Heartless CEO

Serene’s POV

The door was partially open, and I wondered if Theo was inside. My mind was filled with questions, so I cautiously pushed the door open. My eyes widened as I took in the scene before me: scattered women’s underwear, along with my husband’s suit. I knew it belonged to him. I could also hear some noises coming from the bedroom.

“No, this can’t be happening. He wouldn’t do this to me,” I thought to myself. My heart was racing, but I tried to stop myself from overthinking, trusting my husband completely. I knew he couldn’t be doing what I feared.

As I approached the bedroom, the sounds I heard grew louder and louder. I covered my mouth to stifle any sound, but my eyes betrayed me as tears streamed down my face. In front of me, I saw two people engaged in an intimate moment.

“Won’t your wife suspect anything?” a woman asked.

I couldn’t bear to witness this despicable scene, so I quickly turned to leave, tears still flowing from my eyes. But before I could escape, I heard something that shook me to my core.

“What if she finds out? Is there anything she can do?”

“Don’t worry. What can she do? Besides, I’m planning to divorce her.”

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. How could you do this to me, Theo?

With every step I took, it felt like a heavy weight was pressing down on my entire body. I tried to make my way to the bathroom, and when I got inside, I locked the door. That’s when my tears fell uncontrollably, almost blocking my chest from the pain in my heart.

“Why are you doing this to me, Theo? Am I not enough?” I sobbed. I felt like a crying child, my throat aching from the sobs. I knew I couldn’t give him a child, but was that reason enough for him to cheat on me? Tears continued to stream down my face. It hurt, but I felt like I had to endure it. If I could just forget what he had done, I would have done it.

***

I came home early to cook a dinner for Theo, hoping he would enjoy it. I tried to deny the evidence my own eyes had seen.

“It can’t be true,” I convinced myself. While I was in the kitchen cooking, I heard Theo’s car pull up, so I quickly set the table with plates, spoons, and dishes.

I smiled because he had come home to me.

When he walked in, I greeted him immediately. I moved in to kiss him on the cheek, but as expected, he avoided it, sending a sharp pain through my heart.

“How were your meetings? Have you eaten? I cooked something for you,” I asked one question after another.

“I’ve already eaten. Just throw it away,” he replied coldly.

“But I put a lot of effort into it. Please, just have a little taste,” I pleaded.

“I said I’m full, damn it!” he snapped harshly.

I was shocked, but I quickly composed myself and forced a smile. I picked up a plate and spoon to serve him, but he pushed it away and glared at me with disgust in his eyes.

The tears in the corners of my eyes welled up, and it stung.

“Don’t you hear me, Serene? Have you become deaf, too? I thought your only disability was not being able to get pregnant,” he shouted, shocking me with his cruel words.

“Get out! Don’t show your face in front of me! I don’t want to see you!” he ordered, pushing me at the same time, causing me to fall and hit my head on the edge of the table.

The pain in my heart echoed from the hurtful words he had thrown at me, exposing my shortcomings. I couldn’t do anything but bend down and suppress the sobs and tears that threatened to escape. I could feel blood trickling down from my head, but the physical pain paled in comparison to the emotional agony I felt.

“Loving Theo is painful,” I whispered to myself.

“I’m sorry. I’ll give you some space,” I said, looking up, but he just continued to stare at me with cold, hateful eyes. It was as if I were a colossal mistake he had made in his life, and I chuckled bitterly at that thought.

I knew he loved me; he had told me so. I clung to that knowledge and recalled our happier times, unable to stop the tears from flowing. Maybe that was all I had left to hold onto — he loved me. Yes, he loved me. He couldn’t hurt me this badly.

I struggled to stand up, picked up the pieces of the broken plate, and when I was done, I made my way to the guest room. Yes, the guest room, because he started treating me coldly. I volunteered to switch rooms, knowing that, even though he didn’t say it, I seemed like a huge mistake in his life.

I hugged myself and whispered, “I hope that when I wake up tomorrow, all the painful events of today will have just been a dream.”

Days passed, and he continued to behave coldly. He would often explode in anger when he saw me. Not a day went by without him hurting me, both physically and emotionally. He consistently blamed me for my shortcomings. I kept trying to understand, even though his hurtful words kept cutting me deeply. Because I loved him so much, I tried to forget the betrayal I had witnessed firsthand.

Most of the time, he would come home late at night, smelling of alcohol and covered in red marks on his neck and clothes. He also carried the scent of another woman.

I bit my lip to prevent myself from sobbing. How long would he continue to make me feel unloved? How much longer could I endure his actions? The pain was unbearable. I didn’t understand what sin I had committed against God or why I had been handed such a painful punishment.