The Wife Who Never Existed

Beginning. He had just finished his secret wedding with Althea, yet his father’s words kept echoing in his mind: “Try to go through with that marriage, and the entire George family will disown you.” Those were the words he couldn’t erase from his thoughts. Even so, he loved his wife. And he would never allow anyone to destroy what they had. His parents were against their relationship. That was why their wedding happened without their permission. Only four of their friends stood as witnesses, the same people who signed their marriage contract. “Congratulations to both of you,” greeted Nervana with a smile. She hugged Althea and whispered softly, “Take good care of your husband. Don’t let another woman steal him away.” Althea frowned at her words. After that, Nervana stepped away from the couple. Without meaning to, Althea found herself looking at Theo, the man who was now her husband. God… her husband was incredibly handsome. Now that they were married, she had every right to call him hers. But then she caught him staring at Nervana. She was about to get his attention when Alice, her closest friend… approached them. Among the three, she was the kindest. “Althea, you should go now. The rain might get heavier,” Alice reminded them. “Thank you so much, all of you,” Althea said with a smile. The four of them were two couples, and just like them, they were all successful in their respective careers. They boarded Theo’s private chopper. “Honey, maybe we shouldn’t continue with the honeymoon. The weather’s bad,” Althea said. “My love, this is important for both of us. Besides, this is the only time the hospital has given me. They only allowed me a one-month leave because of our wedding,” Theo explained. “But it’s scary… the wind is too strong.” “Trust me. Nothing bad will happen to us, okay?” Althea didn’t reply. She simply leaned her head on her husband’s shoulder. She understood him, after all, in their three years together, they had shared nothing more than kisses. Now that they were married, she knew Theo had long been waiting for this moment. As the chopper lifted into the air, Theo immediately closed the curtain, separating them from the pilot. He kissed her gently. She could feel his longing, and she didn’t resist… because she felt the same. She closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of his touch against her body, his hand moving softly along her skin while he occasionally whispered sweet words. “My love… I don’t think I can wait until we reach our destination,” Theo murmured against her ear. Althea smiled, especially as she felt the tension building between them. “Honey… can I touch you?” she asked softly. “Of course… all of me is yours,” Theo replied. She smiled and returned his kiss. But suddenly, she pushed Theo away when she felt something strange. “My love, what happened?” Theo asked, concern in his voice. “Honey… don’t you notice? There’s something wrong with the chopper…” “There’s nothing wrong. You’re just overthinking,” he replied. Theo kissed her again… but at the next instant, the chopper suddenly plunged downward. Althea screamed, consumed by overwhelming fear. She felt Theo wrap his arms tightly around her. With nothing else she could do, she simply closed her eyes. — Althea slowly opened her eyes, blinded by the light, forcing her to shut them again. But she quickly opened them when she heard angry voices around her. “You b***h! This is all your fault!” “W—what are you talking about?” she asked, still dizzy. “I’ll kill you!” the woman shouted before slapping her repeatedly. “Remember this, you will never get close to my son! And if he never wakes up… you’ll die too!” “W—what happened to my husband?” she asked weakly. “What husband? You are not my son’s wife! There was no marriage between the two of you!” “That’s impossible. Theo and I got married, we even had four friends as witnesses!” “Which friends are you talking about? Then… Nervana and Alice?” “Yes! They were our friends, they witnessed our wedding.” She then turned to Nervana. “Nervana, tell them the truth… that Theo is really my husband.” “Althea… what are you talking about?” Nervana replied. Her brows furrowed. How could she not know? “What’s wrong with you, Nervana? The four of you were our witnesses… you even signed Theo and my marriage contract!” “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Althea. In fact… I’m the one who’s supposed to marry Theo. We’re the ones in love.” “That’s not true…” “Althea, Nervana is telling the truth,” another voice interrupted. “And the reason you’re in this situation is that you pointed a gun at Theo and forced him into the chopper. You were trying to escape from the mental hospital.” “Mental hospital? What are you talking about?” “You’ve been confined there for three months. Your mind broke because of severe depression… you couldn’t accept that your career had collapsed. And because of what happened, you were transferred here… to Care Mental Hospital.” “T-then… what about the wedding Theo and I had?” she asked, tears falling as her chest tightened in pain. “All of that was just your hallucination. There was no wedding, Althea. And the reason Theo is in the hospital… is that your doctor begged him to visit you. You wouldn’t stop talking about him… my fiancé, Theo,” Nervana added. “Excuse me, everyone. Visiting hours are over. The patient needs to rest.” Althea turned when she heard a deep, baritone voice. A tall man stood there, dressed in a doctor’s coat. Did that mean… he was her doctor? Handsome. Well-built. And with eyes that carried a quiet depth. Althea was about to speak, to ask him something… but suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her head. She clutched her temples, and then felt a prick against her skin. Slowly, her body weakened… Until everything faded into darkness. == Althea Moor is a renowned journalist from the First Universal Network. At a young age, she brought down the well-known anchor journalist, Mr. Christian Warren, from the once-famous Al Global Network—which eventually declared bankruptcy. Because of that, her name rose even higher. Many people came to hate her, especially since she didn’t care who she stepped on. For her, what mattered most was exposing the truth… the very truths that corrupt politicians desperately tried to hide. One of her biggest exposés involved one of the country’s most powerful businesses, Mr. Benjamin Xavier, a Latino tycoon. Fearlessly, she revealed to the public that his wealth came from illegal and secret operations. From then on, death threats followed one after another. Until one night… she was shot. Fighting for her life, she was rushed to the nearest hospital. That was where she met the man who would capture her heart. == Dr. Theo George is a surgeon. A renowned doctor who never feared performing operations, even when a patient’s chances of survival were dangerously low. For him, that was the very reason he chose his profession… to save lives. He became the attending physician of a woman on the brink of death after being struck by two bullets near her heart. Every doctor in that hospital refused the case. But he alone had the courage to step into the operating room and perform the surgery on the woman… who he later discovered was a famous journalist. In the short time they spent together, he began to fall for her. But when his parents found out, they immediately opposed it. They forced him to choose… Althea… or his family. And they made sure he had no choice at all. == Lucas Smith has two professions, a psychiatrist… and a hired killer. Being a doctor is merely his front, a cover to hide his illegal work. He was once a member of a powerful organization, but because of its unjust system, he chose to leave. As a professional fighter, he managed to escape with his life. The Central Capital Intelligence Agency is known for one thing… no one ever leaves alive. But Lucas is different. Intelligent, resourceful, and fortunate… he got out. Now, he currently works at Care Mental Hospital. From the day the famous journalist, Althea Moor, was brought there, he became her physician. From the very first moment he saw her, he knew… It was love at first sight. Day by day, he found himself falling deeper for her. And every time he saw the people who came to visit her, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something was wrong with Ms. Althea Moor. Especially when the man she kept calling her husband… is now the fiancé of her own friend, Nervana. That was when he decided to conduct a secret investigation. Because deep down, he believed… There was nothing wrong with her mind. She isn’t insane…. Someone has manipulated the truth of her reality. == Reminders; This story is purely a product of imagination. All names, places, and events mentioned are entirely fictional.