He Used My Life To Please Her, I Quit

"The little darling is throwing another tantrum again." To calm her down, Donovan Caldwell made me reveal private details on camera. "Three years ago, I was assaulted. Marrying Donovan was way beyond what I deserved." "Over the past three years, he has never once touched me. He thinks I am tainted, so I bathe in disinfectant every single day. You have absolutely nothing to worry about." "The day my mother was hit by a car, Donovan left me behind right away to go to you. He told me you were always the one who mattered most." "Please, just forgive him." I finished reading the lines Donovan had fed me like a puppet. Only then did the young woman on the other end of the call laugh in amusement. Donovan finally let out a long exhale, looking relieved. "Next time, put more feelings into it. It might work better," he said. The last words sounded like a warning more than a suggestion. "She has to be happy first, or she won't agree to donate her bone marrow to you." But what he did not know was that she had already torn up the donation consent form a long time ago. And for me, there would never be a next time. ***** "Oh my goodness! I never knew you were going through all that. It really is hilarious!" Seraphina Carrington doubled over with laughter on the video call while Donovan looked at her with pure adoration in his eyes. To make sure she believed every word, he stood right in front of me and described in detail the assault and humiliation I had suffered three years ago. Standing there, I felt as if I had fallen into the coldest abyss. I remembered that day. The rain was pouring down hard, washing away the blood covering my entire body. By the time Donovan rushed over, I was injured all over, and I lashed out wildly with a knife. He endured the blow without flinching. "It's all right, it's all right. I'm here now..." he said back then. Now, he was using the horrifying details I had confided in him about... things that felt like hell on earth... and telling them to his lover as if they were funny stories. Seraphina laughed so hard that she nearly lost her breath, then asked playfully, "You really have never been with her? You aren't lying to me, are you?" Donovan answered without hesitation, "Of course not. She's tainted." Those words pierced through my heart like steel nails. Once, I had tried to open my heart to him, but he simply rebuttoned my nightgown and stepped back. "Don't force yourself. We can wait until you are ready," he said gently. I had been foolish enough to believe he was being kind and considerate. I never realized that the truth was... he just found me unclean. As I listened to them carry on with their flirtatious conversation, a bitter, broken laugh escaped me. I squeezed the ring on my finger so hard that it bent out of shape. Only when Seraphina said she was going to the bathroom did Donovan seem to remember I was even in the room. "I was just saying that to keep her happy. I don't really feel that way about you," he said quickly. "And besides, I'm doing all of this for your sake. Your bone marrow type is very rare; Seraphina is the only person who can save you." I remember the day I was diagnosed with leukemia. I had been so lucky when Seraphina was found to be a matching donor. But only three days later, Donovan showed up holding hands with her, claiming he was just helping with the donation arrangements. During my stay in the hospital, they used every room in our house for their rendezvous. He told me everything he did was for my own good. Back on the call, Seraphina's voice grew sharper, and her remarks became crueler. Her taunts sounded like whispers from a demon. "Stop it! Just stop!" I cried out. Before I could stop myself, I lunged forward and ended the call. "Avery! I finally got her calmed down, and you have to go and act crazy like that?!" Donovan shoved me violently to the floor. A kettle of boiling water sitting nearby tipped over, and the hot liquid poured all down my back. The pain was like being pierced by a thousand arrows. But he didn't even notice. "I should have listened to my mother from the start. A hysterical woman like you, always pretending to be depressed, isn't fit to be part of my family!" He glared at me furiously one last time, grabbed his coat, and stormed out the door. I touched my back, which burned and throbbed with every heartbeat. But the pain in my chest was a thousand times worse. I wiped away my tears with a bitter smile, picked up my phone, and called my lawyer. "Please prepare a divorce agreement for me."