Regret of the Wife Who Betrayed Me

1
Everyone in Port City knew I had a wife to be envied.
Isabelle was not only the daughter of a titan of industry but also a legend in the legal worldan untouchable ice queen. But with me, she transformed, becoming the gentlest, most adoring wife a man could ask for.
My plan was simple. On our wedding anniversary, I would finally tell her the truth: that I was the heir to the Rhodes family, the unspoken royalty of Sterling City, and take her home to meet my family.
But then came her birthday. By chance, I saw her. Pinned against her own car by her new assistant, a kiss forced on her lips, the shreds of her dress scattered on the pavement like fallen leaves.
I saw red. I charged in, a man possessed. The assistant ended up in the ICU. I ended up in court.
I never imagined that my own wife, acting as my defense attorney, would betray me on the stand. She painted me as a monster, a jealous husband guilty of malicious assault. Of the assistant's attempted rape, she said nothing. Not a single word.
I was sentenced to three years in prison. In the visiting room, I demanded answers, my voice raw, but her face was a mask of calm.
"You're my husband, Matthew. Even in prison, I'll love you."
"But Leo is different," she'd said, her voice soft but firm. "His family has nothing. If he's branded a rapist, his life is over."
In that moment, something inside me died.
Fine. If she didn't want the title of Mrs. Rhodes, then I would take it back.
The day I was released, Isabelle Vaughn was waiting for me outside the iron gates, dressed in a magnificent white wedding gown. The sight of her ignited a cold, hard knot of hatred in my gut. In three years, she hadn't visited me once. What was this pathetic charade for?
"What are you doing here?"
Faced with my icy glare, Isabelle simply smiled, lifting the hem of her dress as she glided toward me. "Why, I'm here to pick you up, my darling husband."
She stopped in front of me, her fingers reaching up to smooth an imaginary wrinkle on my collar. "Today is a very special day. I'm taking you home so we can celebrate together."
I was about to refuse when she raised a hand. Two men in black suits immediately stepped out of the car, flanking me.
"Please, Matthew," she said, her smile never wavering as she gestured toward the open car door.
I knew I had no choice. Taking a deep breath, I got in.
The entire ride, Isabelle stared at her phone, ignoring me completely. I was grateful for the silence, my mind racing with ways to file for divorce. But as we pulled up to the villa, I saw it. The lawn was covered in flowers and elaborate arches.
And in front of the main entrance was a large welcome portrait. It was of Isabelle and her assistant, Leo.
So this was her "special day." Her wedding. To him.
A firestorm of rage erupted in my chest, and I let the pure, undiluted hatred consume me. "Isabelle, what is the meaning of this?"
She let out a derisive laugh, the warmth in her expression melting away to reveal pure mockery. "Matthew, you didn't actually believe that a convict like you was worthy of being my husband, did you? The husband of a Vaughn?"
The bodyguards dragged me from the car, and instantly, all eyes were on me.
"Hey, isn't that the jailbird? They actually let him out?"
"Ugh, seeing trash like that on a day like this really ruins the mood."
Leo, dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, strode toward me, his face alight with a smug, triumphant grin. "Well, well, Matthew. How very generous of you. Rushing straight from prison to attend my wedding to Izzy. We're so honored."
Looking at that venomous face, I didn't hesitate. I swung, my fist connecting with his jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Leo!" Isabelle shrieked. She shoved me hard before rushing to his side, cradling his face with a look of pure adoration. "Matthew, you listen to me! Leo is my husband now. If you lay another finger on him, I swear you'll regret it!"
"Husband?" I scoffed, shaking my head. "Need I remind you, Isabelle? I may have been in prison for three years, but we are not divorced!"
My words didn't faze her in the slightest. She just laughed. Waving a hand, an assistant scurried over with two small, red booklets. She threw them in my face.
"Open your eyes and see the truth, you fool," she sneered. "These are fakes."
Then, as if handling a holy relic, she took another set of certificates from Leo and held them up for me to see. "I wanted you to see what real ones look like. So you don't get tricked by another woman in the future."
"Did you really think," she continued, her voice dripping with contempt, "that I, a top partner at a Magic Circle firm, the eldest daughter of the Vaughn family, would ever marry a nobody? I married you because you had a pretty face. It was fun for a while. But a girl grows up. She learns that a pretty little puppy is no match for a real wolf."
She draped herself over Leo's chest, the sight of them together like a spike of ice through my eyes.
Leo wrapped an arm around her bare shoulders. "You know, I really have you to thank, Matthew. If you hadn't attacked me three years ago, Izzy would have never realized her true feelings for me." He paused, then handed me a business card. "But I'm a generous man. Since I took your wife, I'll find you a replacement. The Elysian Club is full of beautiful women. Pick any one you like. I'll buy her for you."
