Signed For His Hate

Chapter 4

Isla's POV

Waking up can be harsh sometimes, especially when your dreams are far better than the reality you’re living in. But sadly, even the memories of blissful dreams fade away slowly.

Five months had already passed, and just as he promised, he had made my life a living hell. Nothing had changed within that time. Although he wasn’t abusing me physically, he had found a way to excel at mentally and emotionally tormenting me. I had no friends or relatives with whom I could share my problems. My father’s health had deteriorated badly. The last time I checked on him, he was in terrible shape in the hospital. I couldn’t bring myself to share my burdens with him.

It had also been five months since I signed the contract—the contract of being Landon’s mistress. I was never going to be treated like a wife, and I had to accept it in silence. I couldn’t tell my father now; he wouldn’t be able to handle it in his fragile state. I was expected to be submissive while Hailey received all the attention and love that a wife was supposed to get.

The rules I had to follow were:

I must have s*x with Landon whenever he wants.

I will be punished whenever I do not follow the first rule.

I should not ask him irrelevant questions about his whereabouts.

I should never touch his things without his permission.

I must act like the perfect wife in front of family and guests.

Both the contract and the marriage will end when Landon assumes his position as CEO of his father’s company.

I got up and was about to head to the bathroom when Landon suddenly burst into the room. I let out a loud shriek and scrambled to cover my naked body with the bedsheet.

“You’re acting like I haven’t seen you naked before,” he said with mock amusement.

He really took immense pleasure in taunting and torturing me.

“Stop being so dramatic and get ready. My parents are already waiting downstairs for breakfast, and for God’s sake, put on some makeup. You look awful.” His tone dripped with disgust.

He noticed that I looked awful but didn’t even bother to ask why. He was undoubtedly the awful one.

I simply nodded.

After taking my bath, I put on some makeup. I had to apply it heavily, which I hated, just to look presentable. I had always embraced my natural face over layers of foundation and powder. Heavy makeup made me look different and almost unrecognizable, even to myself.

A few minutes later, after getting ready, I went downstairs to join Alex and Olivia for breakfast. Olivia welcomed me with a warm hug while Alex smiled at me as he sipped his tea. As expected, Landon was not there. In the five months we had been married, we had never had lunch or dinner together. He was either too busy with work or with Hailey. And even though he hated it, I always made dinner and left it for him.

“You look so beautiful, my dear,” Olivia complimented me. She was wonderful to me. I often wondered how she could have spawned such an evil child. She took care of me just like my mother used to.

“She’s right, you look beautiful, Isla,” Alex confirmed his wife’s compliment, and it warmed my heart.

“Well, obviously. She is my daughter-in-law, after all,” Olivia teased.

“Anyway, I hope you’re ready and have something beautiful to wear for the party.”

“Party?” I was confused. I hadn’t heard anything about any party.

“Didn’t Landon inform you?” Her lips pressed together in obvious disappointment in her son. Alex, on the other hand, stared at me suspiciously through his rimmed glasses.

“No—no. He told me. He told me yesterday. Pardon me, it escaped my memory,” I quickly lied. I could not afford to give them a bad impression of their golden son.

“Isla, is everything okay? Is there something you’d like to tell us?” Alex’s voice was filled with concern, and it almost broke me.

“No, there’s nothing wrong. Landon is taking very good care of me and loves me a lot. It’s just that he’s always busy. You know how much of a workaholic he is. That’s why he hardly spends any time at home.” I tried to convince them, but I didn’t know if I was a terrible liar or if they just weren’t convinced. They continued to stare at me suspiciously.

We finished breakfast in silence. Neither Alex nor Olivia uttered a word.

The only thing stuck in my mind was the party. Landon hadn’t mentioned any party to me. Who would wish to be seen with their unwanted wife at such a function?

Sitting on the balcony of Landon and my shared room, I pondered what marriage meant to me. It wasn’t just a ring band or a signed paper. I had always dreamed of having the kind of marriage my parents had—one where they absolutely adored each other, finished each other’s sentences, left cute notes, and waited for one another to come home before going to bed. Marriage should be savored and enjoyed. But in my case, it was the complete opposite. I had only been enduring it because his soul was already connected to someone else. And I hated myself because I knew I had brought this upon myself. If I hadn’t been so naive and foolish, I wouldn’t be in this mess.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the door close with a loud bang. Landon stormed towards me like a raging bull. His glare was dangerous, his fists clenched beside him.

“How can you be such an attention seeker? How dare you tell my dad that I didn’t inform you about the party? And why do you think I owe it to you to tell you in the first place?”

This was the angriest I had ever seen him. The vein at the side of his neck pulsed as he grabbed my wrist.

“Please let go of my arm. You’re hurting me!” I cried, trying to pry my arm out of his grip, but he held on tight.

“And what about the pain you constantly put me through? Because of you, I cannot be with the person I love. Hailey and I are having problems because of you, and today, when I got the opportunity to make it up to her, you just had to ruin my plan.” His grip tightened, making me wince in pain.

“I didn’t say anything! In fact, I—”

“Just shut up. First, you ruin everything, and then you go ahead and give excuses.” With that, he shoved me onto the bed.

“Damn it! How can you pretend to be so innocent when you have such an evil mind?” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “Be ready by six o’clock. I will have to take you to the damn party now. I don’t know why my parents can’t see through your manipulative attitude. I can’t believe they rejected Hailey for someone like you.”

As always, his words didn’t fail to express the level of disdain he had for me.

Was I that bad?

“Stop shedding those fake tears and go get ready, for God’s sake. You can’t fool me with that. I’m not my parents,” he spat before leaving the room.

I was about to step into the room when I heard Landon’s voice, low and urgent. I froze just outside the door, my breath catching as I listened.

“Baby, please try and understand. I must go through with this, otherwise my father will see right through our act and find out that I don’t love her. The CEO position will ultimately go to Theo. That leech already has him wrapped around her fingers, and he’s suspicious of us already, so I have to take her to the party.”

The words cut deeper than I expected.

I knew where I stood in his life, but hearing it like this—so blunt, so heartless—felt like a fresh wound reopening. I wasn’t his wife. I wasn’t even a person to him. Just an obstacle. A necessary evil.

I swallowed hard and stepped into the room, my heels clicking softly against the floor. Landon turned, irritation flashing in his eyes as if he were about to scold me for interrupting. But then, just for a second, something shifted. His gaze roamed over me, his expression unreadable.

I was wearing a red dress Olivia had gifted me. It was elegant, nothing too extravagant, yet for some reason, he just… stared. His jaw tensed, his grip on his phone tightening slightly.

I didn’t know what to make of it.

Then he took a step toward me, lowering his voice. “I want you in my bed after the party.”

The breath left my lungs.

I wanted to recoil, to demand why he suddenly cared, but I knew better. So I just stood there, silent, as he brushed past me and left the room.

And just like that, I was nothing again.