Married To The Arrogant CEO

WILLOW'S POV:

The dinner table was set like a scene from a high-society magazine - crystal glasses, silver cutlery, plates of food that looked too perfect to eat. Yet, as always, I had no appetite. Noah sat at the head of the table, with his father out of town. He scrolled through his phone, barely acknowledging my existence.

His mother, Abigail Wellesley, chatted with Ava Ross-Wellesley, Noah's older sister about an upcoming gala, deliberately ignoring me as if I were a piece of furniture in the grand dining hall.

Let me give a brief introduction of who I am. My name is Willow Emerson, first child of The Emerson family. My mother died of kidney failure when I was 12 and my father married six months later to a woman who already had a daughter of 10 years old. My stepmother didn't conceive after then.

My stepmom, Susan, isn't the wicked type but she is greedy and a good actress. She would put her needs first before others, even her children. My stepsister, Maya, is the cunning one of the family and she hated me the moment she came into our house. My father, Malcolm, on the other hand isn't one to pay close attention. It is more than enough that his business is struggling, he can't be worrying about his grown up children.

I used to wish for a happy adulthood - to fall in love with the perfect Prince Charming who I have had a huge crush on since my teenage age, for him to love, protect and spoil me. For our lives to go smoothly and we have children of our own who would look just like us. That person was The first son of The Wellesley family, Noah Wellesley.

But here I am, 24 years old and married at the age of 21 to a man who doesn't love me or even care for my feelings, Noah. I should be happy right? That my dreams of getting to be with Noah did come through but... my life has been hell. I woke up to reality years ago when I found out that my feelings would never be reciprocated.

“Noah, darling,” Mrs Wellesley called, bringing me back to reality. Her voice sweet but laced with venom. “I heard Katherine’s been quite busy these days. Have you two set a date yet?”

The words landed like a slap. My stomach clenched, but I kept my head down, gripping my fork. Noah didn’t even flinch.

He took a sip of his wine, still glued to his phone. “Not yet. She’s been overwhelmed with work. We’ll see.”

My fingers dug into my palm. We’ll see? As if I didn’t exist. As if I wasn’t his wife. I pushed my chair back, the screech echoing in the grand hall. “Excuse me,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

As I turned, Noah’s voice cut through the air. “Where do you think you’re going?!” I froze, my nails biting into my palm. “I-I’m done.”

“Sit down.” He commanded, his voice was calm but edged with irritation. For three years, I obeyed. Three years of swallowing pain, humiliation, and loneliness. Tonight, something inside me cracked.

“No,” I said, the word foreign on my tongue. “I won’t.” Noah finally looked up, his dark eyes sharp with warning.

“What did you say?”

“I’m done, Noah.” My voice was shaky, but I met his gaze. “I’ve spent three years being invisible to you. Three years watching you love someone else. I won’t do it anymore.”

Mrs Wellesley scoffed. “You ungrateful little—”

“I don’t care.” My voice cut through hers, shocking even myself. “I am leaving.” I turned on my heels, but before I could take a step, Noah’s chair scraped against the marble.

In a flash, his hand gripped my wrist. “You’re my wife, Willow,” he said coldly. “You don’t just decide to walk away.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “What wife?” I yanked my hand free. “The one you insult? The one you pretend doesn’t exist? Or the one you cheat on without shame?” His jaw tightened, but I didn’t care. For the first time in three years, I felt something other than heartbreak—I felt anger.

I turned and stormed toward the stairs, my heart pounding. But as I reached the top, I heard his voice, low and dangerous. “You’re not leaving this marriage, Willow.” I spun around.

“Watch me.” His gaze darkened, something unreadable flashing in his eyes. Then, in a blur, he took a step forward—too fast, too sudden.

And then... darkness. The world tilted. Pain exploded at the back of my skull. The last thing I heard was Mrs Wellesley and Ava's gasp and the sound of my own body hitting the hard marble floor.

And then - nothing.