Veins bulged on my forehead. I lunged, my fist smashing into his face again. "You filthy animals..."
The rage was uncontrollable. I wanted to tear them both limb from limb. But this was their territory. Bodyguards seized me from behind, wrenching my arms back.
My eyes were bloodshot as I roared at Isabelle. "He tried to rape you! I saved you! Is this how you repay me?"
Isabelle just laughed. She leaned in and kissed the blood from the corner of Leo's mouth, then turned to face me, her hand intertwined with his. "Who said he was a rapist? What happened three years ago was mutual. We were just unlucky you stumbled upon us." Her smile widened. "What was truly pathetic was how you charged in like a brainless hero, fighting him, refusing to let go no matter how I tried to stop you."
My heart felt like it was being crushed in a vice, the air squeezed from my lungs. But the memory of her terror was seared into my brain. "But you were screaming for help! You looked terrified! You were fighting him off!"
Her laughter grew more manic. "Oh, Matthew. You really are a fool, aren't you? It's called role-playing. Ever heard of it?"
My body went numb, my limbs heavy as lead. If not for the table behind me, I would have collapsed. But she wasn't done humiliating me.
"You must have felt like such a hero that day, protecting your precious wife. It must have been the proudest moment of your worthless life." She leaned in closer. "A man as incompetent as you can only find his self-worth in moments like that, can't he?"
"So now you understand. I didn't betray you on the stand. The only guilty party three years ago... was you."
She knew exactly where to stick the knife.
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to breathe, to find some semblance of calm. Finally, I gritted my teeth and asked, "Isabelle, are you truly going to marry him?"
She and Leo exchanged a glance, and then they both burst out laughing. "Marry him? Or a convict like you? Don't be so naive, Matthew."
"Fine," I said, my voice cold and steady. "Don't regret it."
I pulled out the phone someone had given me three days ago. I dialed the only number in it.
"Young Master. You finally called."
"Tell him I'll do it. I'll come back and take my place. But I have one condition."
A cold autumn wind whipped around me. My eyes, like a viper's, were fixed on Isabelle and Leo. "Before nightfall, I want the Vaughn family's empire to be nothing but dust."
The moment the words left my mouth, Isabelle, Leo, and all their guests erupted in hysterical laughter.
"What did he say? He wants the Vaughn empire gone by nightfall?"
"Even if you're broke, you shouldn't drink cheap liquor. Listen to that nonsense."
Leo swaggered over. "Well, since it's my wedding day, consider it a gift from me to you. I'll give you a drink you won't forget."
The bodyguards I'd shaken off swarmed me again. My jaw was forced open. Leo grabbed a wine bottle from a passing waiter, smashed the bottom against a table, and poured the entire contentswine and jagged shards of glassdown my throat.
Dark red liquid choked me, spilling from my nose, but Leo clamped a hand over my mouth and nostrils. "Izzy picked this vintage herself. You dare waste a single drop?"
The wine flooded my windpipe. My face turned purple, the whites of my eyes swallowing my pupils. Just as I thought it was over, he let me go. He threw the shattered bottle to the ground and kicked me hard in the back, sending me to my knees on the bed of broken glass.
Isabelle sat in a chair across from me, sipping her own wine. "This is for what you did three years ago," she said coldly. "If Leo is unhappy, you suffer." She suddenly noticed a drop of blood on Leo's finger and rushed over, kissing it away. "Oh, Leo, you're hurt!"
She spun around and slapped me across the face. The stinging pain was nothing compared to the agony in my heart.
"You bastard without a mother! How dare you hurt my Leo!"
The internet was right. Never show your scars to anyone. I had never celebrated my birthday, and the first time I did was because of her. She had asked me why, and in my naivety, thinking she loved me, I had opened a wound I'd hidden for over twenty years.
"My mother died giving birth to me," I had told her. "I've always felt that if it weren't for me, she would still be alive."
I never thought she would one day use those words as a weapon.
The warmth of her palm still lingered on my cheek, but she didn't spare me another glance, turning back to fuss over Leo. "Darling, don't hurt yourself while you're teaching him a lesson. You'll worry me to death."
They flirted behind me, their laughter fueling the inferno of my hatred. I wanted to tear them apart.
Finally, Isabelle sat back down. Leo spat on me, then squatted down, a wicked grin on his face. "You've had the wine. It's only fair you get a taste of our sweet, sweet love."
The crowd cheered. "Leo knows how to have fun!"
Before I could react, the guards hauled me to my feet. Leo picked up a heavy wooden chair and brought it down on my back with a sickening crack. I crumpled like a dying dog. But it wasn't enough. He had them pull me up, and he smashed the chair against me again, and again, until I couldn't straighten my back.
