Agreement Behind Her Marriage

[This chapter may disturb some readers. A trigger warning is advised.]

[Fourteen years ago]

Around eleven o’clock in the evening, most of the lights in the 12-story skyscraper owned by the Walton Group were switched off; their employees were undoubtedly fast asleep at home.

However, in one room on the top floor of the building, a stunning woman with a toned frame was sobbing. In the vice president’s office, where the woman had gone, they had dimmed the room’s lighting as she wished to conceal her wounds from her long-time friend.

The man, with his expressionless face, stood next to the open glass sliding window in the far corner of the room, smoking a cigar. The architect had designed it specifically for him, taking into account his smoking habit.

Women who cry for any reason are among the things he dislikes the most, especially since he had just had an exhausting argument with his wife a while ago.

He continued to blow smoke from his cigarettes out of the building, and in response, a chilly breeze from outside entered his office.

“I never once thought that you would come here to see me after all these years, Cristina,” said Andrew.

The woman’s eyes became agitated, and she said, “I need your help so I can see Niel.”

“But haven’t you already turned him down? I’m aware of your recent affair. You made up your mind and told him you were choosing your husband. After hearing about your rejection, my friend left the country and might not come back. He will continue to support his two children. To be completely honest, Cristina, I’m not even sure what you actually want,” Andrew’s brows wrinkled.

Cristina tried to explain while crying. “Andrew, it’s because I already have a family. Martin, my husband, was the one I turned to when Niel left me and promised to support me. Back then, I needed support, and my husband was there. It would have been simple to accept if Niel hadn’t left me. We would have gotten along great.

“He decided to return when Lily turned twelve. When he asked me to elope and leave Martin, it forced me to make the decision to choose my family. Martin was my choice because he married me. While I was pondering these things and trying to avoid betraying my family, I learned that Martin intended to divorce me.”

“Andrew, I can’t do this any longer! My husband has been cheating on another woman for years. He assured me that if I married him, I would lead a happy life, but that wasn’t the case!”

Andrew’s jaw clenched. “Seriously, Cristina! You quickly changed your mind about going back to Niel because you and Martin are about to separate. Is that right? It seems like you used your husband’s extramarital relationship as an excuse to be with my friend.”

“No, it’s not like that; even then, I still loved your friend. I consented to marry Martin since he was there for me when I needed an ally after Niel left, and my thoughts were all over the place,” replied the woman.

Andrew sneered. “That does not change the fact that you’re a user!”

Cristina shed more tears. “You have no idea what you’re talking about! You don’t know what I sacrificed!”

“I probably don’t have any idea, but that’s what I see…”

The woman trembled, then whispered, “Lily- Lily is Niel’s daughter. That was the truth, and Martin knew about it. Martin used to care for Lily like a daughter. However, I can see how dissatisfied he is right now!”

“What?” That’s where Andrew’s sanity stopped.

“Martin vowed to take care of me while I was pregnant with Lily. What should I do? I had just turned 18. I needed his help, but he was in Europe on business. Later on, I discovered that the real reason he traveled abroad was because he already had a son. I tried to contact him, but all of my calls were rejected. I wasn’t sure if he still intended to avoid me, if he still planned to come back, or if he was even still alive.

“I couldn’t find him! Niel, I thought, had abandoned me, and then Martin took on the responsibility because I didn’t know what to do. And then, after I married Martin, I learned he was already in a relationship and was expecting twins, too.”

Andrew’s thoughts were confused. “Do you mean Lily is Niel’s daughter?”

Cristina sobbed as she nodded. “That’s the truth; once my issues are resolved, I intend to tell Lily everything. Andrew, I don’t know what to do.”

“What about me, Cristina? Would you have allowed me to look after Lily if I didn’t have a wife and a son back then? Would you have wanted me to act like ‘Martin’ did back then?” His chest hurt as he looked at the distressed woman.

Cristina fixed her gaze on Andrew and shook her head. “You and Niel treat each other like brothers. I can’t involve you in this mess. The situation would definitely be messier if you were a part of my problems right now.”

“With my wife, I never felt at ease. She thought I had mistresses, including our maid, her cousin, and my secretary. She was envious of any woman I spoke to in front of her, which made me feel like I had a leash around my neck. She found your photograph among my belongings, and now she believes I have another woman.”

Cristina’s expression was one of confusion, even as tears flowed from her eyes.

“Niel and I confessed to you, remember? Your heart unexpectedly accepted Niel, and I couldn’t help but be happy for the two of you. Besides, I was already married. The difference between Niel and me was that he was a single dad, and I was a married man. When Niel left you, I was one of those who regretted my marriage.

“I believed that we might have ended up together if I hadn’t been married at the time. But you just said there was no way because you valued my friendship with Niel.”

Their deep conversation was abruptly interrupted by the ringing of his phone, which was on the table.

The voice on the other end, assumed to be from the security team, stated, “Boss, Mrs. Walton came and is looking for you. She’s on her way up to your office.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Okay,” replied Andrew before putting the handset back. “My wife is here. I’ll go get her before she becomes hysterical again.”

Cristina hurried to the open window Andrew had left so she could take in some fresh air as soon as he left his private office. She was disoriented and exhausted. The chilly midnight breeze blew her dark hair.

Andrew is right. But what about Lily? Her daughter also deserves to know her father. This is all her fault!

“I always believed I’d catch Andrew, eh!”

Cristina was taken aback by the voice and turned to look at the woman. It was evident from the woman’s lifeless expression and the dark circles under her eyes that she had not been getting enough sleep.

Is this Andrew’s wife?

“You’re a whore!” The woman swiftly advanced and grabbed Cristina’s hair, shocking her. “You’re a home-wrecker! A slut! You’ve ruined my life!”

The pain in her scalp intensified, and Cristina cried even harder due to the physical and emotional distress inflicted by Andrew’s wife. Was she out of her mind? As Andrew had mentioned, it was clear that she was not thinking clearly.

“Stop that!” Andrew yelled. To stop his wife’s madness, he slapped her hard, causing the woman to fall to the floor.

Cristina, who was next to the window, kept sobbing. Because of Andrew’s wife, her sense of confusion in life grew even more.

“Let’s talk. I-I’m not your husband’s mistress.”

“You’re lying. You love that wench, Andrew! She’s the woman in the photograph you keep in your wallet! I cannot be mistaken! I had reason to believe you two were cheating after all!”

“Yes, I love Cristina! If only you hadn’t been so crazy, I might have loved you from the moment I married you!”

The woman screamed hysterically. It’s unsettling, eerie, like something out of a nightmare. “I will kill you, you, fucking b*tch!”

She stood up, ran over Cristina, and then strangled her neck. Half of her body was sticking out the window, feeling the chilly air while both of Andrew’s wife’s hands were clutching her neck. Her black hair danced together with the cold wind, which frightened her.

***

“You fucking b*tch, stop that!” Andrew didn’t know how to stop his wife from her craziness. That evening was the first time in many years he had seen Cristina.

Andrew managed to remove his wife’s hand from Cristina’s neck and then tried to pull Mrs. Walton’s waist to get her away from the woman. His wife kept on struggling while wrapped in his arms, screaming like a madwoman! But before Andrew could eventually pull his wife far away from Cristina, Mrs. Walton’s foot reached and kicked the struggling Cristina out of the large and open window.

Cristina was still holding her chest and snatching air to breathe from the window before disappearing from their view. It was the longest second in Andrew’s life.

“Noooo!” Andrew yelled before pushing his wife to the floor as they heard a crash from the ground.

When he peered through the window, he saw Cristina’s dislocated body on top of the vehicle.

His wife’s eyes widened as she stared at the woman’s lifeless body. Mrs. Walton trembled all over. Even from a distance, they could see Cristina’s eyes, lifeless yet wide open, staring in their direction.

“I-I didn’t do it! It’s not my fault!” Mrs. Walton reasoned, though Andrew felt a surge of anger as he watched her sob.

“You’re clearly not thinking straight!” he scowled at his wife.

“I didn’t do it, Andrew! It’s her fault! She seduced you!” Mrs. Walton murmured through her tears.

Andrew screamed in frustration. He did love Cristina, and that’s why he had chosen to avoid her…

He blamed himself. If he hadn’t invited Cristina that evening…

If he hadn’t kept the photo of Cristina that he found among Niel’s belongings…

If he hadn’t opened the window…

If his wife hadn’t become consumed by jealousy and dominance…