He Chose Another Woman, So I Divorced Him And Disappeared With My Daugther

The house that once housed a family of three became the setting for a cold drama when Darius brought in another woman, Clara Gomes, who had been Gwen’s classmate and the fiancée of Darius’s best friend—a man who had died in an accident just before their wedding day. The woman was deeply depressed because she had been abandoned twice by her first husband, who was abusive, and had become pregnant before her marriage to her second fiancé. She attempted suicide but failed because Darius saved her. When she woke up, she suffered from selective amnesia and recognized only Darius, believing him to be her husband. To preserve Clara’s fragile sanity, Darius pretends to be her husband. He takes over the identity of his own wife, Gwen, and their daughter, then moves them to the back room of the servants’ quarters. “Clara has suffered too much, Gwen. She’s been dealing with long-term depression due to domestic violence from her first husband, and Leon left a final message for me to protect Clara and her baby. Until the baby is born, I have to pretend to be her husband for now. As her close friend, you have to understand, Gwen,” Darius said without asking for Gwen’s opinion at all. His gaze then shifted to their little daughter. “And Laina… she’s just a servant’s child in our house. She can call me ‘Uncle,’ but never let the word ‘Dad’ come out of her mouth.” From that moment on, he brought Clara into their home and made his wife and daughter serve as maids in the house they had built together. Gwen and her daughter had to hide in front of Clara, treated like a mistress and a shameful illegitimate child. Gwen endured in silence, for the sake of her husband’s best friend’s wife. But it still hurt when Clara—whom she had once embraced and saved from the clutches of domestic violence at the hands of her first husband—treated her like a servant. She threw a pile of used clothes in her face. “Take these. They’re too good for a servant like you. My husband just bought me new clothes that are more suitable for my pregnancy.” Gwen struggled to restrain herself as she stared at the woman. Clara, wearing Gwen’s clothes and jewelry, twirled around the living room with a cheerful smile, showing off the gifts from her “husband.” Before Gwen could respond, she saw Darius appear in the doorway and give her a sharp, warning look. Gwen took a deep breath, trying to ignore the tightness in her chest as she clutched the used clothes in her arms. “Thank you, Mrs. Reeds,” Gwen replied with her head bowed. Her throat felt like it was on fire. Clara nodded proudly, as if she had just given a valuable new gift to an obedient maid. She looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. She smiled brightly and immediately rushed into Darius’s arms. “Honey, you’re home!” Darius’s expression froze for a moment, but a second later, he relaxed and returned Clara’s embrace with tenderness. “Be careful not to fall. You’re pregnant; don’t move too energetically.” “Hehehe, I’m just happy to see you.” Clara stood on tiptoes and planted a kiss on Darius’s lips. Gwen’s face immediately tensed, her hands clenching into fists. The look in her husband’s eyes seemed to pierce her heart, commanding her not to make a scene. Gwen quickly lowered her head, unable to bear watching her husband return another woman’s kiss. Suddenly, the sound of small footsteps came from the side door. Laina, their four-year-old daughter, stood there with droopy eyes from a fever. She hugged a shabby rabbit doll, seeking refuge in the only figure she recognized as a protector. “Daddy…” the little voice called softly. Darius and Clara immediately broke their embrace. Clara’s expression turned sour. She furrowed her brow, staring at the little girl in confusion. “Dad? Who is she calling ‘Dad’?” Before Clara could think further, Darius stepped forward. He didn’t pick up his daughter, but stood at a painfully formal distance. “Laina, how many times has Uncle told you not to wander off while your mother is working?” Darius’s voice sounded cold, devoid of even a hint of affection. “Go back to your room.” Gwen’s heart shattered into pieces as she watched the sparkle in Laina’s eyes fade, replaced by fear. Her daughter was being forced into orphanhood right in front of her still-living father. “Please forgive my daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Reeds. She’s delirious from a high fever. I’ll take her back to her room.” Gwen immediately pulled Laina into her arms. She glanced briefly at Darius before turning toward the darkness of the backyard. That night, Gwen tended to Laina, who was shivering. Her daughter would sometimes wake up from nightmares and