Trapped in a Marriage I Thought Was Love

I accidentally ran over my drunk neighbour while driving.

My husband didn’t utter a word of complaint. Instead, he negotiated tirelessly with the neighbor’s family, eventually settling on a compensation of 1.5 million.

That sum wiped out our savings, leaving us barely scraping by.

Guilt gnawed at me, but my husband simply took my hands and said, “Alexis, money is just something external. As long as we work hard, we’ll earn it back.”

His unwavering support moved me to tears. I felt incredibly lucky to have married him.

Because of this, he worked even harder, rarely coming home.

But just three months later, my world was shattered.

——

It was a Saturday noon. I had scoured the entire market, picking up every ingredient my mother-in-law had requested. Just as I stepped out, my phone rang.

“Is this Alexis Wood?”

After I confirmed, the voice on the other end continued, “This is Elmira City Police Station. Your husband has been temporarily detained on suspicion of rape. Please come to the station.”

My first instinct was that it had to be a scam. But then I glanced at the caller ID, bold, undeniable numbers: 911.

A cold wave crashed over me. My mind reeled, but the call had already ended before I could ask for details.

But William told me yesterday that he was on a business trip to a neighboring city.

So how could he have been arrested for rape in Elmira?

Had he lied to me?

A chill slithered down my spine. I sucked in a deep breath, forcing myself to stay composed.

Outside the market, I bought a serving of meat pies from a small stall, then trudged home with my heavy bags, my arms aching under the weight.

The moment I stepped inside, a sharp voice pierced the air.

“Alexis, you bringer of bad luck!! Do you still have the nerve to come back? Are you trying to starve me to death?”

Yes. Ever since the accident, I had become nothing more than a bad omen in my mother-in-law’s eyes.

Since William and I had been married for less than a month when it happened, she was convinced I had brought disaster into his life.

Back then, when William heard her calling me that, he snapped. He wanted to send her back to her hometown immediately and he would have if not for my protests.

But a month ago, she had a bad fall at home. After much discussion, we brought her back.

Now that she had fully recovered, she expected to be waited on hand and foot as if nothing had changed.

Whenever I didn’t meet her expectations, she would run straight to William and complain.

I swallowed my frustration.

I had my reasons for putting up with this.

First, William had just started at a new company and I didn’t want family drama to weigh on him.

Second, he had already done so much for me that I wanted to do something in return.

So, I cared for his mother the best I could, even when her demands became unbearable.

I set the packed meat pies on the table in front of her, but she let out an outraged shriek before I could even speak.

“What is this? Didn’t I tell you I wanted pickled fish and crayfish?”

I took a deep breath, steadying myself.

“I just got a call from the police station. William has been detained. I don’t have time to cook for you; I need to go.”

For a moment, she froze, her face twisting in disbelief. But then, as if struck by lightning, she snapped back.

“You wicked woman! How dare you curse my son? Do you think I don’t know he’s on a business trip? Just watch; I’ll beat you to death!”

She swung her hand at me, but I caught her wrist midair and shoved her onto the couch.

“No one is cursing your son. He was detained for raping someone. Call him yourself if you don’t believe me. See if he answers.”

Without another glance, I turned and strode into the bedroom.

I had barely finished changing out of my fish-splattered clothes when her wails shook the walls.

“Alexis, you truly are a cursed disaster! Ever since you stepped into this house, nothing but misfortune has followed! What are you still doing in there? Get my son out of jail this instant!”

The next second, she barged into my room, eyes blazing.

“You ungrateful woman! When you ran someone over, my son spent money and effort cleaning up your mess! And now that he’s in trouble, yet you….”