Every single time my husband wanted to have sex with me, he had to submit a formal application to his “female best friend.” If Chloe was in a bad mood and crossed it off, Ethan would immediately grab a blanket and go sleep in the guest room. “Chloe got yelled at by her boss today, so she’s just throwing a little tantrum. Don’t worry, she’ll approve it tomorrow.” “She’s innocent. She doesn’t overthink things.” “Don’t be so paranoid, Mia.” But it didn’t stop there. Whether he could come home after 10 PM. Whether I was allowed to come on group vacations. Whether we were allowed to have a baby. Chloe had absolute veto power over all of it. Our friends always laughed about it. “Ethan is insane. He married one woman, but it’s like he actually got two wives.” Ethan would just smile faintly, peeling a shrimp and dropping it onto my plate. “Chloe and I are purely platonic.” “This is exactly how we functioned long before I even met Mia.” “I’m careless, she’s detail-oriented. We just balance each other out.” But then, I got pregnant. At six months, I slipped and fell heavily. I called Ethan in a panic. He immediately halted his board meeting and rushed home. Just as he was about to scoop me up off the floor, his phone rang. It was Chloe, and she was absolutely furious. “You didn’t submit an application to me.” “Mia fell.” “I don’t approve it.” Ethan slowly lowered his phone. He pulled a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and shoved it into my hand. “Calling 911 will get you the exact same result.” “Be a good girl. Once you’re stable at the hospital, text me to let me know you’re safe.” I lay paralyzed on the floor. I reached my hand out to him, sobbing uncontrollably. But all he left me was his back as he walked out the door. A few minutes later, Chloe updated her Instagram story. It was a picture of a fancy apology cupcake sitting on her office desk. The caption: [Seeing as someone was pretty quick to admit his mistake, I’ll approve his next application in advance. 😉] Everyone in our friend group immediately started texting me congratulations. Saying Chloe finally gave the green light. Saying next time, there definitely won’t be any issues. But I just lay in the hospital bed, resting my hand over my now-flat stomach. I attached a signed divorce agreement to a text and sent it to Ethan. “Then let’s approve this.” … The group chat instantly exploded: [Mia, stop throwing a fit! Unsend that right now!] [Do you have any idea how hard it was to get Chloe to grant a special exception?! What if she actually approves this?!] [Seriously, you should be figuring out what kind of gift you want Ethan to buy you! Chloe already said she pre-approved his next application, whatever it is!] Approved… I stared at the word on the screen, a bitter, hollow laugh escaping my throat. Tears blurred my vision without me even realizing it. Even a gift from my own husband… Required the explicit approval of another woman. What was the point of continuing a marriage like this? I typed out my response: [No need. This is the only application I want approved.] Ethan called me immediately. The background noise was loud. It sounded like he had just walked out of a meeting. “Mia, stop being so irrational. Do you know how long I had to beg Chloe for this opportunity?” “To get her to calm down, I personally drove all the way across town and waited in line just to get her that apology cupcake.” “Opportunities like this don’t come around often. Stop pouting. Do you want to go on a trip? Open Google Maps right now, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.” A cold, sarcastic smile pulled at my lips. “Why exactly was Chloe mad?” Ethan froze for a second. “Because you came home to save me without submitting an application to her?” Ethan let out a soft chuckle. “Chloe can just be childish sometimes. She’s always been like this.” “She’s twenty-six years old. You call that a child?” He paused. “Ethan. Tell me why your six-months-pregnant wife falling and bleeding on the floor is somehow less important than a single sentence from an unrelated woman.” “To the point where you actually abandoned me to go buy her a pathetic apology cupcake!” “Mia, this is just how we’ve always interacted.” “Even if I miscarried, it wouldn’t matter to you, would it?” The other end of the line went dead silent for two seconds. When Ethan spoke again, his tone was laced with disbelief. “What happened to the baby?” “It’s gone.” My voice was raw and hoarse. “That’s impossible!” I heard Chloe’s voice clearly through the receiver. I frowned. “Ethan, is she in your office right now?” “She just came in to make a cup of coffee…” “Mia, stop lying. Yes, I made Ethan come back to the office, but that was only because he broke our rules. I just needed to teach him a lesson.” Chloe’s tone turned slightly reprimanding: “But that doesn’t mean I actually left you there to die!” “I called 911 for you! The paramedics told me the baby was perfectly fine!” “You’re lying!!” I exploded in absolute fury. “I never saw a single ambulance! I never saw any paramedics!” “Mia, keep your voice down.” Ethan’s tone turned