Chapter 93 Chapter 93
Nathaniel had just returned from a long day at the office. He dropped his car keys on the glass table and sighed. The house was quiet — too quiet. Normally, Cassandra would be talking on the phone, giving instructions to the maids, or watching a movie loudly. But that evening, he could only hear the faint ticking of the wall clock.
He loosened his tie and walked into the living room. Cassandra was sitting on the couch, staring at nothing. Her eyes were red and swollen, her makeup smudged. There was a half-empty glass of wine on the table in front of her.
Nathaniel frowned. “Cassandra?”
She didn’t move.
He walked closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? You look… tired.”
She flinched slightly at his touch and forced a small smile. “I’m fine, Nathaniel. Just tired, that’s all.”
But Nathaniel wasn’t convinced. “You’ve been sitting here for hours, haven’t you? You didn’t even touch your dinner.”
“I said I’m fine,” she repeated sharply, taking the glass of wine and sipping it.
Nathaniel sat opposite her, watching her quietly. Something was wrong — he could see it in her eyes. She looked hurt, restless, broken.
“Cassie,” he said gently. “You know you can talk to me, right? Whatever it is, you don’t have to keep it in.”
Cassandra’s lips trembled for a moment, but she looked away quickly. “Nathaniel, I don’t need your pity. I said I’m fine.”
He sighed. “I’m not pitying you. I just want to help. You’ve been acting strange for days. You hardly eat, you hardly talk, and now you’re drinking in the afternoon. What’s going on?”
Her hand tightened around the glass. “Nathaniel, please. Just leave me alone.”
He leaned forward. “Did someone hurt you? Did something happen?”
Cassandra’s head snapped up, her eyes blazing. “Why do you care?”
Nathaniel froze. “What?”
She stood up, her voice rising. “I said why do you care, Nathaniel? You didn’t care when I needed you! You didn’t care when I was lonely, when I was begging for attention! Now suddenly you want to act like a husband?”
Nathaniel blinked, completely taken aback. “Cassandra, what are you talking about? I’ve always cared about you. You’re my wife.”
“Your wife?” she scoffed, her tone bitter. “You mean your trophy. Your business image. The woman who sits at home while you run off every day pretending to be too busy!”
“Cassie—”
“Don’t ‘Cassie’ me!” she snapped, pointing at him. “You think you’re the perfect man, but you’re not. You’re cold, Nathaniel! Cold and selfish!”
Nathaniel’s jaw tightened, but he tried to stay calm. “Cassandra, I’m trying to understand what’s happening. Did something happen with your family? Or… or Marcus?”
The moment he said that name, her eyes widened.
Her heart skipped. “What did you just say?” she whispered.
Nathaniel frowned, realizing he’d touched a nerve. “Marcus. I just mentioned him because—”
“Don’t talk about him!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the room.
Nathaniel blinked again, startled. “Cassandra, I didn’t mean—”
“Enough!” she yelled, slamming the glass down so hard that some of the wine spilled over the table. “You always think you know everything! You don’t know anything about me!”
Nathaniel rose slowly from his seat, his patience wearing thin. “Cassandra, stop this. I’m not your enemy. I’m your husband.”
She laughed bitterly. “Husband? You think marriage is just about money and power? You think because you pay the bills, you’re a good husband?”
“Cassandra, what’s wrong with you?”
She glared at him, eyes filled with tears. “What’s wrong with me? You’re what’s wrong with me! You and this stupid life! I hate it!”
Nathaniel’s chest tightened. For the first time, he didn’t recognize the woman in front of him.
“You’re drunk,” he said softly.
“I’m not drunk!” she screamed. “I’m tired, Nathaniel! Tired of pretending that everything is fine! Tired of this house, tired of this fake life!”
Her voice broke, and she sank back onto the couch, covering her face.
Nathaniel just stood there, speechless. He didn’t know what to say or do.
After a long silence, he walked slowly toward her. “Cassandra… talk to me. Please. What happened?”
She lowered her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Nothing happened. I just realized something — life isn’t fair. That’s all.”
Nathaniel frowned. “If you need help—”
“I said I don’t need your help!” she shouted again, glaring at him. “Just go away! Leave me alone!”
He took a deep breath, nodded slowly, and turned toward the stairs.
“All right,” he said quietly. “If that’s what you want.”
As he walked away, Cassandra wiped her tears roughly, trying to stop herself from crying again. But the pain wouldn’t go away.
She hated herself for shouting at him, but she couldn’t help it. Everything inside her felt heavy — the lies, the guilt, the betrayal.
She had lost forty million naira to Marcus. She had been fooled, used, and made to look stupid. And now, she was stuck pretending everything was fine.
When Nathaniel’s footsteps disappeared upstairs, Cassandra broke down completely. She held the wine glass to her chest, shaking and whispering to herself.
“How did I end up like this?”
Nathaniel, meanwhile, sat alone in their bedroom, staring at the floor.
He had never seen Cassandra like that before — broken, angry, scared. He wanted to help her, but she wouldn’t let him in.
And somewhere deep down, he knew this was only the beginning of something worse.