The Billionaire's Guilty Wife

Chapter One: Familial Duties

Celine

I stood in front of the ornate mirror numbly staring at myself in the ivory satin wedding dress.

“Celine,my dear, are you ready?” Aunt Anne asks softly.

“As ready as I'll ever be,”I replied my voice barely above a whisper.

“I know this is not what you dreamed of darling,” she said gently, her voice filled with empathy.

“But sometimes life doesn't unfold the way we expect it to.”

I turned to face her the weight of my emotions threatening to overwhelm me. I felt like I was going to suffocate under the weight of my emotions.

“I just can't do this aunt,” I confessed tears welling up in my eyes.

“I can't marry a man I don't know, let alone love”.

Aunt Anne's expression softened, her eyes brimming with compassion.

“I understand my dear,” she murmured pulling me into a comforting embrace.

“We have to make some sacrifices for familial duties despite how difficult they see”.

My heart clenched painfully as my tears eventually fell.

“What about my happiness,” I whispered my voice barely audible to my own ears.

She pulled away slightly her hands resting on my shoulders while looking me in the eyes.

“Your happiness is important dear, you have every right to it, but right now you have a duty to your family. Am sure your parents are proud of you wherever they are”

I nodded, though the knot of uncertainty still wound tight in my stomach.

“I just wish things were different ,” i murmured with a tinge of regret .

“So do i my dear ,but Andre Calloway is a man of his words,and he promised to take care of you”. Aunt Anne said.

I stiffened at the mention of my soon to be husband's name but managed to force a smile for aunt Anne. Today I was getting into an arranged marriage with Andre Calloway, CEO of Calloway Enterprises because of an agreement between our late parents. Aunt Anne would only sell the choicest piece of land in the entire city which belonged to our family to them only if Andre and I were to get married in the future. Andre agreed, so here I was getting married today against my wish.

“We have to go now the guests are waiting”, aunt said extending her hand to me. I took her hand and we walked out of the room .

Few minutes later, I was walking down the aisle towards the tall and imposing figure who waited at the end of the aisle. On getting to him,I realised that he was as unhappy about this union as I was. You could see it on his handsome face. A look of surprise flashes across his face when he sees me, before his piercing blue eyes goes cold again, his face hardening into a mask of annoyance and indifference.

“Shall we proceed ,” he mutters tersely, extending his arm toward me.

“Yes,” I murmured my barely above a whisper.

The ceremony passes in a blur of vows and exchange of rings. I extricated myself from the congratulatory crowd and stood away to breathe some air into my lungs to calm my nerves.

“Well,well,well, if it isn't the blushing bride,” someone sneered behind me.

I turned around to face a beautiful woman with blonde hair and striking green. Her willowy frame was sheathed in short figure hugging black dress. Her face was twisted with bitterness,her entire demeanor was dripping disdain. She approached me with deliberate steps.

“Excuse me do I know you,” I ask politely trying to find out who she was. I was never good with faces but I was sure I had never seen her before.

“You stole and just married my man you little wretch,” she replied with so much venom.

I blanched and shrank back from the sudden attack.

“You look positively miserable already, you can never be happy with Andre” she hissed looking down at me .

“I didn't steal anyone,this marriage was arranged “I replied ,My voice trembling slightly .

I didn't even want this marriage in the first place and now his girlfriend was blaming me for stealing her man away. If only I could give him back, I would in a heartbeat.

“Arranged or not ,you are nothing but a gold digging whore, Andre belongs to me and you will never be able to satisfy him,”she hissed in unreined fury.

I feel tears prick my eyes and threaten to fall. Her lips curve up in a malicious smile at my vulnerable state.

“What is going on here?” a calm authoritative voice questions from behind me.

The intimidating woman looks over at the owner of the voice, a sultry smile replacing the malicious smile on her face a few seconds ago.

“Dre darling I was just congratulating your little new bride” she purred at him.

“You are not supposed to be here Helena,” he replied irritably.

“I just wanted to see you, I missed you” she continued in that voice.

