When my wife was in labor with our second child, the doctor called for the husband to come in for the delivery. I stood up, ready to go to her side, but the nurse called a different name. “Johnny? The husband? She's ready for you.” I froze. Later, my wife, Chloe, explained she was just worried I’d be scared by the process, so she didn’t call for me. Thinking of the child she had just endured so much to give me, I let it go. But yesterday was our daughter Melissa's one-month milestone. I suggested we take her for a professional photoshoot, but Chloe refused, saying she didn’t want to bother me while I was so busy with work. Then, at the office, I opened my phone and saw a new post from Johnny. It was a picture of him, Chloe, our son Leo, and our new daughter, Melissa. In the picture, they looked like a perfect family of four. And I… I felt like a stranger, a voyeur spying on a life that should have been mine. That night, I came home and asked for a divorce. She didn't even take me seriously. “It’s just a few pictures, Ethan. Are you really going to throw our marriage away over this?” “Yes. I am.” 1. Chloe didn’t even look up from her phone. “So, Johnny was in the one-month photos. Is it really that big of a deal? He posted it to his story by accident, and I already made him take it down.” She scrolled, a small smile playing on her lips. “You’re a grown man, Ethan. Are you always going to pick fights over every little thing? If you’re not tired of it, I certainly am.” An accident. If Johnny hadn't "accidentally" posted that picture, I wonder how much longer I would have been kept in the dark. So, her refusing my offer wasn’t about sparing me from work; it was because she wanted to take the photos with him. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Chloe’s eyes remained glued to the screen, her smile widening at something she saw. On a sudden, reckless impulse, I snatched the phone from her hand. In all our years of marriage, built on what I thought was absolute trust, I had never once looked through her phone. The shock of it left her momentarily stunned. The screen was still on her social media page. I tapped her profile picture, and the first post I saw made my blood run cold. It was a gallery of Melissa’s one-month photos. Nine pictures. Johnny was in eight of them. The comments below were a sea of cheerful congratulations that burned my eyes. “Such a beautiful couple! And the baby is adorable.” “Wow, my daughter finally came to her senses and started looking at other people!” Chloe hadn’t corrected any of them. Her silence was an endorsement. Before I could scroll further, she lunged for the phone. “What the hell is wrong with you? Give it back!” I held it higher, a cold sneer on my face. “You said Johnny posted it by accident. What about you? This carefully curated nine-picture layout, with me specifically hidden from the post… was that an accident, too?” A flash of guilt crossed her face. She opened her mouth to argue, but a knock at the door cut her off. It was Johnny, standing there with a respectful smile. “Chloe, it’s about time we head out. Everything’s ready at the restaurant for the party. Your mom sent me to hurry you guys along.” Chloe instantly turned off the phone’s screen. “We’ll talk about this when we get back. You wouldn’t want to ruin our daughter’s party over something so small, would you?” she said, her voice low and threatening. “Go get Leo. He should be upstairs watching TV.” She then turned to Johnny, her expression softening instantly. “Thanks for coming to get us.” With her silent permission, Johnny expertly scooped our daughter into his arms. I just stood there, my legs feeling like they were cast in lead. Seeing my inaction, a flicker of annoyance crossed Chloe’s face. “Well? Are you going to get Leo, or do you want to make everyone wait?” I gritted my teeth, swallowing the words that were trying to claw their way up my throat. Hearing the commotion, our son, Leo, appeared at the railing on the second floor. He peeked his head over, saw Johnny, and his face lit up. He came bounding down the stairs. “Uncle Johnny!” I reached out to ruffle his hair, but he dodged my hand and darted behind Johnny, shooting me a look of pure disgust. My hand fell limply to my side. I had steeled myself for this, but the rejection still felt like a knife twisting in my gut. I tried to take Melissa from Johnny’s arms, but Leo shoved me away. “You’re