An Apology from My Husband after Marrying Another Woman
The first time Christoph and I truly saw each other for who we were was five years into our marriage.
He was furious.“Gina,do you have to throw yourself at me every day?Do you even understand what a platonic relationship means?”
I blinked awake,realizing I’d fallen asleep in the bathtub from sheer exhaustion.
Before I could explain,he threw on his clothes,dragged meoutside into the yard and hissed,“If you love being that much,why not enjoy it out here?”
He ignored my pleading,ignored the freezing winter air and even called the household staff to come and watch.It wasn’t until I collapsed with a high fever that he finally let me be.
Half-conscious from the heat burning through me,I stumbled to find medicine—only to hear heavy breathing coming from his room.
Peering through the crack of the door,I caught a glimpse of him tangled up in the sheets...with my widowed sister-in-law.
So this was his idea of“platonic love.”
Barely able to stand,I staggered back to my room and called his mother,Jill.“Mom,remember how you once suggested letting Chris take on both families?I’m ready to agree—but I have one condition.”
——
Jill paused,clearly stunned—then lit up with excitement.“Gina,are you serious?You’re really willing to share Chris?You’re not just trying to cheer your old mother-in-law up in the middle of the night,are you?Name your condition—I’ll agree to anything!”
I stared at the ceiling,silent tears slipping down my cheeks.
The first time my mother-in-law brought up that absurd idea—that Christoph should"honor both families"—I was so furious I shattered a teacup.
She wanted me to give up my husband so Natalie,her widowed daughter-in-law,could stay in the family and"carry on the line"?
How could I ever agree to something like that?
But I could care less...Now that the two of them are already sneaking around behind my back,what difference does it make whether I agree or not?
The man who once swore he loved me,who spoke so poetically about us pursuing a platonic love together…
He’s tainted now.
How ironic.When he dragged me into the freezing yard to"punish"me,he had the nerve to say I was the one who ruined his ideal of love.
Everyone in the Capital City saw us as the perfect couple.Even I believed it.I thought that even without kiss what we had would stay beautiful—pure.
This fantasy was shattered completely and irreversibly when I heard a gasp from the guest room.I could still hear them now.It was faint,but unmistakable.
I let out a bitter laugh and said softly into the phone,“No,I’m not just saying this to humor you.I really agree.I just have one condition:Christoph needs to sign a document.”
Her excitement was almost shrill.“Yes,yes,of course!I knew you were a sensible girl,Gina!First thing tomorrow,I’ll talk to Chris about it.I promise—it’s just to help Nata have a baby.You two will still be the perfect couple that everyone envies!”
After hanging up the phone,I curled into a ball.
Even with the heat on full blast and wrapped in layers of blankets,I couldn’t stop shaking.Not from the cold—but from the sound coming through the wall.
They didn’t stop until nearly dawn.Every creak of the bed,felt like a knife slowly carving into my chest.
Five years of marriage.Five years of so-called platonic love.In the end,it was all just a cruel joke.
I first met Christoph in the university library.He was sitting by the window,sunlight spilling over him like gold.He was reading"The Republic",completely absorbed.He looked so calm,so focused—it was love at first sight.
“You like Plato too?”I asked.
When Christoph looked up,his eyes were so bright they practically sparkled.I had no idea then that this simple question would become the chain around my neck for the next five years.
Before we were married,Christoph treated me with such respectful distance.I thought it was because he truly loved me—loved me enough to be gentle,patient,even reverent.
Yet,after we said our vows,he refused to sleep with me.
When I asked why,confused and hurt,he held my face in his hands and said,with that soft look in his eyes,“Gina,real love should transcend the physical.We should aim for something higher—something spiritual.”
Chapter 2
I loved Christoph,so I believed him.I even felt proud of our situation.Proud that our love was so pure,so untouched by desire.
Every time I reached for him,needing closeness,craving connection,he’d gently push me away with the same soft excuse,“Let’s not taint what we have,Gina.Our love is sacred.”
Looking back now,the signs were all there—so obvious I almost hate myself for missing them.The way his eyes lit up when he looked at Natalie.How he’d dress up every time she visited.The times I walked in on them alone and they’d spring apart like guilty teenagers.
