He was both undeserving scum and a coward. He let both his mother and sister treat her like trash after he had married her for his own convenience. When his sister, in her irrational hatred, spewed her vitriol to him, he basically said that his wife was burnable trash for his own convenience; this when she has just returned from the hospital after giving birth. When they are back together, his hatred is almost a physical thing, he pretty much rapes her and says she's his mistress while she's there, and the whole time refuses to listen to a thing she says. If she had an ounce of self respect, she would have taken her newborn baby and burned his mansion down after ensuring that he and his family were inside.
The Spaniard's Marriage Bargain