He Said Cheating Was His Way of Loving Me

I loved him for ten years, but I accidentally witnessed my husband Ethan and a female streamer making out in the elevator.

When I confronted him with red-rimmed eyes, he said:

I still love you, but you're old and boring now.

Ethan turned and pulled his mistress close:

Sophie is young, and... she looks a bit like you. That's proof enough that I still love you.

I was infuriated by his absurd logic.

So in his eyes, cheating was his way of showing devotion to me.

I immediately posted photos of him and his mistress cheating online.

But Ethan locked me in the basement and forced me to kneel and apologize to Sophie.

I continued to fight back, and he continued to force me to apologize.

Until the tenth time, when Ethan once again forced me to publicly clear things up for that female streamer.

I pulled out the divorce papers and chose to compromise.

Charlotte POV

When Ethan once again forced me to publicly clear things up for that female streamer.

I chose to compromise.

His hand paused slightly while adjusting his tie. After a long moment, he smirked:

"What, being so obedient this time?"

"Did you finally realize that making a scene is useless, so you're trying a new tactic?"

I opened Ins and spoke calmly:

"No, I just don't want to keep entangling anymore."

After a long silence, Ethan picked up the car keys from the table.

Leaning against the entrance, he said unhurriedly:

"Actually, there's no rush."

"It's mainly because Sophie is in a critical period for the Golden Microphone Award selection."

"You always use the title of Mrs. Walker to pressure her. It's really annoying."

I didn't answer. Word by word.

I seriously posted the tenth clarification statement in five years on that account with only a few hundred followers.

Admitting I was being unreasonable, admitting Sophie and Ethan were just a simple boss-subordinate relationship.

After posting, I said:

"Don't worry, it won't happen again."

Ethan's figure paused slightly, as if thinking about something.

A moment later, he straightened up, his voice carrying a barely perceptible irritation:

"That's for the best."

"Otherwise... you know the consequences."

My body trembled involuntarily.

Last time I refused to compromise and went to the TV station to confront him.

I was directly mocked on Sophie's live show as a crazy woman with extreme control issues.

Afterward, her millions of fans dug up my gallery address and splashed paint on it for three whole days.

When he heard about my gallery going bankrupt.

Ethan was just like this, watching me break down with complete calm.

Then he raised an eyebrow and dropped a line:

"Charlotte, have you learned your lesson?"

How strange. It was so humiliating and hopeless at the time.

But thinking back on it now.

My heart felt nothing.

As the door closed, Ethan left.

He was rushing to celebrate with his new love.

I had no time for sadness. With trembling hands, I opened my phone messages.

Two messages popped up on the screen.

One from the bank: [Your supplementary card has been unfrozen.]

The other from the emergency room ten minutes ago:

[Ms. Harper, if the surgery fee isn't paid soon, the ICU equipment will be adjusted according to procedure if further delayed.]

I stared at those words, my fingertips cold.

I took a deep breath and quickly transferred all the newly unfrozen money into the hospital account.

Watching the successful transfer screen, I collapsed onto the cold floor.

That clarification post on Ins was the only bargaining chip I had to keep Grandma alive.

As long as the money arrived, the equipment wouldn't be removed, and Grandma could hold on until surgery day.

I lifted the back of my hand to wipe the cold sweat from my forehead, my gaze falling on the critical condition notice the caregiver had just sent.

The red danger character stung my eyes.

Only then did I realize.

I could finally let go of this relationship.

On the TV screen.

Sophie was hosting "Metropolitan Observer," the number one rated show nationwide, smiling with intellectual elegance.

She gradually overlapped with the memory of that timid intern who used to follow me calling me Ms. Harper.

Ethan had one thing right.

Sophie was indeed in a critical period for the Golden Microphone Award selection.

Those rumors about her being a homewrecker not only didn't affect her.

Instead, her team used them for publicity. A few lines she said on the show about daring to love and hate were clipped into short videos and spread everywhere. Fans praised her as a clear-headed, independent strong female lead.

But the first time I discovered Ethan's change of heart.

It came from Sophie actively crossing boundaries.

At that time, in Ethan's study, I saw Sophie's late-night makeup test photos she'd sent him.

