Marriage by Revenge: The Deceived Heiress

MARIEL Today, my 29th birthday and wedding anniversary would have been one of the most significant days of my life. With Rafael always overwhelmed with work, a surprise party seemed the perfect way to remind him of how much we loved each other. The house was bathed in a warm glow; every corner was adorned with memories of our lives together. I had poured my heart out in the detail of every photo and decoration. My hands trembled slightly as I arranged the last of the decorations. Our closest family and friends hid in corners, whispering and smiling conspiratorially. Excitement hung in the air, charged with love and anticipation. I knew he had forgotten the events of today. Rafael was an extremely busy man. Work demanded so much of his time, so it was easy to forgive him for failing to remember. It was time for him to come home. I had called the office, and they told me he had left an hour ago, so he undoubtedly had to be on his way. But the clock ticked relentlessly and Rafael didn't appear. My calls went unanswered. My messages were lost in the void. Worry began to exceed my excitement, forming a tight knot in my stomach. Just then I heard the key twitching in the door lock. Certain that he was the one, I signaled everyone to hide. Rafael walked in, but his attention was elsewhere. His voice, filtering through the phone, was like a bucket of cold water. It was our anniversary. My birthday. Our day. But...the tone of his voice, which he used on me only, was directed at someone else. "I'll tell her today, don't worry... I'll be clear. I told you I love you. Today, Mariel will know how I feel about you and that I can't continue this anymore. I'm tired too. I want to be with you. I don't intend to waste any more time. Don't worry, it will be today." My world stopped. The words echoed, each syllable a direct blow to my heart. With trembling hands, I turned on the light. The room was illuminated, revealing the party that never was, with the faces of our loved ones filled with shock and confusion. My heart...my heart was breaking. I was in the middle of my surprise party, wearing a beautiful dress that now seemed like a mockery of the occasion, tears streaming down my cheeks. Rafael scanned our faces, with the phone still in his hand. His face was a mask of surprise and guilt. There were no words. Only the raw, agonizing pain of unexpected betrayal. How could this be real? How could the man I loved, who had been my partner for almost a decade, declare his love for another on our anniversary? The guests, uncomfortable and silent, were witnesses to my broken heart. I felt exposed and vulnerable like a wounded bird under the gaze of an unforgiving sky. There I stood, my eyes fixed on Rafael, waiting for some explanation or a hint of remorse. But nothing. The room was filled with expectant gazes all directed at us. Then, in a voice I barely recognized as my own, I asked Rafael to repeat what he had said on the phone. "What...did you say? Who are you talking to? Rafael, is this a joke? Are you playing a joke on me on our anniversary and my birthday?" I laughed nervously, hoping that was it. My eyes darted towards the guests; those faces were as serious as Rafael's. "Answer me!" He didn't answer. He only lowered his gaze, avoiding the reality. Impulsively, I inched toward him and lifted my hand to his face forcefully, a mixture of pain and fury flushing my face. I saw a momentary spark of surprise in his eyes, perhaps even remorse. The hit was hard. I didn't even know where that strength came from. "We should talk privately," he muttered, but I knew it was too late for secrets. Everyone had heard his phone conversation; what was private when I was already humiliated in front of everyone? "Mariel... I'm sorry, let's talk privately. I'll explain everything." "No," I said, "Everyone heard what you said. What else could you possibly say?" My brother came over and whispered to me to allow the guests to leave. But I didn't want to run from this; not in my own house or in front of the people I loved. My parents tried to console me, but how could I be calm? The world as I knew it was crumbling before my eyes. Finally, Rafael, with a sigh of resignation, opened the door. One by one, our friends and family began to leave, each look and gesture a reminder of what I had just lost. Suddenly, I started to sink to the floor as a dizzy feeling hit me. My legs could no longer support me. *** Rafael and I were left alone in the room. The same room that, moments earlier, bustled with joy. "I'm sorry," he began, "but I want a divorce. This wasn't how I had planned to tell you though. I've been cheating on you, Mariel." Those words echoed in my head. Divorce? How could he even think about it? It was our anniversary, my birthday... How could he do this to me? "I'll get my things. I'll leave right now. I don't think there's any point in me staying tonight. I'm sorry; it wasn't my intention, Mariel," he apologized, but his words sounded empty, distant. There was no comfort, no explanation that could alleviate the betrayal and abandonment I felt. I was alone on the floor of my living room, surrounded by the remnants of a celebration that never was. The shared laughter and dreams had transformed into a heartbreaking silence. I didn't know what next line of action to take, I just knew that the man I loved, the man I had shared almost a decade of my life with, had broken my heart on the day that should have been our happiest. The sound of the wheels of Rafael's suitcase echoed through the house. Each bump against the floor felt like a hammer blow to my heart. He packed quickly as if he were in a hurry to leave, as if...as if he wanted to abandon me as soon as possible. I saw him standing there, ready to leave our home, our history, me. The air thickened and, in an instant, my body, which had felt lifeless moments before, was filled with desperate energy. I ran after him, placing myself between him and the front door. "Don't go," I whispered, my voice a thread of shame, pain, and desperation. I knew that if I let him walk out that door, there would be no turning back, and with him would go my whole life, all my happiness, in just a second, as if it were nothing. Just a few hours before he left for work, everything seemed normal. We had said goodbye with a kiss and a hug, and his words of love still echoed in my ears. Were they just a lie? Was our marriage a sham for him? Rafael looked at me, his expression a mixture of pain and resignation. "Please, move," he said softly. But I couldn't, I didn't want to. On impulse, I lunged at him, ripping the suitcase from his hands, and dragging it away in a vain attempt to stop him. He followed me, his footsteps heavy, his eyes pleading with me not to make things more difficult. My tears wouldn't stop. I turned back to him, needing answers. "Who is she?" I asked, my voice breaking with sobs. "Who did you cheat on me with?!" Rafael avoided my gaze, his words a murmur as he answered me. "Let's not make this any harder." But I needed to know. I needed to understand. "Who is the woman who stole you from me? Who is that b***h?!" I insisted, my voice a heart-wrenching scream. "At first, it was a mistake," he finally confessed, "but I fell in love. I've been in love with her for only a few years. I...I love her. I want to be with her and the best thing I can do for you is to be honest, Mariel. I never meant to hurt you, ever. I'm so sorry." Those words hit me with the force of a hurricane, tearing away any hope I still harbored. I felt my soul shatter and air leaving my lungs. Why did reality have to be so cruel? "Her name," I demanded. One last need to cling to some concrete detail amid this whirlwind of pain. But he shook his head, he wouldn't tell me. "It's better this way. I'll contact you soon for the divorce papers. It will be quick. I hope you cooperate?" And just like that, everything came to an end. He walked away. Rafael headed for the door again, his figure silhouetted against the light from the hallway. I watched him walk away, each step an echo in the emptiness of my chest. I sank to the floor, my tears forming a pool around me. The house, once filled with laughter and love, was now a mausoleum of broken memories and shattered dreams. I looked around at the photos on the walls, the furniture we chose together, the life we had built. Everything seemed to mock me, reminding me of what I had lost. I wrapped my arms around myself in a lonely embrace, trying to find comfort in the cold silence. How had it come to this? At what point had Rafael stopped being the man I thought I knew? The questions swirled in my head, but the answers remained elusive, slippery as shadows in the dark. I looked one last time at the door through which Rafael had left. The threshold of a happy past was closed forever. He loved another, and that wasn't me. He asked me for a divorce on my birthday, our anniversary.