The wife he tried to bury

"I want a divorce."

The words hit Elena like a slap.

She blinked hard trying to process what she just heard, waiting for Marcus to laugh, to tell her it was some twisted anniversary prank.

He just stood there, his eyes cold, staring at her like she was a stranger.

"What did you say?"

Her voice came out broken, barely above a whisper.

The champagne glass trembled in her hand and tears burned behind her eyes, but she stared at Marcus with confusion all over her face.

Over two hundred invited guests continued their celebration around them laughing,chatting and drinking across the ballroom,ignorant to her world crumbling.

Marcus didn't flinch.

"I need a divorce, Elena. I'm done with this marriage. Let's go our separate ways."

The glass slipped from her fingers.

It shattered against the marble floor, exploding into a thousand pieces.

Just like everything she had built her life around.

Shocked gasps spread through the crowd and people turned toward them.

Elena shook her head, backing away from him, unable to form words.

"No... no, please. Don't Marcus, please"

She couldn't finish it.

The words died in her throat.

Marcus's expression shifted instantly.

A charming smile spread across his face, the same smile that had made her fall in love with him.

He raised his voice to the crowd

"Everyone, I hope you enjoyed that little performance. It's our anniversary tradition. Every year, I surprise her with something dramatic."

The tension shattered.

Guests laughed, clinking their glasses in amusement.

"You got us, Marcus!"

"That reaction was priceless!"

Elena stood frozen as Marcus walked toward her and gripped her hand firmly, almost painful.

"Come with me," he whispered to her ear.

"We're going outside, keep smiling."

He led her through the ballroom, past laughing couples,past everything she had once believed was real.

Her legs moved on their own as her mind struggled to catch up.

The terrace doors slid open and cold air hit her bare shoulders.

The moment the doors closed behind them, Marcus dropped her hand like she had burned him.

Elena leaned against the railing, her chest heaving, her face still blank but tears streamed down her cheeks, ruining the makeup she had spent hours perfecting.

"Why?" Her voice cracked.

"After everything I gave you, my time, love, money and my father's company."

" I supported you through everything and you still want to leave me? On our anniversary?"

He said nothing.

He simply watched her cry, his face unreadable.

"Please," she whispered.

"Say something. Tell me this is still a joke-"

"It's not a joke, Elena." He interrupted her.

The sliding doors opened again this time

Sophia entered the balcony, her red dress shimmering under the city lights.

She pouted at Marcus and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Baby, you finally told her? Without me?"

Marcus pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't wait any longer."

Elena's legs buckled,she slid down the railing, landing hard on the cold stone floor.

She was still recovering from the divorce shock now Sophia?

The same Sophia Marcus had introduced as his cousin two years ago.

Now everything made sense.

The late-night calls,jokes, counseling sessions in her house and the occasional visits.

Her stomach twisted.

"You" She struggled to breathe.

"You two have been"

"Together from the start," Sophia said with a laugh sharp as broken glass.

"God, Elena, you're so dumb. Did you really think someone like Marcus would fall for someone like you?" Sophia ran her hand over Marcus' chest.

Elena couldn't respond.

Her mind had gone blank.

Shattered into pieces just like her champagne glass.

Sophia stepped closer, her heels clicking against the terrace floor.

"You're so naive. You thought love was enough. You thought being a good wife was enough."

She gave Elena a cruel once-over and laughed.

"You can't even give him a child so what use are you to a man like Marcus?"

Her lips curled in an evil smile

"You're barren and worthless."

Barren?

The word slammed into Elena's chest.

She has done countless tests, in different hospitals and her results were good.

Marcus barely touches her or has time for her.

All this while,Sophia had his child.

Elena pressed her trembling hands against the floor.

She tried to stand but her legs were too weak, her breath came in gasps and the cold air felt like fire in her lungs.

Marcus looked down at her, with disgust across his face.

"Stand up, Elena. You're creating a scene."

She didn't move, she was still trying to understand what was going on around her.

Sophia reached into Marcus's pocket and pulled out a velvet ring box.

"Tonight was never your anniversary, Elena."

She opened the box.

A diamond ring sparkled beneath the terrace lights.

"It was my engagement."

Elena laughed bitterly in disbelief ,she slowly rose to her feet, staggering backward.

"No"

Sophia's smile widened.

"And honestly?"

She tilted her head.

"A divorce at your anniversary is the best gift"

Her voice dropped.

"and it was all my idea, you dummy."

Tears streamed down Elena's face as she stared at Marcus.

