My Wife's Promise to Another Man

After Cassian Frick scatters my mother's ashes, Serena Skelding and he become sworn enemies. To stand up for me, Serena drives her car into Cassian and breaks his leg. They remain locked in a bitter feud for five years. It finally comes to an end when Serena marries me, and Cassian leaves the country in disgrace. Three years later, Cassian shows up again at a class reunion. Someone urges him to liven things up. Cassian looks at Serena and smiles. "She and I once had a child. We went at it too roughly and lost it, though. Before I went abroad, she promised me she'd mourn our unborn child for three years." As he says this, he gives me a meaningful look. "Hey, you still haven't slept with her, have you?" I whip my head around and stare at Serena, demanding an explanation. But all she does is nonchalantly pat my hand and say, "After midnight, you can touch me." The normal intimacy between husband and wife somehow becomes a privilege she bestows upon me. She acts as if she's throwing me a bone. At that moment, I suddenly realize how laughably foolish I've been. Chapter 1 As Serena Skelding spoke, her eyes stayed glued to Cassian Frick. She didn't even notice when I had let go of her hand. Cassian pushed through the crowd and lit a cigarette right in front of me. Serena had always hated the smell of cigarettes. Once, I'd come home after a business dinner with the smell of smoke clinging to my clothes. She'd covered her nose in disgust and refused to let me inside. After that night, Serena had blocked me on every form of contact. She'd given me the silent treatment for three whole months. But when Cassian deliberately blew a ring of smoke into her face, Serena didn't even get angry. Instead, she took a deep breath and reminisced about the brand of cigarettes. She said fondly, "This is the same brand we smoked the first time when we were 18." Cassian chuckled and responded, "So you still remember. I thought you'd forgotten all about our past after you got together with Elijah." Through the swirling smoke, everyone looked at me with a mixture of pity and amusement. Serena finally realized something was wrong and made a half-hearted attempt to defend me. "Cassian, that's enough." Cassian immediately pulled a long face. "I was just trying to liven things up. Besides, I didn't exaggerate anything. I was just telling the truth. Is that a crime?" He clicked his tongue and casually held the cigarette out to Serena. She didn't refuse. Taking it between two fingers, she took a drag out of habit. Seeing how naturally she smoked, a hurt look flashed through my eyes. It turned out Serena only hated cigarettes when Cassian wasn't the one smoking them. I stood up abruptly and looked down at Serena. "Is it true that you two had a child?" Serena avoided my gaze. Then, she retorted in a matter-of-fact tone, "So what if it's true? It's not like the baby was ever born. Besides, I married you. Isn't that enough to prove that I love you? Can you stop being so petty, Elijah Langdale?" I stared at Serena, desperately searching her eyes for even the slightest trace of guilt. Unfortunately for me, there was none, not even a hint. All I saw was annoyance. Cassian took a sip of his alcohol and began to gloat like a man who had already won. "Elijah, is that all you can handle? That was the mildest thing I've said, and you can't take it already. What if you found out that every time Serena went overseas, it was to fool around with me? Wouldn't you lose your mind?" Chapter 2 The tips of Serena's ears turned red. She pretended to be angry and snapped, "Stop talking already!" Cassian wasn't intimidated at all. If anything, he seemed even more determined to provoke me. He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the scratches across his chest. "Your wife was in my bed last night. Do you know what position she liked the most?" I couldn't take it anymore. I clenched my fist and punched him square in his smug face. Cassian staggered backward, but his grin only grew wider. "Whoa. Did I hit a nerve?" He stared at Serena, who was behind me, and said mockingly, "So this is the man you chose to love at the price of having a complete fallout with me? Honestly, I don't see what was so special about him." Serena grabbed the hem of my shirt and demanded in a frighteningly cold voice, "Apologize to Cassian." I shook off her hand with my bloodshot eyes. "Serena, I'm your husband, not a pet dog you can order around as you please! Cassian just publicly announced that he slept with my wife. Am I not even allowed to hit him?" Serena bit her lip, but she still took Cassian's