During that period, all the socialite wives I knew were advising me.

Advising me to be magnanimous.

But I hated that Ethan betrayed our vows.

Hated that he forgot who stayed up late writing business proposals for him until she had a stomach bleed during his most difficult startup days.

Yet he himself took a substitute who looked a bit like my younger self, thriving in high society.

I was unwilling and refused to compromise.

Until that time, I confronted him with the contract for the multi-million dollar mansion he'd given Sophie.

The matter blew up big. To protect Sophie's public image.

Ethan decisively chose to suppress the news and locked me in the villa for a whole week.

At that time, the entire finance section was praising the Walker Group CEO's business empire.

I was so provoked I went crazy, screaming at Ethan when he came home.

Ethan patiently let Sophie leave first, which made me break down even more.

I threw that property deed with Sophie's name on it in his face, calling him an immoral bastard.

In the end, he said coldly:

"Yes! I am keeping her, so what? If you can't take it, then get lost!"

When those words landed, both he and I froze.

But in the end, I was the first to speak.

I became even more hysterical than before.

"Why should I be the one to leave?!"

"Why should I fulfill you and that bitch?!"

"Ethan Walker, you owe me for life! You and her should be condemned forever!!!"

Charlotte POV

After that argument, we parted on bad terms.

Ethan didn't even come home anymore.

The only way I could know his whereabouts was through Sophie's talk show previews.

Under multiple blows, I made an extreme decision to drag them both to hell.

I compiled evidence of Ethan's suspected irregular operations during his startup period, as well as Sophie's use of charity funds for money laundering.

Planning to send it directly to the regulatory department.

But before I could click send on the email, Ethan made his move.

He not only froze all my supplementary cards.

He also used his connections to cut off the imported medicine supply for my grandmother in the ICU.

That was the last lifeline keeping Grandma alive.

The moment I learned the news, I broke down.

I didn't even notice the provocative post Sophie made on Ins.

I frantically dialed his number and screamed:

"Ethan Walker, you clearly know Grandma's surgery is this week!"

"You clearly know stopping the medicine will kill her!"

"How can you be so heartless?!"

But Ethan remained unmoved. The sound of papers rustling came through the phone, terrifyingly calm.

Only after I collapsed exhausted on the cold floor.

Did he speak casually:

"Charlotte, don't expect me to go easy on you."

"You know, Sophie's new show still needs a newsworthy guest."

"Tonight at eight, come to the station to record a clarification interview. As long as you perform well, the medicine will naturally be renewed."

In that moment, my heart suffocated like never before.

I couldn't even believe the cold-blooded man on the phone.

Was once the boy who ran through half the city in a snowstorm just to buy me a cake.

It was also in that moment I finally understood.

The Ethan who loved me had long been dead.

Dead in the decadence of fame and fortune.

For Grandma, I could only wipe my tears.

It was also that day, looking at my haggard self in the mirror.

I finally decided to end this marriage that had made me unrecognizable.

But what made me miserable was far from over.

Grandma's illness couldn't wait. I could only choose to compromise.

That night at eight, I appeared on time at the TV station's studio.

The moment the spotlight came on, I felt a moment of disorientation.

Once, I was a regular here.

When Ethan first took over the group's media division, countless all-nighters were spent with me in the corner of this studio, helping him revise scripts and supervising rehearsals.

Back then the staff respectfully called me Ms. Harper.

But now, I sat on a cold bench at the edge of the guest seats.

While Sophie sat in the main seat, wearing a pure white business suit with exquisite makeup.

The live broadcast began.

Sophie smiled warmly at the camera:

"Today we have a special guest. She was once Mr. Walker's capable assistant, but for various reasons, regrettably departed. Let's welcome Ms. Charlotte Harper."

She emphasized the words "regrettably departed" heavily.

Immediately after, a series of photos appeared on the big screen behind me.

They were candid photos of me without makeup from the past few years when I was exhausted, contrasted with Sophie's polished and retouched images.

Sophie pretended to be shocked and covered her mouth:

"I heard your mental state hasn't been very good recently, always imagining non-existent business disputes. Actually, Mr. Walker has always been very understanding toward you, even keeping a nominal position for you at the company."

