Dear Wife, I Hate You (by Josephine Mbanefo) novel Chapter 40

Lilith’s Pov

One minute, Killian told me his parents were coming. The next, Rose said they were already here.

Already? For crying out loud, they were too early.

What was I going to do now?

How was I supposed to face them?

They didn’t even attend our wedding.

The only people there were business partners or strangers in suits.

Not family. Not love. Nothing real.

I didn’t know what to wear.

So, I picked the best casual dress I could find.

Something simple, but nice. First impression matters.

After dressing, I grabbed my phone and called Emily.

“Oh my God,” I said as soon as she picked. “Killian’s family. They’re here.”“What?” she sounded half-asleep. “What happened?”

“I’m scared,” I confessed. “I don’t even know how to talk to them.”

Emily laughed a little. “Just be yourself. Don’t let them step on you. But also don’t expect the worst. They might even be nicer than Killian.”

“I hope so,” I mumbled.

After ending the call, I stared at myself in the mirror.

My eyes. My scar. My tired face.

I nodded slowly to myself. “You’ve got this,” I whispered.

I wasn’t even sure if Killian was back yet.

But I headed downstairs anyway.

The sound of voices floated from the living room.

As I got closer, I saw them.

A woman had her arms around Killian.

She was pecking him all over, calling him sweet names.

Killian stood there, stiff. He didn’t hug her back.

That must be his mother.

Not far from her stood a man, hands in his pockets, smiling at the scene.

Probably his father.

And then, a girl. Maybe my age, or a little older.

She was sitting on the couch, pressing her phone, like nothing else mattered.

None of them noticed me yet.

Then Killian said, “You came so early.”

His mother smiled. “We missed you. Thought we’d come spend a few days.”

“How many days are we talking about?” Killian asked. “You can stay at Nolan’s place.”

“Oh no, Killian,” she replied sweetly. “We’re staying here first. Then Nolan’s. Equal time. But you are my first son.”

Then she patted the couch. “Come sit. Tell me everything.”

Killian turned to respond but stopped midway. His eyes landed on me.

The man–his father–was the first to speak. “Your wife.”

The mother turned to look at me.

The girl with the phone looked up too.

It was silent. So awkward. My heart thumped.

I stepped forward, whispering to myself.

“Have confidence. Have confidence. Have confidence.”

I smiled slightly and said, “Hi.”

The girl rolled her eyes.

I saw it clearly. Then she went back to her phone like I didn’t exist.

“You make a pretty wife,” the mother said.

I didn’t know if she meant it.

Was it a compliment? A joke? An insult?

“Um… thanks,” I said softly

I was about to say something else-“Nice knowing you” or whatever polite thing people say-

But she cut me off.

“Killian, come. Come tell us about work, about everything.”

She pulled him to the couch.

Killian didn’t say a word to me.

He didn’t even look at me again.

It felt like I was invisible.

I stood there for a second.

Then I turned around slowly.

Maybe I should just go back to my room. Or maybe paint.

Let them have their family time.

Because clearly, I wasn’t part of that family.

But just then, I saw the front door open.

Nolan and Zoey walked in.

Nolan’s eyes met mine. He looked straight at me.

It wasn’t just a look. It was a gaze.

A little too intense.

Then I saw it. A smirk. Just for a second.

He wiped it off immediately.

I shook my head and looked away.

As Nolan and Zoey came closer, I decided to go.

I didn’t want to ruin their moment.

I turned to walk past Zoey, and she smiled.

“Hey girl, what’s up?” she asked.

I gave a small smile. “I’m fine. Just going to do something. I’ll see you later.”

“Alright,” she said, then started walking off.

I turned to leave too.

But before I could take a step, Nolan held my wrist.

Zoey walked away, maybe to greet his family. She looked so at home with them.

I looked at his hand on my wrist. Then I looked at him.

“Is there a problem?” I asked.

“No,” he said.

Then he added, “Don’t tell me you’re running from them. Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened,” I said.

He raised a brow. “Don’t lie to me. What happened?”

“I just… I don’t feel welcome,” I said, voice low. “They didn’t want me to talk. I didn’t even introduce myself properly.”

“If you let them treat you that way, they’ll never respect you,” he said. “You need to stay. Stand your ground.”

“I don’t think I can,” I whispered.

“You can,” he cut in before I could finish.

Then he dragged me gently back toward the family.

When we reached them, he let go of my wrist.

His mom’s eyes lit up. “Oh, my son! Nolan!”

She came and hugged him, just like she hugged Kilian.

He stood still. Didn’t hug her back.

“That’s enough, mom. I’m not a kid,” he said.

She touched his chest. “You’ll always be my sweet little boy. Both of you.”

Nola told him to sit down.

I moved to the edge of the room. I didn’t want to disturb them.

I just sat quietly.

Then Rose came in. “Food is ready,” she said.

The younger girl on her phone looked up. “Finally. I’m starving. I don’t know about you lovebirds, but I need food.”

Their mom laughed. “Yes, let’s all go eat.”

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