Even My Family Helped Him Cheat

Eight years into our marriage, I was driving my daughter to school when I received a follow-up call from a luxury hotel.

Is this Mr. Ethan Reynolds? Your wife, Chloe Vance, left her diamond ring in the suite.

My whole body froze.

Ethan was my husband. Chloe was my best friend.

Panic-stricken, I rushed to my brother, Logan, desperate for someone to lean on.

But he didn't look surprised at all.

He just sat there, completely calm, and tried to soothe me:

"Summer, they have a child together now. Just pretend you don't know about it."

"Ethan only hid it from you because he didn't want you to be hurt."

My sister-in-law, Rachel, chimed in:

"Exactly, Summer. Don't blame Chloe. You're both mothers. Try to show her some understanding."

I stared at Rachel, completely dumbfounded. I used to think she was my best friend.

Now, she was telling me to forgive a mistress and a bastard child.

It turned out that in family, friendship, and love... I was nothing but an outsider.

Seeing the dead silence in my eyes, Logan sighed and tried to persuade me with a heavy heart:

"Summer, we aren't young anymore. And you have Lily to think about."

"Take my advice. Close one eye and let it go. Having a compromised marriage is still better than being a single mother."

This was my own brother. My own flesh and blood.

Yet he was openly helping them lie to me.

Rachel stood by his side, gently grabbing my wrist with a practiced, superficial warmth.

"Yes, Summer. At our age, what other choices do women have?"

"Chloe didn't have a choice either. When her family went bankrupt years ago, she was cornered by brutal debt collectors. Ethan saved her. She had no other way to repay him, so..."

A sharp pain stabbed my heart.

Rachel, Chloe, and I had been inseparable since middle school. We had sworn to be sisters for life.

But now, she knew perfectly well that Chloe was the homewrecker.

Yet she still demanded that I forgive her.

People's hearts are always biased.

It didn't matter that I once got eight stitches on my forehead after defending Rachel from a gang of street thugs. None of it mattered now.

I violently shook off her hand and said coldly:

"Rachel, as of today, we are done."

She gasped. Before she could speak, the office door was kicked open.

Ethan stood there, his face clouded with anger.

His eyes locked onto me.

Logan and Rachel quickly slid out of the room, leaving the two of us alone.

Ethan walked up to me, his voice deep and demanding: "Summer, you dragged this drama all the way to Logan's office. What exactly do you want?"

In all our years together, this was the first time he had ever looked at me with such cold indifference.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I choked out:

"Ethan, what did I ever do to deserve this? You're sleeping with my best friend, and you even have a kid with her?"

Seeing the tears in my eyes, Ethan softened slightly. He sighed and pulled me into his arms, his voice dropping to a gentle whisper:

"Summer, relax. She will never take your place. You are still the only Mrs. Reynolds."

My eyes stung. I stubbornly pushed him away.

I refused to share my husband.

Ethan's brows furrowed, and his tone turned icy again:

"Summer, if we take this to court, I will fight for full custody of Lily. You know how that will end. Do you really want our daughter to suffer in poverty with you?"

I stared at the man in front of me, my mind blank.

We had loved each other since we were teenagers. How did we end up threatening each other over our child?

Seeing my hesitation, Ethan's voice softened a fraction:

"Just live your life quietly. You and Lily will want for nothing. To the world, you will always be the glamorous Mrs. Reynolds."

I hid the burning rage in my heart and nodded slowly.

From that day on, I pretended everything was back to normal. I drove Lily to and from school every day.

I stopped asking Ethan why he didn't come home.

I stopped leaving the porch light on for him.

Instead, I quietly hired a private investigator to gather evidence.

Until one afternoon, a familiar figure blocked my path.

It was Chloe, whom I hadn't seen in months.

She looked slightly uneasy.

For years, I had believed Chloe was living a hard life.

When she got pregnant out of wedlock years ago and lived alone, I felt so sorry for her. I took care of her.

I bought almost all of her baby's clothes and supplies.

I even nagged Ethan constantly to help her out financially.

Looking back, I realized they had probably been sleeping together in the very bed I helped pay for.

Chloe stepped forward, her voice soft and trembling: "Summer, can we talk?"

I stopped and looked at her, my face completely expressionless.

"Say what you want to say."

She bit her lower lip, glancing nervously at the pedestrians passing by, and lowered her voice:

"Things weren't supposed to end up like this. Ethan and I... we've been together for years. Our child is growing up now. I just want us to coexist in peace."

"I never wanted to ruin your life. But when it comes to love, we are all helpless."

Listening to her hypocritical speech, a mocking smile touched my lips.

"Save your tragic act."

