The Capitol Wife's Revenge

The Capitol Wife's Revenge

Shi Liu

5.0
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For five years, I played the silent partner to Matthew's rising political career, sacrificing my MFA, my novel, and my own dreams for his ambition. Our grand Georgetown apartment, that rich smell of my slow-cooked short ribs-it used to be the scent of home. Then came the text: "Completely buried. Not going to make it home." An hour later, scrolling in my dark apartment, I saw the Instagram post. Matthew, arm casually draped behind his young, beaming mentee, Gabrielle, at a dive bar. "Grateful to have a mentor who gets that the real work happens after hours." My stomach churned, but something cold settled in my chest. This wasn't just a missed anniversary; it was a public declaration of where I ranked. When he called, sharp with annoyance about the single word I'd commented-"Impressive"-accusing me of overthinking, a chilling clarity descended. I saw the years of excuses, the skipped family funerals, the career-first mentality that always left me second. Was I crazy? Was I really "overthinking" how my own dreams were dismissed as a hobby while his were a calling? Was I just the "homebody," the one he occasionally "fit in"? But that night, as if a spell had broken, I didn't cry. I didn't confront. I walked past the cold coffee machine, looked at the cheap, afterthought anniversary gift, and realized: the quiet woman who put Matthew first was gone. And it was time to write a new ending, for myself.

Introduction

For five years, I played the silent partner to Matthew's rising political career, sacrificing my MFA, my novel, and my own dreams for his ambition.

Our grand Georgetown apartment, that rich smell of my slow-cooked short ribs-it used to be the scent of home.

Then came the text: "Completely buried. Not going to make it home."

An hour later, scrolling in my dark apartment, I saw the Instagram post.

Matthew, arm casually draped behind his young, beaming mentee, Gabrielle, at a dive bar.

"Grateful to have a mentor who gets that the real work happens after hours."

My stomach churned, but something cold settled in my chest.

This wasn't just a missed anniversary; it was a public declaration of where I ranked.

When he called, sharp with annoyance about the single word I'd commented-"Impressive"-accusing me of overthinking, a chilling clarity descended.

I saw the years of excuses, the skipped family funerals, the career-first mentality that always left me second.

Was I crazy?

Was I really "overthinking" how my own dreams were dismissed as a hobby while his were a calling?

Was I just the "homebody," the one he occasionally "fit in"?

But that night, as if a spell had broken, I didn't cry.

I didn't confront.

I walked past the cold coffee machine, looked at the cheap, afterthought anniversary gift, and realized: the quiet woman who put Matthew first was gone.

And it was time to write a new ending, for myself.

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For five years, I played the part of the perfect wife to Knox Steele, heir to a media empire. My life was a curated masterpiece, a reward for surviving the car accident his stepsister, Gemma, caused-an accident that was meant to kill me. At a charity gala, I saw her. Gemma, supposed to be locked away in rehab, was glowing. She was holding the hand of a small boy. And next to her, laughing as the boy tugged on his jacket, was my husband. Hiding in the shadows, I heard the boy call Knox "Daddy." I heard them planning his birthday party for the next day at our lake house-a "family-only" trip I was, as always, excluded from. Then I heard Gemma' s voice, laced with poison. "What about Adelaide? Will she be a problem?" "Don't worry about her," Knox said, his tone dismissive. "I'll tell her it's a business retreat. She'll stay home like a good little wife. Poor thing." My entire five-year marriage was a performance. A carefully constructed cage to keep me quiet while they lived their real life right under my nose. I wasn't family. I was the cover story. But the final betrayal was discovering their plan to drug my morning coffee, to keep me sedated and "unwell" so I wouldn't interfere with their celebration. They weren't just lying to me; they were going to incapacitate me. That's when the woman he married died. I signed the divorce papers, walking away from billions. I wanted nothing from them but their ruin. And as I watched them cut the birthday cake at the lake house, I smiled. My gift was on its way.

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