His Cruel Game: Too Late to Beg for My Forgiveness

My husband has split personality disorder. Or so I thought.

On our anniversary, he dragged me to his lawyers office for the third time to force me to sign the divorce papers. Right after, he forced abortion-inducing pills down my throat.

I blacked out from the excruciating pain and spent three days in the hospital.

When I was finally discharged, I saw Ethan standing near the hospital entrance.

He was surrounded by his close friends. One of them, Marcus, leaned in and asked in a low voice:

"Ethan, how much longer are you going to use this split-personality lie to trick Hazel? Do you really not care about the baby at all?"

Ethan casually flicked a piece of lint off his jacket.

"Chloe has been having nightmares again about how Hazel bullied her back in high school. Shes depressed and cant sleep. I had to do this to make her feel better."

"Besides, Hazel is fertile. We can have another baby whenever we want."

Tyler looked at him, his face filled with pity.

"But Hazel spent every single penny of her savings to find a cure for your mental illness. She didn't even get to see her parents one last time before they died because she was traveling to find a specialist for you."

Ethan let out a cold scoff.

"She spent that money voluntarily. And Im supporting her for the rest of her life, isn't that enough?"

"Once Chloe gets over her trauma, Ill just pretend my 'other personality' is cured. Hazel will crawl right back to me and call off the divorce anyway."

A sharp, tearing pain flared in my lower abdomen. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms.

What he didn't know was that three times was my limit.

Once this 30-day separation cooling-off period ended,

He and I would be finished forever.

......

Standing next to Ethan, Chloe lowered her eyes. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

"Ethan, lying to Hazel like this isn't a long-term solution."

"You're pretending to be mentally ill for my sake, letting people whisper behind your back. It makes me feel so guilty."

Hearing this, Ethan immediately turned and pulled her close.

He gently stroked her hair.

Chloe leaned into his chest, looking fragile and helpless.

"Its nothing,"

Ethans voice was incredibly gentle, a stark contrast to the cold indifference he had used when talking about me.

"As long as you can escape the shadow of your past and find peace, I don't care how long I have to play this part."

Chloe buried her face in his shoulder, a small, triumphant smirk playing on her lips.

But when she looked up, her eyes were filled with fake fear and jealousy.

She let out a shaky sob.

"But when the thirty days are up, you two will still legally be husband and wife."

"Just thinking about you sharing a house with her makes me shake. I can't even sleep at night."

I stood hidden behind a maple tree, watching her pathetic, hypocritical act.

A wave of nausea hit my stomach.

Nobody knew Chloes true face better than I did.

She and Ethan were childhood sweethearts.

But when we were teenagers, Ethan fell for me first.

Since then, Chloes bullying had never stopped.

In high school, she locked me in a dark janitors closet during lunch, making me miss a crucial midterm exam.

She spread disgusting rumors that I would sleep with anyone for fifty bucks, making the whole school ostracize me.

During my period, she forced ice cubes into my underwear, laughing hysterically as I curled up on the bathroom floor, shaking in pain.

She even destroyed the birthday gift I had spent months making for Ethan.

She stepped on the shattered pieces and whispered in my ear that a girl like me would never be worthy of standing beside him.

Back then, I was insecure and naive. I craved Ethan's tiny scraps of affection so much that I swallowed all the abuse in silence.

Later, I managed to marry Ethan. I thought I had finally secured a peaceful life.

But the moment Chloe returned from abroad, she twisted the truth.

She painted herself as the victim, crying to the world that I was the one who had bullied her for years, leaving her with severe PTSD.

Ethan had gently patted her back to comfort her when she told him that lie.

His eyes had filled with a deep affection that I mistook for love.

"Let it go," he had told her. "Ill punish her for you. But I still cant divorce her just yet."

For a split second back then,

I actually thought he still had some lingering feelings for me.

Hearing those words now, Chloe's fingers clenched tightly behind Ethan's back.

I walked straight out from the shadow of the tree.

"Since its such a hassle for you, Ethan, you don't need to play this game anymore."

"Once the cooling-off period is over, we will sign the papers and go our separate ways. No one has to suffer."

Ethan didn't expect me to appear. His body froze.

Instinctively, he shielded Chloe behind his back. His voice was a mix of panic and defensiveness.

"What are you doing here?"

I let out a weak chuckle, my hand resting gently on my aching lower abdomen.

"My baby is dead, Ethan. Where else would I be if not at the hospital?"

He fell silent. A rare flash of panic crossed his eyes.

He took a step toward me, seemingly wanting to check on me.

I immediately took a massive step back.

"Don't come near me."

I kept my eyes down, avoiding his complicated gaze.

"If acting is this exhausting for you, lets just stop."

"You don't have to play the crazy husband anymore, and Chloe won't have to feel disgusted seeing me every day. It's a win-win."

Hearing my words, disbelief washed over Ethans face.

I had always been submissive. He never imagined I would actually demand a divorce.

His raw instinct took over, and he blurted out:

"No. I won't allow it."

Beside him, Chloes shoulders slumped.

She put on her signature guilt-ridden face and spoke in a soft, self-sacrificing tone:

"Its all my fault. Im just too weak."

"Hazel must have had a reason to dislike me back then. I deserve to live with this trauma."

"I shouldn't have complained to you, Ethan. I shouldn't make Hazel angry again."

Before she even finished speaking, she raised her hand and slapped her own face hard.

She kept slapping herself, sobbing loudly.

"Hazel, Ill slap myself ninety-nine times just like before. Please don't be mad at Ethan."

Ethan immediately grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

He gently touched her reddened cheek, his face filled with pain.

He turned and barked at Marcus:

"Go to the convenience store and get some ice! Hurry!"

Chloe began to shake violently, burying her head into Ethan's chest.

Her tears soaked his shirt as she screamed hysterically:

"No! No ice!"

"Thats what she used to hurt me... I can still feel the cold. I can't take it!"

At those words,

Ethan's gaze turned ice-cold as he glared at me.

"Do you hear that? Look at the mental scar you left on her!"

"Ive been trying to make up for your sins, tolerating your behavior this entire time. When are you going to stop being so damn selfish?"

My body was weak and trembling. Watching them play their disgusting roles,

I forced myself to stand straight and repeated every single word clearly:

"I am not making a scene. Once the 30-day period is over, we are signing the papers. We are done."

Ethans face darkened completely. Completely ignoring my weak, post-surgery state,

He grabbed my arm violently.

He dragged me in front of Chloe, forcing me to bow my head.

"Apologize to Chloe right now. This isn't something you can just walk away from."

His words were like daggers to my heart.

"You hurt her so badly back then that she can never get pregnant. And I just had to rid you of three of your babies."

"If she forgives you, we can wipe the slate clean. We can go back to how we were."

I looked up into his cold, heartless eyes,

Then at Chloe, who was looking at me with a smirk. I let out a mocking laugh.

"Apologize to a pathological liar? Never."

Marcus and Tyler quickly stepped in to play peacemakers.

"Hazel, don't be so stubborn. Just say sorry and get it over with."

"Yeah, Hazel. Standing your ground like this is just putting Ethan in a tough spot."

"If you actually get a divorce, you have no family, no money. How are you even going to survive on your own?"

Every word they said favored Chloe.

They completely ignored the fact that I had just had a forced miscarriage and was standing here in a hospital gown, completely exhausted.

Ethan let go of my arm and wrapped his hand around Chloes waist.

He looked at me, completely confident that I had nowhere else to go.

"I know you don't actually want to leave me, Hazel."

"Your parents are dead. You have no savings. If you leave me, you won't even be able to afford rent."

He paused, offering what he thought was a generous compromise.

"Apologize to Chloe right now. I will let this go. I won't force you to get miscarriages anymore, and I will keep providing for you."

Chloe clung to him, her eyes gleaming with the triumph of a winner,

Waiting for me to break and beg.

Hearing Ethan use my helpless, lonely reality to blackmail me, my heart went completely numb.

In the past, I worked at a clinic during the day and washed dishes at restaurants at night.

My hands were covered in thick calluses, and every single dollar I earned went toward finding a specialist for his mental illness.

My parents had begged me to walk away, crying because they hated seeing me ruin my health for him.

But I was blinded by love. I refused to let go.

Seeing my stubbornness, my parents had given me their life savings to help support us.

During those days, Ethan was genuinely sweet.

When I came home late from work, he would wait up with a hot bowl of soup, carefully blowing on it before feeding me.

When my cramps got so bad I couldn't move, he would stay up all night, keeping his warm hands on my stomach.

Later, I flew abroad to consult with a brain specialist for him.

Midway through the trip, I received a phone call. My parents had been in a fatal car accident.

I flew back like a madwoman,

Only to find two white sheets covering their bodies in the morgue.

I collapsed on the floor, completely shattered. It was Ethan who held me tightly, rubbing my back as he cried with me.

"For the rest of my life, I will protect you for them," he had sworn.

He said he didn't want a dime of my money.

He bought them the best plots in a beautiful cemetery and accompanied me there every year.

Back then, I truly believed my sacrifice had paid off.

But now, knowing I had no family left,

He chose to stab me in my deepest wound.

I clutched my hospital gown, swallowing the bitter tears.

Just as I was about to scream the truth at him,

Ethan calmly pulled out his phone. The screen showed a notification for the cemetery plot renewal fees.

He looked down at me.

"Your parents' cemetery lease expires next month. They need me to pay the renewal fee."

"If you don't apologize to Chloe today, I will cancel the lease. I will have their urns dug up and thrown into the sewer."

That single sentence shattered my remaining strength.

My parents were all I had left. I couldn't let them be desecrated after death.

The suffocating pain choked my throat.

I slowly lowered my head.

"Im sorry."

Those two words took every ounce of energy I had left.

Ethan immediately smiled, pulling me into his arms.

His warm breath tickled my ear as he whispered:

"Thats my good girl. Just behave, and we can go back to how we used to be."

His embrace was warm, but it made my stomach turn with disgust.

