Elena waited in the living room until Jack came home. It was almost midnight when she heard his car in the driveway. She had been sitting on the couch for hours, still wearing the servant's uniform from dinner.
Jack walked in looking tired. His tie was loose and his hair was messy. When he saw Elena waiting for him, he frowned.
"Why are you still awake?" Jack asked coldly.
Elena stood up slowly. "We need to talk."
"I'm tired, Elena. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow."
"No," Elena said firmly. "It can't wait. We're talking now."
Jack looked surprised. Elena never spoke to him with such a strong voice.
"Fine," Jack said, sitting down in his chair. "What do you want to talk about?"
Elena took a deep breath. "Why do you hate me so much?"
Jack's face went cold. "I don't hate you."
"Yes, you do," Elena said, tears starting to fall. "You humiliate me every chance you get. Tonight your family made me serve dinner like a maid while Victoria sat at the table like a queen."
"You didn't have to serve dinner," Jack said. "That was your choice."
"My choice?" Elena laughed bitterly. "Your mother ordered me to serve. She made me wear this uniform. She treated me like a hired help."
Jack looked at the black servant's dress Elena was wearing. For a moment, his face softened. But then it went cold again.
"Maybe if you acted like part of the family, you'd be treated like part of the family," Jack said.
"How can I act like part of the family when you won't let me?" Elena asked desperately. "You take Victoria to charity events but don't tell me you're going. You buy Victoria clothes worth millions but never take me shopping. You introduce Victoria as your partner to everyone but won't even look at me in public."
Jack's jaw tightened. "Victoria appreciates what she's given. Victoria understands business. Victoria fits into my world."
"And I don't?" Elena asked.
"No," Jack said bluntly. "You don't. You never have."
The words hit Elena like a punch. "Then why did you marry me?"
"Because I felt guilty!" Jack shouted suddenly. "You saved my life and I felt like I owed you something."
Elena felt her heart breaking all over again. "So you married me out of pity?"
"Yes," Jack said harshly. "I married you out of pity. Because I thought it was the right thing to do when everyone saw how you cared for me and carried it on the news. But I was wrong."
Elena stared at Jack in shock. "You were wrong?"
"I was wrong to think I could make this work," Jack continued. "I was wrong to think I could love you. I was wrong to think you could ever be the kind of wife I need."
Elena felt tears streaming down her face. "What kind of wife do you need, Jack?"
"Someone like Victoria," Jack said without hesitation. "Someone educated. Someone from a good family. Someone who can have children."
"I'm trying to have children!" Elena cried. "I've been trying for three years!"
"And failing for three years," Jack shot back. "I am very fertile and you are not."
Elena felt sick hearing Jack talk to her about that.
"You didn't even give me a real chance," Elena said through her tears. "You decided I wasn't good enough from the beginning."
"Because you're not good enough!" Jack stood up angrily. "Look at yourself, Elena. Look at where you came from. You grew up in an orphanage. You worked at a cheap diner. You barely finished high school. What did you think would happen when you married into one of the richest families in Aethermoor?"
Elena felt like she was being torn apart. "I thought you would help me learn. I thought you would be patient. I thought you cared about me."
"I tried to care about you," Jack said coldly. "For three years I tried. But every day I looked at you and saw everything I was missing. Every day I wondered what my life would be like with someone appropriate."
"Someone like Victoria," Elena whispered.
"Someone like Victoria," Jack agreed. "Someone who speaks five languages while you can barely speak one properly. Someone with a business degree while you don't even know what stocks are. Someone who can charm my business partners while you hide in corners at parties."
Each word was like a knife in Elena's heart. "I hid in corners because you made me feel unwelcome. I didn't speak because you never included me in conversations. I didn't know about business because you never taught me anything."
"It's not my job to teach you how to be good," Jack said harshly. "You should have known better than to think you could fit into my world when you agree to marry me."
Elena felt anger rising through her sadness. "I never forced you to marry me, Jack. You proposed to me. You chose this yourself."
"Then I chose wrong," Jack said simply.
