The Husband Who Never Married Me

To raise money for my younger brother’s wedding, Grandma married me off to Ethan Bennett, an auto mechanic, for thirty thousand dollars. People said the Bennetts had offered thirty thousand because that was all I was worth. But Ethan treated me well after we got married. He often felt guilty about it. “If I’d known how wonderful you were, I would’ve worked harder and given your family a hundred thousand.” He handed over every cent he earned, determined to give me a good life. To take some of the pressure off him, I worked two part-time jobs. On his birthday, I took half a day off and bought him a used car with the money I’d saved. But when I reached our front door, I heard a man in a tailored suit ask him: “You still haven’t told her you’re the Bennett heir? It’s been two years. Haven’t you had enough of this game? What are you going to do when Olivia comes back?” Ethan held a cigarette between his fingers and chuckled. “She never went to college, and she’s got two leeches for a family. Thirty thousand was enough to make her devote her entire life to me. Why would I complicate things?” “You should be asking what Olivia plans to do. If she can mess around with another man, why can’t I find a woman to settle down with? I’ll go home when she finally comes to her senses.” The car keys in my palm felt hot enough to burn. I remembered what Grandma had screamed through her tears three months earlier, when I cut ties with her. “Your man has all that money, and he hasn’t told you! He’s already planning to dump you! Without us, you’re still nothing!” But when you’ve grown up in the mud, even a little light can be enough to warm you for a lifetime. If he wanted to leave, I would let him go. Jason Cole stood with a helpless sigh. “There’s no getting through to you. Fine. Do whatever you want. Just don’t let this blow up in your face!” He stormed out, and I hurried into a corner of the stairwell to hide. It took a long time to get my emotions under control and wait for the redness around my eyes to fade. Then I picked up the cake, walked inside, and said to Ethan: “Happy birthday!” He was sitting on the couch, lost in thought. My voice snapped him out of it. He immediately came over and took the things from my hands. “Why’d you buy this? What a waste of money!” “As long as you’re with me, I’m happy. Birthday or not.” His voice was so gentle that tears stung my nose. Growing up, my family had always treated me like an unwanted burden. He was the first person who made me feel my existence mattered. It was his birthday, but he pulled me over to the dining table. “Same rules as always. You get all the wishes and all the cake!” It was our little tradition. Since we got married, he’d let me make every one of his birthday wishes. “There’s nothing else I need. But I want everything you wish for to come true.” In the past, I’d always wished that Ethan would stay with me forever. This time, before I could close my eyes, someone knocked on the door. Ethan went to answer it. A tall, stunning woman stood outside. “I sent Jason to talk to you. Wasn’t that enough to show you how I feel? Did you really have to make me swallow my pride and come here myself?” There were tears in her eyes. When she saw me, she fell apart even more. “You’re living in a place like this? For a woman like her?” “A birthday? Since when is today your birthday?” “Ethan Bennett, did you really put this much effort into an act just to get back at me?” I looked at the words I’d written on the cake myself in chocolate sauce. “Happy birthday to my beloved Ethan.” My nose began to sting again. I had never imagined this scene. Even though I’d practically memorized the post on my phone exposing Ethan and Olivia Sinclair’s relationship. I’d never thought I would actually meet her. I stayed in my chair and said nothing. Ethan glanced at me, then frowned at Olivia. “What gives you the right to question me? If you want to throw a fit, do it somewhere else!” The ruthless way he told her to leave sparked a little hope inside me. Even when she rushed forward and overturned the cake on the table, I had no intention of fighting with her. I heard her snap at me: “Don’t you know your place? He doesn’t love you. He’s only with you because he was angry with me!” “Your family sold you for thirty thousand. Any random gift he’s given me costs more than you do. If you know what’s good for you, leave. Do I really have to spell it out?” For the first time, I found the courage to lift my head and look someone straight in the eyes. “This is my home. You’re the one who needs to leave.” When her palm struck my face, Ethan didn’t comfort me. All I saw was him wrapping his arms around the hysterical Olivia. His expression hardened as he looked at me. “Claire, that was out of line!” He carried her outside without a single word of explanation. The walls in our old building were thin. Even after they reached the ground floor, I could still hear him. “You know I only got together with her because I was angry with you. Why are you taking her so seriously?” I pretended I hadn’t heard. I picked up the half of the cake that hadn’t been ruined and put a candle in it. As the tears slipped down my face, I closed my eyes and made a wish. “Even without Ethan Bennett, I want to live a good life.”Ethan didn’t come home that night. The next morning, he sent me a message. “I’m heading straight to work. Call me if you need anything.” Nothing else. He sounded so normal, as if Olivia’s appearance the day before had only been a hallucination. I hadn’t slept all night. I left home in a daze. Then I twisted my ankle and tumbled down the stairs, scraping a large patch of skin off my arm. When I struggled to my feet, I found Olivia standing in front of me, smiling. “I was too impulsive yesterday. Let’s start over. I’m Olivia Sinclair.” Her neck was covered in hickeys. I pretended not to see them and shook her hand. “I