My Husband’s Wife - Chapter 9

“So, you finally deigned to come home?” were the words that greeted him as he stepped into the Xue house. “Mother” Yuwen replied “I” “Sit,” his mother said forestalling him before he could repeat any of his rote excuses. “For reasons I honestly cannot fathom, you have decided to live your life without a wit of ambition or even duty. I pride myself on my willingness to allow freedom of choice to everyone including my son so I let it go.” These words caused Yuwen to gaze in sheer disbelief at the mother who had dictated almost all his life decisions and had highhandedly decided his marriage without giving him even the least semblance of choice.

Xue Ying, Matriarch of the Xue family, ignored his stare as she continued “You know, that for us, the clan and family must always come before the individual. As your mother, I wished to protect you. But before I was your mother, I was Xue Ying, clan matriarch. You wouldn’t be wrong to say I was born with that title, I couldn’t and cannot endanger the family by catering to your whims.

“Your rebellion and repeated refusals to participate in the company’s management forced my hand. Xue Yuwen, you were the one who forced me. Despite your wish to forget, both you and I know just how intelligent you are. Just because you want to hide it doesn’t mean it will go away. I am sure you already knew and deduced most of what I just said. Your actions left me no choice but to abandon you but I couldn’t, so I found a compromise. One that protected both you and the clan.

“You know the real reason why I chose Su Yue as your bride. Don’t try to lie and pretend you don’t. Su Yue’s role is to do what you refuse to, to lead Xue Group until the next heir is ready to take over. This was your mother’s last resort. Don’t make a mockery of the effort I have expended on your behalf.

“It wasn’t easy to find a girl who was talented with business acumen, of good character and who was also beautiful. In my large sea of friends and connections, close and otherwise, I could only locate the one girl and then only by some lucky trick of fate was she unattached and suitable for you. If you ruin her I don’t know where to go looking for another. I don’t even think I have the right to look for another. I asked for someone’s daughter, how can I just watch my son destroy her. Yuwen please, Mother is begging you, give your wife the respect she deserves. Do not force her to bitterness. Don’t make Yue have no choice but to hate you.”

Mother left when she was finished with saying her piece. Her words make me feel even more guilty and apprehensive of the truth. If mother knew what I suspect that I, her useless son has been giving her precious daughter-in-law so much grief and heartache wouldn’t she beat me half to death? I can only be glad she still doesn’t seem to know Su Yue loves me. Wrong! That was dangerous. That Su Yue might love me. It’s always better to avoid assumptions, particularly with such a sensitive topic. And it’s best if I don’t sink deeper into this quagmire before I get some confirmation or disprove my suspicions. The question is how do I find out if my wife loves me? Or not.

Xue Ying sighed. It was good that the rascal had finally come home. She couldn’t help but be a little selfish so she was privately glad that Yue loved her son. But in the past four years, she had spent much more time with her daughter-in-law than with her son and it hurt to watch her keep waiting for a man who wasn’t coming home.

“Why do you keep staring at me?” Su Yue asked Yuwen, lifting an inquiring hand to her face. Was there anything wrong with her appearance, she wondered. On his intermittent sojourns at home, young master Yuwen generally spent his time with her but never before had he been so fixated on her visage. She couldn’t help constantly feeling like she had a pimple or some other blemish because he kept looking at her. She really wished he would turn his gaze elsewhere.

“Su Yue” Yuwen started. Strange, Yuwen always called her Yue’er. He had started using the pet name in one of his many attempts to drive her to anger but over time it had simply become a habit of his. She liked it, he was the only one in the world to call her Yue’er, even her parents didn’t. So why was he calling her Su Yue? Not even the familiar Yue, but Su Yue? No matter what they were husband and wife, not strangers. Though they did live almost like strangers so perhaps she was just deluding herself that the distance between them was not as frigid as it had been in the early days of their marriage.

Yuwen was ignorant of the thoughts swirling in Su Yue’s head. He had examined and studied her over and over trying to find an answer. Did she love him or not? But he could find not even the smallest hint of a woman in love in Yue. There was literally no chink in her armor or perhaps there was no armor and what he saw was all there was to the issue of her feelings. But if that was so, then he would be the one who was potentially infatuated with her and that truly did not bear countenancing. Few things were more terrible than loving a spouse who had no thoughts of you which was why he frequently caught himself worrying about her. He worried even though there was still no confirmation or evidence apart from a whisper that may or may not have been that his wife may be in love with him.

He had been forced to take to cruel measures and had talked of his most recent mistress while he watched her but she had shown no noteworthy reaction to the topic. He knew she knew that socialite was dating him though to be correct it would be had dated. (He hadn’t been in the mood for a relationship of any sort in the last month).

She had to know, after all, everyone knew and he knew society well enough to know that the vultures had definitely and gleefully made her aware of such titillating news, that was how their world worked. But she had leaked not even the smallest sign of jealousy or discomfort. Which made sense. Otherwise, how else could she have hidden her feelings for so long, unless it was really option one and he had imagined everything? He had gone round and round, yet he could not find an answer so he had chosen the most direct route. He asked. “Yue’er, are you in love with me?”

That was the first time since the first year of their marriage passed that he saw Su Yue’s mask break. Her face froze in pure naked fear.

It turned out they were truly a matched pair. Both of them reacted to the discovery of her love with fear and, if he was reading her right, the irrepressible urge to flee.

She quickly schooled her features into a blank but it was too late. That expression had lingered a moment too long. Long enough that he did not think he would be forgetting it or wondering anymore if that sad whisper was just a figment of his imagination. He had his answer now, Yue’er loved him. Loved him madly.

Do you have any suggestions or complaints? Please leave your thoughts either in a comment or a review. Thanks.