From Betrayal to New Love

My husband's elusive love is about to marry someone else. To make her regret it, he abandoned the Graham family business and me, shaved his head, and enlisted in the army in a far-off land. I wrote him hundreds of letters but received no response. By the third year, I stopped writing and was relaxing in a rocking chair, savoring a bowl of ravioli soup, when suddenly, my husband returned. He stared, shocked, at my six-month pregnant belly:

"You never came to see me in all these years. Whose child is that?"

I laughed coldly, indifferent: "It's certainly none of your business."

---

Jax Graham snatched the bowl from Charlee Hernandez's hands and slammed it onto the table. With a dark expression, he pulled me to my feet.

"You traitor! I've only been gone for three years—whose child are you carrying? Tell me! Who's your lover?"

The ravioli soup splattered everywhere, creating a sticky mess. Charlee was already cowering in fear.

Talia Butler heard the commotion and hurried into the room. Seeing the chaos, she grasped the situation and intervened, grabbing Jax's hand to shield me.

"Jax, don't scare her. The child's father..."

But Jax's fury only grew. He cut in fiercely:

"Leah Howard, I'm asking you!"

His expression was truly terrifying, and his voice thunderous. I used to be most afraid of his anger, always yielding to his wishes. But after three years of absence and returning only to confront me, anger surged within my heart.

I forced myself to suppress fear and anger, stepping forward with determination. I met his gaze without wavering and said slowly:

"You left for three years, abandoning the company's mess to me, disappearing without a trace."

"Under marriage law, two years of separation automatically dissolves the marriage. Legally, we're no longer husband and wife."

Jax's face flushed with anger, glaring at me intensely. Suddenly, he lifted his phone, aiming it at me to record.

"You cheated and are pregnant with someone else's child. What's your defense? I'll put this online right now for everyone to see!"

Jax yanked my hair, forcing the camera close to my face. My scalp throbbed with pain, and I staggered under his grip. Pregnancy was already uncomfortable enough, and with his strength, I couldn't break free.

Talia seemed unprepared for this scene, her heart racing as she rushed to grab Jax's phone, trying to calm him down:

"Son, listen, don't make a fuss. I'll explain it later..."

Jax turned his shocked gaze toward her, redirecting his suspicion and anger at me:

"Mom, I'm your son! You're on her side?"

Fearful of his fierce expression, Talia dared not approach further. Feeling betrayed by both love and family, Jax dragged me by the hair toward the door:

"Today, I'll show everyone just how promiscuous you are!"

I was forcibly hauled out, lifting my head to see a familiar silhouette—it was Sasha Nguyen, Jax's unrequited love all these years.

When Jax left, Sasha also vanished. Now they've returned together, clearly involved long before.

Sasha looked at my disheveled state, feigning surprise and confusion on her face:

"Who would've thought my sister was such a person? You really can't judge a book by its cover..."

Jax dragged me in front of everyone and shoved me hard. I stumbled, instinctively protecting my belly as I fell.

Jax looked down at me, declaring loudly:

"Leah Howard, considering you cared for my mom and managed the company for three years, if you abort the child and let Sasha join the family officially, I won't divorce you."

"Otherwise, I'll kick you out with nothing!"

Hearing these words, I felt nothing but irony. When Jax left, the company was in crisis, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. He abandoned the chaos to me and disappeared without a word.

He left saying he needed to clear his head, promising he'd be back in a few days. Foolishly, I believed him.

Driven by the hope of his return, I gritted my teeth, sold my dowry—a property—to prop up the company. Gradually, I pulled through, reviving the business. But he never returned, not even once.