A Useless Woman

Anna placed Robert's wedding ring in the open palm of her left hand, staring at it blankly. The thin gold band, once a symbol of their vows, now felt impossibly large and unbearably heavy.

Seven years of marriage. Seven years of sacrifice—of putting Robert's needs above her own, of enduring, compromising, giving. And yet, in a single moment, it all came down, crushing. Every effort, every silent concession, every piece of herself she had given to the Hyde family had been reduced to nothing.

A child.

The word itself made her stomach twist. He was right—she couldn't get pregnant, no matter how many treatments she endured, no matter how many doctors reassured her, no matter how desperately she tried.

But it wasn't entirely her fault. No—it wasn't her fault at all. Yet Robert would never admit that.

Once upon a time, before life had hardened them, before greed and ambition had tainted their relationship, Robert had told her he didn't care about things like that. They had been young, naive, lost in the warmth of an untainted friendship, making promises they thought were unbreakable.

But promises were fragile things, and every one Robert had ever made to her had crumbled, one after another.

And then, as if fate sought to twist the knife deeper, she saw her.

Marienne Rochester.

Robert's mistress.

A crushing surge of betrayal slammed into Anna, making her tremble. How could he do this to her? She hadn't even signed the papers yet, and he was already parading Marienne around—already bringing her here, to their home. Their home. And he had done it knowing full well that Anna would see them together.

"Clean that room completely, and make sure to get rid of everything inside," Colette Hyde, Robert's mother, commanded, flicking her wrist toward the butler in dismissal. Her gaze, filled with thinly veiled disgust, lingered on the doorway to Anna's bedroom.

As she turned back, her sharp eyes caught sight of her daughter-in-law standing in the hallway. The moment she did, her lips curled into a sneer, barely masking her disdain.

"What are you doing standing there?" she asked, her tone dripping with condescension, as if Anna were nothing more than an uninvited guest loitering in her home. "Shouldn't you be preparing to leave? There's far too much work to be done now that... things have changed."

"Mother, I—" Anna started, her voice carrying a note of desperation, but Colette silenced her with a sharp flick of her wrist, as if swatting away something insignificant.

"Spare me the excuses, darling," she drawled, amusement flashing in her cold eyes. "If there's one thing I hate, it's useless things... and useless people."

The word struck like a slap.

Useless.

Anna felt it coil around her insides, tightening like a noose. They had taken everything from her, and now—now that she had nothing left to give—she was useless.

Colette took a step closer, lowering her voice, though the venom in it remained. "A woman married into a family of high standing has many duties. But above all else, she must produce an heir. Generation after generation, the Hydes have carried on their legacy without fail—until now." She sighed, a mockery of sympathy, before shaking her head. "As much as I'd love to ignore this disgrace, I'm afraid I simply can't."

Colette took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance between them, her smirk stretching into a cruel, knowing grin. "But I suppose it's only natural that you don't understand. After all, you had no mother to teach you what's right."

Anna's breath caught in her throat. Of all the ways Colette could have cut her down, she chose the lowest—weaponizing the absence of her mother. The sheer cruelty of it sent a fresh wave of anger and pain crashing through her.

What a vile woman.

"I tried," Colette continued, her voice dripping with feigned regret. "I truly did. But one simply can't change a woman who refuses to fulfill her proper role. What a shame..."

She sighed theatrically before her expression darkened, her next words laced with unrestrained malice. "But at least my son has been freed from this burden. Now, he can finally have a real family."

Tilting her chin, Colette cast a glance down over the railing of the grand stairwell, where Robert and Marienne stood below, overseeing the delivery of her belongings. They moved in perfect sync—already playing the role of a happily married couple. The sight sent a sickening twist through Anna's stomach.

She had been the only one who truly cherished this marriage. To everyone else, she had been nothing more than an obstacle, a temporary placeholder—one they had all been waiting to discard.

"Well," Colette said with a satisfied sigh, turning away as if she had already dismissed Anna from her thoughts, "let me offer you one last piece of advice, since I was forced to play the role of your mother for far too many years. If you ever marry again, do yourself a favor—choose a man whose worth isn't tied to his lineage. Someone whose name doesn't carry the weight of expectation." She smiled, almost sweetly. "Perhaps someone... of lesser fortune."

Glancing over her shoulder, Colette's smirk widened, her eyes glinting with cold amusement. "Though, I'm not sure even those kinds of men would want a useless woman."

Anna's jaw clenched, rage burning through her like wildfire. Even now, when she was practically out of Colette's life, this vile woman couldn't resist one last opportunity to cut her down—to strip away whatever dignity Anna had left.

How dare she?

How dare she call her useless when she knew full well that Robert was just as much to blame for their inability to have a child?

"Stacy," Colette called out, gesturing to a passing maid who had clearly overheard every venomous word. "Help Anna pack and make sure her things are properly arranged before she leaves."

The maid hesitated, then nodded, casting Anna a fleeting, apologetic glance.

Colette scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she descended the stairs, her voice almost singing now. "Now this house will finally be clean."