I cried until my pillow was soaked.My heart felt hollowed out.That night,I drafted the divorce papers.Then finally drifted into a fitful,aching sleep.
I was woken the next morning by a gentle voice.
Christoph stood by the bed,wearing an apron,holding a plate of my favorite—strawberry pancakes.“Sweetheart,breakfast is ready,”he said cheerfully.“Come on,time to enjoy something delicious.”
He leaned down to kiss my forehead.I instinctively pulled away.
He paused,surprised,then smiled even more tenderly—like he hadn’t thrown me out naked into the snow and humiliated me just hours ago.
“What’s wrong?Didn’t sleep well?”He reached out to touch my face.
I flinched again.
The red marks on Christoph’s neck stung more than my eyes could bear.
He noticed where I was looking and scratched his neck awkwardly.“Must’ve been a mosquito last night…weird,right?How’d you sleep?”
I didn’t answer.
Outside the door,a few of the house staff exchanged glances.Their eyes flicked toward me—some with pity,others with barely hidden amusement.
I turned and headed straight for the bathroom,only to nearly collide with Natalie at the door.
“Morning,Gina!”she said,all saccharine cheer.“Hope you don’t mind me crashing breakfast.”
She casually tugged at her neckline,revealing more skin.Her chest and collarbone were littered with unmistakable love bites.
“Huh…strange.This time of year shouldn’t have mosquitoes,right?”She leaned in slightly,her tone mocking.“Chris and I both got bitten.Guess you must’ve been spared,huh?”
Her eyes flicked to my neck,a smirk curling at the corner of her lipstick-slicked mouth.
I clenched my fists,nails digging into my palms so hard I should’ve felt pain.I didn’t.
“Move,”I said,my voice low.
She stepped aside with a little laugh,but as I brushed past,she leaned in and whispered,“You heard how passionate Chris was with me last night,didn’t you?Poor thing—you’ve never had it that good.”
Suddenly,it all made sense.The reason Christoph always locked the bedroom door at night like he was guarding treasure.Natalie must’ve left it ajar on purpose—wanted me to hear,wanted me to know.
The smugness in her eyes,the triumph on her face—it snapped something in me.Without thinking,I raised my hand and slapped her.Hard.Natalie stumbled back,clutching her cheek,wide-eyed,tears welling fast.
“If you didn’t want me joining you for breakfast,Gina,you could’ve just said so,”Natalie said,voice trembling with wounded innocence.“You didn’t have to hit me…”
She turned and hurried off,her steps quick and shaky—only to run straight into Christoph at the end of the hall.
He caught her instinctively,arms wrapping around her as she buried herself in his chest.His expression shifted the moment he saw her face—reddened,marked by my hand.
He gently cupped her cheek,examining her like she was some delicate porcelain doll.His eyes filled with concern,with protectiveness he’d never shown me.
Then he turned to me,fury flashing in his eyes.“Gina!What the hell is wrong with you?Why would you slap Natalie?Have you lost your mind?”
Natalie provoked me.She wanted this.She asked for it.
Before I could even open my mouth,Natalie spoke first—soft and self-effacing.“Chris…it’s my fault.I shouldn’t have come and interrupted your time with Gina.It’s only natural she’d be upset.Don’t be mad at her,please…”
And just like that,he looked at me like I was a monster.Like I was the one tearing everything apart.
“Apologize to her,”he snapped.His voice sharp as glass.
I stared straight into his eyes and said,clear and cold,“She deserved it.”
That was the last straw.His face darkened,his fury boiling over. In a flash,he grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me toward the staircase.
Chapter 3
I clung desperately to the railing,but he pried my fingers off,one after another.The servants stood off in the distance,whispering amongst themselves.Not one of them dared step in.
Humiliation rushed back like a wave—the memory of last night,punished in front of everyone.Christoph didn’t even flinch.
“So you’re still angry about last night,”he said coldly.“Fine.Be mad at me.But don’t take it out on others.”
“You’ll kneel right here and think about what you’ve done.When you finally understand your mistake,you’ll apologize to your sister-in-law.Don't you realize that people will begin to think that the Raders couldn't stand the sight of having a widower in their family?”With that,he threw me—hard—into the snow.
