BILLIONAIRE REGRET: THE WIFE HE IGNORED

Maria’s POV He was late again. After all the preparations I made, the promise he made to show up. But he never did. Even the candle lights on the table had faded, mocking me with its ashes. My heart feels caged with spike wire. Breathing becomes difficult, my chest raising in slow beats that's suffocating. I stare at the unread text messages I sent him earlier in the day. Scrolling through his DM, I realize I have been the one making the effort to communicate. No, pushing for our marriage instead. Tear blurs my vision as I accept that he is not coming. This was the same thing that happened on our last anniversary. But this time is different. Today marks the end of our marriage contract. In the hope that he would show up, I considered renewing the agreement. I have tried, so I had to make him love me, see me more than a polished trophy wife, and keep indoors. Yet, every time I attempted, the result came out bitter. Exhausted, I grab my purse from the table filled with untouched food. I exit the room down to the attendant, who rings up my bill. I glance to my side and find a couple of all lovey dovey. Something about the man makes me instantly jealous. He looks at his woman with so much deep affection as if she is the only thing that matters in his life. Nelson would never look at me with such a tender gaze. He is always distant and indifferent. I hate his nonchalance and despise the way he never took our special moments as anything. My phone lights up with a notification as I step through the sliding door. BUZZ NEWS: BILLIONAIRE TYCOON SEEN WITH A WOMAN AT LODGE LIFE HOTEL SEEMINGLY INTIMATE COULD SHE BE HIS RUMORED WIFE? Rumored my ass, the picture clearly shows Nelson's profile I never miss to notice. But what confirms my claim is the custom gold Rolex watch I bought him for his birthday. Only I could identify my husband even if he is in a pitch-black room. He has his arm around a woman's waist. Her face looked familiar as I zoomed in to see her features. My blood runs cold at the sight of that woman. He has got to be kidding me, right? I stumble back, placing my hand on my temple from dizziness. Why does it have to be her? Why is it always her! She never loved it, yet he did anything to get her attention. As for his wife, he completely ignored me and refused my advances. I can still remember that day vividly. How she had left him without looking back. Grandpa used the easiest way to show her through colors. He offered her money, which, if she had refused, would have been tripled. But because I wanted to make a point and prove she wasn't good enough for Nelson, heaven answered my prayer. Eventually, I caught her cheating with some other guy. A single photo was all it took to send her away for good. Nevertheless, her leaving didn't make any significant change. I was still ignored even when I had willingly agreed to marry him on the basis of helping him claim his inheritance and a flimsy start-up company I claimed to own. Maybe God is punishing me for craving someone I could never fully have. I drove back to our mansion. A big space filled with void and gloom. I thought some day this house would be filled with joy, kids running around abundantly graced with love. That dream was only mine. My eyes sting as tears threaten to fall, I double blink, stopping them from falling. I won't cry over a man who doesn't want me. The rain had stopped pouring down. Fresh mud and green leaves hung in the air, cold seeping down my arms. I hurriedly climb the fleet of stairs. My ankle twist to the side, and I come rolling down. Hot tears pour down my eyes as I hit the base of the stairs. I couldn't hold it in anymore. The ache in my chest worsened, and I began to rub the area where I believed my heart was pounding. It is clear to me now that he loves someone else. I ponder on what next to do and decide to give him what he has always dreamed of. I raise to my feet, hissing as a sharp pain pierces my ankle. I leaped up to the remaining stairs until I got into the house. “Welcome…Young missing what happened to you?" Mr. Abraham, the housekeeper, asks with a frown full of concern. I have known him to be the Winston's longest servant. He hurries to my side, offering his arm for me to rest. "Thank you," I say gently with a deflated smile. “Does the young master know about your condition?" He questions as we ascend the stairs. “He is too busy with other things," I mutter with a sarcastic tone. Even if he knew, he wouldn't care about my condition. Not when he has Lucy Parker in his line of sight. Thinking about her makes my blood boil. She shows up one evening, and the whole world knows about her. I can remember the first time I met her. She was frail looking, petite, and disturbingly beautiful with sharp eyes that could entice any man. She would deliberately hurt herself or play the victim to get Nelson's attention. While I stayed afar loving him secretly. God, I can't believe I gave up my chance to enroll in a beauty academy just to be with him. Abraham stops me at the front of my bedroom door and leaves to attend to other matters. I freshen up, but the weight on my chest doesn't go away. I try inhaling a mint sash to calm my anxiety. Overwhelmed, I fling the sash across the room. My knees give up on me as panic begins to kick in. Why wouldn't he see me? Am I that invisible? Why does it have to be her when I am his wife? I pull out our marriage contract from my bed drawer. Flipping through the pages,I pull out the divorce document within the file. I had never thought I would one day take this decision as my last option. However, if Nelson wouldn't choose me as his wife and only woman, then I see no use being around. I won't allow myself to be a man's second option. Without hesitation, I click the pen in my hand and sign the document. I grab a box out of my closet and roll it down to his study. I open the door, darkness welcoming me as I step into his space. He spends every night in this damn room. Never willing to accompany me or pay attention to me. Thinking of how he treated me with little regard made me realize how foolish I have been. Infuriated, I pull off the ring on my finger and toss it to his desk side. My chest heaving up and down as I glared at the empty chair. I walk over to his desk, slam our marriage contract on it, and leave without looking back. On my way out, the door downstairs clicks close. His cologne fills the atmosphere, making my heart skip. My belly churns as I descend the stairs to me him. His cold grey eyes lock with mine. My breath hitches. For a second, I am lost in his charm. "Where are you going?" His deep voice snaps me back to reality. My brows furrow as I remember what he had done. “I am leaving," I say, carrying my box. He looks at me with a puzzled gaze as I climb down to his level. “What does that mean?" He grumbles with a frown. “I am divorcing you, Nelson." I blurt out with a sharp tone.