side. "We haven't seen each other in years. He was just trying to lighten the mood." Her blatant favoritism made me laugh. "Fine. He was trying to lighten the mood, right? I can do that too." I grabbed the freshly opened bottle of champagne from the table and poured it straight over Cassian's head. He screamed as he stood there, drenched and looking like a drowned rat. The next second, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head. Serena threw a wine bottle at me, shouting, "Elijah, that's enough!" She hurriedly helped Cassian to his feet, shooting me a displeased glare. I'd seen this side of her countless times before. The only difference was that I used to be the one she protected. Now, it was Cassian. Cassian shoved her away and scolded, "Didn't you try to run me over with your car because of this man? So why do you care about me now? Even if I died, it would have nothing to do with you!" With that, he staggered toward the door. As he passed me, he deliberately slammed his shoulder into mine and raised his middle finger at me in defiance. Serena bit her lip and glared at me with disgust. "Are you done, Elijah? I already helped you get revenge for what happened before. We're even. Why do you keep going after Cassian?" She chased after Cassian and left the private room. Everyone turned to look at me with probing gazes. Serena had pursued me in the first place. She'd told me she'd fallen for me at first sight and that I'd be the only man she'd ever love. I believed her and agreed to be with her. It wasn't until Cassian kept teasing me bluntly—all the while secretly forcing me to drink laced alcohol that could cause poisoning—that I finally realized the truth. The "boy next door" Serena was always talking about had been secretly in love with her. After that incident, Serena felt guilty and stayed by my bedside at the hospital. "Cassian was only joking around. Please don't report him to the police, okay?" I didn't want to put Serena in a difficult position, so I nodded and agreed. I had no idea that this single act of forgiveness would lead to months of a nightmarish life. Razor blades were slipped into my shoes. My brake lines were deliberately cut. My personal information was posted all over shady websites. Every time, Serena told me to let it go. However, Cassian went on to vandalize my mother's grave, turned her ashes into fireworks, and recorded a video asking me if I liked the view. That time, Serena finally took my side. She drove her car straight into Cassian and broke one of his legs. After that, the two of them spent the next five years locked in a bitter feud. This had gone on until the night Serena and I got married, when Cassian kidnapped her. Chapter 3 By the time I arrived, Serena was lying by the river like a discarded rag doll. Tears streamed down her face. She sobbed, "Cassian will never hurt you again. But Elijah, I'm ruined. I'm not worthy of you anymore." Of course, I never looked down on her. I brought the suicidal Serena home. I wanted to give her the grandest wedding all over again, but my furious father kicked me out of the family. After we were married, whenever I tried to get close to Serena, she refused to let me touch her. She claimed she had PTSD. With tears in her eyes, she'd begged me to give her more time. I waited for three whole years. Tonight, I finally learned that her so-called psychological disorder had merely been an excuse because she didn't want me to touch her. The bruises all over her body that night had clearly come from her sleeping with Cassian. As for the pool of blood beneath her, I'd assumed she'd suffered something horrible and had deliberately avoided asking about it. It turned out she'd simply gone too far with Cassian and suffered a miscarriage. I'd been so worried about Serena at the time that I hadn't noticed such an obvious contradiction. Even the tears she'd shed that night might have been because Cassian was leaving the country. Thinking about it now, I laughed until tears filled my eyes. I couldn't remember how I'd made it home. I only remembered that my head was throbbing. I grabbed some painkillers and fell into a deep sleep on the couch. … I hadn't been asleep long when my phone's constant buzzing woke me. I opened my Instagram feed and saw Cassian's newest post. He was at the love hotel couples frequented in town. His caption contained just four simple words. "Rekindling an old flame." One of our mutual friends commented jokingly, "What kind of flame?" Cassian replied right away, "A passionate one." Serena then posted a blushing emoji. "But this time, we'll definitely be more careful. We