THE BILLIONAIRE'S CHOICEST

I Don't Love You

"It was Flora, her closest friend." Flora was Melinda's friend to whom she usually confided about her marriage. Flora posed as a trustworthy confidant, but Melinda never imagined that Flora had been the one Dag had been having an affair with all this time.

Melinda was shocked, but she quickly returned the phone to the bed and walked out of the room before Dag could come around to see her handling his phone. Still feeling perturbed, she decided to take a stroll outside; perhaps it would help her feel a little better.

Later that evening, as the clock struck nine, the door creaked, and Melinda stepped into the room. Dag was preparing to go to bed, so he was changing into his nightwear when Melinda walked in. Melinda swallowed her anxiety and tried to muster some courage.

"Hi, Dag," she said, her voice gentle and inviting.

Dag glanced at her, looking expressionless as he continued to button up his shirt.

Right now, Melinda knew she needed to be patient, so she waited a moment more before approaching him. Then she moved closer and placed her hand on his chest, looking into his eyes, and trying to connect with him on a deeper level.

"Dag, it's been so long since we were intimate," she murmured, her heart pounding in her chest.

He looked away, seemingly uncomfortable with her touch. "Melinda, I'm tired," he replied flatly.

Melinda's heart sank, but she refused to give up. "Dag, please, I miss you. I miss us," she implored, desperately hoping he would open up to her.

But instead, Dag's response was harsh and hurtful. "Melinda, I can't pretend. I can't force myself to feel something I don't! I don't love you! You look irritating to me, more than ever. If not for my parents, I wouldn't have gotten myself into this in the first place!"

The words cut deep, like a dagger to Melinda's soul. Tears welled in her eyes, and she stepped back as if struck by a physical blow. She had always admired Dag's straightforwardness, but this brutal honesty was too much to bear.

"Dag, I... I didn't expect you to say that," she stammered, her voice trembling with hurt.

He sighed, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. We can't force feelings that aren't there. I don't have feelings for you. I may have touched you in the past, but I'm no longer ready to deceive myself," he said firmly.

Melinda turned away, struggling to contain her emotions. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she felt a mix of anger, sadness, and confusion. How could he be so cruel?

Even though their marriage was based on a contract, she never expected that things would become this bad. When she got married to Dag, she had hoped he would eventually love her and become the husband she had dreamt of all her life.

But none of this seemed to be happening, no matter how hard she tried. A palpable tension hung between them as Melinda continued to sob.

Their one-year marriage felt like ten, and she was sick and tired of it. She had thought of escaping the marriage several times, but every time she considered the consequences for her family, she restrained herself.

The Willie family was a dreadful and influential family in Mayon City, and Melinda knew what they were capable of. Escaping would lead to dire consequences for her parents and could even cost them their lives.

Whenever she discussed a way out with her parents, they reminded her of how dreadful the Willie family was. The only option they had was to pay the two billion dollars they owed, an impossible debt to settle. She wondered what her family had been thinking when they signed such an agreement.

Their minds had been more focused on her grandfather's quick recovery than on the agreement's details.

**********

The next morning, Dag got ready for work and left the house, leaving Melinda behind in the room. She sat up on her side of the bed, wishing she could work like Dag, but their marriage contract prevented it.

Dag demanded that she be a full housewife, or as Melinda viewed it, "a full slave." To her, a slave was better off than she was.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought of how she had been forced into a life she never wanted. She went into the bathroom for a shower and then moved to the dining area to eat breakfast before settling down to knit. Knitting was something that kept her busy when Dag was at work.

Later that day, she heard the sound of Dag's vehicle, a sleek Maybach, returning home. Not long after, she heard laughter from outside the room. Dag had entered the house with a guest.

The door of their room was pushed open, and she saw Dag with Flora in a scanty dress. When Dag noticed Melinda, he looked at her with disgust.

"Hey, bushpig, get your good-for-nothing self out of this room right now. As you can see, I have a guest."

Melinda stood up from the bed, picked up her phone, and walked up to Flora. "You s**t! So you were only looking for an opportunity to flirt with my husband all these while. I bet, you're a sworn devil, and you'll surely regret this!"

"Leave!" Dag yelled. Melinda felt reluctant to leave, but Dag pushed her out. She glanced at him and Flora with pain and disgust in her eyes, before leaving the room.

"Bastard..." Flora muttered under her breath as she watched Melinda's back.

"Baby, lets do this," Dag said as he began to undress himself.