The Light He Tried to Steal

After I got pregnant, my husband asked me to donate a kidney to his lover. But his lover’s real goal was to make me lose my baby. When I demanded an explanation, he only said coldly, “Then let it die. It’s just some bastard.” After hearing that, I signed the divorce papers without hesitation. Not long afterward, he fell to his knees in front of me, his eyes red as he begged for my forgiveness. “Avery, you’re the one I love. Can we get remarried?” My hand froze just before I opened the door. From inside, I heard a woman whine sweetly, “Ethan, you’re incredible! I love it!” Her voice was sickeningly sweet, like honey dripping from a jar. From the sounds coming through the door, it was obvious things inside were intense. “Compared to Avery, who do you like more?” My body moved closer on its own. My fingers slowly clenched around the hem of my dress. I held my breath, desperately waiting for his answer. What I heard instead was Ethan’s emotionless voice, filled with disgust. “Her? She’s nothing but a filthy, shameless woman. She doesn’t deserve to be compared to you.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it struck me like a curse. The moment he finished speaking, the woman burst into laughter. A moment later, her cries began again. Each one louder than the last. They pierced the softest part of my heart like knives. I covered my mouth tightly, afraid I would make a sound. Tears poured down my face, and no matter how hard I clenched my teeth, I couldn’t swallow the pain lodged in my throat. I was his wife. I loved him so deeply, yet he couldn’t even spare me a glance. It felt as if vines had grown around my heart. Every breath pulled them tighter, sending another sharp stab through my chest. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to rush inside and tear them apart. But I remained frozen where I stood, unable to even lift my legs. I knew Tessa had done this on purpose. But I also knew Ethan had allowed it. She was the one who had sent me the address so I could witness Ethan enjoying himself with her. She knew I would come. Everyone around Ethan knew he had a wife who worshiped the ground he walked on. If he told me to go east, I would never dare go west. I tugged at the corner of my mouth in a bitter smile. I knew exactly what he was like. Yet I still held on to a tiny shred of hope that there was at least a little corner of his heart reserved for me. But there wasn’t. Pain spread through every inch of my body, and I collapsed onto the floor. I didn’t even have the strength to stand. Over and over, I saw the memory of being fifteen years old, when Ethan had nearly been beaten to death by a group of thugs while protecting me. From that moment on, he had taken root in my heart. I don’t know how long I sat there before Ethan came out and saw me on the floor, my face covered in tears and my eyes swollen and red. His expression stiffened. His lips moved, but he said nothing. He simply wrapped an arm around Tessa, who had followed him out, and stared at me without emotion. Tessa leaned against him like a delicate little bird. She raised her eyebrows at me in provocation, as if saying that she knew I didn’t belong beside him, yet I still insisted on throwing myself at him. She was right. I had brought this on myself. I was the one who refused to wake up from the dream. I braced myself against the wall and tried to stand. Ethan immediately moved Tessa behind him to shield her. My body froze halfway up. In an instant, it felt as if a thousand pounds had been dropped onto my shoulders. Did he love her that much? Did he really trust me that little? Tessa took advantage of the moment and spoke in a weak, frightened voice. “Ethan, I’m scared.” The moment I looked over, he acted as if nothing had happened. He smoothed Tessa’s disheveled hair and kissed the corner of her eye. Then he straightened her collar, covering the red marks on her neck, and told her not to be afraid. They were the perfect couple. I was the shameless other woman who had come between them. I wanted so badly to pretend I was fine, smile, and greet him as if none of this mattered. But my body betrayed me.I fell straight to the floor. Ethan continued holding his little lover without the slightest concern and said, “Avery, are you done with this act yet?” I called his name carefully, just as I had during our honeymoon. “Ethan…” I wanted to tell him that it wasn’t like that. I wasn’t playing games. I was just… I was just in so much pain. So much pain that I couldn’t even hold on to the last shred of my dignity. I reached out to him, my eyes full of hope. He didn’t move. Tessa spoke from the side. “Ethan, aren’t you going to help her? She looks like she’s really hurt.” She pretended to plead for me, but she was really showing off the fact that Ethan only cared about her. Sure enough, Ethan spoke. “Touching her would dirty my hands.” He wrapped an arm around Tessa’s waist. Before leaving, he tossed one final sentence at me. “Remember to sign the divorce papers.” What? Divorce papers? The words struck me like lightning from a clear sky. He wanted a divorce? It took several seconds for the meaning to sink in. I forgot all about the pain in my body and somehow found the strength to stagger after them. But by the time I reached the driveway, their car was already pulling away. I ran after it, crying as I shouted Ethan’s name. “Ethan, I was wrong! Please don’t leave me!” “I’m sorry! It was all my fault! I know I was wrong! I’ll never interfere in your affairs again. Please, don’t abandon me!” Tears blurred my vision. My throat felt as if it had been scraped raw by a knife. Their car disappeared into the distance. There was no way I could catch it. They didn’t