Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
My daughter held up the provocative black lace teddy my husband’s secretary had deliberately left in our house, looking at me with pure innocence.
"Mommy, what is this?"
My mind went completely blank. A wave of humiliation and fiery rage surged through me.
I never imagined they would dare to cross this line!
Eight years of marriage had completely rotten whatever love Carter had once felt for me.
Time and time again, he had brought women home just to test my limits, and I had always looked the other way.
But this time, he had targeted my little girl.
I looked straight at Carter and spoke in a steady, dead tone:
"Carter, I want a divorce."
"Mommy, what is this?"
My daughter, Lily, stood in front of me holding a skimpy black lace negligee, her eyes wide with curiosity.
The second I saw what was in her hands, a roaring buzz filled my head.
It was scandalous lingerie.
Carter and I hadn't slept in the same bed for over a year. How could there possibly be a brand-new piece of lingerie in our home?
The answer hit me instantly.
My hands trembled violently as I snatched the lace dress from her hands. Deep shame and fury battered every inch of my body.
I hated Carter for betraying me, but what I hated even more was that he had allowed that woman to drag our innocent daughter into her twisted games!
I crouched down, desperately swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, and tried to keep my voice as gentle as possible.
"Lily, sweetie, this belongs to Mommy. Why don't you take your teddy bear and go play in your room for a bit?"
Lily nodded obediently, clutching her stuffed bear, and walked back to her bedroom.
Clutching the lace in my fist, the scene from two nights ago flashed vividly before my eyes.
Carter had brought his new personal assistant home with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.
She was young, barely in her early twenties—the exact age I had been when I first met Carter.
Her face radiated youth and vibrant beauty. Compared to my sickly, hollow cheeks, she was practically glowing.
Years of Carter's infidelity had long since numbed my heart. Seeing him drag yet another girl into our home didn't even hurt anymore; my heart didn't have the strength to ache.
Seeing me sitting silently on the sofa, Carter frowned with obvious disgust.
"Elena, do you have to sit there like a damn piece of wood? You—"
My eyes were filled with nothing but exhaustion. As I listened to him, my fingers dug hard into the envelope containing my hospital scans.
Then, I slowly curved my lips into a bitter smirk and looked at the girl beside him.
"What? Does my breathing in my own living room get in your way now?"
Chloe bit her lip, shooting me a thinly veiled glare of triumph.
"Elena, please don't be upset with Carter. There's nothing going on between us. We just brought some urgent company files home to work on.”
“You don't work, so you probably don't realize how much financial pressure Carter is under to provide for this family. Please try to be understanding."
Taking work all the way into our master bedroom?
I let out a mocking laugh, though my gaze couldn't help but linger on the man who had been by my side since I was twenty.
His face was cold and distant. There wasn't the slightest hint of guilt, let alone an urge to defend me. The last spark of light in my eyes faded away.
Forget it. What was I still hoping for? After all these years, I should have been used to it.
"Oh, I understand completely. After all, you're only the eighth secretary he’s brought home to 'work' with."
My words made Chloe's face go instantly pale. She turned to Carter in panic.
Carter's face darkened like a thundercloud.
Seeing their miserable expressions gave me a sudden burst of grim amusement. I let out a soft laugh, but the laughter quickly triggered an unbearable, dry itch in my throat, forcing me into a harsh coughing fit.
Impatient, Carter grabbed Chloe's hand and slammed the bedroom door shut with a violent bang.
"Ignore that sick freak. She's driving me crazy."
The moment the door slammed shut, tears finally broke free, cascading down my cheeks.
A suffocating weight crushed my chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe.
I was never actually a strong person. It was just that during these years in the frozen wasteland of Carter's neglect, I had slowly learned to use sharp words as armor to shield myself from his cruelty.A loud thud at the front door jerked me out of my downward spiral.
I cast my eyes down, slipped out of my nightgown, and pulled on the black lace negligee.
Years of illness had withered my body into a frail silhouette. The outfit hung loose on me, leaving large, hollow spaces around my frame.
When Carter stepped into the bedroom and saw me lying on the bed wearing that provocative dress, he froze in his tracks.
Pale and hollow, I tilted my lips upward and looked straight at him.
"Well? Do you like it?"
Realization seemed to dawn on him. Carter’s expression shifted, turning bizarrely tense.
"What the hell are you doing?"
I lowered my eyes. The throbbing pain running through my body made me pinch the back of my hand until it flushed a violent red against my ghastly, bruised skin.
"I was just thinking... if my husband likes this sort of thing, why shouldn't I change for him just this once?"
Carter's body stiffened. When he turned his head back, a flicker of hungry anticipation shone in his eyes.
"Elena... you're finally willing?"
Before I could say another word, he shed his suit jacket and leaned over, attempting to kiss my mouth.
