He Protected Her, I Ended Our Marriage

In the third year since Felix Sterling returned to the family fold, Sasha Shaw was pregnant again. While packing a maternity bag at the mall, they encountered Yvonne West, who had once come between them. She wasn't doing well; the bravado she once flaunted, claiming that she and Felix were true love, had long since disappeared. She was half-kneeling on the ground, changing shoes for a customer, with her eyes downcast, meek and obedient. Felix stared at her, unconsciously releasing Sasha's hand and taking two steps toward Yvonne. Sasha quickly wrapped her arm around his. "I'm tired. Let's rest at the café next door." Felix looked as if snapping out of a trance. He turned to look at her, his eyes filled with guilt and unease. He still harbored a hint of lingering, unhidden pain for Yvonne. He quickly took her hand and led her toward the café. "Okay." They sat down in the café, and Felix thoughtfully ordered her a warm cup of milk. Sasha's fingers unconsciously touched her slightly rounded belly. The child was already eight months old. She had been injured before; her body felt too weak, and she got tired after just a few steps. Felix bent down, propped her feet up on his lap, and gently massaged her swollen calves. His fingertips applied just the right pressure. He didn't dare to look at her, his voice low and hoarse. "I'm sorry." Sasha knew he was apologizing for that moment of distraction just now. He had been apologizing for years. Sometimes it was for the calls he accidentally made, which belonged to Yvonne back then. Sometimes it was when he occasionally called her "Sash" instead of "Yvonne." Sometimes it was because he brought back snacks from far away that were Yvonne's favorites but made her allergic. He was treading on thin ice, terrified of making a mistake, and clearly in agony. Sasha repeatedly said, "It's okay," but his constant apologies wore her out. He, who had cheated, returned to the family, yet their hearts grew further apart. It felt like they were drowning in the stagnant waters of life, both suffocating and tormented. Until she was pregnant again. They tacitly stopped mentioning the past, setting the name "Yvonne West" as a taboo in their lives, dreaming together of the happy life after the child was born. But Yvonne's appearance quickly shattered this fragile illusion. Sasha felt a bit drained, even somewhat triggered. But looking at her prominently rounded abdomen and Felix's guilty expression, she still softly said: "It's okay." As the scent of milk filled the air, memories of the past flooded back to her. When Felix was seven years old, the Sterling family moved next door to the Shaw family. Felix's father kept a mistress outside the home and rarely returned. In retaliation, Felix's mother also took a lover. While on a date with her lover at home, she found Felix a nuisance and kicked him out. Sasha found him in the hallway while playing hide and seek with her father, Mr. Shaw. Seeing him with red eyes, hiding silently in the corner, she thought he looked extremely pitiful. Having always wanted a brother, she sweetly offered him her lollipop. "Brother, do your mom and dad not want you anymore?" "I have lots and lots of delicious food at my house. Do you want to come home with me?" From that day on, she had a brother. Whenever she got into trouble, he would immediately rush out to take the blame for her. When she was sick, he was more anxious than her parents, stubbornly sleeping on the floor beside her bed to keep watch over her. During arguments, regardless of who was right, he would repeatedly apologize and coax her until she calmed down. Everything she wanted, he offered with both hands. Everything she disliked, he kept his distance from. His presence, his love, and even his gentle breath became etched into her very being as the years passed. Inseparable, hard to let go. However, this Felix, who loved her deeply, fell in love at first sight with her obstetrician, Yvonne West, when she found out she was pregnant and accompanied her to the hospital for a check-up. Suddenly, Felix stood up, pulling Sasha back from her memories. His hand hung by his side, unconsciously forming a fist, and his voice dropped low. "Sash, you sit for a moment. I'll be right back from the restroom." Sasha tightened her grip on the cup, her heart aching momentarily. She looked up at him, her expression almost pleading. "Felix, I'm not feeling well. Can we go home first?" Felix was taken aback but stubbornly insisted. "I'll be back soon." "Don't go... okay..." She tried hard to restrain herself, but her voice still revealed a hint of choking. Unfortunately, Felix hurried away, missing her words. He walked straight in the opposite direction of the restroom. Sasha, as if punishing herself, got up and followed him step by step. He soon arrived at the shop where Yvonne worked. From outside the window, he gazed longingly at