My knees slammed into the ice.The cold pierced through my thin pajamas like knives.
“Christoph,I didn’t do anything wrong.”I clenched my teeth,shivering,refusing to comply.
He scoffed,then turned to the butler with a sneer.“Gather everyone.Let them all see how petty you are.”
Within minutes,a dozen servants were lined up under the covered walkway,watching.I knelt alone in the snow,like a criminal awaiting her sentence.
“Say it again,I dare you!”Christoph snapped.“If you're so desperate for a man,I can hire a hundred of them to keep you company.But lay a hand on my sister-in-law again and you're done.”
His words shattered my love.
This was the man I had loved for three years.The man I married and built a life with for five.
He could even stomach rumors of me dating around.Yet he couldn’t tolerate,won't even think twice,about me upsetting the woman he truly cared about.
Natalie stood smugly at his side,putting on that fake sweet voice she’d perfected,“Chris,let it go,okay?Gina probably just had a bad day…”
“Oh,so having a bad day gives her the right to hit people?”Christoph raised his voice,loud enough for the entire house to hear.“If she doesn’t apologize today,I don’t care if she passes out—she’s not getting up until she does!”
Snow began to fall.Within minutes,my hair and lashes were coated in a frosty white sheen.My fingers were numb,my lips trembling uncontrollably from the cold.
Natalie took the opportunity to crouch beside me,pretending to be concerned.But her words were knives,whispered only for me to hear.“Did you know Chris said you're not even worth a strand of my hair?That every time he touches you,he feels sick?Honestly,if I were you,I’d just die and get it over with.”
I looked up sharply and caught the cruel smile in her eyes.
Something inside me snapped.Rage boiled over.I grabbed a handful of snow and slammed it straight into her smug,pretty face.
Natalie suddenly let out a dramatic scream as she dropped to the ground like she’d been struck by lightning.
That was all it took for Christoph to lose it.He grabbed the front of my pajama top,yanked it open and shoved me down into the snow.
“Oh,so you still don’t want to admit your mistakes?”
Before I could react,he scooped up a handful of snow and shoved it down the front of my shirt.The freezing cold hit me like a shock to the system.I let out a scream I didn’t even know was in me.
But he didn’t stop.He kept rubbing snow into my face,my neck—rough,relentless,until my skin burned from the cold.
“Apologize!”he barked.
I choked on a mouthful of snow,coughing violently,tears streaming down my face.I couldn’t get a single word out.
Furious,Christoph stood up and turned to the butler.“Two hours.Start the clock.She doesn’t move until time’s up.”
Then,as if none of it had just happened,he gently took off his coat and wrapped it tenderly around Natalie’s shoulders.
“Come on,”he said softly.“I'm worried that you might catch a cold.Let's go into the room.”
The two of them turned and walked away as if I didn’t exist.Their backs burned into my vision like a slap to the face.
Around me,the servants whispered.Some giggled.Others just stared with that look—pity,like I was already halfway gone.
Time dragged.The cold seeped deep into my bones.My knees had long since gone numb.I could feel myself swaying,losing control,until finally,I collapsed face-first into the snow.
“Madam!”Someone shouted in panic.
The door creaked open.Christoph enetered the room while fixing his cold gaze at me.
Chapter 4
“Have you figured out what you did wrong yet?”
I opened my mouth to speak,but no sound came out.Everything went dark and then—I was out.
When I came to,I was back in the bedroom,lying under a thick,heavy comforter.The heat in the room was suffocating,but I still couldn’t stop shivering.
“You’re awake?”
Christoph sat on the edge of the bed,holding a steaming cup of water.
“Take your meds,”he said,as if nothing had happened.“Why didn’t you say anything if you were feeling sick?Instead,you chose to throw a tantrum and cause a scene.”
I turned my face away,refusing to look at him.
“Don’t be so stubborn,”he said sharply.“Your fever’s hit 104.Are you trying to die?”
“Wouldn’t that be convenient for you?”
My voice was raw and raspy,barely more than a whisper.Christoph’s expression shifted—guilt and something like concern flickered across his face.For a moment,he didn’t look like the same man who’d shoved me into the snow.
He took advantage of my hesitation,grabbed my chin and forced the pills into my mouth,then tipped the cup of water after them.
