His Secret Wife is Leaving Him for a Better Life

"Mrs. Roberts, once we file these divorce papers, the decree will be officially issued in about thirty days," the lawyer said gravely as he carefully flipped through the divorce agreement. "If you decide to withdraw your application at any point before then, you must..."

"I will not," I, Sharon Roberts, with my maiden name Sharon Anderson, interrupted softly, my eyes fixed on the notification that had just popped up on my phone, showing that my application to be a doctor working for an organization providing emergency care in places that had survived disaster and were in wars had been approved. "Please file it as soon as possible."

Just as I finished speaking, a call came through from the ER of the hospital I was working at. The voice on the other end was frantic. "Dr. Anderson, we just got an emergency case. Mr. Julio Roberts' wife is suspected of having a ruptured corpus luteum. Mr. Roberts insists that all doctors immediately go to her room for consultation. You need to come back right away."

A sharp pain pierced my heart, and I froze in place.

In our two years of marriage, Julio had never publicly acknowledged me as his wife. The only woman who could make him this anxious was Lillian Singh, his old flame who had just returned to the country from abroad.

Though I felt bitterness surge through me, I could only murmur to agree and rush back to the hospital.

Inside the examination room, the director and chief physicians of the hospital had already arrived and were gathered around Lillian, inquiring about her condition.

When she saw me, Lillian shyly burrowed a little deeper into Julio's arms and whispered, "It is really not that bad. Julio just worries too much about me; that is why he called everyone over. I hope you're not upset, Sharon, are you?"

Julio frowned sharply when he heard her speak in a cautious tone. "Why are you even explaining yourself to her? She is a doctor. It is her duty to treat patients."

I clenched my fists but said nothing. Instead, I calmly pulled out my stethoscope and began my examination.

In the end, we found that it was merely abdominal pain caused by overexertion.

Though we confirmed that Lilian was fine, Julio still couldn't let his guard down and insisted Lillian be admitted for observation and treatment.

Only after we left the room did he condescendingly and reluctantly glance up at me. "I know you are on night shift today, so I brought you some dinner when Lillian and I finished eating."

Honestly, I was surprised. Even though I had already resolved to let him go, a secret flicker of hope still rose inside me.

I circled my night-shift dates in a month on the calendar by our bedside, but Julio had never looked at it.

Yet when I opened the takeout box, I found only a few dry pieces of steak and some wilted vegetables of salad.

The steak was mostly just scraps. Clearly someone else had already eaten most of it.

"We ordered a couple's meal and did not finish it," Julio said flatly. "I thought I could pack the rest up for you. No sense wasting food."

At that moment, I felt my heart ache faintly. "Julio, am I someone only worthy of your leftovers in your eyes?"

"You have got dinner brought to you, and you are still complaining?" he snapped, a bit irritated. "You are so damn unreasonable. Lillian is much more magnanimous than you are. Forget it. Eat it or not. I don't care."

With that, he impatiently grabbed Lillian's hand and strode out of the room.

Watching their retreating figures, I gave a bitter smile and quietly tossed the container into the trash bin.

As I passed the nurses' station, their hushed whispers drifted into my ears.

"Ms. Singh is not Mr. Roberts' wife, is she? Then why can she be so close to Mr. Roberts when he is already married? Does that not make her the other woman?"

"You know nothing. Ms. Singh is Mr. Roberts' old flame. But Mr. Roberts' wife is actually the one who came between Mr. Roberts and Ms. Singh. If it were not for her using underhanded tactics to force Mr. Roberts into marriage, he and Ms. Singh would still have been together."

"Exactly. So what if Mr. Roberts' current wife gets married to him having replaced Ms. Singh anyway? Mr. Roberts will not even acknowledge her publicly. I believe he will dump her soon enough and marry Ms. Singh."

I instinctively tightened my grip on the patient chart in my hand. Their guesses were not entirely wrong.

Julio and Lillian really had been together once, even engaged.

But they did not break up because of me. Lillian had met a wealthy foreign man and, chasing true love, chose to call off the wedding and leave the country.

With the wedding date approaching, the Roberts family, desperate to guard their reputation, turned to me and revived the old engagement arranged by our parents when they were still alive.