"Look, this is the mental health fund Mr. Walker set up for you. As long as you're willing to cooperate with treatment..."

She took out a document and waved it in front of the camera.

That wasn't any fund document at allit was clearly a mental evaluation application.

I jerked my head up to look at Ethan in the audience.

He sat in the first row, hands folded, watching all this coldly.

Tacitly agreeing that I was a lunatic.

My hand holding the microphone was trembling. I wanted to refute.

But a cold prompt came through my earpiece from the director:

"Ms. Harper, if you don't want the hospital to lose power, please answer according to the script."

That was Grandma's ventilator lifeline! There absolutely couldn't be a power outage!

I closed my eyes and swallowed my hatred.

Under the gaze of millions of viewers, I nodded mechanically:

"Yes... my mental state isn't good."

"I misunderstood Ms. Sophie."

"I... don't deserve Ethan Walker."

In that moment, the comments exploded.

The studio's big screen scrolled real-time viewer comments, each one cutting to the heart:

"OMG, so she's crazy? I knew there was no way Goddess Sophie could be a homewrecker."

"This woman looks abnormal. No wonder Mr. Walker dumped her."

"A mental patient coming out to attack people? Suggest sending her straight to the asylum, don't let her harm society!"

"Crowdfunding to send her in, I'll contribute five bucks!"

"I'll contribute ten bucks to cleanse Mr. Walker's eyes!"

That half-hour live broadcast felt like a lifetime.

The moment the director called cut, Sophie immediately dropped her compassionate facade.

She walked up to me and in a voice only we could hear, laughed contemptuously:

"Charlotte, you see, this is how public opinion works now."

"As long as I control the narrative, I can make black seem white."

"Mr. Walker values his reputation. Your so-called past affection is worthless compared to my ratings."

I walked out of the TV station in a daze.

The night wind was cold, making my bones ache.

I thought this was rock bottom.

As long as I could save Grandma, enduring some humiliation was nothing.

At least I still had Grandma.

But fate loves to torment the unfortunate.

Charlotte POV

After that live broadcast, I became the despised wealthy madwoman of the entire internet.

I didn't dare look at my phone, didn't even dare miss a single call from the hospital.

I could only shut myself in my rental apartment in a daze.

That villa where Ethan and I had lived for five yearsI could never go back.

It was now filled with Sophie's presence. Even the lilies I'd planted were dug up and replaced with her favorite tulips.

I thought hiding away would bring me peace.

But I underestimated human malice and the madness of Sophie's die-hard fans.

In just one day, my address, phone number, and even the hospital room number where Grandma stayed were all dug up by Sophie's fans.

On the third morning, I was just preparing to cook and take food to the hospital.

The moment I opened the door, a bucket of stinking red paint splashed toward me.

Though I instinctively dodged, I was still splattered with quite a bit.

Outside the door, several young girls wearing masks were frantically taking photos of me with their phones, cursing:

"It's her! That crazy woman who slandered Sophie!"

"Looking so shabby, she dares to bully our goddess?"

"Sisters, teach her a lesson and wake her up!"

Flashlights went crazy, blinding me.

Before I could explain, someone pushed me.

I fell miserably onto the paint-covered ground, my knees hitting the cement floor. The pain was excruciating.

But I couldn't care about the pain.

I desperately protected the thermos in my armsthe food I'd made for Grandma was still hot.

"What are you doing? This is illegal!"

I screamed.

A mocking laugh came from the crowd:

"Oh, you know about the law? Why didn't you think about the law when you were slandering people online?"

"We're punishing you!"

In the chaos, someone kicked over the thermos.

I watched the mess on the ground, and tears finally couldn't help falling.

That was the last little thing I could do for Grandma, and they destroyed it.

I struggled to get up, to rush out.

The hospital hadn't called me yet. I had to go check on Grandma.

But this group of people surrounded me like an iron barrel, not leaving me any gap.

Just as I was despairing, my phone suddenly rang.

It was the emergency room at the hospital.

The ringtone sounded weak yet piercing amid the noisy cursing.

I frantically pushed away the person in front of me and answered with trembling hands.

