He Broke Me First, Now I'm the Rising Queen

My husband, Jonathan Zander, brought his mistress home on our seventh wedding anniversary.

"Wendy finally got pregnant. You have to take good care of her. If it's a boy, he will be the only heir of our Zander Family."

He spoke as he pulled out a chair for the girl named Wendy Stevens without even looking at me.

"She's sensitive and delicate, so try to be accommodating. Don’t get jealous over nothing and ruin the mood for everyone."

I didn’t say a word. I just grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door.

Seeing that I was really leaving, Wendy’s eyes filled with tears. She quickly stood up and spoke.

"Jonathan, please don't do this. I should be the one to step back. No, I'm already grateful that Madam doesn't hate me. Please don't fight because of me."

"Don't worry about her. She'll come crawling back soon enough and when I get furious, she'll beg on her knees for forgiveness."

Jonathan said as he pushed Wendy back into her dining table seat.

Wendy's mother, who had come with her, sneered at me.

"What right does a barren hen have to be angry? Wendy, let's eat. We can't let my precious grandson go hungry. What's the difference between a woman who can't have children and a cripple? Who else would want her if she leaves?"

They didn't know my decision to leave wasn't a childish tantrum.

I honestly had no intention of ever returning.

Just as I was dragging my suitcase towards the entryway, Jonathan suddenly called out to me.

"Daphne Lancaster." His voice held its usual commanding tone.

"Give that pregnant stray cat you've been keeping to Wendy. She's always wanted a little animal to be born around the same time as the baby."

I stopped in my tracks. Outside, the orange tabby tied to the tree whined and rubbed against the leash when it saw me.

I remembered how Jonathan had disgustedly kicked the cat several times when I started feeding it.

I had knelt and begged him for a long time before he finally agreed to let me keep it, but only outside.

Now Wendy says one word and suddenly he's all heart.

When I didn’t respond, Jonathan clicked his tongue impatiently.

"It's just a stray cat. Don't act so dramatic. Don't tell me you're actually attached to it."

Attached? Maybe not, but what about the seven years between us?

I clenched my fists, but I didn’t dare say no. I knew the consequences of rejecting Jonathan.

It was a stormy night a week ago and Wendy suddenly craved wild game from the mountains.

Jonathan demanded that I go get it right away.

I refused because I wasn't feeling well and as a result, the bodyguards dragged me out of the house and dumped me on a deserted mountain in the pouring rain.

I walked home step by step, only to fall down the mountainside halfway there, nearly losing my life.

Thinking of that night made me tremble. I crouched down and gently picked up the little cat. She thought I was playing and purred happily in my arms.

"Be good to her," I said to Wendy softly.

Jonathan seemed pleased by my obedience and said in a rare gesture of alms, "It's best if you are sensible. After all, the baby in Wendy's belly will also call you mom in the future. You should know she is giving birth to a child for you."

Just as he finished speaking, Wendy suddenly shrieked. It turned out that as soon as the cat was in her arms, it got scared and quickly ran away.

Wendy clutched her stomach and cried out in pain. Jonathan immediately picked her up anxiously and shouted at the housekeeper to call a doctor.

Wendy's mother looked at me mockingly as if finding me utterly ridiculous.

Indeed, it was ridiculous.

The day before yesterday, I had a high fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit and Jonathan was about to take Wendy home.

When he saw me, he cursed me for being bad luck and told the housekeeper to move me to the storage room for isolation.

"Disinfect every corner of the house thoroughly. Don't let her out until she's completely better, in case she infects Wendy!"

No meds. No blankets. I curled up in a corner and survived two days on my own.

Now, Wendy just got spooked and he's ready to move heaven and earth.

I tightened my grip on the suitcase and tried to leave, but he grabbed my wrist.

"Kneel." His voice was icy, sharp as glass.

The dull thud of my knees hitting the marble floor blurred my vision.

Sharp fragments of decorative stone dug into my skin. The gasp of pain I let out only earned me a disgusted flick of his hand, as if he had touched something filthy.

"Your wild cat scratched Wendy. Today, either you apologize on its behalf, or … "

He turned to the housekeeper and said sternly, "Bring that beast here and get rid of it in front of her!"

"I was wrong, I was wrong! Don't hurt the cat!"

I lunged forward and grabbed his trouser leg, lowering my head heavily. The sound of my forehead hitting the ground made the surrounding servants turn their faces away.

I'd gotten used to apologizing. It started three years ago, the day I miscarried and nearly bled to death.

At the time, the doctor told me I might never be able to conceive again. My first reaction was to apologize to Jonathan, who had been rushed to the hospital. "I'm sorry, I couldn't keep our baby … "

At that time, he hugged me with red eyes and said it didn't matter. As long as we were together, it was enough.

Later, he was still very good to me, so good that I couldn't sleep whenever I thought of the doctor's diagnosis.

So, when he started coming home late, I didn't ask. When I saw lipstick stains on his shirt collar, I didn't ask. When he brought Wendy to me and said she would have a child for me, I still didn't ask.

But after my family died in a car accident, Jonathan changed.

All his patience and tenderness were given entirely to Wendy and I became the barren hen that no one but him would want.

At first, I tolerated Jonathan and repeatedly admitted my mistakes because I loved him, but now I was exhausted.

My teeth cut my lip and my mouth filled with the taste of blood.

When I looked up, I noticed Jonathan's pupils contracted slightly.

He reached out as if to touch the cut on my lip but abruptly changed direction mid-air and loosened his tie.

"Daphne." His voice held the familiar impatience.

"You're not the young lady of a wealthy family anymore. Who are you putting on this pathetic act for?"