Yet, I clearly caught the fleeting flash of disgust in his eyes when his hands brushed against my gaunt, curve-less frame.
I smiled, swung my hand, and slapped him across the face with every ounce of strength I had left.
My voice turned razor-sharp.
"Carter, you are truly shameless."
Stunned by the slap, Carter quickly realized I had made a fool out of him. Blinding rage took over. He grabbed me by the shoulder and violently threw me off the bed.
"Get lost! Are you out of your damn mind, Elena? Wearing Chloe's clothes just to humiliate yourself? Take a look in the mirror! You look like a walking corpse. You think you're worthy of touching me?"
I hit the cold hardwood floor, every bone in my body screaming in agony from both physical decay and deep psychological pain.
It hurt so much. But no matter how bad it got, I refused to show even a single tear of weakness in front of Carter.
"Carter, I want to know: why the hell did you let your mistress leave her lingerie inside our daughter's bedroom?"
Hearing that, a flicker of panic flashed across his face before he snapped defensively:
"Chloe probably just dropped it by mistake! If you saw it, couldn't you have just tossed it in the trash? Why do you have to turn everything into a massive scene?"
I dropped my head, tears dripping one by one onto my bruised hand, burning my cold skin. My chest swelled with overwhelming sorrow for the eight years of marriage I had wasted.
How could the man who once treated me like his most precious treasure, the man who had wept with joy when our baby was born, turn into this monster?
We hadn't even had massive blowouts. It was as if we had drifted apart in silent, unspoken coldness.
I had spent years agonizing over the cause, only to reach one simple conclusion:
He just didn't love me anymore.
Even if his love had died, I never imagined he could become so utterly indifferent to our daughter.
If the day came when I was truly gone, how could I ever leave Lily in the hands of a man like him?
I raised my head, my eyes burning with unshed tears.
"Carter, I tolerated every single woman you brought around before. But this Chloe Vance—never!"
Hearing this, he suddenly burst into mocking laughter.
"Elena, you're thirty-four, and you're actually throwing a tantrum over a girl in her twenties?
It's just a damn piece of clothing! Why the hell are you making such a big deal out of it?"
"You don't want me to be with Chloe? Let me make one thing crystal clear: she happens to be my favorite."
With that, he grabbed his suit jacket in utter disgust and stormed out of the house.Carter was thirty-five, yet he was acting like an insecure, rebellious teenager.
The more I told him to stay away from Chloe, the more brazenly he paraded her around.
He even took to posting suggestive photos on his public social media every single day, deliberately trying to get a rise out of me.
When I saw his latest Ins post, I was sitting on a cold bench in the hospital hallway, waiting for my test results.
Caption: "True love is only given to the one who deserves it."
In the photo, he had his arm wrapped tightly around Chloe as they both wore matching designer ski suits.
She beamed at the camera, flashing a peace sign, while Carter looked down at her with unfiltered adoration.
Staring at the screen, I finally lost all control. My entire body began to shake violently.
Heavy tears splashed against the glass of my phone. My grip slipped, and the medical paperwork fluttered out of my hands, scattering across the linoleum floor.
He took her skiing?
That took me back to the year our love was at its peak.
I had grown up in the warm South and had always dreamed of seeing real snow.
On my birthday, Carter took me to a ski resort. But during our run, a binding snapped, and I was thrown violently toward a steep drop.
I had braced myself for multiple broken bones, but Carter had thrown himself off his skis without hesitation, sliding beneath me to break my fall. He was knocked unconscious and suffered severe concussions.
It was that very sacrifice that made me decide I would spend the rest of my life loving him.
After that accident, Carter developed severe PTSD toward snow sports. In the ten years we were together, we never set foot on a ski slope again.
And now... he had miraculously overcome a ten-year trauma just for Chloe Vance.
A suffocating bitterness coiled around my lungs. Did he really love Chloe that much? Enough to conquer his deepest fears, enough to discard his psychological scars?
My throat tightened, and hot tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.
My trembling fingers lightly traced the blurry, decade-old photo saved on my phone.
Even after ten years of fading colors, nothing could hide the brilliant, reckless love we once shared.
I took a screenshot of his Ins post and sent it to him via text.
Why?
I thought I would get an angry text back, but instead, an incoming FaceTime call popped onto my screen.
I answered it. Chloe's radiant, smiling face filled the display.
"Oh, Elena! I know Carter had a bit of a mental block about skiing, but he told me he was willing to overcome anything for me.
Don't worry. I'll take good care of him this time. I won't be a burden and put him in the hospital like you did."
Carter stood right behind her, shaking his head with an indulgent, fond smile.
"Carter, I'm at the hospital," I whispered, my voice cracking as I tried to remind him of my reality.
Carter took the phone from Chloe's hand, his brow furrowing into an annoyed knot.