stern, blaming me. “Chloe is a very straightforward person. She doesn’t lie. I know you’re upset, but didn’t Chloe just promise that she’d approve whatever we want to do next?” “Ethan, can you come over here for a second? The espresso machine is jammed.” “Be right there.” Ethan spoke back into the phone: “Mia, stop making sick jokes about the baby. It’s not something a mother should ever do.” With that. He hung up the phone. Chapter 2 I gripped the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. My hands were shaking violently. A little while later. It seemed Ethan had successfully fixed the espresso machine. Because he finally found the time to send me a barrage of links. [Top 10 Babymoon Destinations for Expectant Mothers] [Plan the Ultimate Romantic Getaway for Your Pregnant Wife] Link after link. Accompanied by massive paragraphs of travel itineraries. [Mia, these look like your style. You can pick one of these, or find somewhere else you want to go.] [Regardless, wherever you pick, I’ll take you. Chloe already approved the time off.] Along with the message, he sent a photo of a handwritten “approval slip” from Chloe. [Ethan’s Official Approval Slip] [Approved Activity: Unlimited] [Quantity: 1] [Authorized Signature: Chloe] Fighting through the violent tremors in my hands. I saved the photo of that pathetic slip of paper to my camera roll. Then. I grabbed my medical records confirming the termination of my pregnancy. And my driver’s license. I took an Uber straight to the headquarters of the Sterling Group. A few minutes later. A desperate, blood-curdling accusation echoed from a megaphone outside the Sterling building. I was wearing a thin hospital gown. Kneeling directly in front of the main entrance to the Sterling Group, where hundreds of employees and pedestrians were walking by. Next to me was a massive, blown-up poster board displaying the photo of Chloe’s handwritten approval slip. I held my driver’s license high in the air. And the medical records confirming the loss of my baby. “Because of this exact reason, I missed the critical window for medical intervention, and I lost my child…” “Oh my god, an approval slip? He needed Chloe’s approval just to take his own wife to the hospital?!” Pedestrians pulled out their phones, live-streaming my horrifying, pathetic reality to the internet. “Who the hell does Chloe think she is? She’s not his wife! What right does she have to approve or deny anything?!” “I thought the CEO was super devoted to his wife? Why is he taking orders from this Chloe girl?” “Oh, I know Chloe! She has absolutely zero boundaries. She got iced out at her last company because no one could stand her, so she ran over to Sterling Group to hide.” “She constantly flaunts her ‘decade-long friendship’ with the CEO to act like a tyrant in the office.” Chloe was originally preparing to leave for the day. But when she saw the massive mob blocking the main entrance, she was terrified to step outside. “Wh… what the hell is going on?! Why are there so many people blocking the doors?!” At the same time, Ethan’s phone call came through. “Are you fucking insane?! Why did you terminate the pregnancy?!” I laughed. “Why did I terminate it? Are you seriously pretending you don’t know?” “That’s enough, Mia!” Ethan’s breathing was erratic and heavy. “Chloe literally called 911 for you! The doctors told her the baby was fine! Why the hell did you abort it?!” I froze. A bitter, hollow laugh escaped my lips. “You think I intentionally aborted my own child?” “You’ve always been jealous of Chloe.” “Ethan, I am not a psychotic monster like you and Chloe!!” My furious roar was broadcast live to thousands of people through the pedestrians’ phones. The live stream chat was scrolling at lightning speed. [Oh my god, she looks like she’s literally shattering.] [I’m pregnant right now and watching this is making me bawl my eyes out. Anyone would go insane losing a baby over something like this!] [Chloe is absolute human garbage. I can’t watch this anymore, I’m going down there right now.] [Me too! I work two blocks away!] [Lead the way, bro. My fists are itching.] The crowd gathering outside the building grew massive. People started screaming. Demanding Chloe come downstairs. On the other end of the phone, Chloe burst into hysterical tears. “Ethan! What are we going to do?!” Ethan ground his teeth together. “Mia, Chloe suffers from severe clinical depression! You are literally driving her to suicide!” “And what about our child?!” “Tell them to leave right now.” “Not a chance in hell.” “Ethan… my chest feels so tight… I can’t breathe…” Chloe’s voice suddenly began trembling violently. Ethan apparently dropped his phone. I heard the sound of things crashing to the floor on his end. And Ethan’s frantic, fading voice echoing in the background: “Chloe! Someone get in here! Call a medic!” Listening to the chaos on his end. I let out a cold, sharp smirk. No matter what it took. I was going to get justice for my baby. Finally. Ethan walked out of the building. Facing the furious, surging mob. His face simultaneously appeared on the massive digital billboard mounted