When He Stops Protecting Me

At that time, everyone believed we would never end up together. They thought an ugly duckling like me, born in a small town, could never deserve someone like Helena. But she didn’t care—she only wanted to be with me. She endured all the pressure and proposed herself, shielding our love from malice. Under her protection, my once harsh and poor life suddenly became easy. Flowers, jewelry, guaranteed grad school admission, study abroad— everything was handed to me. I didn’t need to ask for anything. As a naïve, idealistic teenager prone to dreaming, I quickly fell for Helena’s relentless pursuit. I gave up my future and married her. Dating, marriage, pregnancy, childbirth— everything followed naturally. Back then, life seemed effortless. Everything I wanted was within reach. I was lost in love’s sweetness— unaware that every gift from fate carries a hidden price. The day Emma was born, Eleanor Rhodes appeared for the first time and took my baby away. Her face was polite, her tone cold and arrogant. “Emma is the future heir of the Rhodes family—of noble status. With your upbringing and limited education, you’re unfit to raise this child.” My own flesh and blood, the child I’d longed for— and I wasn’t even allowed to hold him. Even seeing him required permission. I begged Helena not to be so cruel, not to take my child. She looked at me strangely. “My mother’s right—you’re from the countryside. She said I can be willful, but only she decides anything about the child.” I nearly collapsed in tears. But Helena ignored me, hugged my waist, and kissed me lightly. “Alright, alright, don’t cry,” she said with a faint smile. “If you love kids that much, we can have another.” I couldn’t refuse. But when she saw the gray strands I’d grown from caring for her, a flicker of conflict and disgust flashed in her eyes. After hesitating, she only said coldly, “You’ve had a long day—rest.” Her indifference hit me like lightning, shattering my dream. I remembered Eleanor’s scorn and everyone’s ridicule. Suddenly, I understood— this so-called love was nothing but a spoiled princess’s whim. Fate had once gifted me everything— now, it demanded repayment. The child was only the beginning. Helena’s coldness caused my status in the Rhodes family to plummet. The hostility around me pushed me into deep depression. I lay awake every night, unable to sleep. I called her, but she never answered. I texted her, but got no reply. I feared something had happened to her. But the next morning, news broke—she had cheated. Her photos with a minor celebrity spread everywhere. People online mocked me, wondering when the rich family’s son-in-law would be thrown out. The gossip and laughter crushed my final illusion. I couldn’t accept it. My condition worsened.

I had the fiercest argument of my life with Helena. In a complete breakdown, I tried to harm myself with a knife. I even threatened to jump off the building in front of her. At the last second, she rushed over, trembling as she hugged me and apologized. Like every unfaithful woman, she cried and said she was wrong. She claimed it was all a misunderstanding. She said she still loved me and begged for another chance. That night, she knelt before me, tears streaming down her face. “Samuel Young, please forgive me just this once.” I made the second mistake of my life. I chose to forgive her. Because of our child. Because of a love I couldn’t let go of. Because my mother’s car accident left me with no home to return to. So, Helena and I reconciled. Soon after, we had another child, Lily. Like Emma, she was taken away right after birth. The excuse was that Helena needed to focus on work and couldn’t stand a baby’s crying. To see my children even once, I had to go to the old house before dawn and observe every formality. Serving tea and water, massaging shoulders, kneeling to wash Eleanor’s feet— just to earn a glance at my children. But all my effort earned me nothing but Helena’s open betrayal and my children’s deep resentment. Emma never called me “Dad.” Whenever she saw me, she frowned and said, “That stupid country bumpkin is here again. I don’t want to see him.” Lily couldn’t speak yet— she only cried and reached for her grandmother. My mother’s condition worsened. The children’s coldness and the weight of life left me broken and hollow. When I needed support most, Helena started a new family with another man. That day was our wedding anniversary. Emma refused my invitation. Helena hung up on me. Her lover, instead, sent me a video of them in bed. Hearing their voices, I completely shattered. I lost control, grabbed a knife, and slashed my arm. When Margaret rushed in, I was bleeding out. She called Helena in panic. But she didn’t return until dawn. She knelt beside me, smiling as she stared at my mutilated arm. “Weren’t you going to die?” “A whole night has passed—why are you still like a dog, refusing to leave the Rhodes family?” Those words shattered what was left of my sanity. Without thinking, I jumped from the balcony. I didn’t die. Only broke my leg. Eleanor dismissed the reporters and dragged me to my mother’s hospital room. She looked down coldly and said, “The ICU costs twenty thousand a day.” “If you disgrace the Rhodes family again, I’ll make sure your mother dies with you.” That was when I realized— death was a luxury. I couldn’t let go of love or blood ties. I could only endure humiliation in this hollow marriage. Watching my children drift further away. Watching Helena flirt with one gigolo after another. Watching them use my mother to control my life. Marriage into wealth was both sweet bliss— and a painful chain.