won't end up with another pregnancy." After reading that, I closed the app. Serena knew perfectly well that Cassian and I were friends on Instagram and that I'd see the post. Yet she had deliberately flaunted their relationship in front of me. I'd spent all these years giving Serena everything she wanted. She'd grown so accustomed to having her way that she believed no matter how angry I got, I'd eventually compromise for the sake of our marriage. But this time, I didn't want to lie to myself anymore. At 5:00 am, I heard noises coming from the front door. Serena had finally come home. She walked toward me with a cold expression. "I'm not going to hold last night's incident against you. Besides, our three-year agreement is over. You can get intimate with me now, and I'll have your children." I stood up and scoffed. "To hell with your three-year agreement. Is this how you mourn? By sneaking off to another country to fool around with Cassian behind my back?" She froze for a moment before glaring at me in humiliation and anger. "Cassian and I slept together a long time ago. What's the difference if we do it a few more times? If it bothers you, I can make it up to you. "Besides, I kept it from you because I was afraid you'd get jealous for no reason. I know the difference between desire and love." Serena kicked the wall in frustration and complained, "Men like you are the worst. You know nothing about physical intimacy, so you make a big deal out of everything and can't stop overthinking." I pulled out the divorce papers I'd just printed and threw them at her face. "If you look down on me for being inexperienced, then let's get divorced." Serena's head snapped up with disbelief written all over her face. "Do you even know what you're saying?" For the first time, she finally looked at me. My heart ached. "Let's get divorced. I'll give you what you want. You and Cassian can be together." Serena didn't take me seriously. "Enough. If that's what you want, we can make up for our wedding night right now." Chapter 4 Serena tilted her head back and rose onto her toes, preparing to kiss me. From where I stood, the fresh marks on her neck were painfully obvious. The thought of her being intimate with Cassian only moments ago made my stomach churn. I shoved her away in disgust. After being rejected by me, Serena's face flushed with anger. She picked up the divorce papers from the floor and signed them without hesitation. Serena hissed, "Fine. If you want a divorce, then we'll get divorced. We'll see who comes crawling back first!" Her phone rang. The fury on her face instantly melted into tenderness. "You want churros from the shop by our old elementary school? No problem. I'll go get them right now." After hanging up, she left me with one final threat. "Elijah, you were the one who asked for the divorce. Don't you dare come crying to me and beg me to take you back!" With that, she didn't even give me a chance to respond before turning around and hurrying away. The room fell silent again, but Cassian kept bombarding me with messages. He texted, "I've known Serena for 18 years before you met her." A moment later, he messaged again, "Even when she fought with me because of you, all I had to do was act a little pitiful, and she'd still take my side." I shut off my phone, feeling humiliated and exhausted. A wave of dizziness swept over me, and I blacked out completely. … When I woke up, I was in the hospital. The building manager had noticed something was wrong and sent me to the ER. I had a high fever along with acute gastroenteritis. During the days I was hospitalized, Serena didn't send me a single message, much less come to the hospital to take care of me. Cassian, however, refused to leave me alone. He sent me a video. In it, Serena was naked, sitting on his lap and tilting her head back, clearly wanting him to kiss her. Cassian stroked her hair with a teasing smile. "Serena, I want you to have my child." Serena bit her lip and shook her head. "But I'm already married to Elijah." Cassian's hands roamed over her body, drawing a soft moan from her. "What about me, then? Does Elijah know what you're like when you're with me?" I clenched my fists, desperate to hear how Serena would answer. But the next second, she leaned in and kissed Cassian while answering his question. She said tenderly, "You're the one person I'll never be able to escape in this life. But I can't abandon Elijah. After all, I was the one who pursued him first. I have to take responsibility for him." I stared at the phone screen. I kept staring until the screen went dark and reflected my pale face back at