I choked,coughing hard,water spilling down my chin and soaking my neck.I must’ve looked completely pathetic.
Right then,the door swung open.
Natalie walked in,her eyes glinting with triumph.“Chris,your mom’s here!”
A moment later,my mother-in-law appeared in the doorway,taking one look at me and gasping in shock.
“What on earth—Gina,what happened to you?”
Christoph let go of me,wiping the spilled water off his hand like it was nothing.“She’s just being dramatic.Got sick,threw a princess fit and now refuses to take her medicine.”
Jill immediately scolded her son for not taking better care of me.Then,smiling sweetly,she pulled out a beautifully wrapped gift box and held it out.
“Gina,this is something I picked out just for you.”
She gave me a subtle wink—her way of saying this is your reward for cooperating.Her eyes told me what she wanted:it was time I brought up the subject of letting Christoph officially“share”both women in the family.
I didn’t take the gift.My throat burned too much to speak and honestly,I didn’t want to say a single word.So I shut my eyes and turned away.
But she couldn’t wait.
Jill clutched Christoph’s hand eagerly.“Chris,I’ve been meaning to talk to you.Gina mentioned something yesterday—she was thinking,since Nata’s been so loyal after your brother passed,maybe it’s time she had a child.It would give her someone to rely on,you know,for the future.”
The room fell silent.
Christoph’s face shifted—shock,then rage,like he’d just been slapped.“What the hell are you talking about,Mom?!”
Completely oblivious,she kept going,excited now,“It’s not just me,Gina brought it up.And honestly,I think it makes sense.What do you think?”
“Gina!”He spun toward me,fury written across his face.
“All this because I haven’t been intimate with you?Did you come up with something this insane to humiliate me?What happened to the love between us?And what the hell does that make Natalie—just a convenient womb to pass around?”
I opened my eyes,finally meeting the gaze of the man putting on a show like he hadn’t been sneaking around with her behind my back for God knows how long.
So I said calmly,“I brought it up.What—are you saying you’re not interested?”
My question caught Christoph mid-rant,his angry words dying in his throat.
He didn’t dare deny it—not really.But he also didn’t want to look too eager,didn’t want the truth in his eyes to betray the thrill he was trying to hide.
Before he could respond,Natalie suddenly burst into tears.
“Chris,I don’t know what I did to upset your wife so much…to make her humiliate me like this,”she sobbed,voice trembling just enough to sound believable.“I’m your sister-in-law.I’m a widow.People already talk enough about me…and now this…”
Christoph gently patted her shoulder,eyes full of pity.You could see the tension in him—how badly he wanted to wrap her up in his arms and play the hero.But instead,he turned to me,face hardening.
“Gina,I can’t believe how twisted you’ve become.”
Finally,Jill seemed to pick up on the shift in the room.Awkwardly,she tried to smooth things over.
“Chris,come on,can’t you just…do this one thing for your brother’s sake?”she said,her voice hopeful,a little desperate.“I know you want to protect your love with Gina,but the Raders can’t just…end with you.Can’t you think of it as helping your mother finally have a grandchild?”
Chapter 5
Jill leaned in,her tone dropping as if she was just scheming.
“Once Nata gets pregnant,we’ll just say it was from your brother’s frozen sperm.A test-tube baby.No one will know the truth.It won’t affect your marriage with Gina at all…”
Christoph cut her off sharply.“Mom.It’s one thing for Gina to act out,but why are you feeding into this?”
He turned to me,his voice rising.“This is just her throwing a tantrum because I haven’t touched her in years!”
I let out a cold laugh,watching him perform like he was auditioning for an award.
What a joke.This marriage was beyond saving.Rotten to the core.
Christoph loved Natalie—that much was obvious.Yet for the sake of appearances,for her so-called“reputation,”he refused to divorce me and marry her outright.
He didn’t want to be labeled the man who left his wife for his sister-in-law.So instead,he did everything behind closed doors—every betrayal,every indecency—and used me as their cover.Their shield.Their excuse.
“The hell are you laughing at?”he snapped.
“Nothing,”I said softly.
I pushed myself up from the bed,weak but numb,my voice light—careless.
“It was just a passing suggestion.Do whatever you want.”