"Ms. Harper! Come quickly! The patient's condition has deteriorated!"

"Someone splashed paint in the hospital room. Your grandmother was frightened and is being resuscitated now!"

In that instant, my world collapsed.

Splashing paint in a hospital room?

How dare they?!

That was the ICU! A place that saves lives!

I don't know where I found the strength. I pushed away a girl blocking me and rushed out of the crowd desperately.

Behind me came the girls' screams and curses:

"The crazy woman is hitting people! Call the police!"

I couldn't hear anymore.

My mind was filled only with the doctor's words.

I frantically tried to hail a car on the roadside.

But not a single car was willing to stop for a madwoman covered in red paint.

In desperation, I dialed Ethan's number.

This was my last hope.

He grew up under Grandma's care. Grandma once sold her only jewelry to help him with tuition.

He couldn't ignore this.

Even for old times' sake, he absolutely wouldn't stand by and watch someone die.

Finally, the call connected.

Just as I was about to cry out for help, a woman's voice came through:

"Ms. Harper?"

"What bad timing. Ethan is taking a shower."

"You know, last night's celebration was exhausting. He just went to sleep."

"Whatever it is, let's talk tomorrow."

The call ended.

I stood on the street holding my phone.

Heavy rain poured down, washing away the paint on my body but unable to wash away the bone-deep cold in my heart.

Charlotte POV

The rain kept falling.

I begged a kind truck driver to take me to the hospital.

But when I stumbled into the inpatient building, everything was already too late.

Yellow police tape was pulled up at the elevator entrance.

Several security guards stood around with serious expressions.

I frantically tried to rush in but was held back firmly.

"What are you doing? You can't go in!"

"Please, I'm a patient's family member! My grandmother is being resuscitated! Let me in!"

My face was covered in rainwater mixed with paint, my voice hoarse beyond recognition.

The security guard frowned and was about to drive me away when a nurse happened to pass by and recognized me.

She spoke a few words to the security guard in a low voice and pulled me through the staff passage.

She looked at me with complex eyeseyes filled with sympathy and pity.

"Ms. Harper... there's no need to go in."

She said softly.

Those few short words were like a thunderbolt, shattering me completely.

I stood frozen in place, opening my mouth but unable to make a sound.

No need to go in... what did that mean?

The nurse turned her head away, unable to bear looking at me:

"Just now a group of people caused trouble outside the hospital room, throwing things and shining laser pointers at the patient's eyes..."

"Your grandmother already had a weak heart. She was frightened, and... and she kept calling your name. She couldn't catch her breath."

"They tried to resuscitate her for half an hour but couldn't save her."

I don't know how I made it to the morgue entrance.

That kind old woman who used to warm my hands in her armpits during winter now lay quietly on a cold metal bed.

Covered with a white sheet.

With trembling hands, I lifted a corner of the white sheet.

Grandma's eyes were still half-open, as if she died with unfinished business, or as if she was waiting for someone.

"Grandma..."

I knelt on the ground and pressed my face against her already cold hand.

Tears burst forth but no sound came out.

The caregiver who had been looking after Grandma walked over with red eyes and handed me a crumpled plastic bag.

"Ms. Harper, this is what your grandmother was clutching tightly before she passed."

"She said... this is money for you, telling you not to wrong yourself."

I opened the bag with trembling hands.

Inside was a stack of small bills and a credit card.

The credit card had only thirty thousand dollars.

That was what Grandma had saved penny by penny over these years through frugal living.

She knew I wasn't doing well at the Walker house, knew Ethan had changed.

She wanted to leave me a way out.

But I didn't even see her one last time.

I could even imagine her fear in the last moments of her life, surrounded by those cyber bullies.

She was waiting for me.

Waiting for the me she'd protected since childhood to save her.

But I didn't come.

And the man she once loved was now holding the murderer who killed her, dreaming sweet dreams.

I clutched that stack of bills still warm with body heat and sat on the cold morgue floor all night.

The next morning, the rain stopped.

I walked out of the hospital and looked at the rising sun.

The sunlight was blinding, shining on me but without a trace of warmth.

I took out my phone and looked at the dozens of missed calls, all from the hospital.

