Monica's own husband, the person closest to her, and the one she slept next to every night, never truly
loved her. What could be more heartbreaking than that?
Malcolm was such a sensible person, and he didn't even want to pretend that he loved her. He wasn't
going to fake it just to make her happier. This characteristic of his was inherited by both Ethon and
Colin.
"Look, only people like you who have never fallen in love with someone would say something like this.
It's quite normal." Malcolm sneered. Normally, he was a pretty calm and gentle person. He almost
never got angry. If Monica hadn't gotten on his nerves, he never would have said anything like that.
"Malcolm... You!" Monica trembled with anger. She was too furious to say anything.
Malcom maintained the cold look he had on his face. He was tired of acting as a loving and caring
husband to Monica for so many years.
"From now on, we're sleeping in separate rooms. You can sleep here, and I'll sleep in the guest room."
Then he stood up and walked past her. He didn't even look back as he left.
"Ha-ha... I agree. You have the right to make that decision. You and I have been pretending to be this
great, admirable couple for years, and now you're tired. I understand. All men are bastards anyway.
When you were young, you couldn't control yourself, and you would sleep with beautiful women left
and right. Deep inside, all you wanted was to stay with your beloved woman forever. Can you see how
much of a jerk you are?" Monica's mocking voice came from within the room. A trace of loneliness
could be detected in her tone.
"Yes, I'm a jerk, and I feel sorry for her." Malcolm remained motionless as he slowly clenched his fists.
"You feel sorry for her? Then what about me? Don't you feel sorry for me? Since you never loved me,
why did you marry me?" Monica was fuming. No matter how stubborn and arrogant she was on the
surface, at the end of the day, all she wanted was to be loved.
"You know exactly why I married you, right?" Malcolm sneered, refusing to turn around.
Malcolm and Monica had known each other since they were young. Since then, Monica had already
liked Malcolm. She'd wanted to marry him ever since she was a child. When Malcolm was young, he
was a prince charming. All the girls were after him as he was tall, handsome, and strong. When he was
wearing his military uniform, his charm attracted all the girls.
Monica was madly in love with Malcolm, but it was only brought by her wishful thinking. She begged
her father to do everything he could so that she could marry Malcolm. After all, her father liked Malcolm
too. The older generation was conservative, and Monica's father was no exception. He believed that as
long as two people stayed together for a long time, they could develop feelings for each other. Monica's
father agreed to her request. He then sat down with Malcolm's father and told him that his daughter
wanted to marry Malcolm. Naturally, Malcolm's father agreed as the two families had a long-standing
relationship with each other. A marriage could only bring the two families closer together.
Monica was at a loss for words upon hearing this. Did she really deserve this? Did she deserve to be
treated like this?
She felt stupid for firmly believing that Malcolm would learn to love her one day. As it turned out,
Malcolm had only eyes for one woman, and that was Ivy. Needless to say, Monica was envious. She'd
always wanted to get rid of Ivy even before. She figured if Ivy was gone, Malcolm could finally open his
eyes and love her.
To her dismay, she could not have been more wrong.
She felt as if her life was a maze, and just one wrong turn would bring her lifelong misery.
"Since you're so great, why did you marry me then? Why didn't you protect your beloved woman? If I
were Ivy, I would hate you with my entire being." Monica's voice was dripping with sarcasm. For the
first time in her life, she opened her heart and admitted what she really thought about Ivy to Malcolm.
Sneering, Malcolm responded, "Yes, her death is my fault, and I will carry that burden for the rest of my
life. I can't do anything about that even if I wanted to. I don't care if she hates me. But in the next life, I
won't let her down again."
"Don't be silly. People only live once. There's no afterlife. Even if there is, you'd still have to be with me.
You owe me that. I've given you so much—a baby, a family, a life! I know I can be bad-tempered
sometimes, but I've never brought you shame!" A wave of complex feelings surged in Monica's chest.
She felt as if she was waiting for validation from her husband.
After all, she had given him and their family her entire life! If Malcolm were being honest, he had to
admit that Monica's words moved him.
He was a man who recognized the truth. He knew how miserable Monica must have been all these
years because he had always been cold and distant to her. What woman would accept a husband like
him? Only Monica would be able to endure that.
Monica and Malcolm had been sleeping in the same bed for years. Since Ethon was born, they hadn't
slept with each other. Malcolm would rather go solo than touch her. On several occasions, Monica
would attempt to initiate something.
Monica surely didn't know what was going on in Malcolm's mind. She wasn't bad-looking by any
means. She was not inferior to Ivy in any way—family background, educational background, physical
appearances. Still, throughout the years, Malcolm seldom touched her. Naturally, she felt humiliated
and thought that she was an unattractive woman.
Malcolm kept his composure, smiling lightly. He didn't want to waste any more time arguing with her as
he was afraid that she would bring up more things. He was already exhausted.
He began rubbing his temples in seeming exasperation. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "What else do
you want to say? Just spit it out. Don't beat around the bush. I'm tired."
Monica curled her lips. For a moment, she couldn't say anything. Faced with his calm demeanor, she
didn't know how to release the anger that was boiling inside her.
"Well... Can we still sleep in the same room?" Monica's voice softened a little bit as her face lit up.
Malcolm pressed his lips together. For a while, he didn't say anything. He lowered his head and thought
for a while. Then he said, "Can you promise me that you won't get involved in Ethon's personal life
anymore?"
Monica was rendered speechless.
'It's true that fathers are always connected to their sons. He's still thinking about Ethon even at a time
like this? He may not be a good husband, but he's definitely a good father, ' she thought to herself.
"I'll try. I have to admit that liking Fiona isn't going to be easy. She's not so pleasant, you know. She
talks back to me and is pretty rude. I don't like her." Monica compromised. After all, she didn't want to
lose her husband. Even after everything, she still loved him. She didn't know what she would do if she
lost him.
"She only talked back to you because you provoked her first. You kept ridiculing her. If I were in her
place, I wouldn't have been able to stand any of that. I would have given up a long time ago. If
anything, Fiona seems tolerant and patient. She has a good temper," Malcolm analyzed. Since he was
a bystander, he was able to observe the situation quite well.
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