After He Cheated, I Dumped Him For My Crush

Chapter 2

After we checked out of the hotel, I asked Nicholas if he had to rush back to Ockburn.

"Nothing pressing," he said. "I can stick around for another day or two."

"In that case... could you come to the hospital with me?"

He stopped, his eyes scanning my face. "Are you okay? You feeling sick?"

I didn't see the point in lying. "Actually, I'm pregnant. And I'm not keeping it."

I knew deep down I shouldn't be dragging him into this. It was a massive ask.

But right now, he was the only person in the world I trusted to have my back.

Without a second thought, Nicholas agreed.

I'd found out about the pregnancy right before I caught Brandon cheating.

Back then, I wanted a second kid so badly. Brandon used to be the perfect husband—spoiling me rotten, giving me everything, making me feel like the center of his universe.

But now? He wasn't worth the sacrifice of bringing another life into this world.

Just before they called my name for the OR, Nicholas caught my eye one last time. "Are you a hundred percent sure about this?"

I nodded, my voice steady. "Yeah. There's no way I'm having this baby."

With that, I turned and followed the nurse inside.

Brandon and I had been a love match.

We went to the same college. Back then, I was considered a beauty, and I definitely wasn't short on admirers.

Brandon was by far the most persistent. He was tall, incredibly hot, and came from serious money.

Yet, despite his privileged background, he was always willing to swallow his pride, constantly bending over backward to make me happy.

But my heart had belonged to Nicholas back then. I didn't have eyes for anyone else.

Then, Nicholas moved abroad. My unrequited crush ended quietly, buried before I ever got the guts to confess.

During the painful period of getting over him, Brandon never left my side.

It was his relentless, gentle care that slowly pulled me out of the dark.

Eventually, I let him in. We dated, got married, and had our first kid.

I won't deny that the first few years of our marriage were amazing. Over time, my affection for Brandon turned into deep dependency, and I ended up falling madly in love with him.

Who could have guessed that a man who supposedly loved me more than life itself would screw me over in our seventh year of marriage?

Now, looking back at the "perfect couple" image we flaunted in front of everyone, it felt like a sick joke. A constant, mocking reminder of how humiliated I'd been.

I was barely out of the recovery room when Brandon stormed into the clinic.

The moment he saw me—pale, weak, and leaning heavily on Nicholas for support—he lost his mind.

"Joanna! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he roared.

I gently let go of Nicholas, forcing myself to stand straight.

Meeting Brandon's furious glare, I let out a cold, empty laugh.

"Nothing much. Just giving you a taste of your own medicine, and then having a quick, minor procedure."

Nobody knew what saying that cost me.

That was my child. I'd wanted that baby. I'd been counting the weeks.

And I'd just spent her to make Brandon hurt.

I felt like a monster. Some cruel, unnatural woman who shouldn't be anybody's mother.

But what else was I supposed to do? He was sleeping with somebody else. The last thing I was going to do was hand him a pregnancy and let him think I was using it to hold a dead marriage together.

"A minor procedure?" Brandon's eyes had gone red and the vein at his temple was standing out. He looked like he wanted to put his hands through me. "That's our kid. How do you say that like it's nothing?"

"Oh, so now you care that it's our kid?" I shot back. "Did you actually give a damn before this?"

Brandon sneered, his chest puffing out with self-righteous anger. "Of course I cared!"

I didn't buy it for a second. If a man truly cared about his family and his kids, he wouldn't cheat.

The grief on his face right now didn't move me. It just looked like pure, sickening hypocrisy.

"If you cared so much, why were you busy screwing another woman?" I countered.

The truth was, his infidelity was the sole reason I had made this heartbreaking choice.

Whatever happened today, the blame lay squarely on his shoulders.

Cornered by the truth, Brandon shut up. His gaze snapped sharply to Nicholas, his voice dripping with pure venom. "Who the hell are you?"

Under Brandon's glaring scrutiny, Nicholas stayed completely calm, his posture exuding an effortless, cold arrogance. "So, you're Joanna's husband. Honestly? I'm not impressed."

The provocation in his voice was clear. He didn't view Brandon as a threat at all.

Brandon's brows furrowed. "What did you just say?"

Nicholas looked down at me, his tone smooth and unbothered. "If you don't know how to cherish a woman this incredible, it's only a matter of time before someone else takes her from you."

"You motherf—! Mind your own damn business!"

Brandon swung a fist at Nicholas's face, but Nicholas caught his wrist effortlessly, locking it in place.

Nicholas looked at me, his voice steady. "Do you want me to teach him a lesson?"

"No," I shook my head. "Don't."

Technically, Brandon and I were still married. Letting Nicholas fight my husband in a hospital lobby would only look trashy and cause a scene.

Even if I didn't care about my own reputation anymore, I had to protect Nicholas's.

He was innocent. He had driven all night from Ockburn just because he was worried about me.

I couldn't let him drag his name through the mud for my sake.

"Thank you for coming with me today," I told Nicholas softly. "I can handle the rest from here. Don't worry."

Knowing he didn't have the standing to interfere any further in my marriage, Nicholas let go of Brandon's wrist, completely dismissing him.

"Alright," Nicholas said, giving me a warm look. "I'll take off then. But if you need anything—anything at all—just call me."

I managed a weak, grateful smile, watching his back as he walked down the hospital corridor and out of sight.