"The hospital again? Elena, why are you so damn delicate lately? You run to the doctor over every little ache and pain!
Why can't you be more like Chloe? Exercise keeps you healthy and full of energy. Looking at your miserable, sickly face every day completely drains me."
"By the way, keep your distance from Lily when you get home. Don't go passing whatever bug you have to our daughter. I'm hanging up."
I opened my mouth, but my lips trembled so violently that not a single sound came out. The very last thread holding my heart together snapped in that instant.
Listening to the flat dial tone echoing through the phone, tears poured down my cheeks.
He had no idea. He didn't even care to know what state my body was actually in.
I slumped down in the empty hospital hallway, my heart turning to ice. I knew then that my marriage with Carter was dead and buried.
Looking down at the medical reports scattered across the floor, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over me.
For ten years, I stood shoulder to shoulder with him, building his startup from the ground up, attending brutal late-night investor dinners and drinking until my stomach burned.
No matter how immense the stress was, I shouldered it in silence, refusing to burden him.
And this was what I got in return for sacrificing my youth and my health? A sneer telling me I was 'too delicate'?If I had a choice, I would have loved nothing more than to step away from business dinners, to breathe fresh air and exercise. But back then, I didn't dare stop.
If I had stopped, Carter's company would have collapsed before it ever took off.
Yet once he made his millions, he began to resent me for being 'stiff,' 'boring,' and lacking sexual charm. He ran after one young girl after another, all to break my pride and force me to beg for his affection.
Why on earth should I have begged?
Locked in that silent, agonizing war of attrition, my body slowly developed a malignant tumor.
At first, I brushed it off, popping painkillers by the handful. It wasn't until I collapsed on the kitchen floor and was rushed to the ER that I learned the truth: I had cancer.
That was three months ago. My health had plummeted at a terrifying speed. I didn't know how many days I had left.
The only thing tethering my soul to this earth was my daughter...
If Carter could find a woman who genuinely loved and cherished Lily, I could have closed my eyes and accepted death in peace. But Chloe Vance would never be that person!
I could no longer count on Carter for anything. I had to drag this broken, dying body of mine across the finish line to protect Lily!
Even if I only had one day left to live, I had to divorce him and place Lily in safe, loving hands.
I stood up, left the hospital, and went straight to an attorney to draft the divorce papers. Then, I sent Carter a text message:
Come home tonight. Non-negotiable.
Surprisingly, he agreed without hesitation, an easy compliance that caught me off guard.
When I stepped through the front door, the entire house was pitch black, save for a few glowing candles on the dining table.
A moment later, Carter walked out of the kitchen, softly humming "Happy Birthday."
"Elena, I know I've been harsh these past few days. But today is your birthday. I bought your favorite cake to give you a surprise. How do you like it?"
In the dim glow of the candles, his eyes shone brightly. But inside my chest, there was only cold, dead ash.
So, today was my birthday...
I had stopped celebrating my birthday three years ago—the very day he boldly brought another woman home on that exact date.
The sounds coming from that bedroom that night, the suffocating despair, the agony of having my heart ripped out piece by piece... I would remember that pain until my last breath.
I looked down at the cake, feeling an overwhelming surge of dark irony, and spoke quietly:
"Clear it away. I haven't celebrated my birthday in years."
Seeing his gesture rejected, Carter's face darkened with familiar impatience.
"What is your problem now? Can't you just let us have one decent evening together?"
Without a word, I walked over to the wall and flipped the light switch. The harsh, blinding overhead light illuminated Carter's sneering, irritated face.
I emotionlessly handed him the stack of legal papers.
"Sign it. We're getting a divorce."
Carter froze completely. A second later, a wave of violent fury crossed his features. He grabbed my wrist and threw me onto the couch.
"Elena, do you ever know when to stop? You have to pick tonight to throw a tantrum? Over that damn ski post?
Let me warn you: every time you use divorce to threaten me, you're pushing your luck. One of these days, I'm going to take you up on it!"
He believed those words would terrify me into submission, a smirk of superiority curling on his lips.
I merely looked at him with a deathly pale face and quietly pulled my wrist from his grip.
"I'm tired, Carter. Let's get divorced. I won't take a dime of your marital assets."
His eyes widened in shock. We stared at each other in dead silence. Finally, he let out a venomous laugh.
"Fine! Tonight, I'll teach you what happens when you play stupid games!"
He snatched the pen, scrawled his signature across the divorce papers, and threw the packet violently at my face.
The force of his throw sent the loose sheets flying, knocking my hospital paperwork onto the floor between us. The air in the room instantly turned to stone.
"What the hell is this?"
Lowering my eyes, my heart completely numb, I bent down and gathered the reports from the floor.
"A biopsy confirmation. I have advanced breast cancer."
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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