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My Marriage Is Starting To Crack
NovelShort
Completed
The wedding vows now seem futile when a woman from her husband's past arrives. Her marriage became fractured, and then the harmony of her family was destroyed when Kimberly saw her husband married to another woman. So what did Kimberly do? Stay under the same roof with her husband's second wife, or choose to give her a separation letter? This story is a continuation of the story "Escape From Him Along With My Pregnancy."
Chapters (5)
第1章
After my ex-husband, William, betrayed me by leaving me for my sister, Audrey, I was devastated. My heartbreak was eventually healed when I met and found new happiness with Stevan. We married and had twin children. Happiness enveloped us until a woman from Stevan's past appeared, demanding that he fulfill a promise he had made to her.
My heart shattered when I felt betrayed for the second time. Everything felt like a nightmare when I saw the man I loved married to another woman. "It's better for us to separate than for me to see you married to someone else. I just want to be the only one in your life, Stevan," I told him.
Living with my husband's second wife was unbearable. However, I finally chose to give in after learning of Athena's sacrifice—she had donated a kidney to Stevan. Without her, I wouldn't have the happiness I have now. Reluctantly, I signed the separation papers and left Stevan, the man who had always been so attentive to me.
After I left, Stevan frantically searched for me. But this time, I will never look back, nor will I ever forgive.
——
Kimberly's POV
Everyone clapped in celebration of my twin daughters' birthday. I looked at Stevan, who looked close and full of love and affection for his two daughters. Stevan was true to his word, he was being a good father. I was so happy to have them in my life.
We started to cut the big birthday cake together. However, the arrival of a woman hugging Stevan's body took everyone at the party by surprise.
"Stevan, I missed you!" the woman said, hugging Stevan very tightly.
I stared with jealousy as I saw Stevan stay still and not let go of the woman's embrace.
"Why did you come back?" Stevan asked the woman.
"I want to ask for your promise!" she replied, leaving everyone looking confused.
My heart broke into a million pieces when I saw the woman give Stevan a quick peck on the cheek. And what pissed me off was that Stevan wasn't being assertive with her.
"Excuse me, who are you?" I asked, because all I knew of Stevan's family was Grandpa and Quincy.
"I'm Athena, Stevan's childhood friend," she said, extending her hand to me.
I accepted her handshake, and the woman named Athena hugged me. But her whisper made my eyes bulge.
"It turns out Stevan is a fool to choose a wife, I'm going to take him away from you!" Athena whispered right in my ear.
Our hug broke apart, my hands clenched into fists at Athena's words. I didn't want to argue with her. The birthday party of my twin daughters had to go smoothly.
During the event, I kept daydreaming about Athena's presence. I could feel Athena's loving and admiring look at Stevan.
As far as I know, Stevan has never had a relationship with any woman. Even I was his first love.
But why was she able to keep Stevan quiet and not rebel?
My daughter's birthday party was over. I searched for the whereabouts of Stevan, who had disappeared. I suddenly felt uneasy seeing that Athena wasn't around the party either.
I was scared by Athena's mysterious arrival. With my two twin daughters in tow, I searched for Stevan's whereabouts.
My tears fell when I saw Stevan cuddling with a woman. I tried to approach them because I wanted to listen to their conversation.
"Honey, you mustn't make a sound. You stay here!" I told my two daughters to hide behind the bushes.
I recognized the woman's clothes, she was Athena.
"Why did you come here?" asked Stevan, holding Athena's shoulders.
"I came here for you. You've deceived me, Stevan! Didn't you promise to marry me?" said Athena, holding Stevan's hand.
I was surprised to hear Athena's words. Stevan had promised to marry Athena. I was sure that their relationship wasn't just a childhood friendship. Maybe Athena was Stevan's ex-girlfriend. But why would Stevan lie to me? He said I was the only woman in his life.
"Do you still believe the promise of a fifteen-year-old teenager?" said Stevan, pushing Athena's body.
