The Billionaire's Discarded Heiress: Crawling Back to Her

Eliana

My fingers trembling as they grazed the thick bandages hidden beneath my oversized sweater. A burning pain flared through my abdomen.

It had only been seven days since the nephrectomy. Seven days since they cut me open and took my left kidney to save my husband’s life.

"Are you still doing that, Eliana?"

I flinched. My mother-in-law, Carmen, stood in the doorway of the kitchen, her arms crossed over her designer dress. Her lips were curled in a tight, disapproving sneer.

"I was just catching my breath, Carmen.”

"Oh, Eliana, please don't tell me you are still on that descanso nonsense," Carmen snapped, rolling her dark eyes.

"You act as if you are the only woman in the world who has ever had a medical procedure. You are just haciendo el vago lazing around!"

"They took an organ from my body," I whispered, the sting of her words hurting more than my physical stitches. "I gave Miguel my kidney. The doctor said I need bed rest."

"The doctor doesn't run this household," Carmen fired back, taking a step closer. "And you should be grateful my son even allowed you to be his donor. It justifies this ridiculous arranged marriage of yours. Now hurry up. We have important guests arriving tonight."

"Guests?"

"Tonight? But I can barely stand."

Carmen’s smile was thin and cruel. "Yes. Everyone who matters is going to be present. Including Louisiana and her daughter."

At the mention of her daughter, Carmen’s face lit up. A genuine, bright smile broke across her strict features.

"Henrietta is coming?" I asked, my voice barely working.

"Yes, Henrietta," Carmen said proudly. "So don't tell me you want her to mock me? Is that what you want, mocosa? For my friend's daughter to see my son's wife acting like a weak, useless maid in my own home?"

"I am Miguel's wife," I said, though the words felt hollow on my tongue.

"Everyone is going to be there! Common, hurry up and set the table! Miguel will be home any minute, and I will not have you embarrassing this family!"

The front door opened.

Miguel was home.

I pushed off the counter, gritting my teeth against the sharo pull in my side, and forced myself to walk into the hallway.

Miguel stood by the door, loosening his silk tie. He looked immaculate, but the dark circles under his eyes showed his exhaustion.

"Miguel.”

"Welcome back."

I took a step forward, raising my arms slightly, desperately wanting to hug him.

Miguel simply brushed right past me, his shoulder clipping mine hard enough to make me stumble back.

"Don't crowd me, Eliana," his voice was like ice.

I dropped my arms, the humiliation burning my cheeks. "I just wanted to welcome you home."

"Can you heat and prepare the bath for me?" he demanded, walking toward the stairs. "And follow up on the investors for the Farma acquisition. I want the full reports on them printed and on my desk in ten minutes."

"Miguel," I pleaded, following him to the bottom of the staircase. "Your mother wants me to handle preparing the dining table. We have guests coming."

Miguel stopped on the first step. He slowly turned around, his dark cold eyes locking onto mine.

"So what!?"

I shrank back.

"Can't you handle all of it?" he demanded, glaring down at me as if I were a piece of dirt.

"Why do you always complain?"

"I'm not complaining.”

"I just... I can't be in two places at once. And my stitches are bleeding again."

"Stop using that as an excuse!" Miguel yelled, stepping back down until he was towering over me. "You gave up a kidney, Eliana, not your spine! You are the wife of a CEO, start acting like it instead of acting like a burden! I pay for your clothes, I put a roof over your head, and you can't even run a simple dinner?"

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. "I gave you my kidney because I love you."

"You did it because you want a payout," he sneered, his words slicing through my heart.

"Miguel, please," I choked out, desperately trying to reach him. "I was hoping we could go on a vacation. Just the two of us. We've been drifting apart lately, and we barely have time for each other anymore. We need to fix this."

Miguel let out a harsh, mocking laugh. It held absolutely no humor.

"A vacation? With you?" He looked me up and down with pure disgust. "You are barely tolerable in this house, Eliana. Why would I want to be trapped on an island with you crying and complaining about your pain all day? Do your job. Get my bath ready. Now."

He turned his back on me and walked up the stairs.

I stood there alone, a tear finally spilling over my lashes.

"Are you deaf?" Carmen hissed from the doorway. "Get to the kitchen!"

