My Parents & Friend Aided His Cheating, I Divorced

Chapter 2

3 years earlier, I had lost her in a car accident when I was five months pregnant.

Back then, Ethan had held my hand and said, "Let's call her Mia. I hope she'll be safe and well in her next life."

Now Chloe had given Ethan's child that name, accepting my parents' blessings as if it belonged to her.

I stared at the photo as countless details suddenly came back to me.

My parents always said Ethan had changed.

Whenever Sophie checked him for signs of another woman, she always said she had found nothing.

Ethan's business trips had become more frequent, yet whenever I needed him, he had always managed to video-call me.

Those calls had never been about checking in.

They had been meant to convince me that he really was in another city.

The next day, I went to my parents' house.

The moment I opened the door, I saw the pair of pink slippers Chloe had worn by the entryway.

On the photo wall in the living room, the most prominent spot was occupied by a picture of Chloe holding her baby.

My mother came out of the kitchen. When she saw me, her expression turned slightly awkward.

"Why are you back?"

"Am I not allowed to come home?"

She avoided my gaze. "Chloe has just given birth. Your father and I don't have time to take care of you these days."

I looked toward the guest room.

The door to the room that had once been mine stood open. Inside was a crib, surrounded by stacks of formula and diapers.

My clothes had been packed into cardboard boxes and left at the end of the hallway.

"What happened to my room?" I asked.

My mother sighed. "Chloe and the baby will need somewhere to live eventually. It's not like you don't have a home. Just go back to Ethan."

"He cheated on me."

"So what if a man makes a little mistake?" my mother blurted out. "Elena, don't be so selfish. Chloe won't have it easy raising a child on her own. You're better off than she is. Why can't you give a little?"

I couldn't understand any of it.

"So she steals my husband, takes away the name of my dead daughter, moves into my room—and I'm supposed to be understanding?"

My father came out of his study, his face dark with anger.

He slammed his hand against the table.

"Your sister has just given birth. Don't say such unlucky things!"

I stared at him.

"My sister?"

Realizing he had let something slip, my father's face stiffened.

But my mother said coldly, "Chloe has been frail since she was little. What's wrong with us taking care of her?"

I didn't press them any further.

That evening, the HR department at my hospital called.

"Dr. Sterling, we're sorry, but the hospital has decided to suspend you from the surgical schedule for the time being."

My grip tightened around the phone. "On what grounds?"

"Someone filed a named complaint alleging that your emotional state has been unstable during pregnancy and that you pose a risk of causing a serious medical incident."

"Who filed it?"

"Mr. Sterling's law firm."

When I went to find Ethan, he was at the Willowcrest Postpartum Care Center, where Chloe was staying.

The moment he saw me, he looked impatient.

"Didn't I tell you to calm down for a few days?"

I threw the hospital's suspension notice in front of him.

"You did this?"

Ethan glanced at it, his tone calm. "You haven't been in a stable state lately. I did it for your own good."

"For my own good?" I laughed. "You're ruining my career and calling it doing me a favor?"

"Elena, don't make it sound so ugly." He looked up at me, his eyes cold. "Chloe wants a position in OB-GYN someday. Take some time off for now. Once the baby is born, I'll find you another job."

So that was it.

Chloe had studied nursing, but her credentials were mediocre. She had always wanted to get into our hospital but had never found an opening.

That made my position the obstacle standing in her way.

She gently stroked the baby's tiny hand, then looked up and smiled at me.

"Elena, Ethan is only worried that you're working too hard. You should put your family first."

I stepped forward and raised my hand to slap her.

Ethan caught my wrist in a single motion.

"Try laying a hand on her."

I watched him shield Chloe behind him, and suddenly, I stopped struggling.

"Ethan," I said slowly, "you'll regret this."

He let out a contemptuous laugh.

That night, I sat in my study and gathered every piece of evidence.

Recordings of Ethan's affair.

Messages showing Sophie covering for him.

Bank transfers from my parents to Chloe.

At one in the morning, I posted everything online.

My husband, my parents, and my best friend joined forces to let his mistress steal my life.

Overnight, Ethan's law firm was flooded with calls. Chloe's personal information was dug up in full, and my parents were condemned online as well.

The next day, Ethan called me again and again.

I didn't answer a single call.

Until the final one, when his voice finally lost its calm.

"Elena, we can talk about whatever you want. Just take the post down."

"I want a divorce. I want my job back. And I want every one of you to apologize publicly."

He was silent for a moment before saying coldly, "Don't push me."

"You pushed me first."