"Yes, I do!" replied Athena, trying to kiss Stevan aggressively on the lips.
I was surprised at what Athena was about to do. My heart was beating fast, there was no way Stevan would betray me. I was about to step forward to stop them. But I aborted my intention when I saw Stevan rejecting her. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was sure Stevan would never betray our marriage.
"Enough! I'm married, I have two children," Stevan snapped at Athena.
"I don't care, I'm even willing to be your second wife!" She replied emotionally to Stevan's rejection.
I think Athena is crazy, a woman as beautiful as she is willing to be a second wife? I won't allow that to happen. I must defend my marriage.
I was still faithfully listening to their conversation. Fortunately, my two children were quiet, they did as I told them.
"You deserve better, Athena. Enough! I'm afraid if my wife finds out about our meeting, I hope you come back tomorrow!" Stevan replied as he walked away.
I smiled happily at Stevan's reply. But my smile faded when I saw Athena hugging Stevan from behind. I was surprised to hold back my emotions and jealousy.
"No one has loved me since I gave up what I had for you! Everyone refuses to marry me," Athena shouted, making my body freeze.
Lightning struck my heart. I'm not a stupid woman, I understand the meaning of Athena's words. I didn't know what their past was like. What they did before Stevan met me.
I cried silently, my head aching as I watched Stevan return Athena's hug. My chest was tight when I saw Stevan kiss Athena's forehead.
I felt that I was trapped in the same abyss again. I shouldn't have believed Stevan's words at that time.
I walked away with my two daughters. Stevan was not allowed to see me.
I concluded that Athena had been present in Stevan's life. And Stevan's claim that I was the only one was a lie. He had deceived me, Stevan had betrayed me.
第2章
Tonight Stevan promised to take us all out to eat together. Because after the party he disappeared. I know where he went. He must have been with Athena.
My two daughters and I were waiting for Stevan's arrival. I tried to think positively about the two of them. If they ever had a relationship, I don't care. That was the past, and I was his future. Stevan must have chosen me.
We had been waiting for Stevan for two hours, but he hadn't arrived yet. Both my daughters were asleep in their rooms, and I had changed my clothes.
Now I was even more anxious, remembering Stevan's tight embrace of Athena earlier. I started to call Stevan, but he didn't answer. And it wasn't long before Stevan arrived.
"Honey, I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise. Our dinner is canceled. I'm also sorry my cell phone battery died, so I couldn't give you any news," Stevan said, stroking my cheek gently.
I nodded with a smile. I didn't want to fight and wake up my two daughters.
"It's okay. Have you been working a lot?" I asked him.
"Yes, I've been busy lately. I'm sleepy, let's continue our conversation tomorrow," Stevan replied and immediately dropped his body on the bed. He didn't clean up and change his clothes. He looked like he was avoiding my question.
While Stevan was fast asleep, I heard his cell phone ringing.
Earlier he had said that his cell phone battery had run out, but what I saw was that he still had some battery left. I looked at the screen of his cell phone, there were a lot of missed calls from Athena. She had also sent Stevan a message and some photos.
"Thank you for keeping me company tonight. I'm glad you still care about me."
My eyes started to glaze over. I was suddenly afraid to look at some of the photos Athena had sent. She sent me their selfie pictures. They looked so close that I was even surprised to see Stevan kissing Athena.
My tears just flowed remembering Stevan's romantic behavior all these years. It all seemed in vain when Stevan had betrayed me.
“Mom, am I scared?” I was surprised to hear Grace's voice. She was standing in front of the door. She woke up from her sleep.
I wiped away my tears. I didn't want my two daughters to know my sadness.
Grace said to me, “Mom, will you come to bed?”
I was now in my twin daughters' room. Grace said that she had a bad dream about her father. In the dream she saw Stevan traveling away with a woman.
