DEAR, EX HUSBAND. YOU CHEATED!

LIFE AS A CONTRACT WIFE

She got married to him months ago, and it wasn't the type to be proud of. Maybe someone else would have been, but not Lisa —a contract marriage where she had to get married because she felt like she was compelled to. Not that she couldn't decline the offer, but she had to agree, given the fact that she needed to find the truth about her parents' death.

Almost two years ago, Alex was Lisa's private patient, and she did everything in her power to revive him after he got himself involved in a ghastly accident which almost cost him his life. Even though his life was saved, Alex did not feel as though he was alive since he was close to losing his most valuable assets —his hands.

Alex learned that he wouldn't be able to use his hands for many months, which broke his heart more than any other news he had ever received. As a doctor, his hands are much more than gold to him, since the fate of human lives depends on them.

Depressed, he secluded himself from everything around him, drowning in his own anxiety and fear. Alex had lost all hope, his life had become miserable and the pain of not being able to feel his hands was all he could feel. It was a difficult time for him and all that he wanted was to escape it, to go back to the way things were before the accident.

His mother had tried everything to revive his mental health but to no avail. The last resort for his mother was to ask Lisa to help, since Lisa had been his personal doctor for quite some time now and had managed to help him break free from his prison.

She knew that her son had already developed a very strong connection with Lisa and found it easier to communicate with her, ever since she saved his life. Maybe that was the one thing that would help bring him back from the shadows of his mind.

A contract was given to Lisa which stated that she should get married to Alex. The only reason why his mother would make such a request was because she knew that her son, who was deeply in love with her, would only heal if he felt the same affection as her. Lisa couldn't deny

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I don't think I'm ready to get married soon." Lisa had politely turned Alex's mother down. "I mean —I don't have the intention of getting married to anyone, at least, not anytime soon."

But Alex's mother was adamant. "I'll pay you as much as you want, Lisa. You only have to sign the marriage contract and live with him as his wife. There is no big deal in getting married!" She told Lisa persuasively. "You are the one to gain the most since you'll be getting paid for it."

"Yeah, there isn't a big deal in marriage; the more reason I don't want to get married —at least, not to my patient, ma'am." Lisa responded calmly, and had hoped Alex's mother will have a change of mind, but she was wrong. Her response only made Mrs. Williams, Alex' mother to plead further.

After much pleading and persuasion, Lisa gave in —apart from the fact that she was compelled into signing the contract, she had her own reason for agreeing to get married to Alex. The accident that Alex paid for with his hands instead, her parents had to pay with their lives —and to her, it doesn't seem like just an accident.

Lisa had thought it wouldn't make any difference in getting married but soon, she realized it was all a lie. Alex did recover speedily and, just as predicted, after many months, he was able to use his hands again —this was when he started to show his left hand to Lisa.

Being his wife had been a thorn in the flesh for her, but she couldn't help but pretend as though all was fine. Alex used to be a nice guy when she had recently met him, which made it easier to get along with him at first, but overnight, he turned into a jerk and a p*****t.

He never for once considered her as his wife since he believed she had forced herself on him. He sees her as a cheap and greedy nurse who had herself hooked up in the name of marriage —he shouldn't be showing love to such a monetary union.

Alex had never touched her, except when he was drunk; he would force his way through her and, whenever he was sober, he would curse her and call her names for taking advantage of his drunk state.

Lisa, who couldn't bear the humiliation any longer, complained to Alex's mother, but she did not even raise an eyebrow nor help the situation at all. It was as though, whatever treatment Lisa received from her son —she deserved it!

"You should keep pushing instead, considering the fact that you both never went through a proper courtship before marriage." Mrs. Williams' voice was far from friendly, just like her son, she had changed as well. "You should know marriage isn't a bed of roses."

—those were the only reply she got from Mrs. Williams from time to time and Lisa, on the other hand, had given up on receiving help from Alex's mother.

Aside from treating her like a pest, Alex would always force Lisa to do the household chores, despite the fact that there were countless maids in the mansion to get the chores done. Most nights, he made her sleep on the floor rather than have her sleep on the same bed with him, not minding if she caught a cold or not.

Earlier, before accepting to concur with the marriage idea, Lisa had thought that after a year, if the marriage did not work out or if she found no clue leading to the car accident of her parents, she would file a divorce. But the plan does not go accordingly — Lisa find herself falling for him instead.

Lisa's brother, Andy, seeing how much his sister was going through, had advised her to quit her marriage with Alex, but she was adamant. Andy had thought about causing a scene and vacating his sister from Alex's house, but Lisa's pleading would hold him back.

Soon, she stops telling her brother anything that has happened in her marriage as she realized how much Andy hates Alex. She keeps pushing her luck with Alex instead, believing she was close to finding the truth about her parents' death —and maybe, someday, Alex will change his mind and will start treating her as his wife.