The Marrage She Turned into War (Official Chapters 1 and 2)

They left after dinner. I sat alone in the vast, empty villa, looking out the windows at the overgrown yard. Once upon a time, it had been filled with flowers that we'd carefully tended. There used to be a cluster of white roses, which symbolized the pure love we once shared.

But now, they'd all withered and died, just like my love for Abigail. Suddenly, I started coughing intensely. This Gebb's disease had ravaged my immune system. Even a mild cold could be fatal, and whenever the symptoms flared, it felt like every organ in my body was twisting in agony.

I curled up on the floor as cold sweat soaked through my clothes. In a haze, my mind drifted back to the early days of our marriage. Abigail and I used to walk in the garden, hand in hand. The soft scent of her perfume would become intertwined with that of the roses, forming a fragrance that had once enchanted me. Perhaps she'd once truly loved me. But after I'd left her when she had needed me the most, all that love had turned to hatred. I remembered how she'd call me even when she had to leave briefly for an urgent errand.

"I'm heading out to the office. Wait for me at home."

Nowadays, every call she made was a command to prepare dinner for her and her latest fling. Sometimes, she would even ask me to fill a warm bath for them. The phone buzzed beside me. I was in so much pain that the screen was a blur. I answered after struggling a little.

"Abi, I'm waiting for you at home. When will you be back? I think I'm about to die,"

I whispered. In my feverish daze, I saw a graceful figure push through the door urgently.

"Abi, welcome home…"

When I came to, I was lying in our old bed. Ever since Abigail started cheating on me, I'd been sleeping in the guest room. The sheets here still held her familiar scent mixed with Ted's cologne, which was a reminder of what they had done here together earlier. The thought made me gag. I tried to crawl out of bed, but my body gave out. I managed to brace myself against the wall, only to see Ted standing before me. He smiled at me mockingly.

"Samuel, you're pretty good at playing the pathetic card. You're a grown man, yet you're acting so weak and pitiful. It's disgusting."

I frowned slightly but said nothing as I brushed past him and left the room. I was met with the sight of Abigail sitting calmly on the couch. What had happened wasn't a dream. I fell into a state of confusion. Abigail looked at me and asked,

"You skipped a meal, didn't you? Why didn't you eat the lamb chops we had earlier? You know that you have low blood sugar levels, so stop pretending that you're fine."

Her gentle tone took me by surprise. It had been ages since Abigail had shown any concern for me. She handed me a warm glass of milk before I could process it.

"I added some sugar to this. It should help."

I took the glass and stared at it in silence before saying,

"I'm lactose intolerant, so I can't drink milk."

Abigail's smile froze. Ted scoffed from behind me.

"Abi gave you the milk, so you should drink it even if it kills you. Stop being so ungrateful."

"Ted, you should leave,"

Abigail said coldly. Ted froze, but he quickly put on a playful smile and wrapped his arms around Abigail's waist.

"Come on, Abi. Didn't we agree that tonight…"

Before he could finish speaking, a hard slap landed on his face.

"Don't you understand what I'm saying? Leave!"

Abigail yelled. Ted's face flushed red, and he quickly left. I felt amused as I watched him retreat in defeat. He was such a fool for thinking that a few nights with Abigail would win her over. All she wanted was a compliant plaything. The key was to be obedient. The moment any of her men stepped out of line, she'd discard them without a second thought. Ted was no exception.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

I asked after dumping the milk down the sink. She wouldn't drink anything I'd already touched anyway. Abigail leaned against the doorway and sneered. "Didn't you say that you were dying? I rushed back to see you, but you look fine. Samuel, were you trying to scare me, or was that your attempt at seduction? Since when did you resort to using these tricks?" I realized that she had rushed back just to make sure that I was truly dead. I looked at her blankly and replied,

"I had no intention of doing that. Since you broke up with Ted, I won't be making dinner for him tonight."

After what had happened this morning, I was sure that my indifference was the sharpest weapon against her. She wanted revenge, so my lack of reaction only made it worse for her. Sure enough, her face twisted with fury, and her eyes narrowed with anger.

"Tell me. Have you ever regretted leaving me? Do you even feel the slightest bit of guilt for what you did?"

Abigail asked coldly. I smiled and shook my head.

"Never."

"Fine!"

Abigail spun around and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. … Later that night, every central news platform reported a headline that ignited a media frenzy. Photos showed Abigail at a pool, playfully embracing and kissing the latest heartthrob in the entertainment world.

She was an unattainable ice queen and also a billionaire. So, every move she made would gain attention. News of her marrying an ordinary man like me had shaken up the city back then.

Now, her latest cheating scandal wasn't exactly news. Everyone knew she swapped men every other week, and I was labeled a cuckold. But this time, Abigail was making a statement. Usually, she kept her affairs low-key by either bringing them to our home or retreating to a private villa. But now, the leaked photos captured her in the pool from every angle.

Her newest fling, Joshua Levine, was a young actor who was skyrocketing to fame. He was known for his charm and good looks, which made fans swoon over him. But no amount of adoring fans could compare to the benefits he'd gain from being with Abigail, even for a day. Just then, my phone rang. When I answered it, Abigail said, "Samuel…" It was that familiar tone. I'd heard it countless times in bed and then through the walls as it echoed from the next room.

"Alright."

I sighed and got up. I knew what she wanted. She wanted to humiliate me in public. As expected, the paparazzi swarmed me the moment I stepped into the hotel.

Chapter 2:

"Mr. Gebb, this is the hotel where your wife is having an affair, right? Are you here to catch her in the act?"

"You've kept quiet all these years. Is this finally the moment you reclaim your dignity as a man?"