I forced myself to ignore the agonizing pain in my abdomen. I set the dining table with the finest crystal and silver. I arranged the centerpieces. I made sure Miguel’s bath was drawn exactly how he liked it.

By the time the doorbell rang, I was dizzy, pale, and sweating.

I stood in the corner of the dining room as Carmen opened the front door.

"Louisiana! Henrietta! Welcome!" Carmen cheered, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.

Louisiana walked in first, dressed in diamonds. But it was Henrietta who caught my attention. She wore a tight red dress that hugged every single curve of her body. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled, her lips painted a glossy crimson.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Miguel descended, dressed in a fresh black button-down shirt.

"Miguel!" Henrietta squealed.

I stopped breathing.

Miguel was smiling. It wasn't a smirk. It wasn't his usual arrogant grin. It was a massive, ear-to-ear smile that reached his dark eyes and transformed his entire face.

He rarely smiled at me that way. No, that was a lie. He had never smiled at me that way. It had been years since I had seen him look so incredibly, genuinely happy.

She shouldn't be making me feel this way, we were married. But I could barely ignore the crushing ache in my chest as Miguel walked straight past me and pulled Henrietta into a deep hug.

"You look beautiful, Henrietta," Miguel said, his voice soft and warm. A tone he never used with me.

"And you look as handsome as ever," Henrietta purred, placing her hand flat against his chest.

"Let us sit, the food is ready," Carmen announced, ushering them into the dining room.

They took their seats. Miguel sat at the head of the table. Henrietta sat immediately to his right. I was left standing by the wall.

"Eliana," Miguel snapped, the warmth vanishing from his voice instantly. "Bring the wine."

I grabbed the heavy bottle from the ice bucket, and walked over.

I poured Louisiana's glass, then Carmen's. When I reached Henrietta, my hand shook slightly. A single drop of red wine splashed onto the white tablecloth.

"Watch what you're doing, you clumsy idiot!" Miguel shouted, slamming his hand on the table.

I jumped, clutching the bottle to my chest. "I'm sorry, my hand just slipped"

"Are you blind?" Miguel insulted me loudly, clearly putting on a show for Henrietta. "You can't even pour a glass of wine correctly. You are completely useless."

"She lacks refinement, Miguel," Carmen chimed in, laughing cruelly. "What do you expect from someone with her background? She belongs in the kitchen, not at a dinner table."

Henrietta covered her mouth, giggling softly. "It must be so difficult for you, Miguel. Having to put up with such incompetence every single day."

"It's a nightmare," Miguel agreed, picking up his glass.

"Go to the kitchen, Eliana. Get the appetizers.”

My face burned with utter humiliation. They were treating me like the hired help.

"Yes, Miguel," I whispered, turning around and walking back to the kitchen.

I leaned against the cold refrigerator, pressing both hands against my side, trying to stop the tears from falling. I could hear them laughing in the dining room. I could hear Miguel's deep, rich laugh mixing with Henrietta's high-pitched giggles.

I stayed in the kitchen for a long time, plating the food, completely ignored by the family I had sacrificed my own body for.

"Excuse me, Carmen," I heard Henrietta's voice float down the hallway. "Could you point me to the restroom?"

"It's down the hall to the right, dear," Carmen replied.

"Actually, I'll show you," Miguel said instantly. I heard the scraping of his chair as he stood up. "The lights in the guest hall are acting up."

"Oh, my hero," Henrietta giggled.

I listened to their footsteps walk down the corridor.

Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen.

Carmen and Louisiana were chatting loudly in the dining room, completely unbothered that the host had disappeared with the guest.

A sickening feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.

I wiped my hands on a towel, ignoring the screaming pain in my abdomen, and slowly walked out of the kitchen.

"Miguel?" I called out softly.

There was no answer.

I walked further down. The restroom door was wide open, and the lights were off. They weren't in there.

I kept walking toward the end of the hall, where Miguel's private study was located.

I approached slowly.

As I got closer, I heard a sound.

A soft, breathy moan.

"Miguel..." Henrietta's voice whispered from inside the room. It wasn't giggling anymore. It was desperate. Panting.

"You're driving me crazy," Miguel's rough, dark voice growled in response.

I couldn't breathe. The hallway started to spin.

Slowly, with a trembling hand, I reached out and placed my fingers flat against the wood of the study door.

I pushed it open and the entire world shattered into a million jagged pieces.