Caught Him at the Store, I Left

I was disappointed—but reality had become painfully clear.

The more silent David remained, the bolder Anna became.

If my own husband wouldn’t defend me, what else could I expect?

I asked David, “So this is how you’re celebrating my birthday?”

“It’s not like that, I—”

Before he could finish, Anna cut in, “Funny, my birthday’s in two days too.”

“I should’ve checked the calendar before going out today. Running into trash like you—it’s bad luck!”

“Anna, don’t you like that limited edition Chanel bag? Let’s go buy it.”

Anna’s eyes lit up. “Really? You’re the best, honey!”

That was David’s way of dealing with things—taking her hand and walking away to end the scene.

He left me standing there alone, a public joke.

As they went up the escalator together, he didn’t even turn back once.

He only sent me a text: Go home first. We’ll talk later.

I scoffed. Did he really think there was anything left to explain?

Seven years of marriage, destined to end in misery.

Just as I was about to leave, someone suddenly hit me from behind with a baseball bat.

It was a woman, striking me repeatedly—first on my back, then aiming at my head.

I tried to dodge, but she was relentless, chasing me down.

The crowd just watched, some even cheering her on.

“She deserves it! Mistresses like her should be beaten!”

Soon, I had no strength left to resist. The bat kept landing on me, blow after blow.

My gaze lifted to the second floor, meeting David’s eyes.

He hesitated for only a few seconds—then turned away when Anna called him to go buy her a bag.

In that moment, I made my decision: I would never look back.

By the time I arrived at the hospital, more than three hours had passed since the attack.

I had fainted from the beating, unconscious.

When I woke up, my body was covered in bruises.

My head spun, nausea churning in my stomach.

The doctor explained a few things and left.

Outside, nurses whispered about me, their looks full of disdain.

I knew explanations would be useless. I just stared at the TV on the wall.

At 2 p.m., David finally rushed in.

He was emotional as he said, “Claire, I didn’t know you’d be beaten like this. If I had known, I would have stopped it!”

“Really? You dare say you didn’t see me being attacked?”

Our eyes had locked while I was being beaten.

Now he came running, pretending to care—who was he fooling?

“I did see it, but Anna told me it was just to scare you. She didn’t say they’d actually hurt you!”

“To scare me? So you planned this together?”

I stared at him in disbelief.

Had they set me up from the very moment I walked into that mall?

Realizing he’d said too much, David tried to cover his tracks.

“She’s still outside. Anna wanted to come see you. She’s not as bad as you think.”

“And? You came here just to tell me that?”

On the surface, I looked calm, but inside, I was shaken.

Did he even understand what he was saying?

David pressed on. “Of course not. What I want to say is—can’t you and Anna just coexist peacefully?”