Ethan's chat box still stopped at last night's message:

"Sophie is timid. Don't call and scare her."

I looked at that line of text and suddenly found it funny.

Really funny.

I laughed out loud, laughed until tears flowed, laughed until my stomach cramped.

It was in that moment.

A certain corner of my heart completely collapsed.

The Charlotte who loved Ethan Walker died in last night's rainy night.

Charlotte POV

During the three days I handled Grandma's funeral, I disappeared.

There was no funeral service.

I went to the crematorium alone and watched Grandma turn into a small box.

Then I scattered her ashes in the river she loved most in life.

After doing all this, I returned to that villa.

I walked into the bedroom and started packing.

My clothes, gifts Ethan gave me.

Even our wedding photosI threw everything into black garbage bags.

Only keeping Grandma's bankbook close to me.

At eight in the evening, Ethan came back.

He reeked of alcohol, obviously just coming from some party.

Seeing me sitting in the empty living room, he paused, frowning:

"Where have you been these past few days? Not answering calls either."

"Sophie said you called her that night? Didn't I tell you she was preparing for interviews, not to disturb her?"

He loosened his tie while complaining casually, his tone carrying a natural sense of reproach.

I sat on the sofa, quietly watching him.

Watching this face I'd loved for a full ten years.

At this moment, it felt terrifyingly unfamiliar.

"Ethan."

I spoke.

"Let's get divorced."

"I've already submitted the divorce registration. Whether you sign or not, it will go through the court process."

Ethan's movements paused, then he laughed mockingly and threw his tie on the sofa.

"This again? Charlotte, are you kidding me or what?"

"Still making a fuss three days later over a stupid award? How long are you going to keep this up?"

He obviously thought I was still angry about the live broadcast.

I took out the divorce agreement I'd already printed from my bag and placed it on the coffee table.

"I've already signed. I don't have any demands regarding property division."

"As long as you sign, I'll leave right now."

Ethan's eyes finally turned cold.

He picked up the agreement and glanced at it, as if he'd heard the funniest joke:

"Leave with nothing? Charlotte, are you insane?"

"Without me, where can you go?"

He didn't believe at all that I would really leave.

In his eyes, without him, Ethan Walker, I, Charlotte Harper, was like a dodder vine without watercouldn't survive three days.

"That's none of Mr. Walker's concern."

I stood up, picked up my already packed suitcase, and walked straight toward the door.

Ethan was enraged by my attitude.

He strode over and grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight it felt like he wanted to crush my bones.

"Charlotte! Stop right there!"

"I'm giving you a way out and you're taking it! Don't be ungrateful!"

"Next week Sophie and I are going to the Maldives. You come too. Consider it my apology. Will that work?"

I looked down at my wrist, now red from his grip, and suddenly smiled.

"Mr. Walker, your apology is too valuable. I can't afford it."

"Also, let go."

"Otherwise, I'll call the police right now and report you for marital rape."

Ethan looked at me in disbelief, as if seeing me for the first time.

After a few seconds of standoff, he roughly let go of my hand, his face dark enough to drip water.

"Fine, impressive."

"Walk out that door and don't even think about coming back to beg me!"

"I want to see just how long you can keep this up."

I didn't look at him again. I pulled my suitcase and walked out the front door.

Sitting in the taxi, I took out my backup phone and dialed a number.

"Police?"

"Regarding evidence that Walker Group is suspected of using shell companies to launder money for a certain foundation, I've compiled everything."

"I want to file a real-name report that Sophie incited fans to cyberbully someone to death."

"All the evidence is on that USB drive."

Charlotte POV

Early the next morning, I didn't go to the police station.

Because I knew that the moment I stepped through that door, Ethan would be notified.

With his power and influence, there were ninety-nine ways I could disappear.

So I went back to the villa.

Ethan was sitting at the dining table eating breakfast. Seeing me return, a trace of expected mockery flashed in his eyes.

"What, figured it out so quickly?"

"I knew it. Without me, you can't even afford breakfast."

He put down his coffee, his tone resuming that condescending sense of charity.

I placed my suitcase in the entryway, changed into slippers, and even smiled at him:

"I have figured it out, Mr. Walker."