a bad guy! Don’t touch my sister! You’re not allowed!” Chloe looked embarrassed. “Just let Johnny hold her, Ethan. He’s more careful, and she’s always calmer with him.” The casual words were the final straw. “Let’s get a divorce,” I said, my voice flat. “Sign the papers before you go.” Surprise flashed in her eyes, quickly replaced by irritation. “Are you serious? Over a few photos? I was trying to be considerate of your work schedule, that’s why I didn’t ask you to come.” “Johnny was there, so he was in the pictures. If you want some, we can take more later. Why do you have to make such a big deal out of everything?” “And the delivery? I didn’t let you in because I was worried you’d be traumatized by it! Johnny and I grew up together, and he’s a doctor. He’s seen it all before, so I asked him to be there for me.” Her voice rose with every word. “Besides, I already explained all of this to you! What more do you want? Is it fun for you to keep bringing up the past? Can you stop being so unreasonable?!” Her shouting startled Melissa, who began to wail. Johnny rocked her gently, looking at me with a pained expression. “Ethan, I apologize for the photos. I really shouldn’t have been in them,” he said, his tone placating. “It’s all my fault, it has nothing to do with Chloe. If you’re angry, take it out on me. Please don’t let this come between you two.” Chloe stepped in front of him protectively. “This isn’t your fault. You don’t need to apologize.” Leo chimed in, “That’s right! Uncle Johnny, you don’t have to say sorry to the bad guy! When Mommy divorces him, we can all come live at your house!” Chloe, who had been so self-righteous a moment ago, quickly clamped a hand over Leo’s mouth. “Leo, don’t say things like that.” Johnny freed a hand and pulled Leo to his side. “Hey, buddy, let’s not get involved in grown-up stuff, okay? If you’re good, I’ll buy you that new Transformers toy you wanted.” Leo started jumping with excitement. “You’re the best, Uncle Johnny! Not like the bad guy. All he does is bully Mommy and fight with her.” Chloe shot me a look of strained apology, then took Leo’s hand and pushed past me. “If you’re not coming, then you can just stay home and rest. We’re leaving.” I grabbed her arm. “Sign the papers first.” She rolled her eyes, her patience clearly gone. Just as she was about to explode, her phone rang. After a moment, her voice was sharp and annoyed. “You should talk to Ethan. He’s trying to divorce me because Johnny was in Melissa’s photos, and now he won’t let me leave for the party.” She listened for another moment, then put the phone on speaker and shoved it in my face. Her mother’s shrill voice filled the room. “Ethan, what is wrong with you now? Are you not happy until you’ve completely humiliated my daughter? Look at the time! Stop this nonsense!” “Chloe and Johnny are childhood friends! If anything was going to happen between them, it would have happened long before you came along! Frankly, I wish it had.” “Johnny is successful, he’s caring—he’s ten times the man you are! Instead of throwing tantrums, maybe you should try learning something from him!” Her mother’s tirade left me speechless. It was pointless. Their complete lack of concern, their casual dismissal of my feelings, it made me feel like I was the one going crazy. And maybe I was. They had driven me to it. I met Chloe in college. We were young, clumsy, and fell into a relationship that somehow lasted for five years. When it was time to talk about marriage, her parents were dead set against it. They thought I was poor, that I wasn’t good enough. They threatened to break her legs if she married me. After we got married, I threw myself into my work, determined to prove them wrong. I worked until I was sick, literally. I once landed in the ER after drinking so much at a client dinner that I ended up with a bleeding stomach. When her parents came to visit, their words were laced with venom. “I told you she shouldn’t have married you. You’re useless. You land yourself in the hospital trying to close one deal.” “Why didn’t he just drink himself to death? Then you could find someone better while you’re still young.” I buried their words and worked even harder, building my company from the ground up. But it was never enough. Nothing I did would ever be enough for them. I thought Chloe, at least, would understand. But she complained that I was neglecting her. Our son grew distant. I tried