My Wife Wiped Out Her Long-Lost Love’s Entire Family

When I hit rock bottom, I sold myself into a marriage of convenience.

Upon hearing the news, my younger sister cried her eyes out, telling me a man's dignity was worth more than all the money in the world.

I just rolled my eyes at her. It is time to cash in on that dignity.

Fortunately, Victoria kept her end of the bargain after we tied the knot. She treated both me and my sister incredibly well.

Naturally, I played my part to perfection.

At the corporate office, I was her flawless executive assistant. At home, I was her attentive, reliable house husband. As for her private life, I never asked a single question.

I truly thought we would spend the rest of our lives in this quiet, transactional peace.

Until the third year of our marriage, when the one that got away finally returned from abroad.

It was a Sunday.

I was scrubbing the hardwood floors in the living room when my mother in law and father in law walked in, trailing a strange man behind them.

Margaret did not even spare me a glance. She bypassed me completely and made a beeline for Victoria.

"Victoria, look who I brought back for you!"

She shoved the man forward like he was a grand prize.

Seeing him, Victoria froze. Her usually stoic, icy expression cracked for a fraction of a second.

The man smiled, his tone dripping with intimate familiarity. "Long time no see, Victoria."

I observed Victoria carefully. She maintained her composure, but the flicker in her eyes betrayed her.

When she remained silent, the man did not miss a beat. He turned his attention directly to me.

"You must be Dante. It is an absolute pleasure to meet you."

I leaned against my mop handle and straightened my posture. "Really?"

"Tell me, how much of a pleasure is it, exactly?"

He clearly did not expect me to go entirely off script. He stood there, frozen in awkward silence.

I took the opportunity to size him up. Wire rimmed glasses, decent looking, with a polished, academic vibe. But there was an unmistakable cunning glint in his eyes.

I knew his type entirely too well. He was a perfect gentleman on the surface, but absolute poison underneath. The kind of sleazebag who would sell you broken glass and swear on his mother's grave it was a flawless diamond.

Seeing me completely disrespect her golden boy, Margaret glared at me furiously.

"Dante, where are your manners? Do you not see Ridley trying to shake your hand?"

I glanced at Ridley's hand, which was still awkwardly suspended in the air, and gripped my mop tighter.

"My hands are full, Margaret."

With that, I ignored them and went back to scrubbing the floor.

Margaret exploded, screaming insults at my back, but I tuned her out entirely.

Eventually, Arthur pulled me into the kitchen to defuse the situation.

"Let them catch up. You and I can get dinner started."

I actually had no issues with my father in law. Like me, he had married into the family wealth. Technically, we were brothers in arms.

Arthur closed the kitchen door tight and lowered his voice to a hushed whisper. "Dante, you need to watch your back with Ridley."

"He is Victoria's childhood sweetheart. Her first love. Your mother in law absolutely adores him."

I narrowed my eyes.

No wonder the guy walked in here like he owned the place. So this was the legendary one that got away.

"Why did they break up in the first place?"

Arthur sighed heavily. "Youthful stubbornness, mostly. When they graduated college, Ridley wanted to move abroad, and Victoria needed to stay and inherit the family empire."

"Neither of them was willing to compromise, so they walked away angry."

I nodded slowly. That definitely sounded like the Victoria I knew. In the five years we had known each other, I had never seen her bow her head to anyone.

"So what is he doing here today?"

Arthur rolled his eyes at me. "Are you dense?"

"He stepped off the plane and came straight here before even dropping his bags at home. What do you think he wants? He is here to steal your wife."

I clicked my tongue.

If any other trophy husband were in this position, they might just swallow their pride and endure it.

But I refused to back down. Even knowing that the destructive power of a first love rivaled a nuclear bomb, I had my own reasons to hold my ground.

Once dinner was served, Margaret eagerly pulled Ridley to the dining table.

Victoria sat directly across from them.

Noticing Victoria kept her distance, Ridley smiled warmly at Margaret. "Actually, I think I will sit next to Victoria."

Margaret playfully patted his arm. "You are exactly the same as you were back then, always wanting to be glued to her side. Go on."

I was not about to let that happen. I ripped off my apron, practically sprinted to the table, and planted myself firmly in the chair right beside my wife.

Victoria gave me a look of pure bewilderment at my blatant territorial display, but she kept her mouth shut.

Since Victoria did not kick me away, Ridley had no choice but to awkwardly sit back down next to Margaret.

Margaret rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck in her skull.

I feigned absolute innocence. "Are your eyes bothering you, Margaret? Should I fetch you some eye drops?"

Her face turned an ugly shade of purple as she let out a loud, dramatic scoff.

Arthur shot me a warning glare while gently patting his wife's back to keep her from hyperventilating.

Perhaps fearing I would actually give her mother a heart attack, Victoria cleared her throat. "Let us just eat."

Throughout the meal, Victoria and I ate in silence while Margaret and Ridley whispered conspiratorially.

Seeing that Victoria and I were not exchanging a single word, Ridley clearly thought he saw an opening.

