He Brought His Assistant On Our Honeymoon And Gave Me A Separate Room Chapter 01

Five years after our wedding, my husband, Adrian Mercer, finally agreed to take me on our honeymoon.

But on the day we left, his assistant, Lillian Reed, came along.

The moment we entered the hotel room, they started talking business. I stood by the door, gripping the handle of my suitcase, feeling like an outsider.

Eventually, she glanced at me.

“I’ve booked you a separate room so we can work without interruptions.”

I stared at her. Adrian handed me a key card, his voice flat.

“Something’s changed with the project. We can’t hold meetings with you here.”

For a long moment, I didn’t move. Then I took the card. As I left, he lowered his voice.

“Wait for me at the restaurant.”

A little hope stirred. But the last diners left, and Adrian still hadn’t shown up.

On my way back, I found him leaning drunkenly against his assistant, their bodies pressed close. She gave me a small smile.

“Adrian came with me to meet a client. He forgot you were waiting.”

Before I could speak, he frowned.

“You just sat there waiting, and that’s my fault? I was handling something important and forgot. Couldn’t you have checked with me?”

His breath reeked of alcohol. I swallowed against the ache in my throat.

His assistant complimented me on being such an understanding wife. Adrian chuckled.

“That’s what happens when you live off someone else. Don’t end up like her, Lily.”

I went still, my face burning. Suddenly, I no longer wanted the honeymoon I’d waited five years for.

***

“I’m a rose you helped grow, not someone who lives off you.”

Lily couldn’t hide her smirk as she helped him past me. Behind me, other hotel guests began to whisper.

A little girl pointed at me.

“Mom, we learned about parasitic plants the other day! Our teacher said they’re like vampires. They live off other plants. She said we should never be like that.”

Her innocent words stung like a slap. Adrian heard them. He looked back, his gaze cold. When he saw the hurt in my eyes, his mouth tightened.

“Harsh, but she’s not wrong.”

Something broke inside me.

I’d chosen to quit my job after we married so I could take better care of him. My company had repeatedly offered raises and promotions to keep me. I’d turned them all down.

People I knew called me a fool. Then his company went public, and those same people began telling me how lucky I was to have a husband who provided for me.

“You’ve got it made. You don’t have to do anything—just stay home and enjoy yourself!”

Adrian’s expression had darkened. He looked at them with disgust.

“Claire is lucky. Too bad you can’t say the same. Don’t come around anymore.”

They left, embarrassed. “They’re just jealous. I don’t care what they say. Why let it upset you?” I asked him.

He took my hand, his eyes full of concern.

“I see everything you do for me, for our home. I won’t let anyone look down on you. You deserve a good life. They don’t get to judge you for it.”

His hand had been so warm. Back then, he’d made me feel protected. Now he was agreeing that I was a parasite who deserved their contempt.

Time passes. People change. Adrian was no exception.

I dug my nails into my palm, trying not to cry. The tears came anyway.

The next morning, sober again, he knocked on my door.

“Babe, where are my toiletries?”

He didn’t like the hotel’s toiletries. I packed his toiletries for every business trip. This time, instead of getting them, I asked if he remembered the night before.

He glanced at my swollen eyes, unmoved.

“So I missed dinner. It wasn’t on purpose. A client wanted to meet. I couldn’t exactly say no.”

He added, “Besides, we’ve got thirty days here. It’s one meal.”

“What else?”

I blocked the doorway, my voice shaking.

He stopped, rubbing between his eyebrows.

“What else? I don’t remember. Just tell me what you want.”

At some point, our conversations had dwindled to just a few sentences. Whatever the problem, his solution was always a bank transfer or a gift.

He used to video-call to check in, even during business dinners with important clients, so I wouldn’t worry.

But since Lily became his assistant, he’d bought into her belief that work came first.

Gradually, he’d started treating me like another business matter, without patience or warmth.

I let out a breath, exhausted.

“You hurt me, and then you just forget what you said.”

He paused, then raised an eyebrow, his expression indifferent.

“What did I say? You’re taking what I said when I was drunk seriously? What are you, a child? No wonder Lily says those things about you.”

“What things?”

The memory of Lily’s smirk last night flashed through my mind. I caught his arm.

“What did she say about me?”

His face tightened as he realized his mistake. He quietly pried my hand away.

“Nothing. Stop being paranoid.”

He stepped around me and went straight into the bathroom. The hiss of running water came through the door, making it harder to think.

Would Lily have treated me that way if he hadn’t allowed it? Maybe he’d forgotten what he’d said. Maybe he hadn’t. Either way, a few careless words from him had kept me awake all night.

I stood outside the bathroom, clutching the divorce agreement I’d drafted overnight, its corners crumpling in my hand.

The door opened. Steam carried the familiar scent of his body wash as he came out, drying his hair. His eyes dropped to the papers.

“What’s that?”