On our anniversary, I served a piece of meat to Chloe, but her assistant, Ryder, knocked it away with a fork. “Chloe’s pregnant, she can’t eat anything too greasy. Don’t you even know that, Liam?” My face froze, and it took me a moment to process. Chloe and I locked eyes, and she quickly looked away. We’d never been intimate. Where did she get a child from? “Ryder’s father is critically ill, and his last wish is to see his family line continue, to have a grandchild before he passed. You know Ryder’s been my assistant for years, he’s practically part of the family, and he’s worked so incredibly hard for me.” “So I agreed to artificial insemination.” “After I give birth, I won’t interfere anymore, I promise.” But we’d been together for four years. I’d brought up having children many times, and Chloe always refused, saying she was afraid of childbirth and didn’t like intimate things. Now she’s pregnant with someone else’s child? My whole body trembled, and my heart twisted with agony. The words clawed their way out of my throat, “Then what am I?” Before Chloe could answer, Ryder stood up, his eyes welling up with tears. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I guess my dad’s last wish before he died is something Liam can’t accept. Let him die with regret.” The next second, Chloe’s palm connected sharply with my face. Her eyes wide with fury, she snapped, “Ryder’s father is on his deathbed, and you’re still so petty? Are you even a man?!” “I didn’t even sleep with him! What are you making such a fuss about?!” With that, she grabbed Ryder’s hand and walked away without a backward glance. On our anniversary, I was left alone in an empty house. The next day, I dialed a number overseas. “Help me draft a divorce agreement, Stella.” On the other end, an excited squeal erupted. “You’re finally getting divorced? Does that mean I have a chance?!”
After hanging up, I silently started packing away all traces of myself from the house. To say I wasn’t heartbroken would be a lie. My hands even trembled when I took down our wedding photo. Chloe’s grandfather died saving me from a fire. Before he passed, he asked me to take care of Chloe. For her grandfather, and for the goodwill in my own heart, I approached her, cared for her, and married her. I still remember how her eyes shone on our wedding day, full of dreams for our future. Even though she never let me touch her after we married, she claimed a bad childhood experience left her traumatized, and she didn’t want to experience the pain of childbirth. I never suspected anything, waiting patiently, but the result… Tears splashed onto the floor, spreading into dark circles. I had just booked a flight for three days later when a call from the hospital came through. “Hello, are you Chloe’s husband?” Almost instantly, I instinctively clutched my phone and sprinted to the hospital without a word, my worry surging uncontrollably. But at the door to the hospital room, I had to stop. My blood ran cold, freezing me to the spot. Chloe and Ryder were nestled in the small hospital bed, kissing passionately, completely lost in each other. “You were too rough, you almost made me lose the baby! And you landed me in the hospital!” Ryder held Chloe’s delicate, almost childish hand, his eyes soft with adoration. “Well, Chloe, you’re just too captivating! Even pregnant, your charm is undeniable.” He curled his lips, leaning in to whisper in Chloe’s ear, “Am I better than Liam?” The man’s other large hand remained hidden under the covers. I watched Chloe’s face flush, her expression distant and blissful. “Of course, it’s you. That loser, I never even touched him. How could he be as good as you?” “If it weren’t for you, I might never have experienced this kind of joy in my life, Ryder… It’s just a shame I met you too late, too late.” My legs wobbled, and I almost collapsed. My chest ached, making it hard to breathe. A doctor suddenly appeared behind me, his brows furrowed with deep displeasure. “Do you even know your wife is pregnant? Why were you two being so rough? Are you trying to jeopardize her life?” “How can there be such an irresponsible husband in this world? You’re no different from an animal!” He slapped the medical report hard against my chest. I clutched the report, flipping through it repeatedly, but I couldn’t ignore the truth. Taking two deep breaths, I suppressed all my emotions and pushed the door open. Chloe was caught off guard by my sudden entrance. She hastily grabbed the blanket to cover herself. At the same time, she shoved Ryder off the bed. There was a faint hint of guilt in her expression as she looked at me. “Liam, what are you doing here?” I silently placed the medical report on the table. “The hospital called me, her next of kin.” “But it seems, I came at the wrong time.” Chloe’s gaze lingered on the report, a fleeting panic in her eyes. She forced a strained smile, leaned forward, and grabbed my hand. “You’re my husband, you can come anytime.” “What did the doctor just tell you?” I looked at her face, still the same as before. But why did I feel like she was a complete stranger? “You’re pregnant, and you’re in the hospital because of how rough you were during sex.” As I spoke, my gaze fell on Ryder’s face, my voice laced with ice. “Chloe, didn’t you say you two never slept together, that it was all artificial insemination?” “Are you trying to make a fool of me?”
