CEO Husband Regrets Making Me Perfect

In the fifth year of my marriage with Caspian Hayes, I finally receive the wonderful news of being able to leave this world once and for all.

In my last three days of existence, I decide to play the roles of the perfect wife and the silent mother Caspian and our son, Noah Hayes, want me to play.

On the first day, Caspian complains that I'm not prim and proper enough, so he intends to attend the banquet with the fake heiress, Erin Winslow, as his date. I merely iron his suit without a word of complaint.

On the second day, Noah doesn't like how nagging I am, so he throws a tantrum and demands to see Erin. With a smile on my face, I deliver him to Erin's doorstep.

On the third day, my friend calls me on the phone. She asks me in a disappointed tone, "Aren't you worried that you might lose favor with them for real at this point?"

I just smile wanly. "It's fine. I'll be going home soon anyway."

That's when Caspian wheels around to look at me. For once, there's panic in his eyes.

"Aren't you an orphan, Astrid? You don't have another home other than the one you have with me!"

Seeing the shock in Caspian Hayes' eyes, I hung up and calmly said, "I was just joking. Even if I do have a family to go home to, they won't welcome me."

Only then did Caspian finally relax.

"I'm celebrating Erin's birthday tonight, and Noah is coming too."

"Do you want me to come along?" I asked and smiled.

Caspian looked surprised. In the past, I would have thrown a massive fit if he ever said anything like that, crying and screaming to stop him and Noah Hayes from meeting Erin Winslow.

But now, there wasn't a trace of resentment on my face. I even proactively offered to join them.

Even so, he coldly turned me down.

"You don't have to come along. Her parents raised you for years, but now that she's finally reunited with them, this is the first birthday party her biological parents are throwing for her. Your presence will only make things awkward for everyone."

Every word he said made it clear that I didn't belong, and I just stood there, listening in silence.

I had a foster family I could never blend into, a biological family I could never return to, and my in-laws had no place for me. I was the perfect embodiment of the word "orphan" Caspian always threw around.

I indifferently nodded. "Fine. I won't go then, but do me a favor and deliver Erin her gift."

While Caspian looked me up and down in utter disbelief, I ignored his stare and pulled out a box from the cabinet before handing it to him. It contained a pair of sparkling earrings.

He barely glanced at it before disdainfully saying, "This gift is way too basic for Erin."

I stood rooted to the spot and watched as he carelessly tossed the box onto the desk. He had no idea that this so-called basic item was the finest gift I had to offer.

Erin and I were never close, but since it was her birthday, I didn't want to give anyone an excuse to start drama. So that day, I rummaged through the cabinets and turned the house upside down before I finally managed to find that pair of exquisite, expensive earrings.

I hadn't even been able to bring myself to wear the earrings, yet Caspian tossed them aside with disgust.

Deep down, I knew that he didn't think the earrings were basic. He simply looked down on any gift that came from me, a mere housewife.

Frowning, he looked up at me and asked, "I bought Erin a necklace as a gift a few days ago. Where did you put it while you were cleaning?"

I had seen the necklace he was talking about a few days prior. It was the most thoughtful gift I had ever seen him buy in our five years of marriage.

Back then, I thought he had noticed my odd behavior. Maybe he was trying to surprise me on my birthday and make peace.

So, I tucked it away on his bookshelf and pretended to have never seen it.

As it turned out, I wasn't the rightful owner of the gift at all.

I went into the study, retrieved the necklace, and handed it to Caspian. The tight frown on his brow relaxed slightly as he took the velvet box.

"Noah and I will be back as soon as possible. If there's anything you want to eat, just order it yourself using my card."

I smiled and quietly said okay as I watched them leave.

After the heavy front door shut with a loud thud, I turned around to return to my room as the maids' mocking taunts drifted over from behind me.

"She's such a failure as Mrs. Hayes. Not only can't she keep her husband's heart, but she also can't keep her son's.

"She has the same birthday as Ms. Winslow, but both of them ran off to celebrate Ms. Winslow's, and not a single person remembers her birthday. At this rate, it won't be long before she has to hand over her place as Mrs. Hayes to Ms. Winslow."

Another maid sighed in sympathy. "Mrs. Hayes really does have it rough. Her biological parents are dead, and her foster parents never loved her either.

"Ms. Winslow is the lucky one. She spent the first 20 years of her life growing up pampered and spoiled by the Winslows, and now, her biological parents' business has taken off, so she gets to live in luxury all over again."

Every word reached my ears clearly, but I never looked back. It wasn't the first time I had heard such talk.

At first, I would have angrily snapped at them. I used to dislike Erin, but back then, I still believed Caspian truly cared for me.

But later, all it took was one comment from Erin that she liked my bracelet, and Caspian took the gift he had given me and handed it to her at her birthday party.

Slowly, my heart had grown completely numb, but I knew that it was fine. Three days would fly by.

Tonight, I was finally going home.

…

I returned to my bedroom, took our wedding portrait down from the wall, and ran my fingertips over the wedding dress.

On our wedding night, the System had announced my successful completion of the mission and presented me with an invitation to leave this world.

Over the years spent trying to win Caspian over, I had said a lot of romantic words. But somewhere along the way, those words became laced with genuine affection.

I had agonized over the decision all night.

Half-drunk in the middle of the night, I finally gathered the courage to tell him. "The truth is… I'm just a passing traveler in your life. Someday, you'll meet your true female lead, who's elegant, graceful, and understanding… someone who's far better than me."

Caspian's eyes had immediately reddened. He shoved me against the wall, knocking empty beer cans all over the floor.

Then, he bit my lips hard and announced in a hoarse and possessive voice, "I don't want someone elegant or understanding. You're the only female lead in my life, and I love you for who you really are. I love being controlled by you."

His kiss had left me utterly dizzy and breathless.

That night, I was so overwhelmed with happiness that I ignored the System's repeated prompts. I forgot just how easily human hearts could change.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye. Erin entered his life just as expected, and little by little, his heart began to lean toward her.

He started complaining that I wasn't refined enough and that I couldn't handle social events with grace. He said I controlled him too much and never gave him enough freedom.

He began to resent all my flaws and picked apart everything that wasn't perfect about me.

In the end, I was the only one who still remembered the promises made on our wedding night.

There was a sudden, loud pounding on the door. The shock made me flinch, and the wedding portrait slipped from my hands, shattering into pieces on the floor.

The pounding didn't stop. I quickly stepped over the glass shards and opened the door.

Caspian immediately grabbed me by the arm and began dragging me out. His grip was painfully tight.

I instinctively frowned and asked, "Where are we going?"