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He Cheated While I Was in Labor,So I Took His Company
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
New Year's Eve. My water broke without warning. Derek Shaw didn't even stop to put on shoes. He scooped me up and carried me to the car, his bare feet scraping across the frozen pavement until they le...
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第1章
New Year's Eve. My water broke without warning.
Derek Shaw didn't even stop to put on shoes. He scooped me up and carried me to the car, his bare feet scraping across the frozen pavement until they left bloody streaks on the concrete.
My eyes burned with tears—grateful, overwhelmed.
Then I saw it. On the back seat. A torn condom wrapper.
"What... is this?"
I struggled to steady my breathing, fingers trembling as I picked up the small foil packet.
Derek glanced at it in the rearview mirror. His expression didn't change—not even a flicker.
"Must've been Adela Matthews eating takeout in my car yesterday. Probably a wrapper from one of those disposable gloves."
"Viola Henson, don't overthink it. The only thing that matters right now is getting you and the baby through this safely."
I stared at the residue clinging to the inside of the wrapper. For a long time, I couldn't move.
He was right about one thing.
The only thing that mattered was delivering this baby.
The poor child. Born into a world where his father was already gone.
——
The hospital emergency room was packed, even on the eve of the holiday.
"Honey, you're going to be fine."
"Honey, I'll be right outside. You've got this."
"Honey—"
Derek jogged alongside the gurney as it rolled through the corridor, his hand locked around mine, his face tight with worry. Beads of sweat glistened at his temples—proof, to anyone watching, of how deeply he loved his wife and unborn child.
Every person we passed looked at him with admiration. Envy, even.
I was the only one drenched in cold sweat, and it had nothing to do with the contractions.
The sweat was for Derek.
He played the devoted husband like a master performer—every line rehearsed, every gesture pitch-perfect.
That face. That earnest, loving face. It had fooled me for five years.
Now all I had to do was think about that wrapper, and my stomach turned inside out.
At the operating room doors, the nurses stopped him.
"Doctor—nurses—my wife is terrified of pain. Please, please take care of her..."
His voice shook. The raw, anguished worry on his face was enough to move anyone.
Inside, the midwife prepped instruments while chatting with me, trying to ease my nerves.
"You and your husband must have a wonderful relationship. A man that devoted? We don't see that often around here."
"Honestly, he looked like he was about to cry out there."
"Right? Before we closed the doors, he told the doctor that if anything went wrong, save the mother first. No hesitation." She laughed softly.
If it hadn't been for tonight's discovery, I would have believed it too. I would have sworn Derek Shaw was the man who loved me most in this world.
But now, hearing their praise, I couldn't even summon the energy to smile along.
Love or no love—it didn't matter anymore.
The pain of labor and the pain inside my chest twisted together, knotting into something unbearable. I clenched my jaw and let the sweat pour.
When I'd dilated to three centimeters, a long, sharp needle slid into my spine, and the agony slowly dulled to numbness.
I forced myself to focus on the delivery. Just the delivery. But my thoughts kept drifting, slipping out of my grasp like water through fingers.
The grief spread, quiet and relentless.
Then—a sharp, piercing cry.
My baby was born.
"Six pounds, three ounces—a healthy little boy! Congratulations, Mama."
The midwife placed him beside me. I traced every feature of that tiny, scrunched face with my eyes, and something inside me crumbled into softness.
Baby, I hope you won't blame me for the decision I'm making right now.
If I could, I'd give you a whole, perfect family.
But your father can't give that to us.
A tear slipped down my temple. I turned my head away and pressed my lips together, fighting the sting in my nose, refusing to let myself break.
"Honey!"
Derek burst through the doors, grabbing my hand, his face bright with joy. When he saw my reddened eyes, his expression crumpled, and he leaned close.
"Was it bad? God, I'm so sorry—I should've arranged to be in the room with you—"
I slipped my hand out of his without making a scene. "Where's the baby?"
"With the nurses, getting checked out. Don't worry—I already looked him over myself, every little detail. Took photos of everything, memorized his wristband info and all."
第2章
"Does it still hurt? You did amazing, sweetheart."
Derek's eyes were fixed entirely on me.
