The Divorced Duchess

01. Shattered Hope

ELEANOR
(unedited)

I stared at the pair of dull, almost lifeless brown eyes inside the framed painting. All the joy and color had been drained from the woman staring back at me. She resembled the way I felt. Surrounded by laughing socialites, living their best lives while she sat in the corner watching everyone else be happy.

"There you are!" I winced at the familiar voice. My mother-in-law's reflection appeared in the mirror beside me. She stood by the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest and her small foot tapping impatiently against the hardwood floor. Her blue eyes held the same contempt as they always did when they looked at me. "Dinner will not cook itself, you know?"

You have hands as well, I thought to myself, but did not dare voice it.

"I will start preparing it shortly, Mother," I replied in a low, obedient whisper, but she did not look pleased. She was never pleased.

"I never understood what Robert saw in a girl like you," she began and I knew exactly where this would go. It was the same speech every time. "He could have chosen any girl that was up to our level, but he chooses you. A girl with not a single penny to her name and whose parents couldn't even afford to show up at her wedding. Pathetic."

I held back the angry tears forming in my eyes. If only she knew how wrong she was.

"You aren't even good-looking. I get why my son can barely even stand the sight of you, with this dull hair and look," she pointed to my love handles, "you are starting to gain weight. At this rate, you'll end up fat and even less desirable for my son. Ugh, I can't stand the sight of you. Finish cleaning this bathroom and start cooking dinner, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," I croaked as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

Gabriela did not spare me a single glance and walked out of the door with no remorse. Once she was out of sight, I let my walls crumble. The tears flowed out of me like waterfalls. I knew I should not care what she thought, but her words always found a way to pain me. The only reason I had gained weight was because she used to complain about how skinny I was. I remember she used to say I looked sickly and found a way to remind me that being skinny could ruin my chances of conceiving.

"El? Are you okay? What happened?" Robert's little brother, Tony walked toward me with concern. "Did my mother say something to you again?"

I wiped my tears and forced a smile on my face. "No, no. I-I just sprayed some cleaner in my eyes by accident," I lied, but Tony did not look convinced.

"Stop lying, El. You are a very bad liar. I know this is my mother's doing."

"It was nothing," I assured.

"I don't get why you don't tell my brother about how she treats you," Tony replied.

"I do not want to burden him," I replied. "He already has a lot on his plate with the new project."

The truth was I had told Robert about his mother's mistreatment toward me during our first month of marriage, but he simply brushed it off and told me she was doing it for my good. According to him, his mother had lived among the elite her whole life and I was new to it all and if I wanted to be a good wife, I had to obey his mother.

"You're his wife, not a burden," Tony said. "If only my brother wasn't so dumb."

"Tony, you shouldn't talk that way about your brother. He is a good and kind man."

"And a dumbass," Tony mumbled.

"Tony!"

"Alright, alright." The teenage boy put up his hands in surrender. "But, on a serious note, do not listen to anything my mother says. In my opinion, you are the best thing that has happened to my brother and I for one am happy you became part of our family."