Chloe, leaning against his other side, spoke up in a sweet, mocking voice:

"Speaking of which, I haven't visited your parents in a long time, Hazel. Lets go to the cemetery together."

"They were always so nice to me. I want to pay my respects."

I snapped my head up, immediately rejecting her.

"No! Ill go by myself."

Just the thought of the woman who bullied me standing in front of my parents' graves, pretending to mourn, made me want to throw up. It was a desecration.

Ethans grip around my waist tightened.

His gentle tone vanished, replaced by a cold glare.

"Chloe is just trying to be nice. Don't give her that attitude."

Marcus and the other guys quickly chimed in, telling me not to be ungrateful.

They praised Chloe for being so big-hearted and forgiving.

Chloe lowered her eyes, playing the hurt victim again,

Tugging at Ethans sleeve as if she didn't want to cause trouble.

I leaned against Ethan,

Watching the strangers walk by the hospital lobby.

My heart was completely dead.

The marble gravestones were cold. In the black-and-white photos, my parents smiled warmly.

Looking at them, my heart ached with a dull, throbbing pain.

Chloe had sent Ethan to the administrative office to pay the fees.

Before leaving, Ethan had given me a warning look.

"Behave yourself. Don't cause trouble."

The pain in my stomach was getting worse, so I didn't bother replying.

I squatted down alone, my fingers tracing their photos.

I whispered, my voice barely audible:

"Mom, Dad... I couldn't save your third grandchild."

"Im so tired. Once the 30 days are up, Im leaving Ethan. I won't let them hurt me anymore."

Suddenly, Chloes mocking laughter echoed behind me.

She strolled over and dropped her sweet facade.

"If you had just accepted your place earlier, I wouldn't have had to go to such lengths."

"Know your place, Hazel. Stop clinging to the title of Mrs. Sterling."

I slowly stood up, not surprised at all by her sudden change. I let out a cold laugh.

"Even without me, Ethan would never look at a snake like you."

"I am leaving him. Now, get the hell away from my parents' graves."

My words hit her right where it hurt.

Chloe lost her mind. She lunged forward, grabbing my neck,

And slammed me hard against my parents' gravestone.

She whispered maniacally in my ear:

"I controlled you back then, and I can control you now. You will always be under my shoe."

Her cold words felt like venom dripping into my ears.

"You were too scared to tell your parents about the bullying back in high school, weren't you? Well, I was nice enough to tell them myself."

"I told them exactly what I did to you. They got so panicked they rushed out to find me... and thats how they got into that car crash. They died because of you, Hazel."

The truth hit me like a physical blow. A wave of pure hatred surged through me.

I gathered every bit of strength I had and slapped her across the face.

"You monster! How could you be so evil?!"

"Hazel! Stop!"

Ethan's angry voice boomed behind us.

He rushed forward and caught Chloe, who had deliberately let herself fall to the ground.

He wiped away her fake tears, his face twisted in anger.

"I told you to behave! Why are you putting your hands on Chloe again?"

I looked at him, seeing how blindly he defended her.

All my love and hate vanished into thin air.

"Shes been lying to you this entire time, Ethan. She caused my parents' death!"

Ethan didn't believe a single word. He stepped forward, grabbed the back of my neck,

And slammed my head against the cold gravestone.

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

His grip was so tight it felt like he wanted to break my bones. He snarled:

"Kneel here and think about what you did. Look at your parents and ask yourself if you deserve them!"

He picked Chloe up in his arms,

Turned around, and drove away, leaving me all alone at the mountain cemetery.

I knelt in front of the gravestone, tracing my parents' faces over and over.

Eventually, the sky darkened, and a heavy downpour began.

My thin hospital gown was soaked in seconds. My weak, post-miscarriage body couldn't handle the freezing cold.

Using the gravestone for support, I forced myself to stand and staggered down the mountain path.

The heavy rain completely blocked my vision.

As I rounded a sharp turn,

A pair of blinding headlights suddenly rushed toward me.

Before I could even react, the car hit me, and everything went black.

......

On the other side of town, Ethan took Chloe to the hospital for a check-up.

As they walked out of the clinic, a young nurse saw them.

Her face twisted in disgust, and she muttered under her breath:

"What a jerk. How does he even show his face here?"

Ethan frowned, about to confront her,

When his phone buzzed. It was a full refund notification from the cemetery.

He immediately called the cemetery manager.

The manager informed him that

I had paid off all the fees myself, canceled the lease, and arranged for my parents' urns to be moved to another cemetery.

"Damn it, Hazel. You're taking this tantrum too far."

He called my number repeatedly, but it went straight to voicemail.

A strange panic began to bloom in Ethan's chest.

He decided to drive back to the mountain to find me,

But as he walked toward the exit, a team of paramedics rushed past him, pushing a stretcher.

"Emergency! Clear the way!"

As the stretcher flew past him,

A pale, limp hand fell off the side. On her wrist was a faded, red braided bracelet.

It was the matching bracelet Ethan and I had woven together when we were teenagers. There was only one pair in the world.

The moment Ethan saw it,

His heart stopped.