"Many people think that you're not good enough for Ms. Bardot. They say that every one of her boyfriends are better than you. Why haven't you divorced her yet?"

"Joshua is a much better match for Ms. Bardot than you are. Isn't it pointless for you to keep refusing a divorce?"

I smiled and took the microphone from the reporter beside me. I glanced at the logo on it and said,

"You're from Sky Entertainment. That's Joshua Levine's label, right? Why are you so eager for me to get a divorce? Is it because you want Joshua to officially take my place?

Even if he succeeds in doing so, does Joshua honestly think that Abigail will be interested in him forever?

In fact, Joshua should be thanking me. He looks a lot like how I did back then. But time flies. I'd like to advise him to make money in ways that don't just bank on his fleeting youth." The reporter's expression quickly turned dark. Clearly, he had never interviewed me before, and he didn't know how blunt I could be. After all, people never liked hearing the truth. I turned to the others and added,

"And one more thing. I'll be really grateful if any of you can manage to convince Abigail to divorce me."

With that, I walked into the hotel. This was a high-end hotel, so the security guards had to do their job and hold off the paparazzi despite their obvious disdain for me. I went upstairs and knocked on the suite's door. When the door opened, I saw that Abigail was alone in the vast, luxurious presidential suite. But I could hear the steady sound of running water coming from the bathroom.

"Abigail, is someone here?"

Joshua called out loudly. He reminded me of myself back in college when I was passionately in love with Abigail. Back then, I was full of youth and optimism, with the same boyish looks and charm. Even his voice was uncannily similar. Now, though, my own voice had been irreversibly damaged by the illness, and it had become rough and grating.

"Yes. Be a good boy and finish your shower,"

Abigail replied gently as her eyes lit up with a smile. Suddenly, it struck me that maybe Abigail had truly fallen for him. That was why she was so bold about making it public.

"You're here just in time,"

Abigail said to me. She snapped back to her usual demeanor as she picked up the phone. Soon, a renowned tailor arrived.

"Your build and appearance are close to Joshua's,"

Abigail said, glancing toward the bathroom.

"Since he's in the shower now, you can try on these suits for him."

For a moment, I'd thought that Joshua was meant to replace me. Now, it seemed like the opposite was true. I said nothing as I stepped forward and began trying on the suits that the tailor handed to me. When I put on the jacket, I realized just how much weight I'd lost. Before, this suit would have fit me perfectly, but now, it hung loosely on me. Abigail noticed this too, and she frowned in dissatisfaction as she asked,

"How'd you get so thin?"

She got off the bed and walked toward me. Her pale hand brushed lightly over my chest and my waist. I watched her, stunned. Her touch felt familiar, almost like how she used to tease me before. But now, it only made my skin crawl. Although her robe was loose, it was still tied just tight enough to accentuate her curves. The red marks on her neck stood out sharply. I looked away.

"You're so thin. I can feel your bones. I told you to take care of yourself, didn't I? How else can you stay by my side?"

Abigail looked at me with a complex expression. She then chuckled and showed me her phone. It was open to her Facebook page. In the short time I'd been upstairs, the interview from earlier had sparked hundreds of thousands of comments, and her repost was only fueling the flames. Abigail had posted.

"My husband is just joking. Don't take him too seriously. We're not getting divorced, no matter what. So, please stop asking these questions."

The netizens were in a frenzy.

"Abigail, he's practically begging you for a divorce. Why are you still holding on to him? You're so heartless!"

"I bet he's the one who cheated on her. Ms. Bardot must've faked her affairs to make him regret it!"

"I wonder what Ms. Bardot sees in him. He's thin, and his voice sounds awful."

"Can't Ms. Abigail just get together with Joshua? Why is she keeping him around?"

Abigail put away her phone and smiled radiantly.

"Too bad. You've lost again. Even those comments online couldn't change my love for you. Why would I divorce you over a few rumors? I've changed my mind. I want you to come with me to tonight's party."

I was confused. What party? Just then, Joshua came out of the shower. His hair was damp, and his skin was fair and smooth. He was indeed very handsome. He looked at Abigail with his large eyes and asked softly,

"Abigail, did I do something wrong? Is that why you don't want me to go with you tonight?"

"Of course not."

Abigail smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"I just think you look tired today. Go home and rest. He'll accompany me to the boring party instead."

Unlike Ted, Joshua knew better than to argue with her. He nodded obediently and said,

"Alright. I'll wait for you at home."

"Go ahead. William, please send these suits back with him."

They shared another lingering, affectionate kiss before parting. William Shaw, the tailor, seemed used to their actions as he packed up the suits. After all, he had been making suits for Abigail's men since we first got married. The only difference was that back then, he'd been making them exclusively for me. Almost every suit in my closet was his work, hand-tailored with impeccable skill. This was the first time Abigail had asked him to make suits for another man. Deep down, I felt uncomfortable about it. After Joshua left, Abigail instructed the driver to take me home to change into one of my own suits. When I arrived at the venue, I hesitated at the entrance. Although the suit I wore now was a little loose due to my weight loss, it still looked sharp. Its tailored lines, elegant cuffs, and pocket square were all carefully coordinated. Each detail had been requested by Abigail.

The banquet hall before me was the very place where we'd held our wedding. The place looked just as it had before, but everything else had changed. I took a deep breath and stepped inside. Only then did I realize that the true purpose of tonight's event was an ambush which had been meticulously crafted just for me.

The room was filled with familiar faces. They were all former college classmates of mine and Abigail's. As soon as I entered, I was overwhelmed by everyone's scrutinizing gazes.