wasn’t entirely in the right, either.” In the past, if Ethan had seen me like this, he would have scolded me. “I don’t treat you like a queen at home just so you can go outside and let people walk all over you!” But he wasn’t here now. And the woman in front of me was someone he’d loved for years. He probably wouldn’t take my side anyway. Pleased with my attitude, Olivia got straight to the point. “Five million. Leave on your own. He’s too loyal to say it himself, so I’ll say it for him.” I stared at her blankly. Before I could speak, I saw Grandma approaching with my brother. She planted her hands on her hips and pointed at me. “You’re turning down five million? How greedy can you be?” “Sweetheart, I’m her grandmother. Give me the five million, and I promise she’ll disappear. She’ll never bother Mr. Bennett again!” Ryan Hayes looked over Olivia’s outfit, then swaggered forward. “Five million isn’t enough. We want ten million! Pay us today, and we’ll leave as soon as we have the money!” He was aggressive and loud, like a debt collector making threats. Olivia’s eyes instantly filled with tears. I couldn’t understand how her attitude had changed so quickly. Then I followed her gaze and saw Ethan standing at the foot of the stairs. I had no idea when he’d arrived. He kicked Ryan, his face vicious. “If you wanted money, why didn’t you come to me? Does your whole family enjoy ganging up on one woman?” My heart lurched. I shook my head at once. “I didn’t—” “You didn’t?” Ethan let out a mocking laugh. He walked over to Olivia and looked her up and down. When he noticed the blood on the hem of her clothes, he turned to me with a frown. His expression was terrifying. “Claire Hayes, have I ever let you go hungry? Have I ever failed to provide for you?” “Ten million? I bought you for thirty thousand. Do you really not know what you’re worth?” All the color drained from my face. My ears rang so loudly I could barely form words. He picked Olivia up and started to leave. But Grandma stepped into his path. “That’s not fair! You’re not who you used to be. Ten million is pocket change to you!” “Our girl came to you innocent and spent all this time living with you. Now you want to leave. Is it unreasonable for us to ask for compensation?” I had kept all of it buried inside. I’d thought that even on the day Ethan left, I wouldn’t have the courage to say it aloud. But Grandma laid it all out so bluntly. Ethan turned to look at me. I could see the contempt in his eyes. “Oh? Then it must have been exhausting, putting up with me and keeping up the act all this time.”Jason had been waiting downstairs. When nothing happened for a while, he came up with several men. Grandma no longer dared block their way. Ethan left without the slightest hesitation. As if I had disappointed him beyond repair. I only snapped out of it when Grandma kicked me. “Claire Hayes, he’s openly carrying on with another woman, and you’re still standing here like a spineless fool!” “If he won’t give you the money, make a scene! Divorce him! Your share of his assets would be worth more than ten million!” The word “divorce” hit me so hard I nearly lost my balance. From the moment I learned who Ethan really was, I knew this day would come. But I had never considered bringing it up myself. I was waiting for him to say it. Every day he didn’t was one more day of happiness I could steal. I refused without thinking. “No. You and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. Stay out of my life!” All it had taken was fifty thousand dollars for her to cut ties with me without hesitation. Even as she signed the written agreement, she had spat: “When you were born, I told them to throw you away. My only regret is that I didn’t insist!” Yet someone else had paid thirty thousand to marry me, just to spend these years as my husband and treat me well. So I didn’t blame Ethan at all. Even if his kindness had been wrapped in lies, the happiness I’d felt had been real. I cleaned myself up and went to work. After our afternoon meeting, my supervisor asked me to stay behind. “Our plant in Southeast Asia needs an experienced technical specialist. The conditions aren’t as good as they are here, but the salary and benefits are more than triple.” “But I know you and your husband are close, so take some time to think about whether you want to go.” Honestly, I didn’t know why I was hesitating. Maybe I thought moving overseas would put even more distance between Ethan and me. Or maybe some part of me still clung to an impossible fantasy. But when I finished work, Jason was waiting for me. He had come specifically to pick me up. Without a word, he drove me to the most exclusive restaurant in the city. I spotted Ethan and Olivia immediately. They were sitting at the table with the best view. Even if I spent every cent in my savings, I couldn’t have afforded the clothes they were wearing. I’d always known Ethan had a certain presence. But with those clothes and that setting, he looked even more untouchable. Like someone high above the clouds. As if a person like me would tarnish him just by reaching out. “Did you see the car in the garage on the way in? Fifty million, all in. Ethan gave it to Olivia when she turned eighteen.” “This restaurant is about the lowest-end place anyone in our circle would choose. But we’re not in New York, so it’ll have to do.” “Meals that cost tens of thousands, hotel rooms that cost over a hundred thousand a night—that’s normal for Ethan.” “He spent the last two or three years slumming it with you because some broke college student was pursuing Olivia. He wanted to get back at her. Otherwise, the two of you would never even have met.” I curled my fingers into my palms. I watched their every move. I saw Ethan cut Olivia’s steak for her. The owner brought out the restaurant’s finest red wine. It cost eighty thousand dollars a bottle. Olivia took one sip and stuck out her tongue. “This doesn’t