Her husband, the man she defended against her father's will,the man she loved despite all the pain he put her through,the man she worshiped even with his flaws.

Her voice came out raw.

"Why me?"

Marcus looked away.

That was enough to answer enough.

Something inside her snapped.

She shook her head in disbelief.

"No"

One step back.

"No."

She wiped her tears

"I did nothing wrong to you, Marcus."

Another step.

Her heel scraped the edge of the terrace.

She didn't notice.

"So why me? Where did I go wrong?"

Her voice was loud and broken

"I was a good wife despite all the"

Another step.

Marcus's expression changed,For the first time,alarm flashed across his face.

"Elena."

She laughed.

A broken sound.

"You monster."

Marcus lunged forward at her

"Elena!"

But Sophia's hand shot out and grabbed his arm making him hesitate.

That single second of hesitation would have been enough to save her.

Elena's foot slipped into empty air.

Her eyes widened as she hit the railings and her legs left the ground.

She fell.

A week ago

"Step away from my son, you evil thing."

Catherine's voice cut through the morning like a blade.

Elena's fingers froze on Marcus's tie.

It's been three years.

Three years of waking up in this house, sharing his bed, bearing his name but she still wasn't allowed to touch him without permission.

Marcus didn't look at her.

He just reached up, removed her hands from his tie like she was a servant who had overstepped and said

"You heard my mom."

His voice was flat like it cost him nothing.

Elena's hands fell to her sides,she stared at them as if they belonged to someone else.

Useless and unwanted,just like her.

Marcus walked past her and pulled Catherine into a brief hug.

"Morning, Mom."

Catherine smiled at him instantly,with warmth and pride.

"Morning, sweetheart."

The softness in her voice vanished the moment her gaze returned to Elena. Like a switch had been flipped.

Elena looked down immediately. She'd learned that lesson early, eye contact was a challenge.

A challenge she always lost.

Don't react, don't cry,at least not this early she told herself blinking away the tears pooling in her eyes.

The breakfast table was already set. Fresh fruit, toast,scrambled eggs,sausages and coffee. Everything looked expensive but felt cold.

Elena pulled out a chair and sat two seats away from Marcus,not by choice but by instruction.

She'd learned her place.

Catherine sat at the head of the table like a queen presiding over subjects, Marcus ate while scrolling through emails.

The silence was comfortable for them but suffocating for her.

"At the board meeting today, don't agree to Reeves' proposal." Catherine said between sips of coffee.

Marcus nodded. "I wasn't planning to."

"He's greedy."

"I know."

"He'll try to pressure you."

Marcus looked up from his emails. He smiled at his mother, a real smile, not the cold mask he wore with Elena.

"Relax, Mom. I can handle it. I'm the CEO."

"Don't forget I made you who you are, Marcus."

They both laughed at her threatening joke.

Mother and son, allies and partners in crime.

Elena stared at her plate,her fork pushed eggs around without eating.

There it was again,that familiar ache in her chest because she always felt like an outsider. A stranger listening through a locked door.

She inhaled slowly,dropped her fork on the plate and Looked up at her husband.

"Marcus?"

He didn't look up. "Hm?"

"Our anniversary is next week."

She took a long pause,gathering courage to speak further.

"Yes?" Marcus finally glanced at her

Elena curled her fingers under the table.

"I need some money."

That got Catherine's attention immediately,she looked up from her food straight into Elena's eyes.

Elena continued before her courage left her body. "I want to get a dress and jewelry for dinner."

Marcus finally glanced at her. His expression unreadable as usual.

"How much?"

Relief flickered in her chest. "Not much, I just-"

"No."

Catherine interrupted her,setting down her cup. The sound echoed through the dining hall.

Elena's fist tightened under the table.

She looked at Catherine, waiting for whatever came next.

Catherine dabbed her lips with her napkin. "She has enough dresses."

Marcus said nothing but listened as everything unfolds.

"What exactly do you do all day except spend my son's money and sit at home crossing your legs?"

Elena's jaw tightened. Usually, she would stay quiet, but something sharp pushed through today.

Something that had been building for three years.

"Actually," Elena said, her voice controlled, "it's my father's company."

Marcus looked at her now. Irritation flickered across his face.

She continued. "I gave it to Marcus because he's my husband."

Catherine gave a small, cruel laugh. "Oh?"

Elena's heart was beating fast, but she pushed forward.

"Yes." She lifted her chin.

"So if we're being honest, he built his empire using what my father left me."

