind. I wished I could ask him directly why he didn’t love me. Perhaps I was too distant from him. If we got closer, he might just fall for me. I went straight to bed. We shared the same bed, but we always slept far apart. Our bodies had never touched each other, as though we were avoiding something. But if I wanted my husband to love me, I had to start closing the distance between us. This wouldn’t be easy, but it was worth trying. I lay on the bed, facing up. He noticed I was still thinking. He became more curious and asked, “Is something bothering you? You have been lost in your thoughts all night. You know you can tell me anything.” He was a good listener, and he paid attention to details. That was one thing I really loved about him. “Can you hold me tonight? I feel cold.” He suddenly sat up, surprised. Only then did I realize what I had just asked for. I hadn’t thought about it or planned to, but the words had simply come out.