He Gave Up Cigarettes, I Gave Up Us

It was a camera I had installed long ago to keep an eye on Ethan when he was little. Later, after he moved into his own room, I’d forgotten to take it down.

At that moment, Sophia started crying again:

“If Emily says it’s my fault, then it’s my fault. I never should’ve been here.”

Daniel’s heart ached instantly. He turned to scold me:

“It’s nothing but a trivial matter. Do you have to nitpick endlessly? Emily, you’re becoming more and more unbearable.”

I ignored him and pulled up the footage.

The video showed everything clearly: Sophia had pinched her own thigh red before Ethan even touched her. And she had deliberately pushed him to the ground, injuring his forehead.

I shoved the phone toward their faces. Sophia’s eyes reddened instantly as she scrambled for an excuse:

“It’s not like that!” she cried, leaning pitifully into Daniel’s arms.

“Daniel, I didn’t mean to. I must have just panicked…”

Daniel gently cut her off:

“Don’t be afraid, Sophia. I believe you. This isn’t your fault. If Ethan hadn’t run out, none of this would’ve happened.”

In the next moment, my phone was knocked from my hand. The screen shattered, the video disappearing into a black void.

His face was as dark as his voice:

“What’s there to see? At the end of the day, it’s your fault, Emily, for not controlling the child.”

“If you’d done your job, none of this would’ve happened.”

I laughed—an untimely, bitter laugh.

How foolish of me, thinking I could expect fairness from Daniel.

Thinking he might one day bow his head and apologize.

Maybe my laugh sounded too strange, because Daniel’s tone softened for the first time:

“Emily, I…”

But before he could finish, Sophia cut in.

She dropped to her knees in front of me, slapping her own face repeatedly:

“Emily, it’s all my fault! Please, hit me instead! It’s all my fault…”

Daniel exploded in anger again:

“Emily, haven’t you had enough? Haven’t you had enough already?”

When word spread that I wanted a divorce, everyone urged me not to.

Even my mother took Daniel’s side:

“The child’s already so big—what’s the point of causing a scene now?”

“You insisted on marrying him back then, and now you want to leave?”

“Don’t you realize the Parker and Carter families are tied together with so many business deals? If you file for divorce, both families will be in chaos!”

The very woman who once opposed Daniel the most had now become his advocate, every word blaming me for being unreasonable.

Yes, Daniel was no longer the man he once was.

After our marriage, I handed over all my savings to invest in his company.

In six years, the Carter Family’s business had flourished so much that even the Parker Family sought their cooperation.

Daniel no longer needed to humble himself.

The one left groveling was me.

When I stayed silent, my mother pressed on:

“Men are like this. As long as he maintains appearances, you’re still Mrs. Carter. So what if he has a few women on the side?”

“As long as there aren’t any illegitimate children, all of Carter’s assets will still go to Ethan in the end. Just endure it—what harm will it do you?”

Finally, I laughed bitterly.

Endure?

How much more was I supposed to endure?

Hadn’t six years been enough?

Still, my mother nagged:

“Men value their reputation above all. Why did you have to cause such a scandal that day?”

A scandal? What scandal?

All that came of it was Sophia fainting, and then everything swept under the rug.