My Husband’s Second Personality Loved His Sister-in-Law Novel – After witnessing my miscarriage, my husband, Nathaniel Reed, collapsed. When he woke up, he was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. His first personality loved me obsessively—he would have done anything for me, would have torn the moon out of the sky if I’d asked. The other persona, however, insisted on raising Andrew Reed’s children with Sophia Reed, fulfilling a duty that had fallen to him after Andrew’s death. Every time he “switched,” he would scrub at his own skin until it turned red and raw, crying as he swore he would only ever love me.
I ran back and forth between the hospital and local healers, desperate for a cure. Until one day, by accident, I overheard him on the phone with Sophia. “Missing me?” “It’s fine. I’ll just pretend the other persona is calling me later.” “Evelyn? She won’t notice. She’s busy hunting down miracle cures for me. It’s pathetic.” The faded remedies in my hands slipped to the floor without my realizing it. The split personality was fake. The promises of loving only me were fake. The only thing real was his favoritism toward Sophia.
I let out a bitter laugh. Fine. If that was what they wanted, I would give them exactly that. … A familiar crashing sound came from the study. I pushed the door open to find Nathaniel clutching his head, roaring in apparent agony. I rushed forward instinctively—only to feel something crunch beneath my shoe. Last week, feverish and drenched, I had knelt in the rain, hoping some ritual or charm might protect him. Now it lay shredded on the floor. Nathaniel looked up. The tenderness that once filled his eyes had been replaced by naked disgust. “You think a piece of paper like that can erase me?” “Dream on.” “I told you before—the reason I exist is to continue Andrew’s family line. ” “Look at you—not even able to protect the child in your own womb. ” He slipped off his wedding ring and tossed it onto the desk. I lowered my gaze.
That was always the signal. The ring coming off meant the “other persona” had taken over. In the past, whenever I saw the ring set aside, I would bow my head in silence and let him walk out to find Sophia. But this time, as he brushed past me, I did something I had never done before. I grabbed his sleeve. “Today’s my birthday,” I said quietly. “Can you stay?” For a split second, hesitation flickered in his eyes. Then he pulled his sleeve free. “I’m not him.” In the past, when he said something so cruel, I always told myself it wasn’t really Nathaniel speaking. Even if the face was identical, two people lived in that body, and the Nathaniel who belonged to me was just temporarily shut away.
Once his first persona took over again, he would be full of me, just like before. But the conversation I had just overheard stabbed into me like a blade. There had never been other persona. The indifference of the past four years—all the cold looks and hurtful words—had been his true feelings all along. No so-called miracle cure could fix a man faking illness. The door clicked shut behind him. I sat frozen on the couch until my phone lit up. On Sophia’s Instagram feed was a photo of her and Nathaniel smiling together. [Nathaniel still remembered the day Max came home. He even ordered a custom dog cake.] [So thoughtful~] A faint curl of mockery tugged at my lips. So that’s why Nathaniel was in such a rush to get home—it was for Sophia’s dog. In his heart, I ranked below a pet. Just then, a message came through from the wedding planning company.
The staff member sounded hesitant. [Ms. Bennett, the ceremony arrangements are ready. When would you like to come in for final approval?] [This is the fifth delay in as many years. If it’s delayed again, we’ll have to cancel.] I parted my lips. And suddenly understood. It had never been a coincidence that his “other persona” surfaced in the days leading up to every scheduled ceremony.
It had been a carefully designed excuse. He simply didn’t want to marry me. A silent laugh slipped out as tears slid down my face. [There’s no need for approval,] I said, forcing my trembling hand steady. [Cancel the ceremony.]