"Victoria, try the garlic shrimp. It is fantastic."

"Have some of this broccoli too, it is great for your health."

Within minutes, he had piled a small mountain of food onto Victoria's plate.

She frowned deeply and placed her silverware down.

"Ridley, you know I do not eat food that has been touched by someone else's utensils."

I was practically doing cartwheels in my head. This idiot was completely out of practice. He was trying so hard to kiss up to her, but completely missed the mark.

Seeing Ridley's mortification, Margaret immediately jumped to his rescue.

"Victoria, you were never like this before! Have you forgotten how Ridley always used to serve you food when you were younger?"

Victoria completely ignored her mother. She turned her head slightly toward me. "Hubby, get me a piece of those ribs. I cannot reach them."

Hearing her call me that sent a jolt of pure satisfaction straight to my core. I immediately picked up a tender rib and fed it directly into her mouth.

Margaret completely lost her mind.

"Victoria, what is the meaning of this?!"

"Ridley serves you food, and it is contaminated."

"Dante serves you food, and you eat it right out of his hand?!"

Victoria's brows knitted together. "Is there a problem?"

Ridley could not hold back anymore. "Did you not just say you hate eating food touched by other people?"

Victoria stared at him with freezing indifference. "Dante is my husband. He is not other people."

Absolute perfection. In our three years of marriage, this was the very first time she had defended me so fiercely.

Even if I was just a pawn she was using to spite her ex, I gladly accepted the role.

Ridley's face darkened, his eyes glaring daggers at me.

"Did you cook all of this, Dante?"

I stayed silent, waiting for the punchline.

"It is decent, I suppose. You make an adequate stay at home husband."

Margaret snorted. "If he could not even handle basic chores, I would have thrown him out on the street years ago."

Ridley waved his hands in mock humility. "Now, do not say that. Finding a willing, live in maid is not easy these days."

"I really should thank him for taking such good care of Victoria while I was gone."

Margaret nodded in vehement agreement. "You are entirely right."

I ignored their pathetic little duet, keeping my peripheral vision locked entirely on Victoria.

She had put her utensils down entirely, her eyes locked onto her mother and Ridley in absolute disgust.

Sensing Victoria's intense glare, Ridley offered a weak laugh. "Just making a joke, Dante. You are not offended, are you?"

I let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Your jokes are almost as laughable as your face."

That struck a massive nerve. "What did you just say about my face?"

Before I could even open my mouth, Victoria let out a genuine chuckle.

It was a sound completely devoid of warmth. It was pure, unadulterated mockery.

Margaret slammed her hand onto the mahogany table. "What exactly is so funny, Victoria?"

Victoria dabbed the corners of her mouth with a linen napkin, her voice terrifyingly calm. "When someone is genuinely attractive and you call them ugly, they never get angry."

"Because they know you are just projecting your own insecurities."

"But when someone is actually ugly, and you point it out, they lose their minds."

"Because they know you are telling the absolute truth."

I burst into genuine laughter. Even Arthur had to cover his mouth to hide his amusement.

A stoic person delivering a deadpan insult was utterly lethal.

To be entirely fair, Ridley was not a bad looking guy. But compared to my near flawless genetics, he did not stand a chance.

Furious and utterly humiliated, Ridley grabbed his coat and stormed out without another word.

The parasite was finally gone.

We happily resumed our dinner, leaving Margaret to stew in her own toxic rage.

After dessert, Margaret dragged Victoria into the study.

Arthur and I cleared the table. I could not hide my smug grin. "Honestly, Arthur, if that is the legendary first love, I am incredibly underwhelmed."

Arthur's expression turned grim. "Do not get cocky, Dante."

"Ridley is her first love. Do you have any idea how much weight that carries?"

His words hit me like a bucket of ice water, completely sobering me up.

He was right. Who ever truly forgets their first love?

Even after years of silence, there is always a lingering ghost in the back of the mind.

The road ahead was going to be brutal.

When Victoria finally emerged from the study, she looked exhausted.

After her parents left, she collapsed onto the velvet sofa, rubbing her temples.

"Dante, do not bother coming into the office tomorrow."

"I need to go out with Ridley."

I agreed instantly. "Sounds good. I wanted to visit the hospital tomorrow anyway to see Sophie."

She looked up, clearly caught off guard. "You are not even going to ask where Ridley and I are going?"

I shook my head. "We set the rules when we got married. I do not interfere in your private life."

She let out a sharp, frustrated breath and marched straight to the master bedroom, slamming the door shut.

She was clearly angry.

I freely admit that after three years of marriage, I still had absolutely no idea how to navigate her erratic moods.

When I woke up the next morning, Victoria was already gone.

After forcing down a quick breakfast, I drove straight to the medical center.

Lying in her stark white bed, Sophie looked up at me with tear filled eyes. "Dante, my legs hurt."

A heavy weight dropped in my stomach. The phantom limb pain was back.

"It is okay, sweetie. The pain will go away soon."

Sophie immediately dropped the pitiful act, her eyes widening in mock terror. "Wait, you are not planning to pull the plug on me, are you?! Never mind, I feel completely fine now!"

