Dear Wife, I Hate You (by Josephine Mbanefo) novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Lilith’s Pov

I don’t even know why I asked Zoey that question. Maybe I shouldn’t have. Maybe I should’ve kept it to myself, acted like I never saw anything at all. But how do you sit on the edge of something so wrong and pretend like it’s not shaking the ground beneath you?

And now, here I am. I asked. And she’s staring at me like I just stabbed her in the back.

“What are you talking about?” Zoey snapped, her brow tightening.

“You know what I’m talking about,” I said, my voice low. “When I was coming upstairs, I saw you… kissing a man that’s not Nolan.”

She scoffed and crossed her arms. “Oh, so now you caught me. What are you trying to lecture me?”

“No,” I said quickly. “That’s not it. I just… I just want to know if you’re okay. Is something going on? Something bothering you?”

“Don’t act all caring,” she hissed. “Don’t act like you give a damn. Mind your f***ing business.”

I blinked, stunned by the bitterness in her voice. Her eyes were hard–colder than I’d ever seen them. I wasn’t expecting her to hug me, but this? This was a slap in the face.

“Okay…” I mumbled, not knowing what else to say. I moved to sit down on my bed, trying to process it.

“So what now?” she shot again. “You’re going to run and tell Nolan the moment I leave this room?”

“What? No! Who said that?”

She laughed darkly. “You’re here trying to tell me what’s right and wrong like you know a damn thing about it.”

“Zoey,” I whispered, “I would never do that to you. You’re my friend.”

“Oh, we’re friends now?” she spat. “Since when? I must’ve missed that chapter.”

“How can you even say that?” I asked, my voice trembling. “You were the one who told me I could come to you for anything. That I could be honest.”

“Well, here’s me being honest. Mind your business,” she snapped. “Just tell me now if you’re going to rat me out to Nolan, so I can prepare myself.”

“I would never,” I said, my throat burning. “Even now… after all of this, I still wouldn’t.”

“Let’s watch and see,” she said coldly, and with that, she walked out.

The door clicked shut behind her, and I was left sitting there–alone and confused. My hands went up to my hair and I held on, hard, trying to keep it together. A scream wanted to break free from my chest, but I kept it

locked inside.

What kind of mess is this?

If Nolan finds out I knew about Zoey’s cheating and said nothing, I’d look like the worst person alive. Like I supported it. Like I’m not good enough for Killian. But if I tell him… I’d be destroying someone I once called a friend–even if she just acted like a total bitch.

I didn’t know what the right move was. I didn’t know what the right anything was anymore.

A soft knock pulled me out of my thoughts. It was Rose.

“Dinner is ready, Miss. You missed lunch,” she said gently.

“I don’t feel like coming down,” I murmured. “Can you please bring it up?”

“Of course,” she nodded kindly before leaving.

A few minutes later, she returned with a tray and set it down on the table. I ate slowly, not tasting much of anything, just chewing because I had to. When I was done, she took the dishes and I thanked her with a weak smile.

Then I walked to the bathroom, took a long, warm shower, and dried off slowly. I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to my chest, hoping maybe—just maybe–sleep would come and silence the chaos in my head.

Tomorrow, I’d have to figure something out.

*****

When I woke up, I knew something was wrong.

My head was pounding, my body ached, and I felt… off. Really off. I could barely keep my eyes open, so I let them fall shut again and drifted back to sleep.

When I woke up again, I turned to look at the clock.

It was still morning.

What the hell?

Had I even been sleeping at all?

I didn’t even have the strength to sit up, let alone get out of bed. My phone was somewhere across the room, and it felt like it was a hundred miles away.

I just laid there, hoping–praying–that someone would come.

And then, as if the universe heard me, a knock came at the door.

It was Rose.

She opened the door, saw me, and gasped. “Jeez! Oh my God! What is happening to you, ma’am?”

“Just call me Lilith,” I murmured, barely able to lift my head.

“I’m so sorry, Lilith… are you okay?”

“I think I’m falling sick.”

“Oh my God,” she said, panic creeping into her voice. “I need to call the boss immediately.”

“Okay… thank you,” I whispered.

She rushed out, and a few minutes later, she came back. “He said that he has called the doctor. He’s on his way

now.”

I nodded slightly. “Thank you.”

“I’m going to go make you something hot to eat. Something to help with your temperature,” she said before running off again.

I drifted in and out of sleep, too tired to even think.

But part of me still noticed something.

Killian hadn’t come.

He didn’t check on me. Not even once.

He just called the doctor and told Rose to deal with it. Like I was some project being passed around.

He knew I was sick. And still… nothing.

It hurt more than I wanted to admit.

About thirty minutes later, Rose returned with something in a mug I couldn’t even name.

“Here,” she said, holding it out. “Drink this. It’ll help cool down your temperature. You can eat after.”

I took it slowly, forcing the liquid down my throat. It tasted weird, but I didn’t complain. I just wanted to feel better.

A little while later, the doctor arrived. Rose stayed by my side, asking questions, listening carefully as he examined me.

Killian was still nowhere to be seen.

The doctor said it was something minor, just fatigue and stress. With rest and medication, I’d be fine in a few days.

He packed up his tools and said, “I’ll go inform Mr. Killian about her condition.”

And then he left.

Rose sat by me most of the day. She brought me water, checked my temperature, made sure I took the meds.

Zoey didn’t come. Not once.

And that… that hurt more than I expected.

Maybe the friendship wasn’t real after all.

Later that evening, Rose stood up and said, “I need to go prepare dinner for everyone. I’ll come back after, okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered, watching her walk out.

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