Chloe’s face turned scarlet at my words. “Honey, listen, I can explain. There’s a reason for all this.” “Last night, Ryder kept threatening to kill himself, and I was scared something would happen, so… so I made the first move. We only did it out of desperation.” “Please don’t be angry, okay? I promise you, I’ll never do anything like that with Ryder again.” Chloe’s expression was gentle, appearing very sincere. If I hadn’t seen everything from the doorway just now, I might have actually believed her story. Taking a deep breath, I let out a cold laugh: “Last night could be an accident, but what about just now? What do you call lying together, intimately?” Chloe stiffened at my words. She hadn’t expected me to see everything. She quickly grabbed my hand, attempting to explain. But I threw her hand away. All her pretense shattered as she yelled furiously, “So what if we were intimate today too? When I got pregnant, it really was artificial insemination, I didn’t lie to you about that.” “Besides, you hurt Ryder’s feelings last night, he almost jumped off a building! I sacrificed myself to prevent you from having a death on your conscience.” “Liam, you don’t have to be grateful, but how can you talk about me like that?!” I was so choked with anger I couldn’t speak. A knot of rage tightened in my throat. “He threatens suicide, and you sell your body, roll around together, so intense you ended up in the hospital, and you want me to be grateful?!” The moment the words left my lips, Chloe slapped me hard across the face. The sound echoed, and my cheek stung with a fiery pain. Seeing this, Ryder walked over, seemingly heartbroken, holding Chloe’s hand and blowing on it, doting on her excessively: “I’m sorry, Chloe, it’s all my fault…” “I just keep causing trouble. You should have let me die last night! If I can’t fulfill my father’s last wish, I should die with him.” With that, a clear tear fell, which he quickly wiped away. But it still subtly caught Chloe’s eye. She had been momentarily stunned after hitting me, but seeing that tear, all guilt vanished. It was replaced by deep disgust. “Liam, I never realized what a jealous and selfish man you are!” “Do you have to push people to their deaths to be satisfied? If I had known you were like this, my grandfather never should have saved you!” “Shouldn’t have saved me.” Those words hammered into my chest like a giant mallet. It was hard to breathe. A thousand words churned in my throat. Emotions clogged my chest, unable to escape. I clenched my fists and let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Yes, Grandfather shouldn’t have saved me. He should have let me die in that fire. That way, maybe I would never have ended up with you in this life!” Tears streamed down my face. I hung my head, my heart tightly clenched. Chloe was momentarily stunned, staring intently at my face, a flicker of something resembling regret in her eyes. She slowly walked forward, and just as she was about to reach out to me. Ryder suddenly rushed to the window and threw himself out. The sight stunned all of us. Chloe screamed and immediately rushed to the window. Fortunately, the floor wasn’t high. Ryder had jumped from the third floor of the hospital. He was immediately rushed to the emergency room. Chloe stood at the door, trembling from head to toe, tears streaming down her face. When she looked at me, her eyes were filled with profound loathing. She glared at me, “If anything happens to Ryder, you’re the one to blame!” “You’re not just killing Ryder, but also his father, who’s in the ICU!” I turned my head away, unwilling to speak. An hour later, the doctor came out to announce that Ryder was fine, only suffering some minor fractures. Chloe slowly let out the breath she’d been holding in her throat. Her anxious expression momentarily reminded me of when we were dating, and she would worry about me the same way. But now, Chloe had no such concern or worry for me. My heart sank. I felt suffocated in this place. I tried to leave, but Chloe grabbed me. She looked at me and said, “Go home and get Ryder some of your clothes to wear.” I actually laughed, a bitter, angry sound. “You want *my* clothes for *him*?” Chloe raised an eyebrow as if it were obvious. “Of course. Liam, don’t forget, he jumped because of you.” “If you hadn’t been making a scene just now, how could Ryder have jumped? I’m just asking you to bring him some clean clothes to change into. Are you unwilling even to do that?” I gritted my teeth, and after a long pause, I managed a strained, “Fine.” Only then did Chloe release me, continuing to instruct, “Oh, and make some chicken soup. Ryder really liked the soup you used to make for me.” That chicken soup, I used to start preparing it the night before. I even spent a whole week learning how to make it. I had to cook so many failed attempts