come close to what you have in your wine cellar.” I remembered getting my year-end bonus and wanting to treat Ethan to a nice meal. I’d surprised him with a trip to a buffet that cost two hundred dollars per person. But the moment we reached the entrance, he’d wanted to leave. “This place looks pretty mediocre. We’d be better off cooking at home.” At the time, I’d thought he was saying it because he didn’t want me to spend so much. Only now did I understand. Maybe he’d called it mediocre because he really did think it was beneath him. As Jason drove me away, he said: “I’m not trying to hurt you, but you and Ethan really don’t belong in the same world. And you’re not the one he loves.” “He talks tough, but he’s softhearted. He’s dragging this out because he feels he owes you. But if you brought it up yourself, it might be better for everyone.” He handed me a bank card. “Ten million is nothing to him. He set aside eighty million for you. Claire, he only got angry because he hated feeling like you saw him as an ATM. He doesn’t want your family using you and bleeding you dry, either.” I stared at the card for a long time without saying anything.That night, I called Ethan first. “Are you coming home tonight?” It was my way of making peace. His voice was as gentle as always. “No. Olivia had a bit of a scare today. Jason and I are staying here with her…” “Okay,” I said. Thinking of the two of them that afternoon, and everything Jason had told me, made my eyes ache with unshed tears. “I didn’t mean to hide my family situation from you. I was kidnapped a lot when I was little, so when I got older, I stopped telling people about my background.” “But whatever my reasons, keeping it from you was wrong…” I didn’t blame him. Not even for looking down on me or lying to me. If it hadn’t been him, Grandma would have sold me to some other man for thirty thousand dollars. Meeting him hadn’t been a bad thing. I could hear the guilt in his voice. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I asked: “It’s okay… Are you free the day after tomorrow? There’s something I want to talk to you about.” I needed to put things right. Just as Jason had said, I should let Ethan return to the world where he belonged. After we hung up, I sat for a very long time in the chair he’d made with his own hands. I planned to ask an old classmate who had become a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement for me. But early the next morning, Jason called. “What the hell is wrong with your grandmother? She showed up with a divorce agreement and a whole crowd of people to call Olivia a homewrecker!” My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I immediately took a cab over. At the entrance, I found Grandma with more than a dozen neighbors in their sixties and seventies. They were pointing at Olivia and screaming abuse. “This is the bitch who ruined my granddaughter’s marriage! All that money, and she still has to be someone’s mistress! I wonder how her parents will show their faces when people hear about this!” “We watched Claire grow up. She’s a good girl, and you rich people think you can just trample all over her!” “Make that man leave her every penny! Otherwise, we’ll make sure everyone sees what kind of spoiled little princess you really are!” Jason’s bodyguards were there, but they didn’t dare lay hands on a group of elderly people. I was shaking with anger as I walked up to Grandma. “Have you made enough of a scene? What does any of this have to do with you?” Her eyes widened. She raised her hand and slapped me. “Are you trying to kill me? This woman is walking all over you, and you’re taking her side and yelling at your own grandmother!” “I don’t care what you want, you idiot! Unless they give us a satisfactory answer today, we’re sitting right here, and we’re not leaving!” Inside, Olivia was trembling all over, her eyes swollen from crying. I didn’t know what to do. Just as I took out my phone to call the police, Ethan arrived with a group of men. He gave me a brief glance. After making sure Olivia wasn’t seriously hurt, he walked straight up to Grandma. “What kind of answer do you want? Be specific.” He told several men to start recording. “You all have children and grandchildren. If you want to make a scene, I’ll livestream the whole thing. Let your families see exactly how disgraceful you are.” “Whatever she paid you to come here, I’ll give you ten times as much!” The moment he finished speaking, someone immediately made an excuse to leave. The others lined up to ask: “You mean that? She promised us a hundred dollars for the day.” Ethan had someone count out the money. In the end, only Grandma remained. I closed my eyes in despair, but she was still bold enough to argue. “You can’t scare me. I’m standing up for my granddaughter! You’re the one who took a mistress while you were married. Why should I be afraid of what people say?” Instead of getting angry, Ethan laughed. He snatched the divorce agreement from her hand. “The marriage certificate is fake. What good is a divorce agreement?” Something exploded inside my head. I stared at him. “What do you mean?” “Take your grandmother to the marriage records office and ask them.” I didn’t know where I found the strength. I dragged Grandma away so fast she could barely keep up. At the records office, an employee told me: “There’s no record of your marriage in our system. Your marriage certificate isn’t real.” I collapsed onto the floor. Beside me, Grandma slapped her thighs and wailed. I didn’t know how much time had passed when Ethan called. “I’m sorry, Claire. I wasn’t going to tell you, but I was afraid your grandmother would keep bothering Olivia…” “Are you still there? I’ll come get you. We can sit down and talk…” My whole body felt frozen. I hung up immediately. Then, with shaking hands, I dialed another number. “I’ll take the overseas assignment. When can I fly out? I want to leave right away!”