At the time, I relied on the Roberts family's financial support. Out of gratitude, and because of my own secret feelings for him, I agreed to marry Julio, replacing Lillian.

Even though I knew from the start this marriage was not built on love, I still held onto hope. I believed that if I gave enough and stayed long enough beside him, Julio would eventually see me.

But after two years of marriage, despite all my sacrifices, I was nothing more than a free housekeeper in his eyes.

His heart still belonged solely to Lillian.

So the day Julio told me Lillian was coming back, I knew it was time for me to leave.

One of the nurses spotted me preparing medication nearby and shifted the conversation to me. "Dr. Anderson, didn't you say today was your wedding anniversary? Your husband doesn't get mad at you when you have to work a shift on such a special day?"

A wave of bitterness washed over me. "He doesn't."

He had never remembered our anniversary, not once.

The nurse teased in an envious tone, "Then your husband is pretty understanding. My boyfriend always throws a fit when I am on call and cannot spend time with him."

I forced a thin smile. "It's nothing. We are getting divorced."

The moment those words left my lips, the entire nurses' station fell silent.

Pretending not to notice their curious stares and unspoken questions, I finished preparing the medication and turned to leave.

But as I turned, I saw Julio standing just a few steps away.

My heart sank. I was not sure if Julio had overheard what I had just said.

Our eyes met, and the air between us turned tense.

After a few seconds, he spoke, his expression cold. "Get Lillian her medicine as soon as it is ready. She is in a lot of pain."

Without another word, he turned and walked back into Lillian's hospital room.

I stood frozen in place, and my lips curled up into a bitter, self-mocking smile.

I did not even know what I had been hoping for, especially when I knew he certainly would not try to stop me after he learned I was filing for divorce.

I told myself to stop dreaming.

Pushing down the ache in my chest, I picked up the tray with medications and IV in it and walked into the room to start Lillian's IV.

As I double-checked the medication label and adjusted the drip rate, she suddenly clutched her abdomen and curled into a ball. "Julio, why does it hurt even more after the IV started?!"

She jerked violently, causing the portable oxygen tank standing beside her bed to sway.

In the instant it toppled, Julio pulled Lillian protectively into his arms.

The tank slammed into my head. Thick, sticky blood trickled down through my hair.

Julio's face darkened. "Sharon! You're sloppy when you are working, and that is bad enough. Is your professional skill bad, too?"

I struggled to make out what was in front of me and realized the IV needle on Lillian's hand had shifted out of place.

She tugged gently at Julio's sleeve and said magnanimously, "It is fine, Julio. Anyone would be resentful working on their wedding anniversary. I don't blame Sharon."

Sure enough, Lillian's false considerate demeanor only made Julio angrier. "That just proves she is petty and has no medical ethics!"

I fought to steady myself, but my reply came out weak and hollow. "I didn't."

A wave of dizziness blurred everything around me, making the world feel unreal.

Thankfully, a colleague arrived just in time, took control of the situation, and escorted me back to the office for first aid.

Even with a head injury, I could not take time off.

I had no choice but to steel myself and finish my shift.

When my shift ended, Julio's car pulled up in front of me unexpectedly.

"You get hurt and still do not swap shifts with a coworker? Did you really have to tough it out like this?" He glanced at the bandage on my forehead and tossed me a tube of ointment. "You cannot even insert an IV properly. If there is ever a real emergency, you will just make things worse."

Even when trying to reconcile, Julio remained condescending towards me, habitually belittling me. And I did not even have the right to argue back.

When I did not rush to explain myself like I used to, Julio looked at me with surprise.

After a pause, he took my hand and suddenly softened his tone. "Are you mad? I am just worried about you. Lillian is unwell, and you keep making mistakes. If your skills are not sharp, you need to work harder to improve. If it were not for understanding patients like Lillian, you would be getting complaints all the time."

I turned my head away. "You are worried about Lillian."

Julio frowned and said in an impatient tone. "Since when did you become so paranoiac? Lillian has not left the country for so long. Of course I am helping her out after she came back here. You should understand that."

Then his eyes dropped to my bare ring finger. "Where is your wedding ring?"

I quietly pulled my hand free and crossed my arms. "It gets in the way at work. I left it in the vanity drawer at home."