Something in Christoph’s expression shifted.His eyes burned red,fury clouding them—except…underneath the anger was something else.Glee.Satisfaction.
“Since you’re being so generous,”he said coldly,wrapping an arm around Natalie,“I’ll take you up on that.”
Then,with deliberate cruelty,he announced:
“I’ll be taking Nata abroad for a honeymoon.As for you—you’ll stay here and take care of Mom.And while you’re at it,you can learn how to care for a pregnant woman…and later,her baby.”
His mother lit up like it was Christmas morning.“Oh,Chris,that’s such a thoughtful idea.It’s better this way—Gina won’t have to watch you two together.It would only break her heart.”
Natalie blushed and leaned into him,all fake modesty and fluttering lashes,like some Victorian heroine in distress.She tried to act shy,to object.
Christoph silenced her with a kiss—right there,in front of me.
His mother cast a careful glance my way,clearly bracing for a reaction.Yet,I didn’t flinch.I just stared,face blank.
Apparently,that was enough to reassure her.“Chris,maybe just…tone it down a little in front of Gina,hmm?”she said gently,still watching me out of the corner of her eye.
This whole family...what a circus bunch.They really thought I didn’t see through all of it.
By the end of the day,Christoph had already booked the flights for next week’s European honeymoon.
He couldn’t wait.
After the fever finally broke,I quietly got to work.
I had to gather evidence.Real leverage.Enough to blow things up before they left for their honeymoon fairytale.
That night,while Christoph stayed late at the office,I slipped into the one place I’d never been allowed to enter:his bedroom.
Five years of marriage and I had never stepped foot in this room.
Christoph always said that"true,Platonic love"required boundaries.Emotional purity.Even his bedroom had been off-limits to me—his own wife.
The space was cold and clinical.Stark gray and white,not a single personal touch.Just like him—distant,sterile and controlled.
I searched everything—drawers,nightstands,under the bed.Nothing.
I was about to give up when I noticed something tucked away in the far corner of the wardrobe:a small safe,barely visible.
I tried Natalie’s birthday.The lock clicked open without resistance.
Inside was a flood of photographs—hundreds,maybe more.All of Natalie.
At first,they were clearly taken in secret:grainy shots from odd angles,like someone spying through a doorway or a window.But then the tone changed.They became selfies—intentional,sultry,pupils blown wide,lips parted.Her gaze full of knowing.
Disgust clawed up my throat,but I forced myself to keep looking.
Next to the photos was a leather-bound journal.I opened it.The first entry was dated the day Christoph and I met.
“Met a girl at the library today.She asked me if I liked Plato too.The way she said it—it almost felt like she was my sister-in-law.But I can't have those kinds of thoughts about her,can I?I need a distraction.A girlfriend.Gina will do.”
My hands began to shake,but I kept reading.
“Gina’s naïve.She won’t realize I’m just using her.Every time I see Natalie,I have to fight myself not to stare…not to touch.”
“Today was my brother’s funeral.I almost did something unforgivable in the chapel.Good thing Natalie was too grief-stricken to notice how disgusting I really am.”
“Gina keeps trying to get close.It’s pathetic.Why are women always so desperate?Natalie isn’t like that.She’s pure.She’s still keeping herself for my brother.”
Tears blurred the page.I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood,anything to keep from making a sound.Everything I thought was love—every soft word,every distant smile—it had all been a lie.
I was done being their cover story.
Chapter 6
The final page was dated three months ago.
“Visited my brother’s grave today.Nata said she’s known all along about the photos—that she’s been suppressing her feelings for me for years.I was overwhelmed…lost control.I took her right there,in front of my brother’s headstone.”
The journal slipped from my hands and hit the carpet with a dull thud.
A wave of cold swept through me,seizing my chest.My stomach churned violently.I gripped the wall just to stay upright.
So this was it.From the very beginning,I had never been the love story.I was just the cover—something neat and legal to hide their obsession behind.
A shield for their shame.
Then—a sound.Soft,almost imperceptible,coming from deep inside the closet.I turned,pulse hammering in my ears and noticed something I’d missed before:a narrow seam in the back panel.
It was a hidden door.