Maybe my daughter's dream was a sign that Stevan had really betrayed me. I began to close my eyes, tonight I would sleep with my two daughters. Seeing Stevan's face would only make my heart disappointed.
Time flies, I opened my eyes, which were already swollen. I cried in the dark last night.
This morning I didn't see Stevan, he left without breakfast. His attitude has changed a lot. Then today I planned to go to Stevan's office to bring breakfast.
Before going, I called Stevan's secretary, and she said that today there was an office party to celebrate their success. Because Stevan managed to cooperate with a company from abroad.
I kept quiet. Stevan didn't talk to me about it, which made me feel suspicious.
Without waiting long, I went to Stevan's office. When I arrived, my heart skipped a beat when I saw Athena.
“What is she doing? Why is she here?” I muttered while regulating my body temperature that was already hot with jealousy.
I was speechless as I saw Athena hugging Stevan's arm. And Stevan was just silent, he wasn't angry at all.
“Hello, I'm Athena, Mr. Stevan's business partner. And I'm his fiancée!” Athena said, showing off the ring on her finger.
Everyone was shocked to hear and see Stevan's betrayal. The food holder in my hand fell down.
Since when did they get engaged?
Annoyed, I stepped onto the stage. I slapped Stevan hard.
"Kimberly I can explain this to you!" said Stevan, panicking at my presence.
"What do you want to explain, Stevan? I was already suspicious of this woman's presence yesterday. It's enough for me, the evidence of your intimacy and your betrayal has explained everything!" I said with annoyance.
I held back my tears to keep from crying. Stevan stopped me in my tracks.
"What proof, Kimberly? I never made out with her," Stevan replied, trying to convince me.
I didn't answer Stevan's words, I ran from this place. I was so embarrassed that everyone knew about my family problems.
Stevan kept chasing me, shouting my name. When I was about to cross the road, I was surprised to see a car approaching me.
My legs suddenly stiffened, and my eyes began to close. It looked like my life was going to end soon.
But I was surprised to feel someone pushing my body. My body rolled over, and my head hit a rock.
"Athena ...."
Before my eyes closed, I saw Stevan calling Athena's name. He even carried Athena's body without caring about me.
Athena had started to take my position. Stevan's attention was already lost to me.
I vaguely saw some people crowding around me.
"Why should you help someone else? I'm your wife," I muttered with a chuckle.
第3章
Slowly my eyes opened, and my head throbbed. I tried to remember what happened. Suddenly I cried, feeling the pain in my heart.
I screamed for the nurse. I didn't see Stevan, where was my husband when I was in this condition?
"Mrs. Kimberly is awake, I'll call the doctor first," said the nurse who was about to leave. But I blocked her from leaving.
"Where is my husband?"
"Husband? No one has come to see him since yesterday," she replied, making my time seem to stand still.
I reassured her again, but her answer remained the same. Suddenly my tears came again. When I needed Stevan, he wasn't there.
I remembered something. "There was an accident victim earlier too. She came with me, please take me to meet him," I said, making the nurse nod.
Nurse pushed me, who was sitting in a wheelchair. I tried to give myself strength because I was about to face destruction in my life. I also prayed that the fear that was in my mind would not happen.
My heart was beating fast as I saw Stevan sitting pensively with a worried look on his face. My husband had been worrying about another woman.
"Stevan," I called out as I approached him.
"Look at Athena's condition now, Kimberly! She's lying weak because of you. She needs a lot of blood," Stevan said, breaking my heart into pieces.
My body froze in place at his outburst. It was the first time I saw Stevan's rude attitude. He didn't even ask how I was doing.
"You think I want something like this to happen?" I said with emotion. Our argument was heard by many people. Even the nurse who had escorted me left because she was tired of separating our argument.
"Kimberly, you don't know yourself, Athena sacrificed her life for you. She got hit because she was helping you, now you're blaming her?" said Stevan with a sharp look at me. Stevan's fierce slap landed on my cheek.