"That is fine. It is good you remember to always stay low-key," he said coolly. "If you caused a medical incident and dragged the Roberts family into it because of some ring, that would truly be embarrassing for all of us."

I pressed my lips tight together, suddenly struck by how bitterly ironic it all was.

Speaking of embarrassment, over the past two years, I had been mocked constantly.

Julio never wore his wedding ring. Every time I asked, he would always brush it off with excuses like "I am not used to wearing rings" or "It is inconvenient wearing a ring at work."

Only when he publicly declared in front of the media that Lillian was the one and only love of his life did I finally understand that I had been a fool all along.

Silence filled the car. I stared down at my phone, scrolling through social feeds.

At a red light, Julio reached into the back seat, grabbed a paper bag, and tossed it into my lap. "Your wedding anniversary gift. Open it."

His tone left no room for refusal, so I unwrapped it.

Predictably, it was yet another hand cream from some high-end skincare brand.

And right then, my phone screen happened to land on Lillian's latest post with a photo of a dazzling piece of jewelry, captioned, "Julio is the best, and so is his gift."

Just days ago, Julio had been flipping through my fashion magazines and asking about jewelry styles.

I had assumed he was planning a surprise for our anniversary and was inwardly happy about that, thinking my devotion might finally be rewarded.

In the end, that gift was meant to celebrate Lillian's return.

Seeing me stunned, Julio finally noticed what was on my screen.

He quietly cleared his throat and said, softening his tone, "Lillian has worked hard building her career alone. She needs expensive jewelry to maintain her image. Why do we have to fuss over empty rituals and formalities as a married couple? You are in charge of the chores. Hand cream is far more practical for you."

Those words cut deeper than any knife could.

He felt entitled to treat me however he pleased because I was useful and obedient.

He had never respected me, not once.

Yet Julio was oblivious to my emotions and went on, "We are hosting a banquet at the house in a couple of days, as a make-up for your anniversary. Arrange it properly. Don't embarrass the Roberts family."

I looked out the window. The wind dried the tears in my eyes.

Years ago, after my parents died suddenly in an accident, they received a proper burial because Julio's mother helped me quietly.

I decided that this would be the last thing I ever did for the Roberts family, as repayment for her kindness.

As soon as we got home, Julio dragged me straight to the kitchen. "Lillian mentioned last night she wanted some soup. Show me how to make it."

Now I understood. He had only picked me up so he could better care for Lillian.

Absurdly, once, when I had a raging fever and was groggy, I asked him to get me a glass of water. Yet, he said with a dismissive look, "Every minute I waste costs millions, Sharon. Do you really expect me to waste my time in the kitchen for you?"

So it was not that he could not spare time in the kitchen. It was that he would not spare it for me.

I took a deep breath and replied coldly, "I don't know how. If you want to cook, ask the servants or look up a recipe online. I am not the Roberts family's servant."

Without looking at his face, not caring what expression he wore, I turned and walked upstairs.

On the day Lillian was discharged from the hospital, Julio specially reserved a high-end hotel and treated all the medical staff to afternoon tea there, thanking them for their care of her.

"Julio is a man who never forgets those who were kind to people he loves. I just had a trivial ailment, yet he went to all this expense," she said, looping her arm through Julio's with a charming smile.

Julio affectionately pulled his hand free only to wrap his arm around her waist, making everyone cheer for them.

Someone remarked, "Ms. Singh, that's not right. Mr. Roberts may not forget those who were kind to people he loves, but he is selective. He does not spend money on just anyone."

Another chimed in, "Exactly. It seems Ms. Singh holds a higher place in Mr. Roberts's heart than even his own wife."

I had just finished a meeting and happened to spot them from a distance. I intended to slip past quietly.

But Lillian had sharp eyes. She called out to me immediately and dragged me right into the middle of the group.

"Please, stop teasing me," she said. "How could I ever compare to Dr. Anderson? She is Julio's wife. He must often treat you all to thank you for taking care of her, right?"

In an instant, the previously warm atmosphere turned awkward and tense. Everyone's gaze shifted to me, odd and with complicated emotions, and loaded with unspoken judgment.

I froze in place, feeling as exposed and humiliated as if I had been stripped naked.

Only then did Lillian say with feigned surprise, acting as if she had just realized what she had done, "Oh. You did not know Dr. Anderson is Mr. Roberts's wife?"