I pushed it open.A narrow,dusty passage stretched forward,connecting to the house next door—his brother’s old home.
The walls were plastered with photos of Christoph and Natalie.Candid shots,posed portraits,some so graphic I had to look away.
My hands were shaking as I raised my phone.
Click.Click.Click.
Every photo.Every piece of it—I recorded it all.
I had just turned to leave when footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Natalie’s voice,sickly sweet,edged with laughter,“Chris,are you sure Gina won’t find out?”
Then Christoph’s voice was dismissive,“Relax.That idiot’s probably in our room crying her eyes out right now.”
I froze.There was no time to think.No time to breathe.I ducked into the passageway and pulled the hidden door shut just as their shadows passed the closet.
Through the narrow gap in the hidden door,I watched Christoph pull Natalie down onto the bed.
They didn’t even try to pretend.They couldn’t wait to get their hands on each other.
Natalie giggled,casting a lazy glance toward the half-closed hidden panel.“Easy...You were a little rough last night,”she purred.
“Well,you shouldn't be so irresistible.”
He laughed low in his throat,“When we get abroad,I’m not letting you out of bed for three days.”
I clamped both hands over my mouth,pressing so hard my fingernails dug into my palms.
Their breathless whispers—it was like venom,sliding into my ears,coiling around the last threads of my dignity.
I didn’t move.Not until it was over.Not until they were wrapped in each other’s arms,fast asleep.
Then I slipped out through the hidden passage and ran away.I got back to my room,silently shaking as I calmed down my nerves.
Once the door clicked shut behind me,I didn’t cry.I opened my laptop.Gathered every photo,every recording.Then,I called a different lawyer.One who actually worked for me.
We drafted a new divorce agreement.One that wouldn’t leave me empty-handed this time.
In the days that followed,Christoph didn’t even bother hiding it.He’d kiss Natalie right in front of me.Whisper things in her ear,let his hands wander across her waist as if I wasn’t even there.
I said nothing.I packed my things,one bag at a time.
When I threw all the gifts he’d ever given me into the trash,he finally snapped.
“Gina!What the hell are you doing?!”
I calmly slid the divorce papers across the table.“Sign it.”
Christoph glanced down,lips curling into a smirk.
“What's this?A confession letter?Shame you only realized your mistakes now.Bit late for that,don’t you think?”Without reading the actual content,he scribbled his name,then flung the document in my face.
“Nata and I fly out this afternoon.You stay here,get cozy with that maternity nurse and start learning how to take care of pregnant women and babies.”
As Christoph spoke,he casually pointed to a woman I hadn’t even noticed standing in the doorway.
“By the way,this is the maternity specialist I hired—paid top dollar.So do yourself a favor and learn from her.”
With that,Christoph wrapped his arm around Natalie and walked out like he was the hero of his own story.
I didn’t flinch.I picked up the divorce papers from the floor,ignoring the smug,amused looks around me.Then I went upstairs,packed the last of my things and walked out of that house for good.
The moment I got into the car,my phone rang.
It was his mother.“Gina,honey,I know you’re upset.But going with Chris will only make things harder on you.Just stay home,out of sight,out of mind.It’s better that way,don’t you think?”
That faux-concerned tone,that smug little martyr act…she didn’t care about me.She just didn’t want me messing up her golden boy’s honeymoon.
I answered coolly,without a flicker of emotion.“You don’t have to worry.Christoph and I are divorced.I won’t be ruining any more of his plans.”
Before she could respond,I hung up—and blocked her number.
Not long after,just as I arrived at the airport,my phone buzzed again.
A message from Christoph.
[“I’ll come back once Nata’s pregnant.As long as you behave,I’ll still give you a child.Through IVF,of course.”]
I stared at the screen and smiled.
Not the kind of smile he would recognize.This one wasn’t bitter.Or broken.It was the beginning of something he would never see coming.
His message was meant to sound generous—merciful,even.But it only made me laugh.A bitter,humorless laugh.
I blocked him without hesitation.
Then I opened my photo gallery,selected every intimate photo of him and Natalie—the ones that would ruin them in an instant—and sent the whole batch straight to a journalist I knew wouldn't hesitate.-Help me get exposed.An Apology from My Husband after Marrying Another Woman