"You've changed, Stevan! Now you're rude, and it's not me who's at fault. But you're the main culprit who made this accident happen," I replied back to him with a sharp intake of breath.
Stevan hugged me, he soothed my tears. I tried to rebel, but I lost my strength.
"I'm sorry if I just slapped you. I'm worried about you, but I'm also worried about Athena. Her parents left her with me," Stevan replied.
I let go of his embrace. I waited for Stevan to talk honestly about his relationship with Athena. And also an explanation about their engagement that just happened. Stevan forgot about his status as my husband.
We both silently waited for Athena's news. I still had sympathy. Athena had helped me, and I should thank her.
Not long after the doctor came out of the room, he said Athena's condition was fine. And that Athena had regained consciousness.
Stevan walked past me first as he was hobbling along. I tried to hold back my tears as Stevan's full attention was given to Athena.
"Athena, how are you?" asked Stevan, touching Athena's hand.
My heart cried out in pain at the romantic scene. I was silent for a long time, remembering Stevan's sweet treatment back then, just as he was doing by Athena now.
"I'm fine, Stevan. How are you, Kimberly?" Athena asked me, breaking my reverie.
"I'm fine, thanks for helping me, Athena," I replied dryly.
"You're welcome. You're Stevan's wife. I have to be nice to you, because soon we will be living together," Athena replied, making me confused.
"Athena ...." Stevan said, staring at Athena.
"What are you hiding? Tell me the truth!"
"I'm going to be Stevan's second wife. We got engaged yesterday. I hope we can help each other," Athena replied, making my wall of defense crumble.
I refused vehemently. I'd rather get a divorce than be married. Stevan gave an unexpected surprise to my life.
"You're crazy, Stevan! You bastard! I never thought you could do something like that," I said to Stevan. My anger grew as I saw Athena's face, which looked guilty to me. "And you, Athena! You're beautiful, you have everything. Why does it have to be my husband? You can even get a much better man than Stevan!" I said to Athena, who was crying.
I was the one being hurt, but she was crying more than I was.
"I'm sorry, Kimberly. I had no intention of taking your husband," Athena sobbed.
I was so sick of it, I stepped forward and brought my hand up to slap Athena's face.
"Stop it, Kimberly!" said Stevan, pushing my body and making me fall down.
Stevan's behavior had crossed the line. I stood up with no intention of accepting Stevan's helping hand.
"It's better for us to separate than for me to see you married to someone else."
I left the two of them. My body was weak after hearing the bad news.
I looked back at the corridor hoping Stevan would catch up and apologize to me. But something like that will never happen again in my life.
Now it was up to me to decide whether to accept Stevan and his second wife or to give in.
第4章
It's been two days since Stevan came home. He didn't work either. He has forgotten his obligations as a father and husband. I'm sure he must have accompanied Athena at the hospital.
Some maids in our house were called to come to the hospital. They were ordered to take care of Athena. And now I was alone with my two daughters. The once lively house was now quiet.
"Mommy, why isn't Daddy home yet?" asked Grace, looking for her father.
"Yes, Mom, where did you go? Grice misses you," Grice said while shaking my body.
I didn't know what to answer. I couldn't possibly tell my two daughters about their father's bad behavior.
"Dad has a lot of work, so he might not be home for a few days," I answered my twin daughters.
I held back tears as I answered each of their questions. Lying was a difficult thing for me to do.
Stevan seemed to have lost his mind. If he didn't love me anymore, he had to remember his two daughters.
It wasn't long before I heard the sound of Stevan's car. It seemed like he had come home. Grace and Grice were running around to greet their father. The longing in their eyes was so strong. I followed their footsteps.
I was surprised to see the arrival of a woman who was currently being carried by Stevan. I should have been in that position, not Athena.
"Why did you bring her back to our house? Is she broke and doesn't have the money to rent a house?" I asked irritably.
"Watch your language. Kimberly, Athena is our guest. She'll be staying at our house," Stevan replied with a flat face. Stevan walked away without even looking at my face.
