His TikTok Prank Cost Him Everything

My husband had recently become obsessed with filming couple prank videos for TikTok.

Late one night, he suddenly called me.

His voice was unusually serious.

I cheated on you.

I thought it was just another one of his carefully prepared pranks.

Playing along, I answered without hesitation,,

What a coincidence. I cheated too.

I waited for him to laugh and say, "Got you!" Like he always did.

Instead, the line went silent.

A few seconds later, he let out a relieved chuckle.

"Thank God. Now I don't have to worry about violating the prenup."

"The divorce papers are in the safe. The password is our wedding anniversary."

Then he hung up.

Still smiling, I walked to the safe and entered the code.

The divorce papers... were real.

Just as I was about to call him back to confront him, my phone buzzed with a message from his new assistant.

"Mrs. Carter, this isn't a prank."

"I'm pregnant with your husband's child. I'm six months along."

**Chapter 1**

A photo of a pregnant belly was sent to my phone.

I went completely cold, waves of nausea washing over me.

I forced down the sickness and called Ethan back.

It took three tries before he finally picked up.

A young womans sweet, whiny voice came from the other side.

"Babe, who is it? Calling so late..."

Then came Ethan's cold voice.

"Did I not make myself clear?"

I quickly explained,

"I didn't cheat! I thought you were recording another prank challenge, so I just played along..."

He cut me off with a scoff.

"Changing your story now? Did you see the terms in the divorce agreement and want to clear your name?"

"Let me tell you, that's not happening."

"I've already recorded you admitting to cheating."

"With my current net worth and resources, you stand absolutely zero chance if we go to court."

"For the sake of our history, I'll let you keep the condo downtown, plus an extra three million dollars. Consider it my thanks for you staying at home to take care of me all these years."

He paused.

"Sign the papers tomorrow. Let's make this clean."

I married him right after college. I was by his side when he started from nothing, watching his tech company grow into an industry giant.

I watched him become a billionaire.

And in the end, my ten years of devotion and sacrifice were only worth a condo and three million dollars?

His casual words crushed my heart into dust.

My voice trembled.

"Ethan! I know you're doing this for a TikTok prank. Please stop lying to me, okay?"

I still didn't want to believe it, desperately clinging to that sliver of hope.

But the voice on the other end changed. It was his new assistant, Olivia Ward.

"Chloe, Ethan isn't filming a prank. Whats between us is real."

"I'm already pregnant."

The phone seemed to be snatched back, but I could hear his faint voice in the background.

"Why waste your breath on her? Let's keep going."

My chest burned with acid. Before I could say another word, the call was disconnected.

When I tried calling back, his phone was already turned off.

I couldn't sleep. I sat there in a daze for a long time.

My tears soaked into the silk nightgown he had bought me just yesterday.

"Sweetheart, I had a designer custom-make this for you. I hope it helps you sleep better."

I smiled bitterly, wiping my nose, and looked down at the diamond bracelet on my wrist.

He had given me this bracelet the day before yesterday.

"The moment I saw it, I knew it was perfect for you."

"People say women age after marriage, but to me, you'll always be the girl who stole my heart."

I ripped the bracelet off and slammed it onto the hardwood floor.

There was no going back...

At eight o'clock the next morning, Ethan sent me a location.

[Come here at ten. Bring the signed divorce papers.]

Looking in the mirror, I seemed to have aged three years overnight.

I had to apply concealer five times just to hide the dark circles under my eyes.

I tried my best to look put together, but nothing could hide how exhausted I was after a sleepless night.

When I arrived at the cafe, I saw Ethan sitting with Olivia.

She sat right next to Ethan, leaving the seat opposite them empty.

As soon as I sat down, Ethan pushed an iced Americano toward me.

"I ordered this for you."

"But I never drink iced Americanos. You know I have a sensitive stomach. My ulcer just flared up again two days ago. I can't drink cold things."

He frowned and pulled the coffee back.

"Sorry, I forgot."

Just as he was about to order me something else, Olivia spoke up with a look of mock apology.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry. That coffee was actually meant for me. This warm milk is what Ethan ordered for you."

"But my stomach suddenly hurt, and I wanted something warm, so I swapped them."

I didn't hear a word she said.

I just stared at her twenty-two-year-old face, feeling a sharp pang of envy.

She was so young.

No wonder Ethan liked her.

I used to look like that, too.

Suddenly, she stared at the necklace on my neck and gasped, looking at Ethan.

"Didn't I tell you to return this? Why is Chloe wearing it?"

**Chapter 2**

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Olivia smiled brightly.

"Ethan saw this necklace and thought it would look good on me, so he bought it."

"But I didn't really like it, so I told him to return it."

This necklace was a gift from Ethan for our seventh wedding anniversary, six months ago.

"I was busy with meetings all day today, but I managed to slip out to the mall to pick this out. I thought it would look great on you."

I had looked at the pendant design and teased him with a smile,

"Why did you buy me something that looks like it's for a teenage girl?"

He had just kissed my forehead.

"In my heart, you'll always be the same girl who stole my heart ten years ago. Now, go get ready. I'm making dinner, and we'll celebrate our anniversary with a candlelit dinner."

Tears flooded my swollen eyes again. I must have looked pathetic.

I struggled to unclasp the necklace, ripped it off, and threw it to the ground, letting it gather dust.

Ethan looked annoyed.

"Alright, calm down. I admit I forgot the exact date of our anniversary back then."

"But I couldn't just go back empty-handed, so I got you that. I saw you wearing it all the time, so I thought you liked it."

I completely broke down. I grabbed the iced Americano and threw it right in his face.

"I wore it not because I liked it, but because you gave it to me!"

"Ethan, what do you take me for?"

As I screamed those last words, a sharp pain shot through my stomach, and I collapsed onto my seat.

But a second later, a cup of sticky, warm milk was splashed all over my face.

"Chloe! I've always respected you, but how dare you throw coffee at Ethan in public?!"

"Since you did that, don't blame me for returning the favor."

Ethan immediately comforted her.

"It's fine, Olivia. I'm just here for the divorce papers. Don't waste your time on her."

After Olivia finished wiping the coffee off his face and clothes, he held out his hand to me.

"Give me the signed papers. Let's not waste each other's time."

"I'm not signing. As long as I don't divorce you, Olivia will always be nothing but a dirty homewrecker."

Seeing my refusal, his anger flared instantly.

"Don't you have a side piece of your own? Or do you want an open marriage?"

I felt sick to my stomach.

"I don't have anyone! I told you, I thought you were filming a TikTok prank, so I played along!"

"You're the only one who cheated!"

But he scoffed.

"Say whatever you want. This divorce is happening. Besides, you can never give me a child."

"But Olivia is pregnant with my baby. I have to take responsibility."

His words stabbed the most painful, vulnerable part of my heart.

Ten years ago, to save Ethan during a mugging, I took a knife wound to the abdomen.

The sharp blade pierced my lower stomach, and blood instantly soaked my dress.

The doctors fought hard to save my life.

But they told me

I would never be able to have children of my own.

Ethan had stayed by my hospital bed, crying as he promised me,

"Don't be afraid. It doesn't matter if we can't have kids."

"I'll take care of you for the rest of my life."

"I will never let you down."

The pain made it hard to breathe. Finally, I gathered my thoughts and asked him,

"When did you two start?"

He didn't hesitate.

"Yesterday was our one-year anniversary. Today is day three hundred and sixty-six."

He remembered it so clearly.

**Chapter 3**

I smiled.

"You've been together for so long, and Olivia only got pregnant now?"

A condescending smirk played on his lips.

"Olivia has standards. She refused to sleep with me until I promised to divorce you."

I stood up on my shaky legs, pointing at him.

"Then what was our sex life for the past year to you?"

He decided to stop hiding.

"Let's just say I couldn't bring myself to ruin Olivia, so I used you to satisfy my needs."

"You already know the answer anyway. Why ask? Just to humiliate yourself?"

My stomach cramped violently, and I dry-heaved again.

The milk on my face tasted bitter, and I laughed at myself.

"So the nightgown and the diamond bracelet... they were just things Olivia didn't want, right?"

He didn't answer, which was as good as a confession.

He just kept urging me without looking up.

"Just sign it."

I pulled the papers from my bag and tore them to shreds.

"Never. I won't let you two be together!"

Olivia threw a stack of photos onto the table, sliding them to me with a smug smile.

"Chloe, I have proof of your affair. If you refuse to sign, we can post these online."

"If that happens, you won't just lose Ethanyou won't get the condo or the three million dollars either."

My head spun. I picked up the photos, but before I could even look at them, everything went black and I collapsed.

When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed.

A beam of light fell across Ethan's face, making him look just like the man who loved me with all his heart ten years ago.

He handed me a bowl of oatmeal, his tone surprisingly cold.

"You haven't eaten all day. Eat this, then sign the new papers. After that, we're done."

Weakly, I took the bowl. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my medical chart on the bedside table.

It clearly read: stomach bleeding and hypoglycemia.

My hand shook, and the hot oatmeal spilled all over the blanket.

I closed my eyes, breathing heavily.

The cold air in the hospital room made me shiver.

Ethan scoffed in disgust.

"What are you acting weak for? You think this will stop the divorce?"

"Ethan... I really didn't cheat. There is no one else. Only you!"

To my explanation, he simply threw a new set of papers at me.

"Now the condo and the three million are off the table. You're leaving with nothing. If you're not happy, we can take this to court."

"Ethan, I helped build that company too!" I yelled, my eyes red.

"Are you kidding me? You've been a housewife for years. The shares are all in my name."

With that, he shoved a pen into my hand.

"Sign it. Don't make me say it again."

Enduring the sharp pain in my stomach, I looked at the photos.

In the pictures, I was acting intimately with a man I didn't even recognize.

There were even photos of us kissing.

We were wearing five different outfits, implying we had met five times.

Olivia walked in from the hallway, her voice soft and sweet.

"Chloe, I didn't want to show these to Ethan. I wanted to save you some dignity."

"But since you refused to sign, I'll just have to post them online."

**Chapter 4**

My heart squeezed painfully. I grabbed Ethan's hand, trying to explain.

"Listen to me, I don't even know this man!"

"I don't want to hear it."

He cut me off, looking completely annoyed.

"You don't have to sign. We can go straight to court. It'll just take a bit more time, but the result will be the same."

The pain in my stomach grew worse, and my heart ached in sync.

After a couple of seconds of silence, I spoke in a raspy voice.

"Fine. I don't want to drag this out either."

Once he got the signed papers, he tossed a card onto the bed.

"The three million is gone, but there's thirty thousand dollars on this card. It should last you a while."

How pathetic. Ten years of youth and devotion.

His net worth was in the billions, and I was worth thirty thousand dollars.

He took Olivias hand and walked out of the room.

Tears blurred my vision as I called out quietly behind him,

"Ethan, you better not regret this."

He paused slightly and said,

"I hope you and your lover are happy too."

After they left, I sat alone on the hospital bed, looking at the photos, a cold smile forming on my lips.

I didn't know the man in the photos at all.

These photos were definitely photoshopped.

Since she dared to frame me, she could wait for a court summons.

I gathered all the evidence and filed a lawsuit that very afternoon.

The next day, right after I was discharged from the hospital, Ethans calls started flooding in.

"Chloe, have you lost your mind?!"

"Olivia just got a court summons! She just started working, can't you have some consideration for her?"

The phone was quickly snatched away, and Olivia's whimpering voice came through.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have hired someone to take those photos and expose your affair."

"I'm apologizing to you. Let's both take a step back. Can you please drop the charges?"

Before I could speak, Ethan ordered coldly,

"Olivia just caught you with that man. Is it really worth suing her? Come to the cafe across from the office right now. We need to talk."

"I can't. I just got discharged. I'm not in the mood."

He scoffed.

"Not in the mood? Because of your new guy? Did he dump you already?"

I just smiled and didn't answer.

"You should actually read what's on that court summons first."

"Tell Olivia she's going to pay for what she did."