My Husband Was in Her Delivery Room, Not Mine

My own child hadn’t even arrived when my husband David posted a newborn photo on Instagram. The caption read: “It’s a boy. Mother and baby are both well.” Friends and family called to congratulate us, but I was completely lost. Then I zoomed in. I saw David’s hand, our wedding ring shining, around Serena, his first love. I was about to confront David when he deleted the post. He gave no explanation, no apology, not a single thought for me or our unborn child. I endured the painful contractions alone and walked myself to the delivery room. Two hours later, our daughter Lily was born. I posted a picture too, announcing mother and daughter were safe. The next second, David’s phone calls flooded in. But I ignored every single one. Perhaps my unanswered calls had enraged him. After the last one went to voicemail, David fell silent for two weeks. Then, one afternoon in the hospital, just as I finished feeding Lily, a flood of new notifications lit up my phone. It was Serena. She had sent five videos, each a perfect, curated glimpse of their new “family.” In every frame, David was looking down at the baby in his arms, his expression softer than I had ever seen. The scene looked like a perfect, happy family of three. In that moment, it was as if a thousand shards of glass had been driven into my chest. I looked at Lily’s rosy, innocent face. This poor little thing had never even met her father. My hand shook as I called David. He finally picked up on the fifth ring. “Our baby has a checkup tomorrow. You need to take us.” I heard a sharp, impatient click of his tongue. “The hospital provides transport. What’s wrong with using their service?” Yes, the hospital had a car service. A VIP service. He had sworn to me all the VIP suites were fully booked, that only a standard room was left. I had believed him. I hadn’t argued. And yet, just two days after I was admitted, his first love Serena was comfortably settled into a VIP suite one floor above. And I, his legal wife, had been made the fool. Thinking about it, the words I wanted to say died in my throat. What was the point? He wouldn’t listen anyway. I said nothing. David’s voice, thick with impatience, sliced through the silence. “Fine. I’ll be back, okay?” “When?” I asked. “Tomorrow! You’re so needy, you’ll jinx everything. If you keep this up, I swear I’ll divorce you!” I don’t know when it started. David had started holding “divorce” over my head like a blade. Back when we were dating, if I gave him the silent treatment, he’d trail after me for blocks, apologizing over and over. He changed, and so did I. I used to get furious. I used to grab his shirt and scream until my voice gave out. But now, I just felt so tired. “Oh, David, hurry! The baby needs changing!” A bright, feminine voice suddenly trilled from his end of the line. A second later, a sharp series of beeps. The call was cut off. The day we were supposed to go to the hospital, it poured rain. I called and messaged David from nine in the morning, but my efforts vanished into thin air. Clearly, he had lied to me again. During my pregnancy, my body was heavy and clumsy. Once, when I went for a prenatal check-up alone, I accidentally fell and started bleeding. Half-conscious, I remembered the nurse calling David for me. He said he’d be right there. But he didn’t show up until three days later. When I was discharged, he even blamed me for overreacting and wasting his time. After that, I contacted him less and less. We were the closest of spouses, yet we slowly became strangers. After the rain stopped, David’s phone was still unreachable. I hailed a cab to take Lily to the hospital. The doctor said the baby was thriving. But my own complexion was poor, and they suggested I get a check-up. I remembered the faint ache in my lower abdomen before giving birth; now the pain was becoming more pronounced. I glanced at Lily, sucking her hand contentedly in the stroller. I decided I’d come back next month. Just as I stepped out of the elevator. I ran head-on into David and Serena. Serena was in David’s arms, being carried like a princess.