I glared at her, but a laugh slipped out anyway.

She had always been a chaotic, bright spark of energy.

If it had not been for that catastrophic car crash three years ago that paralyzed her from the chest down, she would be thriving on a college campus right now.

After calling the specialist in and adjusting her medication, the color finally returned to her cheeks.

"So, I heard the CEO's golden boy is back in town."

"Are you going to be out of a job?"

Of course, she never missed an opportunity to roast me.

I gave her a stern look. "Are you hoping I get fired?"

"Because if I lose this gig, what happens to you? I will have to drag you out to the sidewalk so we can beg on a street corner."

Sophie pictured the melodramatic scene and let out a bright, infectious laugh.

"You better kiss up to your wife, then. Give her the absolute best service."

"Our entire financial future rests on your ability to be a trophy husband."

We joked around for another hour. Just as I was gathering my things to leave, the door swung open. Victoria and Ridley walked into the room.

Seeing the two of them together, Sophie's smile vanished. She turned her head toward the window, completely ignoring them.

I gently patted her shoulder until she reluctantly muttered a quiet greeting to Victoria.

Victoria walked up to the bed, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from Sophie's forehead.

"Ridley heard about what happened to you and insisted on stopping by."

I gave him a stiff nod. "Thanks for your concern."

Ridley placed a generic fruit basket on the table and leaned over the bed, inspecting Sophie like she was a science experiment.

"I saw plenty of paralyzed patients while I was living in Europe."

"The medical bills and the round the clock care are astronomically expensive."

"Dante, this facility cannot be cheap."

Victoria's face instantly hardened into stone.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What is your point?"

Ridley pretended not to notice my hostility and kept talking.

"My point is, if Victoria is the one footing this massive bill, you are an incredibly pathetic excuse for a man."

"You cannot even afford to keep your own sister alive."

I shot a panicked look at Sophie. Her eyes were already turning red.

When she first found out I had sold myself into a marriage of convenience to pay her medical bills, she had begged the doctors to stop her treatments.

Victoria and I spent weeks convincing her to stay alive.

Now, with the topic of money thrown directly in her face, I knew she was silently suffocating.

Victoria suddenly stood up, her voice sharp. "Ridley, we are leaving. We have business to attend to."

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed his arm and practically dragged him out of the room.

Once they were gone, I spent an hour desperately trying to comfort my sister.

It took everything she had to force a weak, unconvincing smile.

"I am fine, Dante. Do not worry about me."

"You should go home and get some rest."

After making absolute sure she was stable, I left the hospital.

That evening, Victoria called to say she was busy and told me not to wait up.

I did not ask what she was doing.

But after hanging up, the intrusive thoughts consumed me.

Was she with Ridley? What were they doing right now?

Eventually, I laughed at my own pathetic paranoia. I was just a contract husband. I had absolutely no right to monitor her life.

I forced myself to go to sleep.

In the dead of night, a violent, suffocating panic jolted me awake.

I touched my chest. Cold sweat clung to my skin like a second layer.

When my phone began ringing in the silent darkness, a wave of pure dread washed over me.

I dropped the phone and drove to the hospital like a madman, my mind completely detached from reality.

It was not until I stood in the freezing morgue, staring at Sophie's pale, lifeless face, that I realized it was not a nightmare.

"I am so sorry. By the time the night nurse found her, it was too late."

The head doctor's apologies faded into a muffled buzz.

My eyes were locked onto the life support tubing she still gripped in her rigid hand.

My stupid, brave little sister. How much agony did she endure when she ripped those out of her own body?

I packed up her belongings in total, crushing silence. A massive, gaping void had carved itself into my chest.

I could not tell if it was pure grief, or a terrifying sense of relief.

Three years. Over a thousand days trapped in a broken body. She must have been so incredibly tired of existing like that.

I understood now. Her relentless optimism and laughter were nothing but a shield to protect me from her pain.

But I was selfish. I just wanted my only remaining family member to stay tethered to this earth, no matter the cost.

Now, she was finally free. It was a mercy.

After burying her ashes next to our parents, I returned to the empty house.

I sat alone on the velvet sofa, my thumbs gently tracing the cracked screen of her phone.

With trembling hands, I typed in the passcode. It was my birthday. It had never changed.

I opened her voice memos, clicked on the final unsent recording, and finally broke down.

"See? I knew you would cry. I always win."

"Dante, I am going away now. Do not blame yourself, and do not carry this guilt. You are the greatest brother in the world."

"I have a secret. Mom and Dad visited me in my dreams last night."

"They asked me if we still had a home."

"I told them yes. I told them we still had each other."

"Dante, I did not want to leave you. But I refuse to be selfish anymore. If I stay, I will drag you down until you drown."

"Go live the life you actually want to live."

"You do not have to be a trophy husband anymore. You do not have to be a caretaker anymore."

The recording played on an endless loop as the oxygen slowly abandoned my lungs.

When the sun finally crested the horizon, I buried my grief, grabbed my keys, and drove to the corporate office.

It was time to end this.