Husband’s Plan: Frame and Destroy Me

Upon Henry's return, I was perched atop a stool to delicately remove the wedding photograph that had once proudly hung at the heart of our bedroom.

The moment his eyes caught my action, a frown of displeasure creased his brow.

"It's perfectly fine where it is. Why are you taking it down?"

His voice, laced with impatience, reached my ears as I steadfastly refused to turn and face him.

"It's gathered dust. I thought to clean it," I replied.

The wedding photo slipped from my grasp, crashing to the floor and fracturing into two pieces.

My gaze lifted to meet Henry's, only to find him casting an impatient glance in my direction. "You're clumsy! If it's broken, just throw it away."

Turning on his heel, he strode towards the bathroom with a towel in his hand.

Indeed, I had let it fall on purpose.

I yearned to witness how Henry would react to the shattering of our wedding photo.

As expected, his indifference was palpable.

Bending down, I gathered the broken shards of our wedding photo, preparing to discard them in the trash can downstairs.

Yet, as I did, memories flooded back unbidden.

To capture that perfect set of wedding photos, I had endured days without sustenance, starving myself until I shed three kilograms, all for the sake of fitting into that exquisite wedding gown.

Henry had been unable to tear his eyes away. "Nicole, you are so beautiful. I will always love you and protect you."

During our courtship, my family was mired in poverty. To support them, I worked tirelessly, taking on odd jobs by night.

One fateful night, as I made my way home in the dead of night, I was accosted by the sudden appearance of a thug. My refusal to comply resulted in a brutal beating.

I was assaulted with such ferocity that I ended up in the hospital with a fractured bone. The news reached Henry, who, in the midst of his game, cast everything aside. With urgency in his steps, he rushed to my side at the hospital.

His eyes were rimmed with red, and his body trembled with fury.

He berated himself for not being there to protect me.

I laughed off his words, calling him a fool. After all, he hadn't been with me during those part-time jobs, and beyond the physical harm, I was fine. I wondered why he carried the weight of guilt upon his shoulders.

Yet, Henry shook his head vehemently. The towering boy of six feet broke down in tears.

He knelt by my bedside, clasping my hand with a fervor promise.

"Nicole, no more night work. I'll provide for you. I'll give you all the scholarships and all the living expenses I earn!"

At that moment, his love for me was undeniable.

He lived sparingly, even forgoing breakfast during the leanest times while lying to me that he had already eaten.

It was then that I resolved to marry him.

Yet, the only constant in this world was change. People's hearts were the most fickle of all.

Perhaps, in his wildest dreams, Henry could never have envisioned the turn our lives would take five years hence.

Five years later, driven by the lure of a wealthy woman, he orchestrated a despicable plot, framing a homeless man to tarnish my innocence and resorting to any means necessary to divorce me.

All those vows of eternal love were scattered by the winds of time.

We could never reclaim the innocence and love that once defined us.