He Left Me in Labor to Save Another Woman

Chapter 2 I Have to Stand Up for You

"Get the hell out!"

I was too worked up. The stitches from the tear throbbed like crazy.

Pain shot through me. I clutched the blanket, cold sweat breaking out across my forehead.

Owen licked his lips, his voice dry. "There's a reason this time. Arna's parents favor boys over girls. They're trying to force her to marry a fifty-year-old widower. Stella, I know you're soft-hearted. You wouldn't want to see a girl with a bright future get dragged into something like that."

Owen put me on a moral pedestal so high I could barely breathe.

If I said no, I'd be the cold, heartless one.

But I had just barely made it out alive yesterday. Complications during labor. If the baby had been even a minute later, she could've suffered brain damage from lack of oxygen.

And Owen didn't ask me how I was doing. All he cared about was getting me to forgive him.

Every word out of his mouth was about how helpless he felt, how pitiful Arna was.

My vision blurred. For a second, I felt like I didn't even know the man standing in front of me.

Owen had knelt in front of me three times in his life.

The first time was when I was diagnosed with kidney failure and needed a transplant. We needed a million for the surgery.

Back then, Owen had just become a literature professor. He took every lecture, every speaking gig he could find.

People said he smelled like money, like all those years of education were wasted on him. He never cared.

He said, "If I can't even keep the woman I love, what's the point of all that pride?"

When my condition got worse, Owen knelt in front of me and begged me to hold on until he could come up with the money.

I was so happy back then. I thought I had married the right person.

But the “love of his life” he talked about only lasted three years.

The other two times he knelt were both because of his student.

He chose me in words, but in his actions, he always protected Arna.

When I didn't respond, Owen let out a long sigh.

"Arna's situation is different from yours. She has both parents, but they treat her like a cash machine. You grew up with a single mom, but your mom truly loves you."

Every explanation was filled with sympathy for Arna.

I turned my head away, disappointment settling deep in my chest.

"Then go protect her. I'll send you the divorce papers after I'm discharged."

Owen's head snapped up. "Stella, you just had a baby. What are you even doing? Do you really want your child to grow up in a single-parent home like you did?"

I bit down hard, about to respond, when a loud slap from outside the door cut me off.

Through the glass, I saw my mom, furious, confronting Arna.

Without a second thought, Owen rushed out and shoved my mom hard to the ground.

A loud thud. I heard the sickening c***k of bone.

He pulled Arna behind him, shielding her, his voice full of anger. "Mom, how can you treat my student like this? She came here to congratulate me on becoming a father. She meant no harm."

Ignoring the pain, I hurried to the doorway.

The moment I saw the blood on my mom's forehead, my eyes went red.

"Owen, hasn't my mom treated you well all these years? How could you do this to her?"

Hearing me, my mom quickly came over and supported me, worry all over her face.

"I noticed something was wrong between you two months ago. I thought maybe things would get better after the baby was born. But I never imagined Owen would cheat too! And he even has the nerve to bring the other woman here. I had to stand up for you!"

Her words wrapped around me like a shield. My nose stung, tears threatening to spill.

Arna's face flushed red. "If you don't understand, then don't say things like that!"