“Clara! What are you doing at the hospital? You’ve put on so much weight I almost didn’t know you.” Serena clung to David, her eyes sliding toward me in a glance he couldn’t see, sharp with silent challenge. I had no interest in these games. Or perhaps I had played them too often before, and now felt nothing at all. I pushed the stroller past the elevator, my voice flat. “Just a checkup. I won’t keep you.” “Clara, don’t misunderstand! I slipped in the shower yesterday and broke my leg. David stayed with me all night and insisted on bringing me to the doctor this morning.” “If we weren’t practically family, he wouldn’t bother. But as a divorced woman, I need help. I have to rely on an old friend. If it bothers you, I won’t ask him again.” Serena’s eyes reddened as she struggled to get down from David’s arms. David patted her backside, his voice helpless yet indulgent. “You’re a mother now, still so playful!” Then, he stared at me coldly, his tone admonishing. “Clara, that’s enough. Serena is a divorced woman, she has no one to take care of her, and she’s younger than you. Can’t you be a little nicer when you speak?” I looked at David and suddenly laughed. “I’m practically a widow now, David. Do you want to find a man to take care of me?” David’s pupils flickered. I turned and pushed the stroller away. That evening, David walked in, his face frigid. “I just saw your calls. Standing you up was wrong, I admit.” “But you’re also being ridiculous. Why insist on my car when the hospital has its own shuttle?” Hearing him bring up the car again. I didn’t even look up as I said, “The hospital’s shuttle is for VIPs, David. I’m in a standard room.” The atmosphere suddenly fell silent. David, knowing he had no leg to stand on, pulled out a small, palm-sized box and placed it in front of me. “The room arrangement was my mistake. Let’s not talk about it anymore.” “Here’s a gift for you, an apology. See if you like it.” I opened the box, revealing a pair of cheap-looking earrings. At first glance, they looked like something you’d buy for ten bucks from a street vendor. They were a world apart from the gorgeous amethyst bracelet he’d given Serena for her birthday two months ago. Perhaps in David’s mind, Serena deserved the stars and moon, while I was left to catch the dirt he flung. I closed the box and put it back. David frowned. “You don’t like it?” I nodded at him. “No, I don’t. It’s cheap, I don’t care for it.” I used to worry about how hard David worked to earn money. Whatever little trinket he gave me, I’d accept without question. Even if he just bought a bag of fruit from the roadside, I’d be overjoyed. But back then, I didn’t know he was showering other women with lavish gifts, while being utterly stingy with me. Five years of marriage, and I didn’t even own one decent piece of gold jewelry. Seeing my reaction, David grabbed the small box and hurled it against the wall. The flimsy jewelry box shattered instantly. “I’m out there slaving away, providing for you, and all I get is your sullen face all day long! Do I owe you something?! This is such a damn jinx!” David pointed at me, his face contorted in a furious snarl. “If you insist on acting this way, fine. I won’t come back again. You can live alone!” I watched him play out his scene with cold indifference. When he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. I called out to him. “David.” David stopped his hurried steps and turned around, his face no longer as menacing as before. “See? If you acted like this from the start, wouldn’t it be easier? What’s with the temper tantrum?” “You don’t like the gift, right? Fine, I’ll take you shopping later.” “Now, go make dinner. And pack some up for Serena; she wants some of your homemade soup.” He prattled on and on. I waited patiently for him to finish before I spoke. “David, when you said you wanted to divorce me earlier, were you serious?” David froze for a moment. Then, he let out a cold laugh, tossing his jacket onto the couch. “Clara, what are you talking about? You want to divorce me?!” “Is it just because I let Serena stay in the VIP suite?” “I promised Serena that VIP suite ages ago. I can’t break my word to her for you!” “If you can put up with it, fine. If not, then divorce!”