The silence that followed lasted for seconds that felt like hours.

Tension crackled in the air.

Then Marcus spoke with a Low and cold voice. "You don't get to disrespect my mother, Elena."

She was shocked at her husband's reply.

The man who had promised to love her forever.

"I didn't disrespect her Marcus " she replied him.

Marcus put down his fork. "She's telling the truth." Each word landed harder in Elena's heart.

"You ask for money every day." He leaned back and crossed his arms, giving her an annoyed look meant for scolding children.

"It's exhausting."

The word punched deeper than shouting ever could.

"Exhausting?"elena muttered

She laughed out in disbelief and looked at Marcus and back to Catherine.

This man wore watches she paid for,drove cars bought with her inheritance,ran a company built on her father's legacy.

Now asking for anniversary money was exhausting?

Catherine smiled faintly because She knew she had won.

Then came the final strike.

"You don't even have the right to ask for money so boldly." Catherine's voice was sharp.

"Not until you give him a child."

Elena's body went still at that moment,she looked at Marcus waiting for him to say something,anything to defend her or save her the embarrassment but he didn't.

Her gaze dropped to her lap,her fingers found each other,they picked,twisted and pulled themselves. Tiny movements to keep herself from breaking.

She had gone to different hospitals and was declared healthy,unlike Marcus who refused to get tested. He always came up with excuses.

Catherine didn't care about the excuses. She only cared about accusing her.

A tear burned behind Elena's eyes,she blinked rapidly and refused to let them see her tears.

Not anymore.

When she spoke, her voice was almost too soft to hear.

"I'm sorry."

She stood up to leave,no one stopped her because she wasn't needed there.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "For speaking out of turn."

Marcus had already returned to his phone,Like she was invisible.

Elena pushed in her chair carefully. If she moved too fast, she would shatter.

She walked out of the dining hall and kept walking until she reached the kitchen.

Her hands trembled and her breath came in short gasps,She was about to lock the door when she heard Catherine's voice.

Elena should have locked the door but she didn't because something in Catherine's tone had changed.

Gone was the polished cruelty,what remained felt darker.

"You have one more chance to get rid of that thing."

Elena stopped breathing,cold spread through her veins.

"Correct your mistake son."

Marcus still said nothing,not a single word in her defense.

Catherine's voice lowered further. "Better don't disappoint me again."

Elena's fingers tightened around the doorframe. Her pulse thundered. Goosebumps covered her skin.

Get rid of that thing? Mistake? What were they talking about?

She turned her head slowly,peered through the crack in the door and saw Marcus staring straight ahead. His expression was blank.

As if considering something irreversible.

Elena suddenly understood one terrifying truth:

She had never truly known the man she married.

I know the truth about your husband.

Let's meet and stop pretending everything is fine.

Elena's fingers went cold as she read the message on her screen.

The phone buzzed against her thigh. Across the table, Marcus scrolled through his tablet,unaware of what she just read.

Elena wanted to scream.

Three years of pretending, smiling through Catherine's cruelty, sleeping beside a man who had stopped touching her, defending a marriage that was held together by lies.

And now someone knew the truth.

She read the message again from an unknown number.

Stop pretending everything is fine.

Her heart pounded.

Then the doorbell rang.

Catherine's expression changed instantly,She smiled brightly, the rigid lines around her mouth softening.

Her eyes were warm,a warmth Elena had spent three years trying and failing to earn.

"Oh," Catherine said, setting down her wine. "That must be Sophia."

Marcus looked up from his food. He smiled at the mention of that name, a real smile.

Elena's stomach tightened and uneasy crept through her chest.

"Go get the door, darling," Catherine told Marcus.

Marcus was already pushing back his chair.

"I'm going."

His voice was light, obviously happy.

Elena stared after him.

Why was Sophia here this early?

Marcus had introduced Sophia as his cousin a few months after their wedding.

Since then, she always came there with her son, whenever she had issues with her partner.

When was the last time Marcus had sounded like that with her? She couldn't remember.

The hallway fell quiet, then a few minutes passed.

Elena frowned.

She looked towards the door again.

Why were they taking so long?

Then she heard Marcus's laughter along with Sophia's.

Her hand tightened around her fork. The sound felt foreign because it didn't belong to her.

At last, they entered the hall.

Marcus walked in carrying a little boy on one arm and the child squealed.

"Higher! Uncle Marcus, higher!"

Marcus lifted him effortlessly like he had found his missing piece.

"Happy now?"

The boy giggled, nodding his head.

Sophia entered beside them dressed in a cream silk dress,hugging her body and revealing her curves, she glowed under the warm lights.

Elena rose automatically to welcome her.

"Sophia."

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her.

Sophia hugged her back briefly, then gently pulled away.

"Elena." She said without even looking at her face or acknowledging her presence.

She moved past Elena and went straight to Catherine.

"Aunt Catherineeeeee."

Catherine wrapped her arms around Sophia in a tight hug.

"My pretty Sophia."

Elena was shocked.

Sophia had left her for Catherine.

Slowly, she lowered her hands and walked back to her seat like nothing happened.

Sophia kissed Catherine's cheek before taking her seat.

Everyone settled in,Marcus carried the little boy on his lap and their conversation started without her.

As if she had never stood up and wasn't present.

Marcus cut the boy's steak into tiny pieces.

"You confirmed the reservation?" Catherine asked.

Marcus nodded. "Yes."

"And security?"

"Handled." He replied as her fed the little boy some veggies.

Sophia clasped her hands.

"Oh my God, I'm nervous."

Catherine smirked. "You shouldn't be. It's long overdue."

Elena blinked as she stared at them in confusion. Long overdue?

Sophia leaned toward Marcus. "So are we still doing the big announcement?"

Marcus lifted his wine and paused.

"If everything goes according to plan."

Big announcement?

Elena looked between them.

"What announcement?"

Suddenly there was silence.

They all glanced at each other,deciding whether to tell her.

Sophia laughed first.

"Oh no-did we ruin the surprise?"

Marcus's jaw shifted as he sipped his wine.

Catherine dabbed her lips with her napkin.

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with."

Elena hated that sentence. It always meant everyone knew something except her.

Sophia turned toward her with a bright grin.

"Okay, don't get mad."

Elena tried to smile. "Mad about what?"

Sophia squealed.

"My boyfriend is finally proposing at your anniversary party."

The little boy clapped. "Mummy gets a ring!"

Sophia laughed. "Yes, baby."

Then she looked at Elena softly

"I told him it might be rude."

Marcus smirked as he dropped his wine glass.

"Hope you won't mind us stealing the spotlight from the anniversary couple," Sophia asked Elena, staring at her eyes like a little child.

Catherine chuckled along with Marcus. Even the child giggled because everyone else did.

"No," Elena said softly.

"I wouldn't mind."

Sophia visibly relaxed.

"Thank you Elena, I was scared for a minute."

Marcus finally looked at Elena.

"You're not that petty."

The words landed wrong not as a compliment but something else

Elena lowered her eyes. "No."

Catherine turned to Sophia. "Marcus will send you some money tomorrow."

Sophia gasped in surprise.

"Aunt Catherine-"

"No arguments." Catherine waved her off. "You'll need gowns, jewelry and other accessories Presentation matters."

Marcus nodded immediately. "I'll handle it."

Elena's fingers froze around her glass.

She had asked for the same thing but they refused.

Now they were giving it all to Sophia.

Sophia smiled shyly. "That's too much."

Catherine snorted. "You're about to be seen with this family."

Then her gaze shifted,also her voice from sweet to cold as she turned towards Elena.

"Elena, you'll go with her."

Elena looked up. Confused. "With her?"

"Yes." Catherine sliced into her steak.

"Help her with shopping."

Marcus added casually,

"Make yourself useful. Help with Noah when Sophia needs a break."

The fork slipped from Elena's fingers and made a loud clink sound.

She was shocked. Her husband was asking her to babysit his cousin's child like she was a maid.

She looked at Marcus.

He didn't even seem aware of what he had said or maybe he did but he didn't care.

Her throat burned in anger and so many unspoken words, her chest ached because she was trying so hard not to say anything.

"Okay." She managed to get the words out.

Sophia smiled brightly. "Perfect. We'll have fun."

Fun?

Elena stared at her plate. Thinking about everything that was going on in her life.

How could she make any of it change? How could she make it sweet? Like she had always dreamed?

Her phone vibrated again.

Her heart skipped when she saw it was from the unknown number again.

It's about Sophia and your husband.

Let's meet Elena.

Elena looked up from the screen as she was suddenly put in a panic mode.

Sophia and her husband

What about them?

Was the person trying to blackmail her or scam her

She thought to herself as she watched all of them.

Marcus was laughing at something Sophia said while Catherine was smiling at the boy.

Elena was invisible again but this time, someone had seen her.

Someone knew the truth.

Someone was coming for them all.