on the side of the Sterling Group headquarters. “Regarding the incident detailed by Ms. Quinn, I am issuing an official response.” I gritted my teeth, glaring up at him. “The child was not mine.” Chapter 3 My eyes widened in absolute shock. The furious crowd around me clearly froze in confusion as well. Ethan stood at the very top of the corporate steps. Looking down at me from his pedestal. His gaze sweeping over the massive crowd to lock onto me, kneeling on the concrete. “I have never been sexually intimate with this woman. I have no idea why she specifically targeted me.” “Ma’am, do I know you? Have I ever done something to offend you?” “ETHAN!” I exploded in pure rage. But the crowd of pedestrians had completely walled off the path between me and Ethan. “Mr. Sterling, are you absolutely certain you’ve never slept with her?” Ethan nodded solemnly. “I have already instructed our corporate legal department to pursue aggressive litigation against this woman for malicious defamation and libel.” After saying that. He shot me one final, freezing look. Turned around. And walked back inside the building. I scrambled to my feet. “Ethan, stop right there!” “Where do you think you’re going?!” Someone grabbed my arm, yanking me back. Looking me up and down with absolute disgust. “So she’s just a homewrecking mistress.” “Whose bastard child was she even carrying?” “Running over here to extort the CEO and fabricate rumors about Ms. Chloe! Did you think you could use us as your personal weapon?!” SLAP! A heavy, vicious slap landed directly across my face. “Fucking bitch! I drove all the way across town because I felt sorry for you, and you were just playing us?!” “You love destroying other people’s families so much?! Did you think just because you squeezed out a few tears we’d automatically take your side?!” “Ladies, don’t let her get away! Let’s teach her what happens to little sluts who try to ruin marriages!” “Hell yeah! Let’s teach her a lesson!” “No! Let me go!” Someone violently seized the collar of my hospital gown. I was brutally dragged down onto the concrete. Dozens of hands started ripping at my clothes. Completely ignoring my dignity or my body. “Rip her clothes off! She clearly has no shame! Let’s see if she’s still so arrogant when she’s naked in the street!” “Exactly! Teach her a lesson she’ll never forget!” “Stop! What you’re doing is illegal! Let me go! AHHHH!!!” I had literally just been discharged from the hospital. I had absolutely zero physical strength. Surrounded by over a hundred furious people. I couldn’t even manage to stand up. All I could do was curl into a tight ball on the concrete, desperately wrapping my arms around myself. Trying to stop them from tearing me apart. “Stop!” Just as I was about to completely lose consciousness. The Sterling Group security team finally intervened. I was dragged inside the headquarters lobby. The furious mob outside still refused to leave. Screaming. Demanding they throw me back out. Ethan sat comfortably in an executive chair in the lobby. Looking down at me as I sat shivering on the marble floor, my clothes ripped to shreds. “Apologize.” I pulled the torn fabric tightly around myself, slowly lifting my head. “What?” “Apologize. To me. And to Chloe.” I ground my teeth together so hard my jaw ached. “Why the hell should I!” “You threw a psychotic, jealous tantrum, aborted our child, and you think you don’t owe me an apology?” Ethan’s eyes were bloodshot red. Looking at me. Like I was a monster he utterly despised. “You threw a jealous fit, weaponized the death of a child to terrorize a woman suffering from severe clinical depression, and you think you don’t owe Chloe an apology?!” I laughed. I laughed until the tears poured down my face. I bit down so hard I almost cracked a molar. “I already told you, Ethan.” “I am not a psychotic, remorseless monster like you and Chloe!!” My furious roar echoed through the massive, vaulted lobby. Chloe stood up from a nearby sofa. She covered her mouth, acting like she was about to flee the room in tears. One of Ethan’s bodyguards immediately stepped in to gently stop her. Ethan walked over to me. He hooked a finger under my chin, forcing me to look at him. “So you’re refusing to apologize?” “Yes.” He nodded slowly. And violently yanked me up off the floor by my arm. “Ethan, what the fuck are you doing?! Let me go!” He didn’t answer. He just dragged me aggressively toward the glass revolving doors. Hundreds of furious, screaming internet vigilantes were waiting right outside. “Ethan, what are you doing?!” My entire body violently trembled. The next second. He grabbed the shredded collar of my hospital gown and ripped it entirely down the middle. He shoved the heavy glass door open. And violently threw me outside. “AHHHH!!!” Chapter 4 I crashed heavily onto the concrete, scraping the skin clean off my knees. The crowd, which had been screaming absolute bloody murder seconds ago, suddenly went completely silent. They genuinely didn’t expect it. They didn’t expect me to actually be thrown out to them like a piece of meat. “Wow, she’s actually got a great body.” “No