Dear Wife, I Hate You (by Josephine Mbanefo) novel Chapter 16

Lilith’s Pov

After Nolan walked out of the kitchen, I stood there frozen.

What just happened?

My fingers curled around the cold glass of juice, but I could barely feel it. My mind was racing. What was he talking about? What happened last night? Did I do something? Something wrong?

He looked at me like I was some kind of trigger–like I had caused something I didn’t even remember.

And the way he stood in front of me…

So tall. So silent. So much like Killian.

I didn’t like how small I felt.

I shook the thought off and forced myself to move. I had to take the juice upstairs to Emily.

As I climbed the stairs, my mind wandered again.

Should I tell Zoey? She did say he’s been acting strange.

But… no. Not yet. I need to figure this out first.

Not telling doesn’t make me a bad person. I just want to know what I did.

When I got to the room, Emily’s face lit up.

“Oh my God,” she said, taking the glass from my hand and immediately taking a sip. “This is so refreshing.”

I smiled faintly and sat beside her on the bed.

Then she turned to me, eyes sharp. “You have to tell me everything about you and Killian.”

“You guys are sleeping in different rooms,” she continued. “That says enough. You’re not even friends.”

“There’s nothing else to say, Em,” I said, barely above a whisper. “You can see it yourself.”

She turned fully toward me now, juice forgotten. “Lilith, listen to me. I’m going to fight for this marriage with you if you keep letting that man step all over you.”

“No one’s stepping on me,” I said quickly. “I swear.”

“Yes, they are,” she snapped gently. “You just don’t realize it. You can’t let him talk to you anyhow and stay silent. You are his wife.”

Her words hit me hard.

“When he says something nasty,” she continued, “you talk back. Not in a disrespectful way–but with strength. Do you hear me?”

I looked at her, eyes wide. I felt something shift in my chest.

“I don’t know how,” I admitted. “I feel like… if I do that, I’ll only make him more angry.”

“Then anger him,” she said fiercely. “Anger him, Lilith! But stop letting him crush you like this. You’re stronger than this.”

I swallowed hard.

“Okay,” I whispered.

She grabbed my hand. “Do you promise me?”

“I promise.”

Just then, a knock came at the door.

“Come in,” I called.

It was Rose. “Breakfast is ready downstairs.”

“I’ll be there with Emily,” I told her.

Rose nodded and left.

I decided to take a quick shower before heading down.

When I stepped out, towel wrapped around me. I quickly dressed up as Emily was already dressed.

“Let’s go,” I said.

She looked at me through the mirror. “Remember what I said. I’m pretty sure he’s behind that dining table.”

I sighed. “I doubt it.”

“Well,” she said, standing, “if he is… and he says something out of line, promise me you’ll say something back. No more being naive.”

I looked at her.

“Okay,” I said.

As we made our way downstairs, I already felt the weight in my chest return. Something just didn’t feel right.

And the moment I saw the dining room, I knew why.

Killian and Nolan were already seated.

Of course.

Before I could even gather myself, Emily picked up speed and marched straight to the dining table like she was about to handle a business meeting.

I rolled my eyes, trailing behind her. “So dramatic,” I muttered under my breath.

She dropped into the seat with flair, as if she were royalty. I took the seat beside her, trying not to draw attention to myself.

Rose came in quietly and began serving our food. Plates clinked gently, and the smell of toast and scrambled eggs filled the air. I tried to focus on that instead.

But something felt off.

That’s when I felt it. That uncomfortable sensation crawling up my skin.

I looked up I saw Nolan staring at me.

Hard.

His eyes were fixed on me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t solve–or maybe like he already had, and he didn’t like what he saw.

I looked away quickly, my hands suddenly unsure of what to do with the fork. My appetite vanished. My hand trembled slightly as I scooped up some eggs.

I tried to act normal. I even tried to talk to Emily, but every time I looked up, he was still staring.

Why is he watching me like that?

My side–eye caught him again—still staring. Still intense. Still making my entire body tense up.

Then, out of nowhere, Killian’s voice sliced through the silence.

“Why are you behaving like that?”

My fork paused mid–air.

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying not to look as startled as I felt.

Killian’s eyes narrowed. “You’re acting like something is wrong with you.”

I didn’t answer. What could I say? That Nolan was watching me like I committed a crime I didn’t remember? That I didn’t even know what happened last night?

Then suddenly–tap!

Emily kicked me under the table.

Hard.

She didn’t need to speak. That tap said, Say something.

Before I could even open my mouth, Emily cut in. “Why do you even care? Focus on your food, and let her focus on hers.”

Killian turned to her with a sharp smile. “Now who’s the cruel one between the both of us?”

Emily didn’t flinch. “Are you expecting me to say that my friend is the cruel one? Of course

Killian scoffed. “I don’t have time for this.”

you are.”

Then he turned to Emily again. “When are you going back to your house?”

Emily raised a brow. “Oh my gosh, are you chasing me away already?”

“I’m not chasing you,” Killian said flatly. “I just wanted to know.”

“With due respect, my lord,” Emily said dramatically, “we’ll be leaving in the evening.”

We both burst out laughing.

Killian frowned. “What’s funny? Are you making jest of me or something?”

I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. “No, my friend. We aren’t making jest of you.”

I went back to my food, finally feeling a little lighter. The tension had cracked—at least a bit.

Killian resumed eating, grumbling under his breath.

But then, right when I thought things were calming down, he dropped a bomb.

“I should’ve just left you where you were drunk yesterday.”

As soon as Killian dropped that line about leaving me where I was drunk, he stood up and began walking out of the dining room like nothing had happened.

What did he mean by drunk?

I blinked, completely frozen.

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