★ ★ ★ ★

{I slowly woke up, but I had no idea where I was. I was in a small, dark space that felt tight and scary. I tried to move my arms and legs, but they felt heavy and wouldn't budge. I started to panic, feeling trapped and alone.

“H-help!”, I tried to call out for help, but my voice was weak and muffled. No one answered. I was completely alone. As I lay there, I started to hear a faint sound. It was a familiar sound, one that made my heart sink. Wedding bells. I couldn't believe it. Noah and Katherine were getting married... right on top of me. I was buried six feet underground, and they were celebrating their love above me.

It felt like a cruel joke. I thought about how I ended up here. I remembered falling and hitting my head. Everything after that was a blur. But now, I was trapped in this tiny space, running out of air. I could feel myself getting weaker and weaker. I knew I had to try and escape, but my body felt too heavy to move.

The sound of the wedding bells grew louder, and I could hear the muffled voices of the guests. They were celebrating, laughing and cheering. Meanwhile, I was dying, trapped in this coffin, buried beneath the earth. It was a terrible, lonely way to die. I closed my eyes, feeling tears prick at the corners. This was the end. I was going to die here, alone and forgotten.}

My eyes flung open and I gasped for air. But instead of the suffocating darkness of the coffin, I found myself in a bright, sterile room. I was lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines and the antiseptic smell of disinfectant. I sat up, my heart racing and looked around frantically.

Where was I? How did I get here? The last thing I remembered was... was being buried alive. A wave of panic washed over me, and I threw off the covers, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. But as I stood up, the room spun around me and I stumbled, grabbing onto the bed for support.

“Hey, take it easy. You've been through a lot”, A gentle voice spoke behind me. I turned to see a kind-faced nurse smiling at me.

“What... w-what happened?”, I stammered.

The nurse's smile faltered for a moment before she replied, “You were in an accident. You fell and hit your head... You've been here for a few days”.

A few days? That couldn't be right. I remembered the wedding, the coffin, the feeling of suffocating... It all felt so real. But as I looked around the hospital room, I realized that it must have all been a dream. A terrible, vivid dream. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. It was over. I was safe now.

But then I remembered what Noah did and my hand unconsciously went to my head. The Wellesley's family will definitely sweep this under the rug, I'm sure they're trying to cover up what happened to me with just slipping and falling.

“Are you okay?” She asked again and I nodded. I looked around the room and it was just me and the nurse. Over at the table were a basket of fruits and bouquet of flowers which looks like it has been here for days. I scoffed and shock my head.

“Uhm, c-can I ask you something?” “Sure.” She replied and nodded.

“Okay. Erm... since I've been here, who came to visit me?” I asked. She frowned but then gave me a faint smile.

“Uhh, ju-just the day you were brought here, Mrs Wellesley and Mrs Ava Ross.” The nurse replied.

“Okay. Thank you”, I simply responded.

“I'm Glen. If you need anything, just ask”, She gave her friendly smile then left. If it was out of pity or just politeness, I appreciate her kindness.

That's the sweetest someone has ever been to me my whole life, and all she did was smile and talk to me. I walked back to the bed and sat down, I looked over to the sad looking flowers and smiled to myself bitterly. I sighed and closed my eyes, deciding that this was my last straw, this is where it all ends.

WILLOW'S POV:

‘You need to wake up Willow! Stop waiting for him to love you 'cause he will never! He never loved you the very first day and he sure as hell wouldn't love you now’, my inner thoughts told me and I nodded.

“Yes!” I said in affirmation.

I was going to leave him. I will ask for a divorce and I will leave him, but I need to leave this hospital first. I got up, opened the drawers till I saw my clothes, I changed in the restroom and headed for the door.

I turned the lock and peeped outside, when I was sure no one was watching over me, I left the room. I got out of the hospital and smiled to myself, I kept looking back and almost got ran over by a car.

“F*ck*ng hell!” Exclaimed the driver. I stood in shock as everyone looked to my direction.

The driver got out of the car and came to my side. “Are you okay miss?” He asked.

I looked up at him. He was good looking, blonde hair, blue eyes, tall and had dimples, he was really attra