HIS GREATEST MISTAKE: the wife that became untouchable

Chapter Two

Leilani

I didn't expect to see him the next morning when I descended the steps. His intense gaze was lasered on me as I descended the steps. He was seated at the dining table, his food untouched.

“Good morning.” I greeted, cautiously.

“Good morning.” He responded coolly and picked up his utensils the moment I settled in a chair. I had thought it would be a one-off thing, but instead it had become a

daily occurrence. Caspian waited for me before he ate. What time he finished with work didn’t matter. He would always be there, waiting, even as we ate together in tense silence.

And he always looked so handsome when he prepared for work in the mornings. So damn gorgeous. 

I raised my eyes to steal a glance only to find him already staring at me.

Oh my God.

Breathe, Leila. Breathe. But I had to tear my gaze away from him in order to do so. 

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m fine.” I forced my lips to move, careful not to meet his eyes. I hadn’t expected him to say anything to me. 

He nodded once and went back to eating. I gripped the edge of the table deciding to take the opportunity to talk. “We need to talk.”

His hand paused. “About what?”

“Last night.”

His expression hardened. “There’s nothing to talk about. It was a mistake.”

The words stung, but I forced myself to continue. “Maybe for you. But for me, It wasn’t nothing.”

He let out a quiet breath and his jaw tightened. “It shouldn’t have happened.”

“It was my first time.”

He went completely still and his eyes lifted to mine, searching. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

He leaned back slightly, running a hand through his hair, visibly thrown off.

“You should have told me,” The gentleness in his gaze shocked me as he

spoke the words.

I thought nothing of it and gave a faint, sad smile. “Would it have changed anything?”

He didn’t answer.

I pushed my chair back, heading out and leaving him with his thoughts. Later that day, my best friend sat across from me in a restaurant.  

The restaurant was warm, filled with happy people and laughter, but none of it reached me.

“I’m serious, Leila,” Asaph said, leaning forward. “You need to get a job. Do something with your life.”

I let out a tired sigh, stirring my drink absentmindedly. “It’s not that simple.”

“It is that simple. You were the best graduating student in Business Studies. People would fight to have you.”

I shook my head slowly. “Not anymore.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I tried,” I admitted quietly. “I asked to work at Caspian’s company.”

“And?”

“He said his wife doesn’t need to work.”

Her expression darkened. “He is just controlling you!”

 I forced a small smile. “Even if I wanted to apply elsewhere, it wouldn’t matter. My surname alone would get me rejected. No one wants to deal with… complications.”

She stared at me, clearly frustrated. “So you’re just going to sit at home and waste yourself?”

Before I could answer, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen and my chest constricted painfully. My parents. It was never good when they called. I hesitated… then picked up.

“Hello?”

“You’ve been quiet,” my mother’s voice came through immediately. “We need money. Your father’s business isn’t doing well.”

I closed my eyes briefly, my hands wedging my forehead.

“I sent money last week.”

“And it’s finished,” she snapped. “What do you expect us to do? Starve? If only your sister was the one married to a billionaire. She’d never complain!”

Pain settled heavily in my chest.

“I’ll send more,” I said softly.

“Make sure you do,” she added before the line went dead.

I slowly lowered the phone.

My friend was watching me, her expression annoyed.

“Let me guess,” she said. “More money?”

I gave a weak nod.

She leaned back, shaking her head. “Leila… you’re being drained from every side. Your husband controls you, your family uses you, and you’re just… allowing them.”

Her words hit hard. “I don’t have a choice,” I whispered. Or did I?

I got home to a quiet house. Caspian must have gone to work from when I left the house but it was already evening and he would be back soon. I pulled out my phone and called him and he picked up after a few rings. 

“I’ll be home late.”

“Okay,” I said softly. Before I could say anything else, the line went dead.

I went about preparing dinner. I was going to try again and see if he would concede. I stayed up waiting for him to return but he never did. I had no idea when I fell asleep but when I woke up, dinner had gone cold and it was 2am. I assumed he was busy and went to bed. 

The next day, he didn’t come home. The day after that too. His phone stopped going through and just went straight to voicemail whenever I tried reaching him. It left me worried because it was something he hadn’t done before.

I called his office and they told me he hadn’t been in. That’s when fear really set in. This wasn’t normal. I paced the living room, my heart racing.

Should I call the police? Was something wrong? I barely slept or ate as I worried and I already was at the peak of my worry by day four when I heard the sound of the door unlocking. 

My heart jumped as I got out of my sitting position. He was back. Relief flooded through me so fast it almost hurt. I rushed to the door, feeling tightness in my chest, a thousand emotions crashing at once.

“Caspian, where have you—”

The words died in my throat. My eyes widened in horror and shock, and then in recognition. It wasn’t Caspian who stood at the door. It was me. Or at least, someone who looked exactly like me. Same face. Same eyes. Same everything.

The woman tilted her head slightly, a slow smile forming on her lips.

“Hello there Sister…” she said softly.