I was about to agree. David turned and stormed out, kicking over a single armchair before he left. The loud crash woke Lily. I ignored everything else and rushed back to her room. I was determined to get a divorce. But every time I tried to contact David to discuss the arrangements, he was nowhere to be found. The day I was discharged from the hospital, I finally saw David. He was helping Serena move her things. Behind him, two nannies pulled 26-inch suitcases. Serena sat in the backseat of the car, holding their baby, completely shielded from the sun. The stark contrast to me, struggling to push and pull my own things, was glaring. But my mood remained unfazed. Perhaps it was the decision to divorce that made me feel surprisingly light. Serena saw me and greeted me. “Clara, are you going home today too?” “Why don’t we give you a ride? You have so few things, you won’t take up much space.” “It’s all David’s fault. I was only staying for 30 days, but he bought me a year’s worth of clothes, so now I have to take so much back. It’s exhausting.” Serena’s words were a complaint, but her eyes were full of smiles and undisguised triumph. I ignored her. That familiar, dull ache in my lower abdomen returned. I gritted my teeth against the pain and helped the taxi driver load my things into the trunk. Before getting into the car, I looked at David, who had remained silent. “Be sure to come home tonight. I need to talk to you.” Ten minutes later, I saw a photo of a property title deed posted by Serena on her Ins feed. Along with the ostentatious caption: “A childhood sweetheart is better than an ex-husband. As long as I have him, I’ll always have a home.” I stared at the bright red property deed for a long time. A bitter taste filled my mouth. David and I met in college. Everyone said we were a match made in heaven, that if we broke up, they’d lose faith in love. Later, I chose to accompany David to the big city to start our careers. Without money, we had to live in a basement apartment. Then, due to the terrible conditions, I fell seriously ill with a persistent high fever. David, a grown man, was so scared he cried and knelt beside me. He swore that all the houses he’d buy in the future would be for me, in my name. Men’s promises are truly as flimsy as farts. I screenshotted Serena’s post and sent it to my lawyer. I asked if she could help me reclaim that house. That night, David, predictably, didn’t come home again. I didn’t mind. But Lily cried for three hours before finally falling asleep because of the change of scenery. The pain in my lower abdomen started up again. I knelt beside the crib, taking a while to recover. The next morning. I asked Mrs. Henderson, our neighbor, to watch the baby and went to the hospital for a check-up alone. The doctor’s expression was grim. “Clara, you have a mass on your lower spine. We haven’t confirmed whether it’s benign or malignant, but given how long you’ve been in pain and the rate it’s growing, I strongly advise surgery immediately. Waiting could lead to serious complications.” After leaving the hospital, I sat on a bench by the roadside. My trembling fingers gradually steadied. I looked down at my medical report, a decision already made in my heart. Just as I was about to text the doctor to confirm the surgery time, a greeting suddenly sounded from in front of me. I looked up and saw Mike’s wife, a friend of David’s. “Clara, why are you sitting here? It’s so cold. Come up, David and the others are having lunch upstairs.” She was bold and enthusiastic, pulling me up with an undeniable force.

I thought about it and didn’t resist. It was a good chance to talk to David about the divorce anyway. The private room was buzzing with excitement; I could hear cheers from outside. The moment the door swung open. I saw David and Serena clinking glasses, their arms intertwined in a ‘lover’s toast’. Everyone in the room was eagerly cheering them on. “That’s not too hard a pose!” “David, why don’t you lift Serena up and do it again!” “Yeah!” Serena blushed, and David feigned a refusal. I watched the scene with cold eyes. Until Serena spotted me standing at the door and gasped. “Clara, what are you doing here? Oh, don’t tell me you’re spying on him?” “It’s not that I’m saying it, but Clara, you should occasionally give men a little space. Who can put up with you like this?” David frowned. “What are you doing here?” I stopped the person next to me who was about to explain. My gaze swept over David and Serena, and I slowly smiled. “If I hadn’t come, how would I have known you two were having so much fun behind my back?” “Clara, what are you doing?! Are you losing your mind?!” David yelled, his voice sharp. Serena proudly tilted her chin, deliberately flashing the beautiful amethyst bracelet on her wrist. No need to guess; it was definitely another gift from David. Someone yelled, “You haven’t finished your toast yet!” Serena picked up two glasses of wine, handed one to David, and held the other herself. Then she looked at me. “Clara, you won’t get jealous, right?” “We’re just friends having some fun.” My emotions were calm as I said to David, “If you drink that glass of wine, we’re done. There will be no coming back.” David’s answer was to lift Serena into his arms right in front of me. “Clara, stop making a scene. It’s just one drink. Who are you trying to threaten?” With that, they intertwined arms and drank their glasses. A round of enthusiastic applause erupted. “That’s guts!” “Our David is a real man!” I watched their intimate embrace, their intertwined hands, as my heart slowly turned to ice. The anger I’d suppressed for so long surged, becoming impossible to control. I grabbed the pot of scalding hot tea from the table and threw it at them. “Ah!” They both screamed. Serena, her face contorted with rage, rushed over and pushed me. “Bitch!” My lower back slammed hard against a nearby table, and the excruciating pain stole my breath. Before I could get up, David grabbed my hair, pulled me up, and dragged me in front of Serena. “Get on your knees and apologize to Serena!” My scalp tore with pain. My trembling fingers grabbed David’s pant leg, and I spat on him. “She’s the mistress! She doesn’t deserve it?!” David’s face contorted with rage. He backhanded me, once, twice-the coppery tang of blood flooding my mouth and nose. Serena wasn’t finished. She lunged forward and drove her heel into my stomach. “Ugh!” A trickle of blood escaped my lips. As the world dimmed, I thought I saw a flicker of panic in David’s eyes. With the last of my strength, I swung my hand and struck him across the face. “David, I’m divorcing you!”

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