I Chose Me Over My Marriage novel Chapter 6

The brutal emotional abuse had driven her to the brink of insanity.

That was, until the night Maxwell drunkenly stumbled into her bed and moaned Aria's name.

The revelation struck Lyra like a physical blow.

Once that dark secret was brought into the light, the rest of his lies unraveled immediately.

On the nights she lay shivering with a deadly fever, he was out watching fireworks with Aria.

Whenever society mocked her as a shameless clown, Maxwell was boldly defending Aria, allowing the press to print whatever scandalous rumors they wanted about his "sister."

While she was crying herself to sleep wondering why her husband had changed, he was busy confessing his undying love to Aria.

Every "romantic" moment from their past had been a meticulously crafted trap designed to lock her into a marriage that served as the perfect cover for his illicit affair.

How deeply passionate, how painstakingly calculated.

She smiled through her agony, tears tracing hot tracks into her hairline.

For the next few days, Maxwell never showed his face. Only Leo Thorne arrived faithfully on schedule to deliver her meals and daily necessities.

"Mrs. Sterling, the boss has been overwhelmed with corporate matters lately and couldn't find the time to visit. Please let me know if you need anything at all," he said with perfect professional courtesy.

Lyra merely nodded, offering no reply.

"Wait."

Just as Leo turned to leave, she suddenly stopped him. "All those lavish gifts Maxwell gave me over the years... you were the one who bought them, weren't you?"

She should have figured it out ages ago.

Maxwell never remembered her allergies or her favorite foods. Whenever he took her out on dates, he dragged her to restaurants she hated, yet the delivered gifts and meals were always perfectly tailored to her tastes.

It was only after their wedding that she discovered all those terrible restaurants were actually Aria's favorites.

Her usually doting parents flew into a blind rage, throwing her out into the cold and forbidding her to come back inside.

Refusing to surrender, she stubbornly held her ground until her exhaustion finally caused her to collapse, waking up days later in a hospital bed.

When she saw Maxwell sitting faithfully by her side, her immense joy totally eclipsed her suffering.

"They all said you didn't want me. They were lying, right?" she had begged, clinging to his sleeve. "You're going to marry me and cherish me forever, right?"

Drowning in her delusional fantasy, she completely missed the raw disgust flashing in his eyes.

"Right."

That single word sealed her tragic fate.

She truly believed her unyielding love would guarantee them a lifetime of happiness. She never fathomed he would change overnight. And when she had sobbed and begged to know why, she had only received his venomous reply.

"Because your pathetic, desperate clinging absolutely sickens me."