“I don't have time for this right now Helena, leave before I get really mad,” he continued in that same calm level tone.

He was now standing beside me. I could see him from the corner of my eyes ,as I kept my head down to avoid anyone seeing the disoriented crying mess I had become.

“Don't tell me you are sending me away because of this pale insipid creature, I will not be insulted or humiliated not even by you,” she shrieked before flouncing away angrily.

“Stop crying, it's embarrassing,” he gritted through clenched teeth.

I blinked furiously to keep the tears at bay but was unsuccessful and resorted to wiping them away. I hear him cuss silently.

“Come on, we are leaving.” he spits grabbing my hand and propelling us out of the hall.

“I need to say goodbye to my aunt”. I try to resist as he pulls me towards the exit.

“Don't make a scene, am warning you. You can call your aunt once we get home”, he warns in a low angry voice.

I stop resisting and let him lead me out of the hall as he makes short curt goodbyes to the guest. Once we are outside, and inside the car, he pressed a button and the partition closes , giving us privacy from the driver.The tension in the car was palpable as his icy glare bore into my tear stained face.

“You embarrassed me in front of everyone,” he spat, his words like shards of glass piercing through the silence in the car.

“I cannot tolerate weakness, especially not from someone who is supposed to be my wife”.

I winced at the harshness in his tone.

“Am sorry , I didn't mean to embarrass you, I replied snifling.

“Sorry isn't good enough Celine, you have to learn to behave accordingly in public as my wife, and don't ever breathe a word of the nature of this marriage to anyone again.” he warned seriously.

I nodded with my eyes still fixed on my shoes. I couldn't bear to make eye contact with Andre,he scared me. The rest of the journey was passed in tense silence broken only by my occasional sniffles. When we arrived at his home, I was momentarily taken aback at the palatial mansion. I knew he was a billionaire but the house was magnificent. Andre wasting no time in escorting me inside, his grip firm as he led me into the grand foyer.

“Aren't you a sight for sore eyes”, an elderly woman who stood at the base of the stairs cooed. I smile softly at her .

“Martha”, he called out his voice calm and full of respect. My curiosity was piqued about this woman who has brought out a soft humane side of him for the first time since I met him.

“Please see to it that Celine is taken care of, I have work to do in my office.” he turned on his heels and disappeared into a room a guessed was his office.

“Am Martha, the housekeeper, but I have raised Andre and his brother since their parents died, when they were children,” she said looking kindly at me.

“His brother?, I didn't know he has a brother,” I ask surprised . Aunt Anne didn't tell me he has a brother. Actually I knew practically nothing about my new husband.

“Yes, but he died two years ago,” she replied in a low tone tinged with sadness.

“Am so sorry to hear that,” i offered sincerely. I was no stranger to loss. My parents died in an auto crash when I was young.

It's okay, sweetheart. Jeremy was the real rascal, the wild one and troublemaker between the two ,despite being the youngest,” she continued with a faraway look in her eyes.

“Am so sorry ,forgive my manners, i’ll take you to your room now,” she replies snapping out of her reverie.

“Your things have already been brought up to your room,” the buxom woman huffs trying to lighten the air.

She leads me up the stairs and I follow till we get to a door that she opens and she ushers me into the room.

“I feel that you are wonderful woman and a good choice for Andre. I know you would do him a lot of good,” she says with a smile while she takes my hand and rubs it softly.

“He might come off as arrogant and overbearing but his heart is in a good place and he is a wonderful person,” she replied more seriously as she stared deeply into my eyes.

“Be patient with him”, she says almost sounding like a plea.

I nod slowly and she sighs sofly before leaving me alone in the room. I take in the dark and subtle elegant design of the room. Dark grey and white touches fill the very masculine room.

The events of the entire day flood back to me and my heart begins to race, dizziness rips through me as I struggled to breath. I shut my eyes and take deep breaths till I feel my heart rate normalise and the dizziness abate. Once I open my eyes, that dreadful night two years ago that initiated my panic attacks flashes before my eyes. My tears flow and I tightly cover my lips with my hands to stop the loud sobs that threaten to break out.