He Cheated While I Pregnant, I Exposed Him

After Lucas Lowell cheated on me and returned home, I started posting online every single day. How thrilling is cheating, really? Do men become addicted to cheating? After a man cheats, does he feel guiltier toward his wife, or his mistress? Every post carried the hashtag of his university. Before long, the algorithm pushed them straight onto the feeds of his students, colleagues… even his mistress. Everyone told me not to make such an ugly spectacle of myself. They said I should act like a generous wife and preserve his dignity. Only Lucas stood up for me, shielding me from the criticism. "I was the one who made the mistake," he said. "If Julianne wants to vent her anger, she has every right to." But by the time I reached my ninety-ninth post, Lucas finally snapped. He stormed into the house like a madman and smashed my computer to pieces. "Julianne, when are you going to stop this?" he roared. "I have already come back home, haven’t I? What more do you want from me? How much longer are you going to torture me before you’re satisfied?" I didn’t answer him. I simply folded the freshly washed underwear in my hands, looked up with a faint smile, and asked softly, "Do you have any more clothes you want me to wash?" Lucas froze in place, his chest heaving violently with rage. All his accusations landed in thin air, like a punch hitting cotton. When he didn’t say anything, I went ahead and pulled off his suit jacket without waiting for him to say anything. "It’s all wrinkled, I’ll go iron it for you." "Julianne!" He called out to me, his voice thick with barely contained irritation, "What exactly do you want? Can’t you stop putting on this crazy act! Do you have any idea how much those posts of yours have affected me? I’m human too. I get tired!" My hands froze mid-movement, and my breath started coming faster. "Are you worried this will hurt you, or is it Megan?" That name was like a thunderclap, blowing what was left of us completely apart. "Why are you bringing up Megan again? I have already transferred her to another department and cut off all contact. You know that perfectly well, don’t you?! Do you have to drive every single one of us crazy just like you, before you’ll be happy!? His voice rose sharply, but he froze the second his eyes landed on my swollen, protruding pregnant belly. Like a deflated balloon, he immediately softened his tone and pulled me into his arms, his face full of guilt. "I’m sorry, honey. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I lost my temper. I’ll go buy you a new computer tomorrow." I flinched away from his touch like I’d been burned, and pressed my hand to the door, retching over and over. "Don’t touch me. You’re dirty…" Lucas’s face darkened. His eyes turned blood-red, and he ground out between his teeth, "You think I’m dirty?" He dragged my hand without listening to a word I said and shoved me against the door panel. He ripped open my collar and buried his head to bite down on my neck. "The doctor said the third trimester is fine, Julianne, let’s do…" "Don’t touch me, it’s disgusting!" I pushed him away with all my strength, then squatted on the floor scrubbing the skin where he’d touched me like a madwoman. Even when it turned red and raw, I wouldn’t stop. The whole room echoed with the sound of me retching. "It’s so dirty… I need to shower…" "Julianne! Do you hate me that much? What do I have to do for you to forgive me!" Lucas roared behind me, his voice rough and hoarse. I stumbled into the bathroom and twisted on the shower, letting the icy water cascade over my body. The door slammed shut behind him with a deafening crash. I lifted my head, and my eyes met my reflection in the mirror. It was a haggard face, crisscrossed with tear tracks. Emotion crashed over me all at once like a tidal wave, and I clutched my belly, sobbing until I couldn’t breathe. I never thought we would go from being that happy young couple, to ending up hating each other's guts. We once couldn’t stand being apart for a single minute, and now even a single touch from him makes me sick to my stomach. I can't forget any of it. I tried, I really did. I wanted to forget, to be a forgiving wife. But every time I think about how he cheated on me with the student I funded, while I was carrying his child, how they even did that in our marital home, on the day of my father's funeral, my stomach lurches into a stress-induced cramp, like a knife is twisting and tearing every organ inside me. Why should he get to just act like nothing ever happened, and feel completely at peace with it? I can't do it! A long time passed before I stumbled shakily out of the bathroom. The house had fallen dead silent again. Lucas sat on the sofa, his eyes red around the rims. "I'm sorry. I lost my temper tonight. It was all my fault. It'll never happen again, I promise." "It doesn't matter," I cut him off. "That's your own business to deal with." Without waiting for him to respond, I turned and walked back to the bedroom. I lay down on the bed, rested my hand gently on my lower abdomen, and slowed my breathing. I'm sorry, my baby. Mommy lost her temper again and scared you. My heavy eyelids slowly closed, and I went over and over the plans for what would happen in a hundred days in my head. Once the baby is born, I'll finally be free.