me. So I was nothing more than a responsibility to Serena. Cassian was the man she truly loved. My heart clenched agonizingly. The pain was so intense that I curled up on the hospital bed. Cold sweat soaked through my gown. On the last day of my hospital stay, Serena kicked open the door and came in. She pointed her phone at me, but she was pleading with the man on the screen. "Cassian, don't do anything stupid." I followed her gaze. On the phone screen, Cassian stood at the edge of a cliff, the ocean wind whipping his clothes violently around him. Cassian said, "Serena, if you can't make the choice, I'll make it for you. I'll count to three. I want you to do to Elijah everything you did to me. Otherwise, I'll jump into the ocean right now, and you'll never have to deal with me again." Serena's voice trembled. "What exactly do you want me to do?" Cassian seethed, "I want you to break Elijah's legs, just like how he watched you break my leg back then. I want him to know what it's like to lose the use of his legs and watch the woman he loves hurt him for another man." Serena's eyes reddened as she pleaded. "Don't do this, Cassian! Can't we find another way? I'll do anything you want. I've already signed the divorce papers. I can marry you!" Chapter 5 Cassian's voice turned cold as he urged, "It's too late. Either he breaks his legs, and I live, or he walks away unharmed, and I die. You choose. Three… Two..." "Stop counting! I'll do it!" Serena screamed in desperation, tears pouring down her face. She was like a cornered animal with nowhere left to run. Her bloodshot eyes turned toward me. The air in the hospital room seemed to freeze at that moment. I should have understood it long ago. In Serena's world, Cassian would always matter more than I did. "Elijah, I'm sorry…" She whispered the words, but her expression gradually turned frantic. "Cassian saved my life once. I can't let him die." She looked around the room, and her eyes finally settled on the metal IV stand beside the bed. With reddened eyes, Serena summoned all her strength and ripped the stand from its base. "Don't hate me, Elijah…" A chill went down my spine, and my blood froze. I instinctively backed away. A broken sound escaped my throat as I tried to bring her back to her senses. "Wake up, Serena! Don't you know what kind of person Cassian is? Are you really going to hurt me for a piece of garbage like him?" Her hands trembled around the IV stand, and tears blurred her vision. "Shut up! If something really happens to Cassian, I'll suffer for the rest of my life! Listen to me. I'll be careful… I'll make it up to you afterward." With that, she raised the IV stand high above her head and brought it crashing down on my leg. My back was pressed against the window, leaving me nowhere else to retreat. I closed my eyes and resigned myself to what was coming as a sharp gust of air swept past my ear. The cracking sound of bone breaking rang through the room. I felt an excruciating pain in my entire body. I curled up on the floor, crying out in agony like a wounded animal. Tears and sweat mixed together and dripped onto the floor. A searing pain spread from my heart throughout my body. "Elijah…" Serena's voice trembled when she saw me. She wanted to reach out to help me, but stopped dead when Cassian told her to keep going. Her fingers tightened around the IV stand until her knuckles turned white. Hesitation flickered in her eyes, but she still brought it down on me again and again. With her own hands, she smashed to pieces the last shred of hope I had left for her. I looked at the face I had once loved more than anything. Now, for another man, it had twisted into something unbearably ugly. She finally stopped when a satisfied chuckle came from the other end of the phone. Blood had pooled around me, yet Serena acted as though she didn't even see it. Instead, a relieved smile spread across her face. She bent down and gently wiped the tears from the corner of my eye. Her touch was soft and tender, as though she were brushing dust from a priceless treasure. Yet, she was the one who had turned me into this. Serena said, "Thank you, Elijah. I couldn't stand by and watch Cassian jump into the ocean and kill himself. I know you'll understand. When I get back, I'll make it up to you." Before she could finish, she straightened up and hurried away. I watched her retreating figure until it slowly disappeared into the distance, becoming nothing more than a tiny black speck. An overwhelming exhaustion washed over me, and my heavy eyelids began to droop. As I felt the blood pooling beneath me, I closed my eyes in despair.