The Wife Who Never Existed

Chapter- 1

Althea.

Every day, tears are my only companion. Every night, the moment I open my eyes, every second I’m awake... Theo consumes my thoughts.

My husband.

The man I love more than anything in this world.

And yet… no matter how many times I kneel, no matter how desperately I beg his parents, they have never once allowed me to see him.

Not even once.

Every visit from my friends, or rather, the traitors I once trusted... only deepens the pain inside me.

They repeat the same cruel lie over and over again…

That everything I remember was nothing but my imagination.

That Theo and I were never together.

That's the love I’m holding onto… was never real.

That Nervana… is the one who truly belongs by his side.

A deep, baritone voice pulled me back to reality... sharp, grounding, impossible to ignore.

“Ms. Moor, it’s time for your medication,” Lucas said, his tone calm… almost too calm.

I didn’t turn. I didn’t answer.

I simply let him do what he always does.

The needles…

I don’t feel them anymore.

Again and again, they pierce my skin... but it doesn’t matter.

Nothing matters.

Maybe my body has already gone numb.

But my heart…

My heart is still breaking.

Still drowning in a pain so deep, I don’t even know if I can rise from it again.

“Don’t cry,” he said softly. “You’ll only sink deeper into your sorrow.”

For the first time… I spoke.

“That’s easy for you to say,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “You’re not in my place. You’re not the one who’s hurting… and you’re not the one who lost the person you love.”

The tears came again, hot, endless... sliding down my cheeks without mercy.

I heard him sigh… heavy, restrained… before he finally walked away.

When he was gone, I let myself fall onto the bed, my eyes fixed on the empty ceiling above me.

This room… has seen everything.

Every tear. Every scream I swallowed. Every piece of me that slowly shattered.

If only these walls could speak... they would prove that I’m not insane.

That I’m not broken with the way they keep insisting.

But who would believe me?

Not even Doctor Smith does.

He just keeps injecting me… over and over again.

And my parents… where are they?

According to Nervana, they were the ones who put me in Home Mental Hospital… before transferring me here to Care Mental Hospital.

My own parents.

The ones who were supposed to protect me.

I stood up and walked toward the window.

I looked outside… but there was no one.

Just silence.

Just emptiness.

I stayed there, lost in a daze, letting the quiet swallow me whole... until the sound of the door opening broke through.

“Althea, how are you?”

My heart skipped.

I turned quickly.

Alice…

Without thinking, I ran to her and grabbed her arm, as if she might disappear if I didn’t hold on tight enough.

“We’ve been friends since college… please, I’m begging you, help me get out of here,” I said desperately. “I want to see my husband. I want to be with him. Please, Alice… you’re my only hope. You’re the only one who can help me.”

“Stop it, Althea. There is no Theo in your life,” she said coldly. “Listen to me if you want to recover faster and leave this place.”

Her words hit me like a blade.

Tears fell again, uncontrollable.

I turned away, breathing unevenly, struggling to keep myself from completely falling apart.

The one I believed was the kindest among us… was the one who broke me the most.

“L—Leave… just go… and from now on… I don’t want to see you anymore,” I whispered, my voice shaking.

“Althea, I’m still your best friend. That’s why I’m begging you… listen to me.”

I stayed silent.

The fragile hope I had been holding onto… shattered completely.

Then I felt her hand gently rest on my shoulder.

“Althea…” she whispered, leaning close to my ear.

“Show the doctors that you’re getting better… so you can get out of here. Then you can do what you need to do. That’s the only help I can give you. I have to go… until next time, friend.”

I didn’t answer.

Because deep inside… something in me had already broken.

I said nothing.

My chest ached so much… it felt like it was tightening from the weight of my emotions.

When the door finally opened and closed again… only then did I turn to look at it.

I stared at the closed door for a long time.

Slowly, Alice’s words sank deep into my mind.

Was she right?

Should I listen to her?

Do I have to pretend… to go along with the doctors here?

Questions filled my head, questions I had no answers to.

I turned back to the window. I opened it, and the cold air immediately rushed in.

As I stood there, I heard voices.

They were coming from outside.

I couldn’t see them, so I leaned against the wall and listened.

“Honey, you need to get better here. Trust only Doctor Lucas, he’s the only one who can help you. He’s a specialist in your condition. Follow everything he says so you can get out of here soon… and be with me and our children again.”

“S-sure… my love. Thank you for visiting me,” the woman replied, her voice trembling.

“I’m always here. I love you so much.”

“But until now… your parents still don’t accept me.”

“Don’t think about them. Just keep my love, and our children… in your heart and mind. We will never leave you.”

“Thank you… I promise, I’ll follow everything Doctor Lucas says.”

“Good. Come on, I’ll take you back to your room. It’s getting warm out here.”

I slowly stepped away from the window.

Their voices lingered in my ears… and with every word, the weight in my chest grew heavier.

It hurt.

A deep, piercing ache, mixed with something far more bitter... jealousy.

