“Have your employee do it for you. Is she not the best at everything?”I snickered.
“Why are you acting so bad today? Olivia isn’t that type of person. She’s always said nice things about you, so when did you become so mean?”
I was…unkind?
I’d been married to Orion for 12 years.
Before my marriage, I was named the best rookie actress at the Golden Petals Gala and was nominated for the best leading female actress for my second film. Although I did not win the award, I did receive numerous offers from various directors as a result.
It was then that Orion proposed to me.
He was already the CEO of an entertainment company at the time, and we met at a banquet. I couldn’t watch as a rookie was forced to drink so much alcohol, so I helped him deflect some unsavoury company. After the banquet, Orion obtained my contact information from a director.
At first, I assumed he was like all the other businessmen who wanted me as their latest trophy, but he ended up pursuing me romantically over three years.
One time, I went outstate for a shoot, but the car I was in was involved in a landslip; Orion saw the news and flew to find me on a helicopter, ignoring his own safety.
His expensive suit was stained with dirt and grime as he tried to dig me out with his bare hands, not caring if his hands were injured as a result. He appeared to be in a frenzy before he heard me call his name from behind him.
My heart sank the moment he turned back and saw me with those distraught, tearful eyes.
We were happy for a while after we got married.
He’d gently kiss me after I fell asleep and kneel on one knee to tie my shoelaces when they became loose.
He knew I didn’t like cilantro, so he would pick it out of my food individually.
He’d remember all of our anniversaries and surprise me each time, holding my hand and promising that we’d retire to the sea when we were old and grey.
As he got busier with work, he started paying less and less attention to me, and he started picking up scandals left and right. He’d say that marriage was about sacrifice, and that he’d let me continue acting once our daughter grew up. I promised him that I’d take care of our home, and as a result, I left the entertainment industry.
In the end, they referred to me as a parasite who contributed nothing to this household; everything I did was akin to what a maid should have done.
I had already lost count of how many times he had abandoned me for Olivia’s sake; even when I was admitted to the hospital with a fractured bone, he would drive nearly an hour to get Olivia her favourite dessert, simply because she mentioned it casually.
After enduring everything he did for so many years, what did he call me?