He'd been running around nonstop, handling all the paperwork and booking the best postpartum recovery center in the city.
Early the next morning, I hadn't even opened my eyes when I heard the nurse push open the door.
"By the way, if you've decided on a name, you can head down to the first-floor lobby to process the birth certificate and insurance card."
"If you haven't settled on one yet, you can always do it at the municipal center after discharge."
Derek nodded with a smile, then listened as the nurse went through a list of care instructions for me.
Through the thin curtain, I watched him tap away at his phone, recording every single word.
Attentive. Patient. In just one day and one night, he'd become the model husband in everyone's eyes.
Everyone's but mine.
My heart was cold. Stone cold.
"Hey, you're awake!" He brightened when he noticed me stirring. "We'll stay here for observation the next couple of days, then move to the recovery center the day after tomorrow."
Derek wiped down the bedside tray with a sanitizing wipe, then set the prepared postpartum meal in front of me.
"Oh—the nurse came by asking about the baby's name. Are we going with what we agreed on before? Leigh Shaw?"
I adjusted myself against the pillows, sat up a little straighter, and took a slow sip of soup.
"No. Not that."
"I want the baby to take my last name. Leigh Henson."
The bowl slipped from Derek's hands.
It hit the floor with a sharp clang, splattering broth and bits of food across the tiles. His voice caught in his throat. "Why?"
"Because of that thing in the car that looked exactly like a condom wrapper?"
"I already explained that. It was from Adela's takeout. If you don't believe me, I'll call her right now and she can tell you herself."
He said it without flinching. Not a trace of guilt. If anything, there was irritation in his tone—annoyance that I was making something out of nothing.
When I said nothing, Derek picked up his phone, ready to dial.
The very next second, a ringtone sounded just outside the door.
Adela Matthews walked in carrying a bouquet of flowers and a gift bag.
"Mr. Shaw. Viola."
The moment she stepped inside, her eyebrows lifted in surprise at the mess on the floor.
"What happened here?"
"Mr. Shaw, are you hurt?"
Without missing a beat, she set everything down and moved to Derek's side, turning his hands over, scanning him for injuries.
The motion was smooth, practiced—intimate in a way that seemed almost unconscious.
I watched her hands on him, my gaze frozen over.
Derek shifted back half a step, a flicker of unease crossing his face. He pulled Adela forward by the arm.
"Adela, perfect timing. Yesterday—you were eating takeout in my car, right? And you left that glove wrapper behind."
"Viola's got the wrong idea. Clear it up for her. Right now, to her face."
Adela was quick. She clapped her hands together and let out a dramatic groan. "Oh my God, that was me! I'm so sorry!"
"I was even joking with Mr. Shaw about it in the car—I said the wrapper looked like a condom packet. I just tossed it aside and totally forgot to throw it away!"
"Viola, come on. You trained me yourself. How could I possibly go after your husband?"
She sidled up to me with a sheepish grin and took my hand. "Viola, I'm your eyes and ears at the company. Your most loyal person."
I looked at her. Held her gaze. Said nothing for a long time.
Maybe once, that had been true. But now I knew with absolute certainty that it wasn't.
Adela had joined our company straight out of college, back when Panorama was still in its infancy. I'd taken her under my wing personally—taught her everything I knew. Finance. Management. HR. Sales. If I had the skill, I passed it on.
Because I saw myself in her. A girl from a rural town, no parents to speak of, who'd clawed her way forward on sheer will alone.
So I invested more in her than I had in anyone.
And to her credit, she was smart. She knew how to show gratitude.
Earlier this year, after I'd gotten pregnant, I suffered a hemorrhage from a low-lying placenta. Derek happened to be away on a business trip.
Adela was the one who saved me.
第3章
"I'll remember what you've done for me for the rest of my life."
I truly treated her like a little sister. Every few days, I'd buy her gifts, clothes, send her cash. The apartment she lived in was mine.
Later, when I was put on bed rest to protect the pregnancy, I gave her my position as the CEO's executive assistant and granted her enormous authority. Men change when they get money—that was her reasoning when she offered to keep an eye on Derek for me.
What I never expected was that her "keeping an eye on him" would land her in his bed.
I looked at the two people standing before me—two people I had once trusted completely—and felt my heart being scorched in hot oil.