Isabelle suddenly lit up, as if remembering something. "Oh my god, how could I forget?" she exclaimed, walking toward me. "You once swore to be with me for the rest of our lives. Even if I don't love you anymore, you still love me, right?"
I let out a bitter laugh. I had given her too much freedom, too much adoration. It had warped her into this narcissistic monster.
She beckoned, and a servant brought over a pregnant dog.
"Today is an auspicious day. You're a lucky man," she declared. "We've had this little lady since Leo and I first got together. Marrying our dog is an honor you could never earn in a hundred lifetimes."
They forced my head down. I fought, craning my neck back, but I was no match for them. My forehead was slammed into the ground three times, and the dog in the servant's arms was forced to bow with me.
Isabelle laughed like a madwoman. "There! Now she's your wife. You'd better take good care of her and her puppies."
A wave of nausea washed over me, and I collapsed, vomiting onto the ground.
At a glance from Isabelle, a guard punched me in the face. "A convict like you dares to be disgusted by my dog? Fine." She commanded, "Beat him. Beat him until our dear Matthew is willing to call that bitch his wife."
I had always valued philosophy and the classics; my family instilled in me a deep respect for matters of the heart and mind. She was trying to break my spirit completely.
The blows rained down. At first, I felt the sharp, cracking pain of bone splintering. But soon, my body, like my heart, grew numb.
Leo grabbed my hair. "Are you going to say it or not?"
I split my lips into a grin, trying to use the pain to overwhelm the numbness. "You might as well kill me now. Because if you don't, I will make every single one of you suffer a thousand times more than this."
Leo's smile became a grotesque sneer. "What was that? Did I hear him right, Izzy? Your ex-boyfriend is not only pathetic, he's a pathological liar too."
Isabelle suddenly held up a hand, signaling them to stop. For a fleeting, foolish second, my dead heart flickered. Did she still have some shred of feeling for me? But in the next instant, I saw her true intention, and I wanted to travel back in time just to slap my pathetic self.
"Oh, silly me," she chirped. "A wedding isn't a wedding without a cake!"
She and Leo shared a look of pure, malicious satisfaction.
The guards lifted me again. I was too broken to resist. A massive, multi-tiered wedding cake was rolled out, and I realized what they were planning a second before they threw me into it.
Sickly-sweet frosting enveloped me, a cloying, sticky prison. The top tier of the cake collapsed, burying me completely. The heavy weight pressed down, covering my mouth and nose. The familiar feeling of suffocation returned, the oxygen slowly draining from my lungs.
I closed my eyes, resigned. I regretted my youthful rebellion, leaving my family to make it on my own in Port City. But my deepest regret was meeting Isabelle Vaughn and falling so hopelessly in love with her.
Perhaps my decision hadn't been wrong. Perhaps she was wrong. She was a demon, and I had foolishly tried to turn her into an angel.
My life flashed before my eyes, and the one memory I clung to was of being a child on the beach, building sandcastles with my father.
A wave of regret washed over me. I had always dreamed of the day I would bring Isabelle to meet him, to proudly tell him, this is the woman I love.
I never imagined I would be murdered by her.
No. I couldn't die. Not yet. Not before I made them pay.
My mind cleared. I slowly moved my left hand, pushing the frosting away from my face. Fresh air flooded my lungs like a transfusion, my brain snapping into focus. The sounds of mockery and abuse filled my ears. The sky was darkening. It was almost time. Just a little longer.
I had already lost once. I would not lose again.
"Does Matthew even own a mirror? How dare he even dream of being with Isabelle. A toad lusting after a swan."
"Forget that he's a convict now. Even three years ago, a useless pretty boy like him was never good enough for our Lady Vaughn."
"Our Izzy and Leo were always meant to be. He was just a toy to pass the time. He was the only one who didn't know it."
How ridiculous. After all these years, I was the last to know. She had been with Leo all along. I had been blind.
Leo saw my head emerge from the cake. He grabbed my collar, about to shove me back in.
I caught his wrist. "You dare?" I hissed. "We live in a civilized world. If I die here, you're not walking away from this."
"Is that so?" he mocked, looking at Isabelle.
She shrugged with a smile. "Oh? Mr. Rhodes, fresh out of prison, attends his ex-girlfriend's wedding and commits suicide out of heartbreak. What does that have to do with us?" She looked around at the guests. "Did anyone see Matthew Rhodes here today?"
The crowd roared with laughter and denial.
"Who?"
"Never seen him in my life! After the wedding, we all partied at the Vaughns' until dawn. Never saw anyone by that name."
Isabelle smirked. "You see? Three years ago, I could make the security footage from that garage disappear. Today, I can do the same with the footage from this villa. You're just a convict. Who cares if you die?"
The mad celebration continued.
Suddenly, a symphony of sirens pierced the air, followed by the sound of car doors opening in perfect, disciplined unison.
"All of you, stop!"

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