After being saved by him that night, my admiration for him was restored. But, our paths did not cross again until my grandfather and father asked me to meet our company's benefactor three years ago. My father made some bad investments here and there and so we were at the verge of bankruptcy, but I heard that a family friend was going to help us. Imagine my surprise when I learned that it was him.
Because he now owns 20% of the shares in our company, and since I was working as the PR head, I started seeing him more often since he would meet us to discuss business. He was efficient at work, true to his words and he delivers what was required of him. My father and grandfather admired him so much that my grandfather, during one of our dinners quipped about us tying the knot.
To my and everyone's surprise, he replied, "Why not?" And he said that with a smile that I've never seen him make.
I snorted half of my champagne just to keep myself from spewing the expensive liquid to my father who was sitting across me at the time. I immediately excused myself to the ladies room where I tried to stay calm despite my nose hurting inside so bad.
Next thing I know, he started sending me flowers and other gifts both at work and at home. And then after that, I would get invites to watch a movie or have dinner at one of the expensive restaurants in the city with him. I never asked or questioned him behind his motives but my grandfather and father both were convinced that we were in love with each other and so, my grandfather offered my hand in marriage to him. Everyone around us agreed that we make quite a good match, all except one, my closest guy and childhood friend.
Six months later he officially proposed when we were having a romantic dinner for two at one of our holiday resorts overseas. I said yes of course. I'm certain that I liked him, I love him actually, I have fallen for him in the past few months that we have been seeing each other either for work or other engagements. Two months later, we were married. But, little did I know that it was all just a façade and everything was a part of his elaborate plan to take revenge on my family for swindling his family.
I was so baffled at his accusations, he told me all about it on our wedding night no less, about how much he hated my family and me. I could not believe him, I refuted his accusations, but his mind and heart are no longer open.
So, for two years now, we have existed doing the same routine. I am his perfect and obedient little wife when we're outside, but at home, I am nothing to him. What hurt the most was even after telling him that I love him, he still rejected my feelings.
I did not dare tell my family about us because I don't want to worry them and of course, I want to save face. But, I have been trying to indirectly find out from my grandfather and my father if indeed his allegations were true, but they don't seem to know anything or could be hiding the truth from me, although I can't entirely say for sure.
We sleep in different bedrooms, and I am no more than like a maid to him. I even learned how to cook for him before our marriage so that I could make him and our children good food in the future, delicious and nutritious food. But my efforts are nothing to him. What's only important to him is that I heed his every beck and call.
He isn't abusive though, but treating me like I don't exist or that I'm just a mere tool is so much for me to take. The worst part is, I still love him despite everything.
My daily routine at home almost every day begins with getting up as early as 5 in the morning to prepare breakfast for my husband, he usually eats around 7 and then after he leaves, that's the time I go out from my room to eat breakfast. I then clean the house or do whatever it is that needs to be done around our little penthouse. Some days I go out grocery shopping, as for exercise, we have a few pieces of equipment at home for that purpose and we each have our own treadmill in our rooms and our own television sets so we can't be forced to watch them together in the living room.
When we have family, friends, or other guests at home, which is very rare because we seldom invite anyone over for fear of being found out, we make it seem like we're a happy and passionate couple who share the same bed in his room. Not being able to tell anyone that my own husband won't even touch me because he hates me so much is agonizing.
But people have begun wondering about the absence of a bundle of joy in our lives despite being married already for two years. My parents and his mother would often ask us what's wrong or what's the hold-up, to which he would always reply with a big smile on his face and would always take one of my hands into his, "Sachi and I are of course thinking about having our own children but we're still at a point where we still want and we still enjoy each other's company. Besides, now is an extremely busy time for me and the company, I want to have children when I know that I can enjoy, relax and look after them with my wife."
"Well, tut-tut because no one's getting any younger. Not you, not Sachi, no offense dear, and certainly not me," his mother would say.
"None taken," I would say with a smile.
It's the same around our friends. It is indeed true that no one is getting any younger and so our friends are also planning to get hitched, starting to get hitched, or are hitched and already have babies. Because of that we often get asked about the absence of our own little bundle of joy.
Because of the stress that we deal with when we spend some time with our families and some friends, we try or at least he tries his absolute best to avoid them if he can. Or, we just see or meet them separately so that the questions that will be thrown our way are not always going to be about our marriage.
For two years, I've managed and tried my best to keep our real relationship a secret. I am just counting down the days until one of us gets tired of the other. Although, I know that in order to end this madness, it has to be me. But, what keeps me going and believing in our marriage is the hope that someday he will forget all about his plans for revenge and would one day come to love me. I hope that the little things I do for him would one day matter to him and for my feelings to finally reach him.
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