Jealousy of a woman who had a husband who stayed by her side.

Jealousy of someone who had children waiting for her return.

While me, even my own parents… never came to see me.

Tears slipped down my cheeks once again.

When was the last time I held my mother?

When was the last time I heard even a hint of concern in her voice?

All she ever called me was a disobedient daughter.

And my father… the moment I chose to chase my dream of becoming a journalist, he erased me from his life.

I sank onto the edge of my bed and closed my eyes.

I just wanted silence.

I just wanted my mind to rest… even for a little while.

“Ms. Moor, it’s time for your medication.”

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

He was standing there again... tall, composed, unreadable.

“Come on. This will help you,” he said gently.

I stared at him, searching his face.

The voices I overheard earlier echoed in my mind.

Should I trust him?

Could he really be the one who can help me?

And Alice’s words… I need to listen.

I need to make them believe I’m getting better.

Maybe… just maybe… I can get out of here.

And do what I must.

He held out his hand.

Slowly, I reached for it.

He helped me up until I was seated on the chair.

“D-Doc… once I get better, will you let me leave?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“Of course. That’s why you need to recover, so you can do the things you want,” he replied.

I fell silent, lost in deep thought.

I studied his face.

This doctor…

He’s handsome, striking, even. The kind of man you’d trust at first glance.

But that’s exactly what scares me.

If I ask for his help… will he really help me?

Or is he just like the rest of them, part of whatever nightmare brought me here?

I quickly shook the thought away and forced myself to speak.

“I’ll follow everything you say, Dr. Lucas,” I said quietly. “I just hope… when I finally get out of here, there’s still someone willing to help me.”

“Focus on getting better first,” he replied. “I’m sure there’s someone out there just waiting for you to reach out…”

“…someone who would do anything for you.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

And somehow… it softened him.

He looks even more handsome when he isn’t so serious.

“Dr… how long have you been working here?” I asked.

“You mean here at Care Mental Hospital? Since I started?” he clarified.

“Yes, doctor.”

“Not even a year,” he said. “But you… you’ve been my longest patient.”

“I see…” I murmured, nodding.

After that, I chose silence. I didn’t want to push my luck… or risk annoying him.

“I’ll come back in six hours for your next dose,” he said.

“Thank you, Dr. Lucas.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied with a small smile before turning to leave.

I watched him walk away… hoping, perhaps foolishly, that he might be different.

That he might actually help me.

The next day, a nurse escorted me outside for some fresh air.

“Behave, okay? So they won’t take you back inside too soon,” she reminded me.

“I will,” I answered shortly.

As soon as she left, I slowly looked around.

A woman was screaming somewhere in the distance.

On the other hand, a man threw punches into the air… as if he was fighting someone only he could see.

So this is life here.

A place where reality and madness blur into one.

I leaned back and closed my eyes.

And just like that…

Theo filled my thoughts again.

Our memories.

His love.

The promises we made to each other.

Now… they feel like nothing more than fragments of a life I can no longer reach.

My chest tightened painfully.

I stood up and began pacing, trying to steady myself... trying not to fall apart all over again.

Until…

I suddenly froze in front of a thick cluster of plants.

My breath hitched.

No… I couldn’t be mistaken.

That voice…

It was Theo’s mother.

A chill ran down my spine as the memory came rushing back, the day she slapped me, her words sharp and merciless, right after I woke up from the accident.

Slowly, I stepped back, careful… silent… afraid that even the slightest sound would give me away.

I hid behind the wall and listened.

“I paid this hospital a large sum to keep that woman here,” she said coldly. “Make sure she never gets out… and that she completely loses her mind.”

“You have nothing to worry about, ma’am. She won’t be leaving this place,” someone assured her.

“Good. It won’t be long before my son stabilizes. Once his wedding with Nervana is over, my obligation to your boss will be finished.”

“Should I relay your message to Mr. Xavier?”

“Yes. Tell him to handle that woman himself. I’m leaving… no one must know I came here.”

My entire body went cold.

So it’s true…

This isn’t an accident.

This is planned.

I forced myself to move, stepping away as quietly as I could, then turned and hurried off...

Only to slam straight into someone.

A solid chest.

Strong arms caught me before I could fall.

“Ms. Moor, what are you doing here? Why are you running?” Dr. Lucas asked, his voice laced with concern.

Panic surged through me.

I quickly pulled away from him.

“I—I was just… I remembered I wasn’t supposed to wander off,” I said hurriedly. “The nurse told me to go back to the chair where she left me.”

My voice sounded too fast. Too nervous.

And then I noticed it... his eyes.

They shifted… past me.

Toward the direction where Theo’s mother had been.

Did he hear it too?

“Come with me. It’s time for your medication,” he said calmly, as if nothing had happened.

“Sure,” I replied, trying to steady my voice.

As we walked side by side, my mind spiraled.

Every word I had just heard echoed louder and louder... Mr. Xavier.

The name burned in my thoughts.

Which means… he’s the one behind all of this.