stop. I clearly saw Tessa glance back at me. Ethan knew. He had simply made up his mind to divorce me. But what was I supposed to do? He didn’t want me anymore. What was I supposed to do? My foot caught on something, and I fell heavily onto the ground. My head spun. Tears dripped onto the pavement. I murmured, “Ethan, I really, really love you…” A car stopped beside me. Had he come back? Maybe he had only wanted to teach me a lesson. Maybe he had driven away to frighten me and make me remember my place. I struggled to sit up, my heart suddenly full of hope. But the man who stepped out was someone I had never seen before. My head drooped in disappointment. It wasn’t him. “Miss, you’re hurt. Let me take you to the hospital.” The man was handsome and refined, with a gentle, polished air. He was showing concern for a complete stranger. Carefully avoiding my injuries, he helped me to my feet. “Thank you.” I thanked him sincerely. Then I gently removed his hand. Ethan hated it when I had too much contact with other men. The stranger didn’t say anything. He simply stepped back with gentlemanly courtesy. “Those wounds need to be treated.” He pointed at the injuries covering my body. There were several, both large and small. Some had been scraped badly enough to tear away flesh. A few were deep. But I couldn’t think about my injuries right now. Finding Ethan and begging for his forgiveness was more important than anything else.I shook my head. “Could you take me home first? I have something important to do.” He frowned slightly. His expression made it clear he didn’t agree with me. What could possibly be more important than my own health? Still, he didn’t argue. After driving me home, he reminded me again to go to the hospital and have my wounds treated. I smiled and thanked him. I had no idea that, in his eyes, my smile probably looked worse than crying. I watched him walk away. Thank you, stranger. His concern had given me the slightest bit of warmth. When I reached home, Ethan’s assistant was waiting outside with a document envelope. Were the divorce papers inside? I stopped walking and didn’t dare go any closer. For a moment, I even thought about turning around and leaving. Unfortunately, his assistant noticed me. He called out, “Miss Avery, these are the documents the CEO asked me to give you. He said you should sign them as soon as possible.” That familiar pain began tearing through me again. I couldn’t stop the tears from gathering in my eyes. See? I wasn’t even worthy of being called Mrs. Hart anymore. “Mr. Yang, where is Ethan?” I wasn’t going to sign the divorce papers. Mr. Yang stammered, looking deeply uncomfortable. I didn’t want to make things difficult for him. If he wouldn’t tell me, I would find Ethan myself. “You can go. Take the papers with you. I’m not signing them.” He shoved the envelope into my hands and hurried away. I opened it. As expected, it contained the divorce papers. I gave a bitter laugh. Ethan, was I really so disgusting to you? I searched for a long time and asked everyone I could find. Eventually, I located Ethan at a bar. He and his friends were in a private room, each of them accompanied by a woman. Earlier that day, when I had asked where Ethan was, every single one of them had claimed they didn’t know. They must have received Ethan’s orders not to tell me. My arrival shocked them. Especially because I was covered in dirt and blood, my face pale and several wounds crusted with dried blood. I slowly walked toward Ethan. He sat there drinking. Other than glancing at me when I entered, he never looked at me again. His friends stared at me like I was some kind of circus animal. To them, I was nothing but a pathetic joke. Their voices buzzed around me as they discussed me. They called me a desperate doormat, a woman who threw herself at a man, someone shameless and worthless. I ignored every ugly word. “Ethan, I know I was wrong. Please don’t divorce me. I won’t interfere with you and Tessa. As long as you don’t abandon me, is that enough?” I looked at him carefully. I couldn’t live without him. He had been my salvation during the darkest years of my life. I depended on him far too much. Ethan’s hand paused as he swirled his glass. A mocking smile tugged at his lips. “Avery, are you really that pathetic?” I had heard those words many times before, but my heart still hurt uncontrollably. My nose burned. Tears filled my eyes. I clenched my teeth and whispered, “Yes. So please don’t abandon me.” Ethan suddenly laughed. There was no warmth in his eyes. They were frighteningly cold. “Fine. Take off your clothes and entertain me.” He crossed one leg over the other, draped an arm across the back of the sofa, and stared straight at me. Take off my clothes? His friends’ expressions shifted. They looked uncomfortable, but they were still watching me like they were waiting for a show. I bit my lip as humiliation and sorrow swept over me. “What? You don’t want to?” I didn’t understand how things had become like this. We had only been married for a little over two months. During our honeymoon, he hadn’t been like this. At first, he had thought he’d been forced into the marriage. But after we spent some time together, his attitude toward me had gradually changed. He began treating me better and better. I thought we would stay that way forever. But one month ago, he changed. He stopped coming home. The warmth in his eyes turned into disgust. Then he began staying away altogether, and Tessa appeared by his side. I didn’t know what I had done to make him so unhappy, or why he had grown to hate me more and more. Now he even wanted a divorce. My hands trembled as I slowly pulled down the zipper at the back of my dress under everyone’s watchful eyes.