I didn't want to chase him anymore. Stevan doesn't love you anymore. Maybe it was time for me to end our marriage.
I went into the house, and I saw Stevan massaging Athena's feet. I tried to ignore him, but Stevan called out to me.
"Kimberly, please make some water for Athena, she needs to take her medicine!"
Stevan ordered me around like a maid. I chose to keep quiet and let him step on my pride. I was going away tomorrow with my two daughters anyway.
When I returned with the drink, I saw my two daughters on Athena's lap.
"Mom, is it true that I will have two mothers?" my two daughters asked.
My heart was beating fast, what had that damn woman said to Grace and Grice? Now it wasn't just Stevan who was in Athena's grasp. Both my daughters had chosen him too.
I went to my room, hid, and cried silently. It wasn't long before I heard a noise. When I looked, Stevan and Athena were arguing.
"Be quiet, Athena! I don't want Kimberly to find out," Stevan said, trying to shut Athena up.
I could hear their loud, echoing voices through my door.
"Kimberly has to know about our wedding, Stevan!" said Athena.
"I don't want to tell her I'm going to marry you secretly," Stevan snapped at Athena.
"Marriage is only once in my life, I want the kind of marriage that many women dream of," Athena said, sobbing. She hugged Stevan tightly. Stevan's raised hand stroked Athena's hair.
My eyes were so hot watching them. And what surprised me was Stevan's decision to secretly marry Athena.
"You don't want our marriage to be canceled because of Kimberly? Follow what I say, Athena!" Stevan said, making Athena agree to the secret marriage.
I stepped forward to see my husband, who had dared to cheat on me.
"What a jerk! You played a great role," I said while clapping my hands.
"Kimberly, did you hear everything?" asked Stevan, pushing Athena's body away from his embrace.
"You're crazy, Stevan! If you want to marry this woman, just say so, then divorce me!" I shouted loudly.
My tears escaped me.
"I don't want to divorce you, I love you, Kimberly!" replied Stevan, walking over and holding my hand.
"What a jerk! You're even more of an asshole than my ex-husband!" I said with emotion.
Suddenly I was surprised to see Stevan hitting the wall of our house. I saw that his fingers were covered in blood from the hard blows.
"Don't equate me with that asshole! I love you, Kimberly. I never cheated on you."
"Fool! You got engaged without me knowing, and now you want to marry Athena secretly. Isn't that cheating? Even when a man looks at another woman, it's cheating, damn it!" I replied and walked upstairs.
Today I was going to end it all. The marriage I had just built was now ruined.
I packed up my belongings, and when I was done, I went to the rooms of my two terrified daughters. I wouldn't let Stevan touch his daughters again.
I walked down the stairs, asking the maids to carry my suitcase. While I led my two daughters. I could see Stevan's frustrated face while Athena was not by his side.
"Where are you going, Kimberly?" asked Stevan, preventing me from leaving.
"Do you think I have the strength to see my husband marry another woman? No, Stevan. We're going to separate for now, I'll take care of our separation papers," I replied, but Stevan kept getting in the way.
"You can go, but leave my daughter!" Stevan said, looking at me coldly.
"I won't let Grace and Grice stay with you."
"She's my daughter, Kimberly!" said Stevan, gripping my hand so tightly that I winced in pain.
"She's my daughter too, Stevan! I gave birth to her, I fought for her. Have you forgotten that? When you stood worried at the front of the room. And when you asked the doctor to save my life. Have you forgotten all that?"
Stevan was silent, I tried to make him realize our struggle together.
"You can't leave, Kimberly. Do you want to leave empty-handed?" said Athena, who suddenly arrived with some documents. "All of Stevan's property is mine, Stevan gave it to me!"
My body froze as I stared at the documents. All of Stevan's possessions had changed names. When did this all happen? Why didn't I know about it? Stevan didn't even remember his biological daughter. He had forgotten his entire family.