to pull back from work, to make it up to them, but she pushed me away. When Melissa was born, she had Johnny in the delivery room. She took him to Melissa's one-month photoshoot. And her parents, who despised me, encouraged it all. I’ve had enough. I finally see things clearly. All I want now is for it to be over. “Just sign the divorce papers, and you can go to your party,” I said, my voice devoid of emotion. “After this, we can go our separate ways. I’ll give you half of everything.” “As for custody,” I added, “Melissa stays with me. I will give her the best life, the best education.” Chloe’s patience snapped. “The best education? Ethan, are you trying to raise her to be a paranoid maniac like you? Did you beg and plead to marry me just so you could torture me to death?” She grabbed the divorce agreement from the table and, in a fit of rage, ripped it to shreds, throwing the pieces at my chest. “Is that what you want? For me to admit I was wrong? Fine! I was wrong! I’m sorry! Okay? Can we go now?” Her words were an accusation, not an apology. She was trying to force me to back down. Leo tried to shield her with his small body. “You’re a bad guy! Don’t you bully my mom! And you’re not taking my sister!” After a moment, Chloe took a deep breath and patted his shoulder. “Leo, apologize to your father.” “Daddy is angry because Uncle Johnny was in the photos with us,” she explained, her voice deceptively calm. “If you don’t apologize, he’s going to leave our family.” Leo pouted. “Let him leave! I hope I never see the bad guy again!” he shouted. “I’m not saying sorry! Get out of our house! I want Uncle Johnny to be my dad!” Looking at his defiant little face, I could barely hold back my tears. He used to adore me. He used to wait by the door for me to come home from work so we could play. Chloe sighed heavily. “Leo, don’t talk to your father like that. Apologize to him, or he might really leave.” Leo’s little fists were clenched at his sides. “I won’t! I won’t say sorry to the bad guy!” With that, his face crumpled, and he burst into tears. Johnny knelt down and gently wiped his cheeks. “Hey, no crying. Big boys don’t cry, remember?” he murmured. “Just say you’re sorry to your dad. If you do, I promise I’ll take you to my secret hideout, okay?” Leo rubbed his eyes. “Really?” After Johnny nodded, Leo turned to me and mumbled a reluctant, “Sorry.” Chloe looked at her son, her eyes filled with pity. “There. Are you happy now? He apologized. Can you stop this nonsense?” Just then, Leo started pounding on my leg with his small fists. “You big bad guy! Let go of my mom!” “Mommy, just divorce the bad guy! I want Uncle Johnny to be my daddy! Grandma said the bad guy is a jinx and that Mommy will only be happy with Uncle Johnny!” Something inside me snapped. My grip on Chloe’s arm tightened without me realizing it. “Who taught him to say these things?” I roared, my voice shaking with a rage I hadn’t known I possessed. “He’s a child! Why would he say that? Tell me! All these years, I have worked myself to the bone, day and night, to give you a better life! And you… what have you done to me? Do you even have a heart, Chloe? Why would you turn our son against me like this?” Chloe shrank back, trying desperately to pull her arm free. “Bad guys die!” Leo screamed. He grabbed the heavy ceramic vase from the entryway table and, without a moment’s hesitation, swung it with all his might into the small of my back. A sharp, shattering pain exploded across my spine. The shards of the vase sliced through my shirt, followed by the warm trickle of blood. I sucked in a sharp breath, frozen in place. In that instant, all the strength, all the fight, drained out of me. I clutched at the bleeding wound and slowly turned my head. Leo’s expression, though frightened, held no regret. At that moment, the dam broke. Tears I had held back for years streamed down my face. Chloe was clearly shocked. “Leo! What have you done? How could you hit your father with a vase?” Summoning his courage, our son stammered, “Mommy, I just… I just didn’t want the bad guy to hurt you.” Chloe stared at him for a few seconds, then rushed forward and wrapped him in a tight embrace. I wiped the tears from my eyes. From the drawer under the table, I pulled out another copy of the divorce agreement. “Sign it.”
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "394155", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel