Everything’s Better Without You

My husband cheats on me with a university student when our daughter is two years old.

My mother-in-law says I'm unworthy of being a woman. So, I back out, and he marries his mistress.

When my former father-in-law cheats on my former mother-in-law, she gets a stroke. My ex-husband ends up behind bars, and his mistress abandons their child to be with another man.

I stand before my former mother-in-law's bed. "Ask your new daughter-in-law to care for you!"

"Hey, the college girl last night was really good. She only charged 100 dollars per session. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll drink to that."

The all-too-familiar voice came through the receiver. He was my boyfriend of six years.

My hands, which were busy with laundry, froze. Trembling, I ended the call.

Eli Daugherty had cheated on me. Just a moment ago, he had said on the phone, "I'll be back early, sweetheart."

A second later…

"Mom," my daughter cried out in the living room, adding to my distress.

Eli and I had been dating since high school. At 21 years old, I broke up with him after discovering that he was flirting with other women.

One month later, I found out that I was pregnant. The doctor had told me that if I didn't keep this baby, it would be hard to conceive again, especially when I had already lost a child with him when I was 19.

I contacted Eli again, and he was overjoyed. He appeared in front of me within an hour after the call.

I sat on the couch as he knelt before me, crying and begging me to keep the baby. He promised to be a good father. Not wanting to miss out on the chance of being a mother, I agreed.

Since he was underage, we couldn't get a marriage certificate, so we had a simple wedding instead. I moved into his house, but his parents treated me like a maid who worked for free.

Mom was busy with her new family and had no time for me. So, I spent my entire pregnancy taking care of the laundry and cooking.

When our daughter was born, Eli was there, bawling his eyes out. I believed that all the hardships I had endured were worth it.

The sound of the door closing signaled Eli's return. Wiping away my tears, I decided to confront him directly.

"Honey, I'm back," he said. He had a smile on his face, just like when I first met him.

I spoke bluntly, calmly recounting what I had heard on the phone. He got angry and accused me of wrongly blaming an innocent person.

When I asked for his phone, he hesitated and kept making excuses. Knowing him well over the years, I recognized this reaction as confirmation.

I laughed bitterly and questioned, "Is it because I refuse to sleep with you?"

"I'm only 22. If you can't satisfy me, what's wrong with finding someone who can?" He stormed out and slammed the door behind him.

I sat on the couch, unable to sleep all night.

At dawn, a friend request with a woman's profile picture popped up on social media. Within ten seconds, messages started flooding in.

A photo appeared, showing a woman with bare shoulders. Next to her was Eli, sound asleep.

"He will never marry you. So what if you have a daughter with him? We made love all night, and he just fell asleep. Eli told me that he despises you and finds you nauseating."

Although I knew that he had cheated, I never expected him not even to give me a proper explanation.

The photo made me retch uncontrollably. Six years of love had just turned into nothing right at that moment.