The ugly duckling had become the knight guarding the princess. But the princess remained lost in her games of love. She kept rescuing one poor boy after another—until one day, Helena went too far. She fell for a sleazy man in his thirties, divorced multiple times, and even bore his child. Eleanor was livid. She slapped me twice, furious that I hadn’t controlled my wife. “What good is a man who can’t even keep his woman in line?” “Clean up this mess immediately, or else…” “I’ll stop your mother’s treatment and make sure you never see Emma or Lily again!” With my marriage in ruins, my family was my last lifeline. I couldn’t lose my mother. I couldn’t lose the only thread of hope left. So, I hardened myself and went to find Sean Xavier. Unlike Helena’s past lovers—arrogant and loud—he was polite, even humble. He called me “Mr. Rhodes” again and again, his tone dripping with false respect. “I’m sorry, sir. I never meant to break up your family.” “I just love Helena too much.” “If it helps her, I’ll convince her to abort and disappear forever.” He meant every word. After taking the hush money, he vanished completely. That night, after a long absence, Helena quietly entered my room. She lay beside me in silence. We just stared at each other. To reward me for fixing her scandal— and to keep her in the family— Eleanor, for the first time, agreed we could have another child. She promised to raise this one herself. My mother’s health also improved under the family’s private medical care. I was elated. I thought the nightmare was finally ending. I thought happiness was returning. But just when I looked forward to a new beginning with Helena, she stabbed me. Watching me writhe in pain, she said coldly, “When you drove Sean away and killed my unborn child, did you think of this day?” “Did you ever imagine his pain—or mine?” “You owe Sean a life. This is your punishment. You’ll never have children again.” She had my right kidney removed and my vas deferens severed. I was left broken—both body and soul. I cried until I couldn’t breathe, unable to accept the truth. Then came worse news. My mother’s doctor told me she had learned everything about my suffering. The shock had worsened her condition—surgery was urgent. It cost 200,000 dollars, but I had nothing. None of the Rhodes family’s wealth was in my name. The watches and jewelry weren’t mine to sell. Two hundred thousand dollars—for Helena, it was pocket change. For me, it was the final blow. I called her, crying, begging for mercy. I swore I’d do anything—just to save my mother. Helena laughed coldly. “Samuel, stop pretending.” “You think I’ll fall for your pathetic lies?” “You’ll say anything just to compete with Sean for my heart!”

She hung up coldly. The last thing I heard was the sound of two people lost in passion. Amid those obscene moans, my mother took her final breath. While arranging her funeral, I happened to see the day’s headline: “Wealthy Heiress Spends Millions to Propose to Her New Lover—The Ugly Duckling Is Heartlessly Abandoned.” The fallen knight was exposed for what he truly was— and a life had been lost because of it. Soon after, Helena learned of my mother’s death. She said nothing, just wired me two million dollars. To her, that sum was a cheap solution. She had paid me ten times over—what more could I want? This was love. The kind of condescending love only Helena could give. I should have been grateful and accepted it quietly. But for me, my last tie to the world was gone. My body was ruined. My mother was dead. I was finally free. Drained, I asked Helena for a divorce. The first time, she looked at me with disdain. “Divorce? You really want to leave me?” “Without me, you’re nothing.” The second time, she was mildly annoyed. “Fine, I’m just having fun—it’s not like I’m never coming back.” “Sweetie, don’t be mad. I’ll take you to Sanya when I return.” The third time, she grew furious and tore up the divorce papers. By the fourth, fifth time… Helena finally agreed. Looking superior, she said, “Sean’s right. It’s good for you to calm down.” “After suffering outside, you’ll realize how good the Rhodes family is.” She signed with a flourish, expecting me to beg like before. But she didn’t know— this time, I was truly done. I handed the villa keys to Margaret. Calmly, I said, “I sold the house. The new owner agreed to keep you on.” “Margaret, you’re the only one who’s been kind to me here. I wish you peace and happiness.” Her eyes reddened. She choked up for a long time before whispering, “Have a safe journey.” She didn’t ask where I was headed or what I planned to do. She only knew that I had finally escaped the Rhodes family’s hell. After a long silence, I dragged my suitcase out of the cage that had bound me for ten years—without looking back. And Helena, lost in a blissful dream, was suddenly jolted awake by a nightmare.