Married to a Man Who Already Loved Someone Else

ARIAN'S POV I’m Arian Costosa. I was 20 years old when my family arranged me to marry a man who never loved me. His name is Drake Costosa—24 years old, the cold-hearted CEO of the Costosa family. He could never love me because his heart already belonged to someone else—his girlfriend, Bea Lim. Even now, their relationship continues, and sometimes, he even brings her to our house. Here I am, waiting inside our room for my husband, until I hear the sound of his car arriving. I hurriedly go downstairs with a smile on my face, but it quickly fades when I see him walking in with his girlfriend. “Cook something. We’re hungry,” my husband says coldly. What else did you expect, Arian? This is only an arranged marriage. I head straight to the kitchen and cook without enthusiasm. When I’m done, I return to my room. And yes, even though we are married, we don’t share the same bedroom—because he doesn’t want to. When I woke up the next morning, I immediately went downstairs to prepare food for them. After cooking, I went straight back to my room—I didn’t want to see them. It only hurt me more. Later, I went down again because I was hungry, knowing that they had already left. After eating, I was quietly reflecting inside the house when I suddenly bumped into someone. “What the hell! Don’t you even watch where you’re going?!” Bea snapped at me. What? Why is she still here? Didn’t she leave with Drake? “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you,” I answered softly. “You’re f*cking stupid,” she hissed before throwing the juice she was holding at me and storming off. I’ve grown used to this. Whenever Drake isn’t around and Bea is here, she treats me like her servant. Sometimes, when I don’t follow what she wants, she hurts me. Then, when Drake comes home, I always end up being the bad one. And the worst part? My husband believes her… even if he doesn’t know the truth. That night, I was about to sleep when a loud knock shook my door—so hard it felt like it might break. “Wait a minute!!” I shouted. But the moment I opened the door, a sharp slap landed across my face. “D-Drake…” I whispered in shock. “What did you do to Bea, huh?!” he shouted angrily. My eyes shifted behind him, and there she was—Bea. Tears streamed down her face, but the moment our eyes met, she smirked at me. I didn’t even bother to defend myself. What’s the point? Even if I explained, he would never believe me. “If you hurt Bea again, you’ll get more than just that,” he warned coldly before dragging her back to their room. I returned to my bed, where I broke down crying—again. In our one year of marriage, I’ve grown used to this cycle. His girlfriend always hurts me… and when Drake comes home, I’m always the one to blame. When I woke up in the morning, I cooked breakfast for them before going back to my room. This has become my daily routine—only leaving my room whenever I have to prepare their meals. While lying in bed, my phone suddenly lit up with a message from my best friend, asking if we could meet. Without a second thought, I quickly changed my clothes. I knew Drake and his girlfriend had already left—it was around the time they usually go out. For once, I felt a little free. We met at my favorite coffee shop, and the moment I saw her, I immediately hugged her. “My God! It’s been so long since we last saw each other. I missed you, bestie!” she said excitedly, squeezing me tightly. “Yeah, me too,” I replied with a small smile, feeling warmth in my chest I hadn’t felt for so long. Her name is Azalea Perez. She’s a famous model abroad and has been my friend since high school. “You look so pale… are you okay? Are you eating well?” she asked, her brows furrowing in worry as she held my hands. I tried to smile. “I’m fine… don’t worry about me.” But deep inside, I wanted to tell her everything. How I was suffering in this marriage. How every day felt like a punishment. How I was slowly losing myself. Azalea sighed and looked into my eyes. “You can always talk to me, Arian. You know I’ll listen.” For the first time in a long while, I felt like someone actually cared.