Dear Wife, I Hate You (by Josephine Mbanefo) novel Chapter 54

Lilith’s Pov

The old me would have reacted. She would’ve lashed out. Maybe screamed, maybe cried, maybe thrown something across the room just to feel something other than this awful stillness. But now? Now there was only silence.

I stood there, staring at him–this man I once thought I could hate more than anyone else. He looked so sure of himself, like his words didn’t just punch through my chest.

I took a slow step forward, and then another. I stopped inches from him, my voice low, almost whispering. “Is that what want, Killian? To keep me close?”

He didn’t answer. Not a flinch. Not a blink. Just that cold, unreadable stare.

“Fine,” I said simply.

And then I turned and walked away–back to my room, back to where I could break without him watching.

I didn’t want him to see how vulnerable I was. How every word he threw at me tonight cut deeper than the last. How I wanted to scream. How I wanted to shout and tear this whole place down just to feel like I mattered again.

But I kept walking, chest heavy, heart cracking. The silence behind me louder than any scream I could’ve let out.

Once inside my room, I locked the door and collapsed onto the bed. What was I even supposed to do now? Breathe? Pretend I was okay?

I thought about swimming–just to escape for a while, just to feel the weightlessness I was begging for internally. I thought about my father. I was supposed to see him today. A normal daughter would’ve rushed there the moment she heard.

But he didn’t even tell me himself. He had to send Killian to do it. What kind of father does that?

I was angry. Angry at him. Angry at myself. Angry at Emily for not being here when I needed her the most.

And then… as if my thoughts summoned her, there was a knock.

The door opened.

Emily walked in, and Maya followed behind her.

The moment I saw Emily, everything inside me snapped. All the walls I had built since morning came crashing down.

I stood up fast, my chest tight, and rushed to her–wrapping my arms around her like I was trying to hold myself together through her. I clung to her so tightly it hurt.

Maya looked at us and, reading the air perfectly, said quietly, “I’ll come back later.”

No one answered. Emily didn’t say a word either. She just held me as my body shook against her.

And then the sobs came–loud, painful, real. I cried so hard I could barely breathe. Everything I’d been bottling inside broke free.

Emily gently led me to the bed, still hugging me like she was trying to glue my pieces back together.

“What is it, baby?” she asked, voice soft, fingers stroking my hair. “Why are you crying like this? Did Killian do something to you?”

I pulled back just a little and looked at her through blurry eyes.

“No.” I whispered, voice shaking. “My mother… she died this morning.”

Emily froze. “Oh my god, Lilith… I’m so sorry. When? How? What happened?”

“I don’t know,” I choked out. “And my father… he’s so cruel. He couldn’t even tell me himself. He told Killian. Killian, Emily.

How heartless can a man be?”

She hugged me again, tight. “It’s okay… it’s okay. I know she’s in a better place now. And I know it hurts so much, baby. Just let it out.”

And I did.

I cried until I had nothing left. Until the grief turned to numbness. Until the anger dried into a quiet ache.

“I need to go back to the house,” I muttered after a while. “I need to see her. Just once. I can’t face my father alone. I hate him. so much right now.”

“I’m here,” Emily said firmly. “We’ll go together. Whenever you’re ready.”

I nodded slowly and wiped my tears, even though my heart was still drowning in them.

“I’ll get ready now,” I said. “Only you and I will go. Just us. To see her.”

To see my mother.

Now dead.

*****

The drive felt longer than it ever had. I sat behind the wheel, gripping it tighter than I should, while Emily stayed quiet beside me, occasionally glancing at me like she was watching someone unravel thread by thread. She wasn’t wrong.

My mind was a mess.

My mother was dead.

Killian? He wasn’t even worth my breath. That man had poisoned every little space inside my heart I once saved for forgiveness. He kept pushing. Pushing until there was nothing left but silence from me. And now…

Now there was Nolan.

His presence lingered on my skin like a familiar cologne. Gentle. Safe. And dangerously comforting. I hated that I was starting to look for him with my eyes. That I felt disappointed when I didn’t find him. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way.

I glanced at Emily.

She caught the look. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.

I gave her a small nod. “Yeah.”

Lie. But she didn’t press.

We stopped on the way. Emily insisted she needed water. I didn’t argue. I welcomed the delay. It gave me time to breathe.

But no amount of air was enough today.

By the time we got to the house–my old home–everything felt colder than I remembered. Lifeless. Even the sun filtering through the clouds above felt wrong, like it didn’t belong in a day so dark.

The gates opened slowly, groaning like they were mourning too. We drove in, and I parked without a word. There was no one in sight. The place felt like a graveyard already.

I knew where he’d be.

Emily followed me, quietly and composed, but on alert. She knew something was off.

We walked through the hallways until we got to the study.

I opened the door without knocking.

There he was.

My father.

He didn’t even look up at first. “What are you doing here?”

I stared at him. That was it? That’s what he had to say?

“Is that really the first thing you’re going to say to me?” I asked, my voice dry.

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