wonder she thought she could seduce a CEO and destroy a marriage.” “Look at her sitting there. She looks so pathetic and cheap.” Dozens of smartphone camera lenses were instantly shoved directly into my face. I scrambled backward, screaming like a lunatic, desperately trying to crawl back toward the doors. A woman from the mob grabbed me by the hair, violently yanking my head back. “Where do you think you’re going?! You had the guts to be a homewrecker, but you don’t have the guts to own it?!” “No! Let me go! Stop filming! Stop filming me!!” I let out a guttural, despairing scream. “Aww, look at her soft, delicate skin. I almost feel bad for her.” “Let’s carve up that pretty little face so she can never seduce another woman’s husband again!” Someone pulled out a set of car keys. And violently dragged the jagged metal down the entire length of my exposed arm. Another person grabbed a fistful of my hair. Slapping me across the face, over and over again. They screamed at me. They spit on me. A relentless, suffocating wave of “Homewrecker,” “Slut,” and “Whore.” I was shaking violently from the excruciating pain. Desperately reaching my bloody hand toward the glass doors of the Sterling building. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get any closer. Finally. Ethan signaled his security team to step outside and push the mob back. They dragged me back inside by my arms. “Now. Are you going to apologize or not?” I was wrapped in a rough, scratchy moving blanket. Huddled in the corner, clutching myself in a tight ball. “I’ll apologize…” Ethan shot a look at his head of security. The bodyguard immediately set up a tripod and a 4K camera directly in front of me. Two massive security guards grabbed my arms, one on each side. And forcefully, violently shoved me down onto my knees. Chloe stood safely behind the camera lens. “Say it. Say you’re a homewrecker.” “I am a homewrecker.” “Say you’re a disgusting slut who tried to destroy my relationship with Mr. Sterling.” “I am… a disgusting slut who tried to destroy Chloe and Ethan’s relationship.” “Say you aborted the baby on purpose.” I choked on a sob, entirely unable to speak. “Do you want to be thrown back out there?” Ethan’s voice was like ice. “I… aborted the baby on purpose.” Tears dripped off my chin, hitting the marble floor. “Say you did it just to force me out so you could take my place.” “I did it… just to force Chloe out… so I could take her place…” “Bow your head.” A heavy hand clamped down on the back of my neck. Forcing my forehead to smash against the floor. “Say you’re sorry.” “I’m sorry…” My teeth were grinding so hard I thought they would shatter in my mouth. My entire body was convulsing with violent, uncontrollable tremors. Tears pooled on the marble floor beneath my face. Ethan finally spoke. “Alright. That’s enough.” The bodyguards released me. The camera was turned off. The video file was handed directly to Chloe. She watched it. And a deeply satisfied smile finally bloomed across her face. Ethan looked down at me one last time. “I didn’t want to do this to you.” “But you murdered our child.” After delivering that final, brutal justification. He turned around. And walked away with Chloe. Without looking back even once. “ETHAN!” “YOU ARE A FUCKING MONSTER!!” My agonizing, soul-shattering scream made his footsteps halt for a microsecond. Just a microsecond. For the next week. Neither of us attempted to contact the other. On the seventh day. Ethan finally scrolled down to the bottom of his contact list, finding my number, saved under the nickname [My Beautiful Wife]: [I thought about it, and you’re right. Letting Chloe dictate our lives isn’t fair to you.] [I already had a long talk with her. She promised she won’t interfere in our marriage anymore. That was the last time.] Along with the text. He sent a photo of another handwritten approval slip from Chloe. But this time, the “Approved Activity” section had been filled out by Ethan himself: [Have another baby with Mia] [Mia, I won’t hold the abortion against you anymore. Let’s just move past this and be a family again, okay?] No reply. He assumed I was probably still holding a grudge. On his way home from the office, Ethan stopped and bought a massive bouquet of red roses. He pushed the front door open. The apartment was completely dead and empty. Sitting squarely in the center of the dining table was a legal document. A Petition for Divorce. Plaintiff: Mia Quinn. The bouquet of roses slipped from his hands, crashing to the floor. Ethan sprinted through the apartment clutching the divorce papers, screaming my name. But every single room looked exactly as it had a week ago. The dust settling on the counters made it glaringly obvious. Mia hadn’t been back here in a very long time. “Are you looking for Mia?” A neighbor was walking past the open front door. Ethan’s breathing turned ragged and frantic. “You saw her?!” “Yeah, she moved out. A guy came and helped her pack all her stuff about a week ago.”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “570858”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel
Leave a Reply