cry softly while clutching the hem of her mother’s shirt. “Daddy… Uncle, please don’t be angry anymore… Laina is scared….” Gwen’s heart was breaking. She began to wonder if enduring this silence was worth her daughter’s suffering. Her eyes closed as the image of Darius returning Clara’s kiss right before her eyes—without hesitation and with such tenderness—flashed through her mind. He wasn’t acting; that tenderness was too real for a charade. Gwen’s eyes snapped open as she realized the bitter truth she had been denying all along: Darius loved Clara. She had known it long before the fire even happened. When Clara was first introduced, her cheerful nature easily charmed anyone. Darius could never take his eyes off her, describing her as a little bird that loved to chirp. The quiet man who never flirted with women suddenly loved to joke around with Clara. Darius had even said that he hoped the baby Gwen was carrying would look just like Clara. At the time, Gwen thought it was just a joke. She believed in their seven-year bond and their struggle to win the Reeds’ family’s blessing to marry. She remembered that years ago, as an orphaned and impoverished student who’d received a scholarship from the Reeds, she’d caught the eye of the Reeds’ elite young master, who'd chased after her for years. The Reeds didn’t like it and were worried that Darius’s interest was growing deeper, so they sent Gwen abroad on a scholarship. Unexpectedly, the young master—who was lazy about studying and spent his time playing video games—pursued her seriously, even following her abroad to study. Darius demonstrated his commitment by graduating at the top of his class from Harvard University so that his family would see how seriously he loved Gwen, and he proposed to her on graduation day. But seeing how things were now, Gwen realized that Darius’s heart had truly changed completely. Darius’s attention toward Clara has gone beyond what is reasonable for a friend helping his best friend’s wife. He has completely taken over his best friend’s role. As she stroked her daughter’s little face, Gwen no longer hesitated. She stood up and grabbed her phone from her vanity table, calling a lawyer she knew. “Hello, Mr. Charles. I’d like to ask for your help in handling my divorce.” [“Alright, Ms. Romano. Leave it to me; I’ll contact you once I’ve processed your divorce.”] “Alright, thank you.” “How is Laina?” Darius’s voice suddenly came from behind her, startling Gwen. She calmly put her phone away before turning around. The man finally appeared after the main house had gone dark. He stood in the doorway of Gwen’s cramped room, looking around cautiously like a man sneaking in to meet his mistress. How ironic that reality was, considering Gwen was his lawful wife in the eyes of the law. “Laina’s already asleep. She had a nightmare after you yelled at her earlier.” “That’s why I’ve warned you to always remind Laina not to call me ‘Dad’ in front of Clara. It’ll make her suspicious and trigger her trauma, then her condition will worsen,” Darius replied flatly, glancing at his daughter sleeping soundly. Gwen closed her eyes, her hands clenched into fists. She no longer expected an apology to come from Darius’s lips. “I understand. This won’t happen again,” she replied coldly. Darius stepped closer, embraced her from behind, and rested his head on Gwen’s shoulder. He exhaled gently into the hollow of his wife’s neck. “Thanks for understanding, Gwen.” Darius smiled slightly and kissed her temple. Gwen gently turned away. She pretended to organize her students’ research journals. “Go on. If Clara wakes up and finds you’re not by her side, this charade will fall apart, won’t it?” “Uhm, you’re right.” Darius gazed at the side of Gwen’s face for a moment. For some reason, he felt his wife was now so cold and indifferent. “Gwen, you….” Darius’s words trailed off as he heard the sound of a twig snapping outside the window. When he looked out, he saw only the shadow of a cat passing by. “I have to get back before Clara wakes up. She’ll worry if I’m not by her side.” Darius didn’t realize that behind the tightly shut window of Gwen’s room, a pair of eyes was peering out with rage. Clara, who had woken up because she was thirsty, had apparently been following Darius’s shadow. In her unstable mind, the sight of Darius entering the “maid’s” room was a betrayal against her. The next morning, just as Gwen was about to leave for campus, her bedroom door was kicked open. Clara appeared, with the maids close behind. “You insolent bitch!” Without warning, Clara grabbed Gwen by the hair and yanked her until Gwen fell, landing on the cold floor. The maids held her body down so she couldn’t fight back as Clara slapped and yanked her hair.