Belittle Me Now And Cry Later

Chapter 3

The estate sprawled before him like something out of a magazine all modern architecture and carefully designed landscaping, with a circular driveway leading up to a house that was more mansion than home. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Marcus could see the warm glow of expensive lighting, the shadows of people moving about inside.

Once, very briefly, this had been his home too.

Now it felt like a fortress designed specifically to keep him out.

As Marcus approached the main entrance, still dripping and shivering, the front door opened. Two of the family's household staff emerged Sophia and Grace, maids who had never made any secret of their contempt for him.

The moment they saw him, their faces transformed into masks of exaggerated disgust.

"Oh my God," Sophia gasped, actually pressing a hand to her chest as though she'd seen something horrifying. "Is that... is that Marcus?"

Grace's perfectly painted lips curled into a sneer. "It is! And look at him he's absolutely soaked! Couldn't even afford an umbrella, I see. Or maybe he just enjoys looking like a homeless person?"

"He's going to ruin the entryway," Sophia said, her voice rising in pitch. "Look at him dripping everywhere! Mrs. Sterling just had those marble floors cleaned. She's going to be furious!"

"And the smell," Grace added, wrinkling her nose dramatically even though she was still a good ten feet away from Marcus. "Can you imagine how badly he reeks? Wet and filthy and poor honestly, it's like he doesn't even try."

Marcus stood there, water pooling at his feet, saying nothing. What could he say? They were right about one thing he was making a mess. Everything else was just their cruelty finding an outlet.

"So what brings you crawling back this time, Marcus?" Sophia asked, crossing her arms. "Let me guess—you need money again?"

"I never thought I'd see a husband who has to beg his own wife for handouts," Grace said, shaking her head in theatrical disapproval. "It's pathetic, really. If you truly loved Lily the way you claim, you'd be able to provide for yourself. Instead, you're just a leech, sucking off the Li family's wealth."

"Where is Lily?" Marcus asked quietly, ignoring their barbs. He didn't have the energy to defend himself, and even if he did, they wouldn't believe him. They had never believed him.

Before either maid could answer, a new voice cut through the air cold, elegant, and filled with unmistakable disdain.

"What is going on out here?"

Marcus's heart sank.

Mrs. Victoria Sterling Lily's mother emerged from the house wrapped in a fur coat that probably cost more than Marcus had earned in the past five years. Her hair was perfectly styled, her makeup flawless, her entire appearance radiating wealth and superiority. When her eyes landed on Marcus, her expression of mild irritation transformed into something approaching genuine revulsion.

"You," she spat the word like a curse. "What are you doing here?"

Behind her, another figure appeared in the doorway Lily herself.

For just a moment, seeing her, Marcus felt a flicker of hope. Lily was as beautiful as ever, dressed in designer clothes that showed off her slim figure, her long dark hair cascading over her shoulders. This was the woman he had loved since their university days, the woman he had nearly died for, the woman he had married despite everyone telling him it was a mistake.

But when Lily's eyes met his, there was no warmth there. No recognition of shared history, no memory of the love they had once shared if it had ever been shared at all.

There was only cold indifference and barely concealed contempt.

"Marcus?" Lily said, as though she couldn't quite believe he'd had the audacity to show up here.

Mrs. Sterling didn't wait for Marcus to explain. She pointed toward the gate with one perfectly manicured finger, her face twisted with anger. "Get out. Get out right now. I don't want to see this loser anywhere near my home."

"Did you hear that?" Sophia stepped forward, her voice eager. "You heard Mrs. Sterling. Get lost."

"Yeah," Grace added, moving to Marcus's other side. Both women looked at him with expressions that mixed pity and cruelty in equal measure. "Hurry up and scram, Marcus. You're not wanted here."

Their eyes gleamed with something almost feral the look of people who enjoyed watching someone beneath them suffer, who found entertainment in another person's humiliation.

Marcus clenched his fists at his sides, his whole body trembling whether from cold, rage, or desperation, he couldn't tell. He had known coming here would be difficult. He had known he would face humiliation. But he hadn't expected it to be quite this bad, quite this immediate.

Still, he couldn't leave. Not yet. Not when his mother's life hung in the balance.

He looked past the maids, past Mrs. Sterling, directly at Lily.

"Lily," he said, his voice rough with emotion, "I need to talk to you. Please. It's about my mother—"

"Oh, here we go," Mrs. Sterling interrupted with a harsh laugh. "The mother card again. How predictable."

Marcus ignored her, keeping his focus on Lily. "She's dying. She has less than twenty-four hours. The hospital won't treat her without payment, and I've exhausted every other option. I'm asking no, I'm begging you please lend me one hundred thousand dollars. I'll pay you back, I swear. I'll work every day for the rest of my life if I have to, but please—"

"One hundred thousand?" Mrs. Sterling shrieked, her voice rising to a pitch that hurt Marcus's ears. "You have the audacity to ask for one hundred thousand dollars? Are you completely insane?"

"I'll pay it back," Marcus insisted desperately. "Every penny, with interest if you want. Just please—"

"Absolutely not!" Mrs. Sterling cut him off with a violent wave of her hand.

 "You think we're running a charity here? You think you can just show up whenever you please and demand money from us?"

Marcus's desperation grew. "Lily, please. Remember everything I've done for you. Remember—"

"Stop," Lily said, her voice cold as ice. She stepped forward, finally showing some emotion but it wasn't sympathy or love. It was irritation. "Stop right there, Marcus. The answer is no."

"But I'm your husband—"

Lily's laugh was sharp and bitter. "Husband? Is that what you think you are? You're nothing but a mistake, Marcus. A living, breathing reminder of the worst decision I ever made."

The words hit Marcus like physical blows, but he couldn't give up. "I saved your life—"

"Oh, don't start with that again," Mrs. Sterling snapped. "You didn't save anything. You happened to be a bone marrow match. That's it. That's all you were a coincidence, a convenience. If it hadn't been you, it would have been someone else eventually."

"I donated three times," Marcus said, his voice breaking. "Three times! The last time, the doctors said I might die. But I did it anyway because I loved—"

"Because you wanted money!" Mrs. Sterling interrupted viciously. "Don't pretend it was about love. We offered a million dollars to whoever would marry Lily and donate. You saw dollar signs and jumped at the opportunity like the greedy little rat you are!"

"That's not true," Marcus protested weakly. "I loved Lily since university. I would have done it even without the money"

"Then why do you keep bringing it up?" Lily asked, her eyes narrowing. "Why do you constantly throw the bone marrow donations in my face if you weren't doing it for compensation?"

"I don't I'm not—" Marcus stumbled over his words, confused and hurt. "I'm just saying that I've given everything for this family. I nearly died for you, Lily. Three times I donated, and the last time—"

"And you got paid!" Mrs. Sterling shouted. "We gave you ten thousand dollars. More than you deserved, frankly, for something that any number of people would have done in your position."

You promised a million," Marcus said quietly, the old wound reopening.