The Day I Stopped Forgiving Him

Chapter 2

Chloe said shyly, "Scarlett, Eth insisted on bringing us along. Sorry for interrupting."

I stood frozen in place. Her casual words had completely disrupted my daughter's long-awaited birthday.

Ethan's gaze fell on my pale face, then he quickly turned away. "Girls around the same age—let them play together."

My daughter's eyes were fixed on the tightly clasped hands of Ethan and Coco, her small face dazed.

My heart twitched. The words I wanted to say stuck in my throat.

Coco, dressed in a princess gown with her shiny hair pinned up, was surrounded by Ethan and Chloe. It was as if she were the star of the day.

In contrast, my daughter was dressed plainly, standing alone with me.

Suddenly, I'd had enough. I quickly picked up my daughter and turned to leave.

"Scarlett, what do you mean? Did Coco and I upset you?"

Chloe blocked my way, her face full of worry. But her nails dug deep into my arm. I flung her off in pain.

It wasn't much force, yet Chloe fell straight to the ground.

Tears streaming down her face, she cried, "Scarlett, why did you hit me? Is it wrong for me to want us to get along?"

My pinched arm throbbed. I was so angry my teeth chattered.

Just as I was about to snap back, Ethan slapped me out of nowhere.

"You call yourself a mother? Picking on someone right in front of your daughter!"

The slap was brutal. Before I knew it, I was on the ground.

My daughter rushed over instantly, stretching her thin little arm in front of me. Sobbing, she shouted, "Don't you hit my mom!"

Blood gushed from my forehead, trickling down my cheek.

I looked at my daughter's small, fragile back, then at Ethan, who was shielding Chloe and her daughter.

With a buzzing sound, it was as if a string inside my head had snapped.

Ethan could disregard me. He could not love me. But how could he keep hurting our daughter, again and again?

I stumbled, grabbed Lily, and covered her tearful eyes. Resolutely, I turned and walked away.

After checking on Chloe and her daughter, Ethan turned to look at me, his pupils shrinking.

He rushed over, grabbed me, and anxiously pressed on my still-bleeding wound. "How did you get hurt so badly? If you hadn't bullied Chloe, I wouldn't have…"

I looked up at him, my face pale, tears streaming down.

All along, no matter how I explained, in his eyes, I was always the one bullying Chloe.

Because of Chloe, I lost my cat. I lost my husband. I even lost my second child.

The first time I discovered his affair, I went to his office, heavily pregnant. Instead, I found him and Chloe tangled together, naked.

When I rushed over to hit him, Ethan slapped me. That slap killed my baby.

Seeing my tears, Ethan froze for a moment. A flicker of pain crossed his eyes. He instinctively reached out to wipe my face, but Chloe suddenly choked up behind him.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have destroyed your relationship."

With that, she turned and ran toward the rushing traffic.

Horns blared one after another.

Ethan let go of me instantly, without a second thought, and chased after Chloe.

My daughter and I exchanged a calm glance, then got into the car and drove away.

As we passed them, Chloe was leaning quietly on his shoulder. She met my gaze, and the guilt on her face was gone.

'I understood—she was telling me she had won. But who even cares anymore?'

My daughter and I moved to another place that very night.

But at eleven o'clock, Ethan showed up uninvited.

When I opened the door, my silence irritated him.

Ethan snapped, "We're just divorced. Who told you to move? You'll be back in a few days anyway. Why go through all this trouble?"