"Yesterday I was impulsive. After all, we're marriedno need to make things too ugly."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, obviously satisfied with my sensibility.

"Tear up that divorce agreement. Tonight Sophie has a gala. Come with me."

I nodded obediently, then walked into the kitchen and heated him a glass of milk as usual.

Just when my back was turned to him, I crushed a sleeping pill and mixed it into the milk.

Ethan drank it without suspicion.

Half an hour later, he fell into a deep sleep on the study sofa.

Using his fingerprint, I opened the safe that only he could access.

Inside were not only Walker Group's core secrets but also the original ledgers of Sophie's money laundering through charity projects over the years, as well as Ethan's stock market manipulation records done secretly to promote her.

Once these things were exposed, they would be enough to bring down the entire Walker empire.

I copied all the data onto a hard drive I'd prepared in advance.

And set a timed send.

The send time was set for the climax of Sophie's party.

After finishing all this, I restored everything to its original state and even thoughtfully covered Ethan with a blanket.

Looking at his face that appeared cold even in sleep, I felt only deathly silence in my heart.

At two in the afternoon, Ethan woke up.

He rubbed his temples, only feeling that he'd slept unusually deeply, but didn't think much of it.

Seeing I was still home, he was in a good mood and casually tossed me a black card:

"Go buy an outfit. Tonight's gala is very important."

"Sophie is announcing her promotion to deputy director tonight. Remember to congratulate her."

He truly perfected humiliation.

I took the card and responded meekly:

"Okay, I'll give her an unforgettable gift."

Ethan smiled, thinking I genuinely wanted to please Sophie.

"Charlotte, as long as you're sensible, the position of Mrs. Walker will always be yours."

With that, he got up to handle company matters.

Watching his car leave the villa.

I turned around, cut that black card in half, and threw it in the trash.

Then, pulling my already prepared suitcase, I left without looking back.

Afternoon.

Terminal 3.

I sat in a corner of the departure hall, watching planes take off and land through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The boarding announcement came through the speakers.

My phone screen lit up. It was a video call from Ethan.

I hesitated for a second, then answered anyway.

I wanted one last look at him celebrating at hell's gate.

The video connected. The screen showed a magnificent ballroom.

Ethan wore a perfectly tailored black suit, holding champagne, with Sophie in a red dress looking stunning on his arm.

The background was full of flattering voices and camera flashes.

"Charlotte, why aren't you here yet?"

Ethan frowned slightly. Even through the screen I could feel his displeasure.

"Sophie's speech is about to start. All the city's media are here. As my ex-wife, your absence makes me look bad."

Sophie also leaned over and smiled fakely at the camera:

"That's right. Everyone's waiting for you. Tonight is my highlight moment. It won't be perfect without your blessing."

Looking at them, I felt like I was watching two clowns.

"Ethan."

I spoke.

"I'm not coming."

"But the big gift I prepared for you will arrive in ten minutes."

Ethan paused, then laughed mockingly.

He obviously thought I meant an actual gift, even teasing somewhat:

"Okay, looks like you really have learned to behave."

"As long as the gift is substantial enough, I'm not unwilling to forgive your previous tantrums."

"If you want to go out and clear your head, that's fine too. When you figure things out and come back, the Walker family will still have a place for you."

Even now.

He still thought my so-called leaving was just throwing a tantrum.

Still thought I, Charlotte Harper, couldn't leave him, Ethan Walker.

"Ethan."

I called his name again.

"Enjoy these last two minutes."

"Because after tonight, you'll never have another chance to talk to me like this."

The smile on Ethan's face froze. He seemed to finally sense something was wrong.

"Charlotte, what do you mean?"

"What are you doing?!"

I didn't answer again.

I hung up directly.

Then, in front of the security cameras, I pulled out my SIM card.

With two fingers I snapped it in half.

I casually threw both the phone and broken card into the nearby recycling bin.

The announcement came through again:

"The flight to London is about to depart. Passengers who have not yet boarded, please hurry..."

I pulled my suitcase and turned toward the gate.

On the big screen behind me, the live broadcast of Sophie's party had just switched on.