before I finally got it right. All because she worked hard overtime, and I wanted her to nourish herself. But all my effort, all my care, was going to another man’s stomach. I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned and quickly walked away. Ignoring Chloe’s calls behind me. Back home, I went to the bedroom and took out a few old, slightly worn clothes from years ago. Some of them Chloe had bought for me. When we moved to our new place, she said they were unwearable and wanted to throw them away, but I insisted on keeping them, cherishing them as precious memories. Now, screw those memories. After packing the items, I didn’t leave immediately. First, I went to arrange various passport documents and collect evidence for the divorce. I dragged my feet until the next day when Chloe called, urging me, and then I slowly made my way to the hospital. Chloe was currently wiping Ryder down. He was only wearing underwear. Chloe held the towel, gently and tenderly wiping him, their eyes sharing intimate glances, laughing and chatting. Sometimes, their faces would even flush with shyness. I swallowed down the disgust churning in my gut, walked quickly, and set the clothes down. “These are the change of clothes.” As soon as the words left my lips, I turned to leave, but Chloe called out to me in a low, venomous voice from the doorway. “Wait, who told you to bring these clothes?” I didn’t turn around. “I won’t be wearing these clothes anymore, so why can’t I bring them?” Chloe grabbed the clothes and swiftly walked up to me, throwing them hard at me. But I didn’t even raise a hand to catch them. “Do you have any idea how long I worked odd jobs in college, pinching every penny, to buy you those clothes? And you just don’t want them anymore?” The clothes slid to the floor, Chloe’s face contorted with rage. But I said calmly, “They’re too old. They’re perfectly suitable for a change of clothes, though.”
Chloe’s mouth opened and closed, her face cycling through a dozen emotions, words failing her. Finally, it twisted into a cold sneer. She stared intently at my face. “Liam, don’t think you can play these games and get my forgiveness.” “If it were just a small thing like before, I’d let it go, but this time you’ve gone too far. And where’s that chicken soup I asked you to make for Ryder? Where is it?” I raised a hand. “I can order takeout now. Do you need me to?” Chloe was furious. She raised her hand and slapped my phone from my grasp. “Liam, what is *wrong* with you? Is it so hard to show Ryder some basic care, some *empathy*?!” “He just jumped from a building, he’s still injured, and he has a gravely ill father! Are you even human? Playing these petty tricks to deliberately upset me!” Ryder, sensing the moment, let out a few soft, aggrieved sounds. “It’s okay, Chloe.” “Someone like me doesn’t deserve to live, and certainly doesn’t deserve to wear Liam’s old clothes.” At that, Chloe finally reacted. Seeing Ryder’s red, swollen eyes, she bit her lip, and as if to prove a point, she stomped on the clothes lying on the floor. The moment her foot came down, my expression stiffened. I heard her furiously demand, “That’s right! Liam, you have so many new clothes in your closet, why didn’t you bring those for Ryder to wear? Are you looking down on him?” “Go get them now, or I’m divorcing you!” “And the chicken soup. I expect to see it this time.” I kept my head down, staring at the trampled clothes on the floor. After a long pause, a sound finally emerged from my throat. “Fine. Let’s get divorced.” Chloe froze. She slowly turned to look at me. Our eyes met. Her lips trembled. “What did you say?” I scoffed, “My wife is pregnant with another man’s child, and you expect me to bring clothes and make soup for your lover? Chloe, what do you take me for? Some spineless idiot? Your personal plaything?” “Let’s end this. We’re done.” The moment I finished speaking, Ryder suddenly got off the bed, his knees hitting the floor with a dull thud. “I’m sorry, Liam, I was so foolish!” “Please don’t divorce Chloe, she loves you very much! I’ll go beg her to abort the baby right now, and I’ll stay far away from her forever, I won’t bother you two again!” Chloe’s pupils constricted. She practically rushed forward to help Ryder up. Her eyes filled with concern, “What are you doing? Get up!” Then she glared at me, “Liam! There’s a limit to your antics! I’m carrying *his* child now, and it’s his father’s only hope left in this world!” “Do you have to kill them both to be satisfied?!” I gently closed my eyes. “You can still do all of that after you divorce me.” She bit down hard on her lip. “Don’t you forget, my grandfather saved your life! What right do you have to ask for a divorce?!”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297356”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply