Wishing My Husband Dead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
Prologue
When Cordelia opened her eyes that morning, she realized today was her twentieth birthday.
At seven, she had wished for a big teddy bear.
At ten, she dreamed of becoming a happy princess from a fairy tale.
By fifteen, her only wish was to escape the suffocating poverty that weighed her down.
“O sacred morning star, protector of Vasquez.”
She folded her hands and made a wish for her twentieth birthday gift.
She poured all her desperate hope into that plea—if you possess even a shred of conscience, please, just this once, grant it.
“Please, kill my husband.”
[This is the timeline separator]‘He’s still not dead.’
When she looked at her husband with sorrowful eyes, the maid beside her offered overly eager comfort.
“Don’t worry too much, young mistress. Master will wake up very soon.”
“Yes. He must.”
She forced the corners of her lips upward into a smile. The maid dipped a cloth in water and began wiping the hands of the man lying still as a corpse.
Her husband, Craig Abrams—little more than a half-dead body—had been unconscious for five whole months since his fall from horseback.
The physician who first examined Craig had claimed he wouldn’t last ten days, yet somehow, five months had passed.
‘He should’ve just died cleanly back then. How much longer must I play nurse to this walking corpse?’
Cordelia muttered this frightening thought to herself as if it were perfectly ordinary.
Sometimes, when left alone with him in an empty room, she was overcome by the urge to press a pillow over his face.
‘You’re Vasquez’s daughter? Your face isn’t bad, but I wonder about your figure.’
On their wedding night, Craig licked his lips and leered at his bride with lecherous eyes, scanning her up and down.
Cordelia’s face flushed crimson from the humiliation—something she’d never experienced before. Seeing this, Craig’s two mistresses tittered.
‘Tonight is our wedding night. How can you bring other women into the bridal chamber…?’
‘Right. I know. I prepared them especially for you. Say hello. This one’s Alicia. That one’s Elizabeth.’
It didn’t take long to understand what kind of man Craig Abrams truly was.
On their very wedding night, he summoned his mistresses into the bedroom and shamelessly indulged before his bride’s eyes.
“Master really must wake up soon.”
“I know.”
As she uttered these insincere words, the door suddenly burst open without a sound.
“Oh dear!”
Startled by the cry, the maid spilled the washbasin water. It soaked the bedspread and dripped onto the floor. Her face turned deathly pale.
“Oh heavens, what should we do?”
“What on earth are you doing?”
An irritable female voice came from behind. Cordelia hastily rose from her seat.
“Madam, you’ve arrived.”
“You dare spill water on my son’s body just because I’m not here? Are you mad?”
“Madam, it’s actually—”
The maid hurried forward to take the blame, but Cordelia stepped in front of her.
“I’m sorry, Madam. It was my fault.”
“An apology fixes everything, does it? Craig’s soaked! Sob… my poor son. Stuck with such a useless girl as a wife… Get up quickly—I’m burning up inside from worry!”
The extravagantly dressed woman dabbed at her dry eyes with a handkerchief. Cordelia stood silently with lowered eyes.
‘Anyone would think they were mother and son.’
Though Helena fussed over him, in truth, she and Craig despised each other.
Helena had seized the role of mistress of the Abrams household soon after Craig’s birth mother died, and had openly scorned his debauchery.
But when the previous earl died suddenly and Craig was left with no backing, Helena’s attitude changed completely.
“What are you standing there for like a fool? Wipe him dry before Craig catches a chill!”
Cordelia bent down herself to wipe the soaked bedspread under Helena’s scolding. Still unsatisfied, Helena spitefully added,
“You won’t eat today. Go to the temple and pray until tomorrow morning—pray for Craig to wake up safely.”
“I will do as you say.”
“Useless girl. We should’ve never brought you into this house. Ever since you entered the estate, everything’s turned to chaos!”
“…”
Helena glared at Cordelia with contempt, as if she alone were the source of all misfortune.
“What good is being one of the Sacred Eight Houses? Hmph! You’re utterly ruined—just an empty shell now. Do you even know how much money Abrams has poured into your family?”
“…We are always deeply grateful, Madam.”
Cordelia forced a smile, careful not to reveal the bitterness rotting inside her. She had to—this was the only way to survive in this household.
The Sacred Eight Houses.
The eight noble families who founded Erche alongside King Wilhelm the First. They also held the right to elect Erche’s king, which is why they were also called Archdukes.
Yet Vasquez, one of those eight, had long since lost its former glory and now remained only as a hollow shell.
‘If only Father weren’t so… I wouldn’t be in this miserable situation.’
Unfortunately, her marriage to Craig Abrams was never Cordelia’s choice.
She needed money for her ailing father’s medicine—or more precisely, her father, blinded by greed, had sold her off under the pretext of “earning money for my medicine.”
Vasquez’s misfortunes only grew worse due to barren lands and foolish investments. The wheat from their last remaining estate was now their sole source of income.
They kept only the bare minimum of servants, turning Vasquez Castle into a desolate, eerie ruin. Even meat rarely appeared on their table anymore.
Yet her father, Archduke Vasquez, refused to let go of his pride.
Instead, he sold his daughter.
‘Cordelia, my daughter… at last you’ll do something worthwhile.’
‘What do you mean? Surely you don’t intend to send me to Abrams?’
When the Abrams marriage proposal first arrived, Vasquez flew into a rage.
“A vulgar upstart noble who’s been an earl less than twenty years—how dare they overreach like this!”
But even that fragile pride crumbled easily before the sum of five hundred thousand lingkits—large if you called it large, small if you called it small.
“The wedding date is already set. Prepare yourself quietly.”
“But Father!”
“How dare you talk back to your own father?”
“I refuse! There are rumors he already has five mistresses! If it’s just about medicine money, I’d rather negotiate with Viscount Nickson—”
“Silence! Who are you to act so clever? Tsk tsk. All that useless reading has filled your head with nonsense. It’s your wretched mother’s fault.”
Her father clicked his tongue and insulted her late mother, already forgotten.
He’d clearly forgotten that their finances had been stable while Cordelia’s mother was still alive.
‘Sister, just listen to Father. You know this is the best we can do.’
‘The best? Denis, how can you—of all people—say that to me?’
‘That’s exactly why I’m saying it. Why are you being so selfish? What about Father’s medicine? It’s a marriage you have to make anyway—can’t you sacrifice for the family?’
Her younger brother Denis, two years her junior, snapped irritably.
Rather than anger, Cordelia felt absurdity at being called selfish.
The money Denis spent summoning his swordmaster alone equaled several years’ wages for the servants. To afford it, Cordelia had mended the torn hem of her dress over and over.
‘Don’t you even think of coming back.’
Her father drove the nail in firmly, fearing she might flee home.
‘Even if you die, you must die there. This is no longer a place you may return to.’
‘Father…’
For a father sending off his daughter, he was cruelly heartless.
She pressed herself against the tiny carriage window, watching the home where she’d lived her whole life shrink into a dot.
She cried bitterly from grief, then her tears dried up. On that day, Cordelia—the girl sold off like chattel for a few coins—realized one truth:
‘The only person I can trust in this world is myself…’
“Stop spacing out like an idiot and at least massage Craig’s arm. Ugh, must I spell out every little thing?”
“…Understood, Madam.”
“Don’t even think of slacking off just because I’m not here.”
Only after venting her frustrations did Helena finally leave. Once the door closed completely, the maid hesitated before speaking.
“Young mistress… I’m truly sorry. It’s all my fault.”
“No. I’m used to being scolded by Madam anyway. Emily, if you fall out of her favor, you might be thrown out—especially with the wedding so close.”
“But it’s not your fault at all—you shouldn’t have to skip meals and pray until morning…”
“I’m fine.”
Cordelia gently patted her with a faint smile. Emily’s eyes instantly reddened.
“Th-thank you so much, young mistress.”
“Don’t cry. Just tell me how the wedding preparations are going.”
“Sniff… Yes. We’re going to use the dress Kevin’s mother wore as your wedding gown.”
Earning sympathy and goodwill among the servants was simple.
A mother-in-law who couldn’t wait to see her starve, a husband who brought home mistresses daily, and Abrams blood relatives who looked down on her—it was the perfect setup for pity.
Once Cordelia realized this sentiment was spreading among the staff, she deliberately played the part of a “pitiful, wretched” young mistress.
‘If I’m going to be pitied anyway, I might as well make use of it.’
She thought with cold practicality.
Receiving kindness in any form mattered—and ensuring it couldn’t be used against her mattered even more.
Fortunately, Cordelia had a knack for balancing perfectly between “pitiful mistress” and “pushover mistress.”
Behind the gentle smile of a dutiful lady, Cordelia assessed her situation with unmatched clarity.
‘If only this man dies, I’ll be free.’
If Craig died, the earldom would pass to another heir, and no one would care where Cordelia went.
So every night, Cordelia prayed.
She prayed, desperately, for her husband to die.
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
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Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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Fun chapter. The relationship between all of them is heartwarming.
Laughed out loud reading this, Lord Leonard is very jealous of the closeness of his own student and friend 😭
They are so cute together I can’t take it anymore <3 love the dynamic