After they left, my mother looked at me with disapproval,
“Pearl, are you really going to stay with Hank?” she asked, her voice laced with concern. “Are you afraid that after the divorce, you won’t have anywhere to go? Don’t worry. Even if you divorce him, your father and I will still take care of you.”
I was touched by her words, my eyes welling up with tears. But I shook my head and gently reassured her. “Mom, don’t worry. I’m not going to stay with Hank. I have my reasons for doing this.”
She seemed ready to argue further, but when she saw the determination in my eyes, she simply sighed and shook her head in resignation
In the days that followed, Hank kept his word. He cut all ties with Susie, deleting and blocking every contact in front of me. He began to dote on me every day, constantly checking in to make sure I was okay, as if terrified that something might go wrong
After I was discharged from the hospital, I moved back into our marital home with him.
During this time, Susie tried to see him several times, but each time he rejected her.
Still, I knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out for long
Soon, the day of my follow–up checkup arrived.
The night before, I casually brought it up, pretending not to notice the guilty look in his eyes.
“Hank, I have a checkup tomorrow. You’ll come with me, won’t you?”
He quickly nodded, promising, “Pearl, of course! Don’t worry, I’ll definitely go with you tomorrow.”
Satisfied, I smiled and nodded in return. Then, while he went out to buy something, I sent a message to Susie, “It seems you’re not that important to Hank after all. He told me he’s definitely going with me to the hospital tomorrow and said being with you was just a passing fling
Susie took the bait. After some back–and–forth, she finally responded, though her tone was defensive, “I’ll show you!”
I knew she wouldn’t let me down.
Sure enough, my gamble paid off.
On the day of my follow–up appointment, Hank didn’t show up.
Instead, photos of him passionately kissing Susie outside her apartment made the headlines.
We had climbed up the financial ranks from nothing together.
Sure, his family had some resources, but most of our success came after we got married. We had built our business brick by brick. In the toughest times, we had even marketed our love story to boost product sales, using our relationship as a shield for the brand.
Now, the moment those photos of him kissing Susie hit the internet, a storm of outrage followed. People flooded the comments, calling him heartless and opportunistic. They accused him of betraying the very foundation of our success now that he had made it big.
I didn’t let it get to me. Instead, I sent him a message with the divorce appointment I had already scheduled at the courthouse. “Tomorrow at 9 AM, meet me at the courthouse.”
