My Marriage Died with My Mother

This marriage had been my wishful thinking all along. 

My father was a driver for the Robinson family, but he died in a car accident while trying to save Lucian's father. His last wish was for me to marry into a good family. When Mr. Robinson heard this request, he immediately agreed to arrange my marriage to Lucian in a fit of enthusiasm. He paid no attention to the fact that Lucian already had someone he deeply loved at the time.

And so, I married him. I knew that he had had a lover, and so did my mom. But I loved Lucian too much, and my mother wanted nothing more than for me to be happy. She thought, even if Lucian didn't love me, I wouldn't have to suffer by relying on the wealth of the Robinson family. So, as compensation for my marriage to Lucian, my mother always treated him well. 

We both fantasized about the day when we could truly become a family with Lucian. And he, in front of my mother, could also pretend to be a good son-in-law, showing extreme filial piety towards her. I thought our life would continue to be fine like this. Until one day, his girlfriend returned from overseas.

It was our third wedding anniversary. My mother had prepared a table full of food. All his favorites, and we both waited patiently, hoping to surprise him when he got home from work. We waited until midnight. My mother had reheated the dishes several times. My heart ached to see her tired face. Then, I told her that Lucian had urgent business came up and couldn't come home immediately, urging her to rest. I had to comfort her by saying that I would continue waiting for him.

After successfully convincing my mother to go to sleep, I received a message from an unknown number. Thinking it might be related to Lucian, I opened it.

I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a close-up photo of a man and a woman. The woman was absolutely beautiful, and the man was gently stroking her hair. The man was Lucian, and the woman, if I remember correctly, was his ex-girlfriend. She was back on our third anniversary.

My heart ached so much that I couldn't breathe. There were times when I really thought that Lucian was in love with me as I watched him get nicer and nicer to me over the years. But I never imagined I was always second to her.

The next day when Lucian returned, I asked him who he was with last night hysterically. I asked him if he remembered what day it was yesterday. Probably realized that I knew, he not only didn't feel guilty but also accused me, claiming I was being irrational.

“What are you so worked up about?” He asked me with his eyebrows knitted together. “Esther was just accompanying me. You’re being irrational. You don't know anything about business, so you can't possibly understand what I was going through! Even if I were to explain it, you wouldn't understand. Don't you forget Olivia that we are not in the same boat.”

Lucian's chest heaved, reflecting the anger simmering within him. He composed himself, then spoke to me again, this time in a softer tone. “You don't need to worry about Esther. We're just friends.”

Just friends? Who the hell did he think I was? Did he think that I would buy his nonsense? I lost my grip and went rage, shouting at him as a madman could ever be. 

Finally, he left, slamming the door behind him. Before that, he said to me, “You're a real nutcase. It's my worst luck to be married to you.”

I thought he would be a little more restrained when I exposed him, but instead, it brought about even more reckless behavior from him. Yet, he cared deeply about his reputation. He couldn't accept anyone accusing him of cheating in his marriage or suggesting that Esther was the misstress he kept. He arranged women as his secretaries and carried on with those disgraceful affairs without a shred of guilt.

He pretended too well, so well that no one believed he was cheating. They turned to me, saying I was insecure. They claimed I was lucky to have such a good husband, a man so rare that there was only one in a thousand in this world, and urged me to reflect on myself. 

The more I listened to what people said, the more I thought. Maybe he did love me after all, maybe it was true that there was nothing between him and Esther, and besides, no one is perfect. I started thinking that he just made a mistake and waited for him to come back and mend his ways.

I waited for him and remained patient. But what did I get? He grew increasingly blatant with his women, disrespecting me over time, even daring to shout at me in front of my mother. He treated us as if we were disposable, and tragically, it reached its peak when my mother lost her life.

The ringing of my phone woke me from my sleep. I wiped away the tears lingering in the corners of my eyes as I answer the call.  The first thing I heard was Lucian's frantic shout: “Olivia, you better get yourself down here and explain yourself before I end this and I swear you’re not gonna like it.”