the busy woman inside. Until Yvonne finally looked up at him. Her surprise flashed away in an instant. In an instant, her eyes filled with tears. The two locked eyes for a moment, and Felix instinctively turned to leave, but Yvonne rushed out from inside and hugged him from behind. She choked out. "Felix, I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime." Felix trembled uncontrollably and took a long time to turn around. The two stood facing each other, with only each other in their eyes. He took out a bank card from his bag and pressed it into Yvonne's hand. "You shouldn't do this kind of work anymore." Yvonne gave a bitter smile. "What is this, charity?" Felix said hoarsely. "It's compensation. I'm sorry..." Yvonne's tears flowed even more fiercely. "If you really feel sorry for me and want to compensate me, I don't need your money. I just need you..." "Just love me one more time." After saying that, she didn't wait for Felix to respond and directly threw herself into his arms, standing on tiptoe to kiss him. The kiss mingled with her salty tears, accompanied by the woman crying and choking. "Felix, I miss you so much. I miss you..." Felix's body was tense, his hands hanging at his sides clenched tightly, veins bulging. He restrained the surging emotions, like a string about to snap. In the end, he still raised his hand to embrace her back and kissed her back forcefully. Sasha stood not far away, watching them, her heart filled with anger and bitterness. What a touching, picture perfect scene. If only the male lead wasn't her husband. She walked step by step towards them. Yvonne saw her first, startled into standing upright, leaving Felix's embrace. Felix stiffened all over and slowly turned around, meeting Sasha's tear-stained face. His expression immediately filled with panic, instinctively shielding Yvonne behind him. "Sash... I just... I just... I'm sorry." He racked his brain but couldn't come up with a suitable excuse, leaving only the familiar apology. Yvonne also choked as she said. "Sorry, Mrs. Sterling. Felix and I just... couldn't help ourselves..." Sasha looked at Yvonne's weak and innocent appearance and couldn't help but laugh sarcastically. "Couldn't help ourselves..." "Speaking of which, three years ago I still had an account to settle with you, and then you disappeared." "Since fate has brought us together again, and you can't help yourself towards my husband once more, then..." "Let's settle this once and for all!" Before her words fell, Sasha took a step forward and gripped Yvonne's collar tightly. Then she suddenly raised her hand and slapped Yvonne hard on the face. Slap! "This first slap is for your shamelessness. For your complete lack of medical ethics. As an obstetrician, you seduced a patient's husband!" Slap! "This second slap is for your wickedness. You deliberately incited the family involved in the medical dispute to harm me, which led to me falling from the fifth floor and losing my child!" Slap! "This third slap is for your utter shamelessness. Three years have passed, and yet you're still up to your old tricks!" Yvonne staggered from the impact, her cheeks bearing the marks of the slaps, and she immediately burst into a heart-wrenching cry. Felix couldn't stand by any longer and rushed forward to grab Sasha's wrist. "Enough! Stop hitting her, Sash!" Sasha's eyes hardened, and without a moment's hesitation, she raised her hand and slapped Felix's face. Slap! Felix's face was turned sideways. Sasha's eyes were filled with a mix of hatred and tears as she shouted angrily. "Enough? Felix, what right do you have to say 'enough' after betraying me time and again!" Felix fell silent, gritting his teeth as he met Sasha's tear-filled gaze. He noticed her visibly rounded belly, her trembling body, and the grievance and resentment in her eyes. Suddenly, he raised his hand and struck himself across the face. One slap wasn't enough. He struck himself repeatedly, seven or eight times. Yvonne couldn't bear to watch any longer and rushed over to wrap her arms around him, crying and pleading. "Stop! Felix, please don't hit yourself!" Felix lowered his hand, his face swollen and bruised as he looked at Sasha, his eyes filled with exhaustion and pain. "Is this enough now? Are you feeling better?" "If you still need to vent, go ahead and hit me until you feel satisfied." "As for Yvonne, she has gone from being a doctor to a shoe salesperson. Her life has already been ruined. Can you please stop making it hard on her?" Sasha trembled all over. She was the one doing the hitting, yet why did it feel like she was the one in pain? Her palms hurt, her cheeks hurt, and even her heart ached to the point of being unable to breathe. The pleading and pain in his eyes felt like a thousand blades slicing her apart piece by piece. It was her life that had been ruined, after all. With tears in her eyes, Sasha slowly said: "Felix, let's get a divorce."