第5章
I chuckled at my stupidity. Meanwhile, I looked at Stevan in surprise.
"I never changed our inheritance rights, it should be you and our two daughters' names on the document. How come, Athena?" Stevan tried to explain to me.
I was fed up with Stevan, he always lied and didn't acknowledge the evidence.
"You think changing inheritance rights is easy? It can only be done by you, Stevan!" I said irritably.
I didn't know what else to say. I wanted to get angry and beat him up, but it was useless.
"Athena, what are you doing? Why is your name on the letter?" asked Stevan irritably while shaking Athena's shoulders.
"You changed it when I asked you that night, did you forget?"
"Listen, Stevan! Athena is telling the truth. I know that the night you canceled our dinner, you were at her hotel. You kissed him, and I also heard you talking in the park," I said, letting out my heartache over Stevan.
"I did go to his hotel, but only because Athena needed my help. And I never kissed her!"
"So she was more important than our dinner?" I asked irritably. "And that kiss I saw on your phone, if you don't believe me, you can see for yourself!"
Stevan fell silent again, his guilt had been exposed. He couldn't make any more excuses. I saw Stevan checking his phone. His surprised face made me smile wryly.
"I never kissed Athena, I was drunk, Kimberly. I wasn't sober," Stevan replied, explaining everything.
"Whether you were sober or not, you were still wrong. It's not good for a married man to be in a single woman's hotel at night!" I said, trying to tug on my daughter's hand, which was currently in Stevan's grasp.
"Honey, come with Mommy, let's go for a walk and play!" I said back to my twin daughters.
"No, Mommy, I want to be with Daddy."
My daughters replied in unison, they broke my heart.
"Did you hear Kimberly? She wants to be with me, if you want to go, please!" replied Stevan, who didn't prevent me from leaving.
Stevan brought me to this house. He said that he and I would live until death do us part.
I said nothing, I couldn't leave without my two daughters. I watched as Stevan gave my daughter to Athena.
"Honey, don't you want to be with Mom? You won't see Mom later," I said, trying to persuade Grace and Grice again.
"You're bad, you want to separate me from Daddy," they replied together.
I was speechless, how could little children talk like that? I looked at Athena, who was quietly smiling. She must have taught my two daughters. The proof is that they look close to Athena.
"Get out of my way, Athena! You have no right to interfere in my family affairs!" I said irritably, pushing her body.
Athena fell down, grimacing in pain. And Stevan gave me a sharp look as he helped Athena up.
"Stevan, that hurts! I've been good to Kimberly, I want to be your second wife without you divorcing her. But she's so mean," Athena said tearfully.
"I don't want us to fight in front of Grace and Grice. I think you're right, we don't need to live together right now. Go, Kimberly, I don't want to hurt you."
My body went limp at Stevan's words. He kicked me out, and I walked away. Now my life was so dark, I was alone.
For the second time I failed in marriage. Stevan, who I thought was my destiny, turned out to be wrong. Our love journey only ended here.
While I was outside the house, a man came over.
"Mrs. Athena, I want to confirm about the wedding hall that has been booked. We'd like to discuss it with you."
I paused, it turned out that Stevan had gone this far. He was already preparing for his wedding with Athena.
"Sorry, I'm not Athena's mistress, she's inside making out with my husband," I replied while holding back my tears.
I got into my car and drove away from this house.
Until I finally arrived at the villa, the place of my honeymoon with Stevan. This villa was our wedding gift. This place reminds me of how happy Stevan was with me. Our unrivaled intimacy made many people jealous.
As I stepped out, I cried at the sight of the beach at night. The night breeze embraced my sadness.
I stare at my phone screen. Opening the photo gallery to see each of our memories. The smiles etched on each of our faces were now faded because of Athena's presence.
I took off my wedding ring, throwing it away until it was carried away by the sea. Just as Stevan had left and would never return.