Adela smiled and handed me the flowers, then pulled two small gold bracelets from her bag. "These are gifts for the baby. Just a little something—I hope you don't mind."
When she saw I was still in low spirits, she added another line.
"Viola, stop overthinking things. I know what this is—your pregnancy hormones are dropping, so your emotions are all over the place. Am I right?"
"Everyone else in this world might betray you, but I never will."
She swore it with absolute conviction. But my gaze had fallen on those two gold bracelets, and my mind went somewhere else entirely.
I'd seen the receipt for those bracelets before—in the pocket of Derek's coat.
I'd assumed he'd bought them as a gift for the baby.
Now I knew they were bought for Adela.
"That's enough. I've put up with you for days."
"Do you have any idea how much work I've turned down for you and the baby? I've been here every single day, and all I get is that sour look on your face. How much longer are you going to keep this up?"
"It's just having a baby. Do you have to be this dramatic?"
Derek's brows were pinched tight, impatience etched into every line of his face.
"Mr. Shaw, don't be like that." Adela's voice turned soft, placating. "Viola's at her most vulnerable right now. She needs understanding—"
He didn't even let her finish. He grabbed Adela's arm and headed for the door.
"Understanding? Who's going to understand me?"
"Walking around with that look on her face—who's that supposed to be for? Adela, let's go. Back to the office."
The door slammed shut.
My whole body flinched. Instinctively, I looked toward the crib.
In that moment, tears fell like a broken string of pearls.
"Hello?"
"List my downtown two-bedroom for sale. Urgent."
"Come by this afternoon. I'll send you the address."
The voice on the other end agreed immediately, then asked cautiously, "Is everything okay?"
"Nothing serious. Don't worry about it."
The person on the phone was a student I'd sponsored through college—a recent graduate. I'd quietly placed him at the company Derek and I co-owned. No one else knew about it.
Now, he was the only card I had left to play.
The postpartum center was draped in festive decorations, brimming with the warmth of the New Year season. In the room next door, a family of three was happily posing for newborn photos.
My room was the only one that was cold and quiet.
The company had already closed for the holiday. Where Derek went after leaving the hospital was obvious enough.
I couldn't stop myself from opening his social media. Empty. Not a single post. Not even one photo of the baby.
Still unwilling to accept it, I opened Adela's feed.
A photo in the snow, taken by someone else. The location tag: her hometown.
I zoomed in. There, reflected in her eyes, was Derek, holding the phone.
Finally not spending New Year's alone.
Heat flooded my eyes. The hand holding my phone wouldn't stop shaking.
Something blazed inside my chest, clawing its way up, burning so fiercely it hurt.
Derek and I had been together for ten years. Ten years of building everything side by side. From being so broke we squeezed into a hundred-square-foot rental eating instant noodles, to owning our own company—I thought that after weathering every storm together, we would never be torn apart.
第4章
But reality delivered its cruelest blow yet.
All through the New Year holiday, Adela's social media feed kept updating.
Taking him to meet my mom and dad.
Gifts for Grandma and Grandpa.
The photos showed health supplements, fruit baskets, premium cigarettes, fine liquor, and cash. I did a rough count—around $300,000.
Colleagues flooded the comments, asking if she was engaged.
Adela replied with a playful emoji.
The diamond ring he bought me.
The photo showed two hands clasped tightly together.
...
Eight full days of posts. I read every single one, down to the last word.
Those eight days stretched like eight years, and the grief seeped into every corner of my being.
Derek had vanished without a trace—off playing the perfect boyfriend in someone else's world.
By the eighth day, when work resumed, Derek still hadn't come to see me.
Instead, he went to the office and handed out red envelopes to everyone.
The BIGGEST return-to-work red envelope ever!
Adela's red envelope contained $26,000.
I froze.
I called Derek immediately.
"You gave Adela a red envelope that big for the return-to-work bonus? Have you lost your mind?"
"What are the other employees supposed to think? Derek, if you want out of this marriage, just say the word. I'm not someone who can't live without you."
Derek said nothing.
After a long silence, Adela's timid voice drifted through the line.
"Viola..."
"That red envelope was my bonus for landing the Southport project. It wasn't a return-to-work gift..."
I didn't buy it.
Bonuses were paid quarterly. The Northridge contract had been signed before the holiday—if anything, it wouldn't be disbursed until March.
And since when were bonuses given in cash?
"Put Derek on the phone. I need to speak with him."
I cut her off, my voice sharp as a blade.
"Mr. Shaw is... not available right now—"
The call went dead before she finished.
A few minutes later, a message came through—there was a return-to-work reception that evening.
I got the address from someone and took a cab straight there.
By the time I arrived, the reception was already underway.
Derek stood on the small stage, rattling off last year's achievements. After handing out a few rounds of red envelopes, he stepped down to make the rounds, toasting table by table.
When he reached Adela's table, someone started egging him on.
"Mr. Shaw, Adela helped the company land such a huge deal this year—aren't you going to show some appreciation?"
"Oh, stop it!" Adela swatted the person beside her with a coy pout, then ducked her head with a smile. "Mr. Shaw already gave me a red envelope!"
"Then how about a lovers' toast? Liven things up a little!"
The drinks had been flowing, and more and more voices joined the chorus.
Derek laughed—open, easy, magnetic. He pulled Adela close, and they linked arms, glasses raised.
The crowd cheered as they swapped glasses and drained them in one go.
The atmosphere was that of newlyweds toasting at their wedding.
I sat among the crowd, invisible—like a voyeur at my own betrayal.
Tears splashed into the wine glass in front of me. I wiped them away in secret, forcing myself to accept what I was seeing.
When I lifted my gaze, my eyes locked with a man sitting in the far corner.
I shook my head with a bitter smile. The ache in my chest spread, slow and relentless.
My sinuses burned until I couldn't breathe. I stumbled out of my chair and half-ran to the restroom.
The woman staring back at me in the mirror was haggard, hollowed out, barely recognizable. In that moment, everything I'd been holding together shattered.
Ten years—reduced to the cruelest joke.
I don't know how long I stayed in there. Eventually, I pulled myself together and headed for the door.
But the voices outside stopped me cold.
"Didn't you say you'd file for divorce after she had the baby? Why are you still dragging your feet?"
"Is it because she had a boy? Is that why you don't want to leave anymore?"
第5章
Derek let out a long sigh. "She hasn't even finished her postpartum recovery yet. I'm not about to file now and have everyone pointing fingers at me."
"Last time you 'accidentally' left that condom wrapper out in the open, I didn't make a fuss about it, did I?"
"Baby, just be patient."
Adela gave a soft hum of displeasure. "I can wait. The baby in my belly can't."
My mind went blank—like a bomb had gone off inside my skull.
They...
They were having a baby?
"If you don't hurry up and deal with this, I'm booking an abortion tomorrow!"
Derek panicked instantly, scrambling to soothe her, coaxing and pleading for what felt like forever.
The two of them stayed tangled together inside the bathroom stall. Through the gap in the door drifted the unmistakable sounds of intimacy.
I stood there and listened to every last second of it.
By the end, all that remained was a hollow desolation that stretched through my entire chest.
At the entrance, Irvin Swanson walked over.
"Don't stand in the wind. You'll catch a cold."
He draped his jacket over my shoulders. "The apartment's been sold. The custody registration you asked about is done too."
"Are you going to divorce him?"
I sniffed and tucked the loose strands of hair behind my ears.
"Yes. But not yet."
I hailed a cab and left the venue. When I got back to the postnatal care center, I packed everything and checked out.
Derek dropped Adela off at her place but didn't go upstairs.
"I should head back to the center and check in."
Adela pouted, pretending to be upset, but she had no choice except to let him go.
Derek grabbed some supplements and a bag of baby clothes and headed upstairs. The moment he opened the door, the room was empty.
His stomach dropped.
He seized the nearest staff member. "Where are they? I booked a two-month stay—where's my wife?"
The woman flinched at his tone, stammering, "Ms. Henson said... she said she was going home to recover. Then she packed up and left. You didn't know?"
Derek's brow furrowed. He reached for his phone to call me—but before he could dial, an incoming call flashed across the screen.
Adela.
Her voice was thick with tears.
"Derek!"
"Get over here—now."