She gave Julio a light tap on the chest and scolded him playfully, "Julio, this is not right. You have been married this long and still have not told anyone that Dr. Anderson's your wife? Could it be because you promised me back then that you would not publicly announce your marriage if I could not become your wife? If so, then it really is my fault..."

She sounded self-reproachful when she said so, but subtly showing off the relationship between her and Julio with every word she had said.

"It is not your fault, Lillian," Julio cut in at once, stopping her before she could go further. "Sharon simply dislikes being in the spotlight. It has nothing to do with you."

I felt suffocated at their words.

He had always been the one most reluctant to acknowledge me as his wife.

Once, when I brought him lunch out of concern for him as he had stomach issues, he told his secretary I was just his servant.

Watching the two of them now, who were looking at each other with tender affection in their eyes, I felt for the first time how utterly hypocritical and disgusting they were.

After Julio comforted her, Lillian finally relaxed into a relieved smile.

She glanced around at the medical staff there, then her eyes lit up mischievously, and she turned to me. "By the way, Dr. Anderson, you will be inviting your colleagues to tomorrow's banquet at Roberts Estate for your wedding anniversary, won't you? It will be nice to have everyone join in the celebration."

I instinctively wanted to refuse, but Julio interrupted before I could speak. "Do not worry about her. She never liked those kinds of events anyway. Whether there are many guests or few does not matter to her."

He looked at Lillian as he spoke. "But you, if you want them there, just invite them all."

I forced a bitter smile. The truth was, I actually loved lively banquets.

But Julio always felt I wasn't refined enough for such events, worried I would do something wrong to embarrass him. So he never took me to any banquet.

Over time, I stopped wanting to go to any events with him.

Not wishing to argue with them, I turned and walked away.

After all, I had never been the one in the spotlight at Julio's banquets, so it didn't matter who had been invited.

When I got home, the servants had already started decorating. Workers were arranging the flowers he had ordered into the words, "Welcome home, Lillian!"

So even the wedding anniversary banquet had been a lie to placate me. The real purpose was to welcome Lillian back.

But none of it mattered anymore. The divorce application was already nearing completion, and soon I would be leaving him for good.

On the night of the banquet, Lillian naturally became the center of attention.

Julio personally introduced her to renowned physicians from every circle, and she earned widespread praise and effortlessly secured herself a position as a senior physician.

Even Julio's father put on an approving smile.

One guest at the party remarked, "If only Julio had married Lillian back then. She indeed ran away from the wedding, but it was for the sake of her medical career. Now she has made quite a name for herself in the field."

Another replied, "Indeed. Lillian is professionally accomplished. And she even organized this banquet so impeccably. Only someone like her deserves to be the daughter-in-law of the Roberts family."

I pressed my lips tightly together, struggling to restrain my emotions, and stepped into the hall alone.

But after only a few steps, the slender heel of my shoe snapped. I stumbled and fell heavily to the floor.

My fall even tripped a passing waiter, sending his tray crashing down and shattering wine glasses everywhere.

Lillian let out an exaggerated gasp. "Oh dear, Sharon. You've got to be more careful! After all these years, I never imagined you still had not gotten used to events like this. Had I known, I would have walked you in myself."

With that single sentence, everyone instantly shot a disdainful glance at me.

Among high society, reputations were everything, and my fall had just confirmed the rumors that Julio's wife, I, was not refined and good enough for the elite circles.

I tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot through my ankle.

Julio took two steps forward-not to help me up, but to take Lillian's hand. He cast me a cold glance. "Hurry up and get up. Are you trying to embarrass us even more?"

The pain in my ankle was nothing compared to the ache in my heart. My nose stung, and I fought hard to hold back tears.

Just as I braced myself to stand enduring the pain, my body suddenly lifted into the air. I had been scooped up in someone's arms!

I looked up sharply and met a pair of dark, intense eyes.

Those familiar eyes sent my heart racing. It was Danny Ferguson, a man from the underworld.

Memories from that chaotic, tense operating room flooded back. In there, he had coerced me into performing emergency surgery on his gunshot wound.

He said, "Mr. Roberts, you have always had sharp eyes. So how is it that you failed to notice your own wife was injured and could not get up on her own?"