The CEO’s hidden wife

Emiliana slowly opened her eyes, feeling incredibly weak. Her bones ached as if she had been run over by a truck.

The sunlight streamed through the window, making her squint and quickly shutting her eyes again.

Gradually, she allowed her eyes to adjust to the bright light around her. The first thing she noticed was a floor-to-ceiling window opposite the bed. Hm, what a pleasant view. She thought to herself. Sitting up

immediately, she surveyed her surroundings, confused. “Where am I?” she asked aloud, struggling to sit up. This was neither her bedroom nor her husband’s.

Without thinking, she pulled back the quilt and tried to stand, but her weak limbs betrayed her, and she fell to the floor with a thud. She grunted as she felt pains from the impact. The fall triggered a rush of memories from the previous night, though not everything was clear.

She recalled having drinks with her sister, her stepmother, her husband, and her husband’s mother to celebrate their four-month anniversary. They were practically her only family, so a celebration with them didn’t seem out of place. She remembered her sister, Elise, helping her out of the bar.

Did Elise bring her here? But where was her husband? He hadn’t waited for her to wake up. When she got home, she planned to give him a piece of her mind.

Struggling to steady herself, she made her way to the bathroom. But then, she noticed the bloodstains on the bed. Wait! Had she been taken? She questioned herself in her thoughts. Her eyes glued to the bright red stain. The white sheets used to dress the bed made it more conspicuous.

Her husband had consummated their marriage. She was already drunk and out of it when it happened, and she regretted not being more aware. Yet, a small part of her felt a sense of achievement. After all, this could be a step forward in their relationship. Maybe she'd get pregnant and have a son.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tinge of frustration. “Did he have to be so rough?” She muttered under her breath. There wasn’t a part of her that didn’t ache. She walked into the bathroom with difficulty.

Her husband, usually so gentle, had seemed a different person in the heat of the moment. Her body was sore, marked by hickeys that left her both irritated and confused.

Just as she was inspecting herself in the mirror, she heard the door to the room open. Thinking it was her husband returning, she smiled, anticipating breakfast. But as she reached for the bathroom door, she overheard the voices of her step sister Elise and her stepmother, Mrs. Conrad.

“She really has been taken, mother, Look!” Elise, her step sister said cheerfully. “Take pictures quickly, then let’s leave." Mrs. Conrad replied.

“That’s right. Take pictures. She won’t be able to deny it now. I can finally divorce her and marry you, the love of my life,” Emiliana’s husband, Arnold, said. Confusion washed over Emiliana. Wasn’t Arnold the one who had taken her last night? She remained by the door, stunned by what she was hearing.

“I should have made the woman make us a film. What if she denies it?” Elise wondered. “Don’t worry, darling. She will sign the divorce papers. Let’s go.” Mrs. Conrad said, her voice cold and final.

Then it hit Emiliana all at once. Her husband and sister had conspired against her. She was crushed. After taking a moment to compose herself, she quietly cried in the bathroom.

When she finished her tears, she took a quick bath, got dressed, and left the hotel. Outside, Emiliana stood in disbelief. How could her husband and sister betray her like this? They had been married for four months, and during that time, she had done everything in her power to be a good wife. Though their marriage wasn’t based on love, they had made a pact to avoid intimacy until they were ready to feel something for each other. Arnold had suggested it, yet it was all a lie. A fat lie!

She climbed into a taxi and made her way to the villa, knowing what awaited her. Divorce papers. She would sign them and leave, staying with her stepmother until she could figure out the next steps.

Entering the villa, Emiliana took a deep breath and headed upstairs. She hadn’t taken more than two steps when Mrs. Conrad called out to her.

“Where do you think you’re going? You have no shame! After everything, you dare come back here?” Mrs. Conrad’s voice was filled with venom. “You have disgraced yourself and this family. Get out! I don't want to see you.”

Emiliana froze. Hadn’t they conspired against her? Wasn’t she the victim here? “Emiliana, you dare return after what you have done?” Arnold spat, his face twisted with anger. “You’re married, yet you still went behind my back to get together with another man. You do not have any respect for this marriage!”

“Arnold, if you wanted a divorce, you could have asked. Why involve my sister in all of this? Conspiring against your own wife?” Emiliana responded, her anger rising.

For a moment, Arnold and his mother were silent, taken aback. Had Emiliana discovered their scheme? They had not left any evidence. She must be making things up.

“Don’t speak nonsense,” Arnold snapped at her. “Admit it. You know about what happened last night at the hotel. It was all your idea, right?” Emiliana asked calmly, though her heart was racing. It was so loud that if Arnold was close, he would hear it.

“You can’t accuse me without proof." Arnold retorted, his voice rising. His mother, catching on, turned her fury on Emiliana.

“You have no evidence! You were the one who acted shamelessly last night, and now you’re blaming my son? You should be ashamed!” Ignoring their insults, Emiliana walked past them and took the stairs. She didn’t have the energy to argue any longer.

In a fit of rage, Mrs. Conrad rushed forward, grabbing Emiliana by her hair and dragging her down the stairs, delivering a brutal beating that caused Emiliana to lose consciousness.

Five days later, Emiliana woke up in the hospital, her body aching. She closed her eyes, letting tears fall as she reflected on the choices that had led her here.

Her stepmother had pushed her into this marriage, convincing her that Arnold was a good man, even though she never had feelings for him. She didn't even know him until the night she returned to the country.

Why had she not listened to her instincts? Why did she allow them to play with her emotions like this?

And now, Arnold loved her step sister Elise. Why had he gone along with the arranged marriage if he had already been in love with someone else?

Emiliana felt a deep sense of betrayal. She just couldn't understand why he loved one sister and went ahead to marry the other.

As she pondered on these thoughts, a man in a gray suit entered the room.

Emiliana turned to face the door, her gaze fixed on the man who had just entered the room, exuding an air of authority. She recognized him immediately, Eric Orion, her husband’s lawyer. But what was he doing here?

“Mrs. Conrad, I see you’re recovering well,” Eric said with a practiced smile, his tone all too neutral. The way he spoke grated on her, making her frown involuntarily. “Why are you here?” she asked, her voice calm but laced with suspicion.

Eric settled into a chair, producing a set of documents from the portfolio he carried. The moment she saw the papers, her stomach sank. She knew it would come to this.

“My client has filed for a divorce, and I am here to deliver the papers for your signature on behalf of my client.” He said flatly, as though discussing the weather with a close friend.

Emiliana had expected this. She had known it would come to this point. Arnold, her husband, was eager to rid himself of her. But to think he would move so quickly,