He Ruined My Life for Another Woman

###Chapter 1

“Divorce? Are you sure?!” Greta Benz, my lawyer friend, jumped up from her chair. It was clear she was shocked. “Robert would even risk his life for you. Everyone knows that. Now that you’re finally pregnant, you want to leave him?”

I looked down at my slightly round belly. My throat felt tight.

So, yesterday was our third wedding anniversary. Robert didn’t show up. He said he had to work overtime at the last minute. I was about to leave the restaurant when my phone buzzed. On a gossip website I often visit, a post had become trending:

[My wife is pregnant, but my adopted sister doesn’t like the idea of me having a child with another woman. How can I convince my wife to have an abortion?]

The comments were full of anger. But the person who posted it pinned one reply to the top:

[Just tell her the baby has a birth defect. Say the child will suffer if born. It’s for her own good. She’ll agree to abort.]

I frowned. How can a person be this cruel?

Just as I closed the page, Robert sent me a video call request.

“Oh my God,” he said, sending me a photo of a medical report. His voice sounded full of pain. “The doctor told me our baby has serious problems… If the baby is born, it will only suffer. Darling, let’s give it up.”

My stomach tightened. My hands turned cold. I almost dropped my phone.

No.... It must be a coincidence. Robert would never treat me like that.

But then another message appeared—an email from an unknown sender.

In the photo attached, a young woman was leaning closely against my husband. The man who was always distant from other women was kissing her deeply. There was no sadness on his face.

The message read:

[My brother loves me so much. I told him I hate the idea of him having a child with another woman. So he tricked her into having an abortion and came to be with me right away.]

I could only see her side profile, but I recognized her immediately. She was Robert’s adopted sister, Silvia.

I fell back into my chair. Tears rolled down before I could stop them.

My father cheated when I was young. Because of that, I never believed in true love. Robert chased me from the time he was sixteen until I was twenty-three. For eight years, he slowly melted the ice around my heart.

Everyone said he treated me like a princess. I once believed I was luckier than my mother.

Meanwhile, in the internet post, my own husband held Silvia like a fragile treasure. Under the sunset, they looked like the perfect ending of a romantic movie.

It made me sick. I felt like my heart was being torn apart.

I always told myself they were just close as siblings. But what kind of brother kisses his sister like that?

I slowly closed my eyes. I remembered the earthquake three years ago. In the ruins, he was covered in blood but still protected me despite getting hurt himself.

“Ayla, I love you. Forever…”

His “forever” only lasted until Silvia grew up. Then, I had to let him go.

Holding back the sharp pain in my chest, I spoke softly, “Hey, Reta. I'm serious. Please help me prepare the divorce papers.”

***

.

“The divorce agreement will take effect once it’s signed. But your immigration application is a different story though. I had asked someone to start the process right away as we speak.”

“Thank you, Reta.”

I put the document into my bag and took a deep breath. I felt dazed. Eleven years together… and it ended so suddenly.

I had just stepped out of the law firm when a black Mercedes stopped sharply in front of me.

“Baby, why are you here?”

The car window rolled down. Robert seemed pale as he stared at the law firm’s sign. “Wait, isn’t Greta a divorce lawyer?”

He quickly got out of the car and pulled me inside. “I called you so many times. Why didn’t you answer?”

I had never seen such fear on his face before. If he was really that afraid of losing me… then why did he betray me?

“My battery's dead,” I said softly, pulling my arm away and forcing a smile. “My best friend Hannah found out her husband cheated on her. She asked me to help her talk to a divorce lawyer. Well, since Reta specializes in that, here I am.”

“I see…” Robert let out a long breath of relief, though he looked obviously anxious. “I thought you were leaving me.”

That handsome, hurt expression used to make my knees weak. Now it felt like a poisonous rose vine, slowly wrapping around my heart and suffocating me.

I lowered my gaze. My voice trembled slightly. “What about you, Robert? You wouldn’t cheat on me, right?”

His body stiffened for a second. Then he held my face and looked at me deeply. “Never. If you don’t believe me, I’d cut my heart out to prove it.”

Robert didn't realize he smelled strongly of Silvia’s perfume, yet he spoke to me with the sweetest words.

He pulled me into his arms. His voice was hoarse, “I can’t bear the thought of you suffering for the rest of your life because of this baby. I’d rather die. I already scheduled the abortion surgery. It’s in three days.”

He added, “I promise. We can have another baby.”

Such thoughtful reasons. Such sincere words. But there would never be another baby from our relationship.

I looked down at my five-month belly. I remembered that right after we got married, Robert was diagnosed with low fertility. The chance of us having a child was very small.

To protect his reputation as the heir of the Kleinn family, I told everyone the problem was mine. After that, my mother-in-law never treated me kindly again.

“The Kleinns cannot end with this generation. If you can’t give birth, you should leave on your own,” she said.

Robert had fought fiercely with her. He said he loved me and that children didn’t matter.

We began a long and painful journey trying to conceive. He took countless medicines every day, often feeling so sick he wanted to throw up. Every time we failed, he knelt in front of me and said, “I’m sorry.”

The day the doctor confirmed I was pregnant, Robert held me and cried so hard his whole body shook. “Ayla, I will protect you and our baby with my life.”

And really, Robert seemed so perfect.

If a stranger lightly bumped into my belly, he would immediately call a doctor for a full check-up.

At gatherings, if a male friend tried to open the door for me, he would step in quickly. “I’ll do it. She’s under special protection right now. Nothing can happen to her.”

He canceled important business meetings to attend expensive parenting classes. He became a VIP member at a maternity store and bought the newest baby products in large quantities.

Everyone knew him as a loving husband and devoted father.

So when Robert lied to me, I endured the pain and asked myself, trembling, “Was there anything truly wrong? All the previous check-ups showed our baby was healthy.”

“Some problems only appear later in pregnancy,” Robert said, his eyes red. He held the medical report up to the camera. “Look here. There are multiple serious abnormalities. Even if our baby is born, it will only suffer.” He looked heartbroken.

Yet, as I stared at the scar on his chin, I felt nothing but cold spreading through my body.