I stared into her eyes, and a realization suddenly hit me. "Ethan cheated on me with you during my second month of pregnancy, on the night of my birthday, didn't he?"

Chloe's pale face gave me the answer.

That night, Ethan had promised to come home early to celebrate with me.

But I sat alone with a cold dinner, holding my positive pregnancy test, waiting all night.

At dawn, he finally came home, covered in bruises.

I panic-strickenly tried to take him to the ER, but he held me tight, whispering:

"Summer, don't move. Just let me hold you. I missed you so much."

It wasn't a confession of love. It was the guilt of a cheater.

Every ignored red flag and suspicious detail suddenly rushed back to me.

No wonder Chloe moved right after that night.

She claimed a stalker was following her, but a "good Samaritan" saved her.

It wasn't a good Samaritan. It was Ethan.

"Summer, we can still be friends," Chloe said, reaching out to grab my hand like she used to.

I stepped back, dodging her touch.

I let out a bitter laugh. "The kind of friends who sleep with each other's husbands?"

Suddenly, a cup of ice-cold water splashed right onto my face.

The water dripped from my eyelashes. I looked up and saw Rachel standing there, glaring at me with fury.

"Summer, do you think Chloe is having an easy time?"

"A rich girl like you will never understand the desperation of people at the bottom. No wonder you've never had any real friends!"

A sharp, stabbing pain pierced my chest.

I swallowed my words. There was no point in arguing.

Then, Ethan appeared. He handed me a tissue, his tone patronizing, as if he were soothing a toddler throwing a tantrum:

"Summer, stop making a scene. Lily is waiting in the car."

All my anger was instantly crushed by reality.

Yes. I had my daughter.

Now was not the time to blow everything up.

Just as I turned to leave, a stray, aggressive dog suddenly charged toward us from the park.

In a split second, without a shred of hesitation, Ethan threw himself over Chloe.

He shielded her entirely in his arms, screaming at the dog.

Terrified by his shouts, the dog veered off and knocked me to the ground instead.

My hands and knees scraped violently against the rough asphalt.

Fortunately, the school security guards rushed over and tackled the dog.

Ethan gently helped Chloe to her feet. Then, he looked at me and said indifferently:

"Are you okay?"

Before I could answer, he spoke again:

"I'm taking Sophia to the amusement park tonight. I won't be coming home."

The evening wind blew past, carrying a bitter chill.

I should have stopped expecting anything from him a long time ago, shouldn't I?

I walked back to my car.

The moment I opened the door, Lily threw herself into my arms, asking sadly:

"Mommy, why did Daddy protect that lady instead of you? You were in way more danger."

Even a five-year-old saw it. But he didn't.

Choking back my tears, I stroked my daughter's hair:

"Because Daddy is farsighted, sweetie. He can only see things that are far away."

My daughter nodded, not fully understanding.

For several days, Ethan didn't show his face. Until one afternoon, my phone rang.

"Summer, Chloe has been mysteriously ill. We've been to every hospital, and the doctors can't find any physical issues."

Before I could say anything, his voice turned incredibly cold:

"I had a spiritualist look into it. The medium says the negative energy is coming from your mother's grave. Your mother's plot is too close to Chloe's mother's plot. Her dark aura is cursing Chloe, making her sick."

My fingers tightened around the phone. I couldn't believe my ears.

"What did you just say?"

"Exhume your mother's casket and relocate it to another cemetery."

Ethan's tone was completely casual, without a hint of guilt or hesitation.

"Arrange it quickly. Stop dragging Chloe's health down."

His words hit me like a physical blow, leaving me gasping for air.

When Chloe was in middle school, she and Rachel often came to my house.

My mom knew Chloe loved tacos, so every time she visited, my mom would make them fresh for her.

Later, when Chloe's mother died of illness and her family was bankrupt, they couldn't even afford a basic casket.

It was my mother who took out her own savings so Chloe's mother could be buried with dignity.

Neither I nor my mother had ever done anything to hurt her.

But now, she wouldn't even let my dead mother rest in peace.

I bit my lip so hard it bled, my voice shaking:

"No. My mother has been buried for years. She is at peace. I will not move her."

My refusal instantly enraged Ethan.

He snapped, his voice filled with venomous accusation:

"Summer, can you be mature for once? Moving a casket is a minor issue. Chloe's life is on the line. Do you have to be this malicious?"

He slammed the phone down.

That same afternoon, Ethan took a crew of workers to the cemetery.

By the time I rushed there, everyone I cared about was already standing by my mother's grave.

Seeing me, Logan stepped forward to block my path.

"Summer, stop being so stubborn. It's just a relocation. The dead are already gone, but the living need to survive."

Staring at my own brother who was siding with a mistress, my heart turned to ash.

All my patience and restraint shattered at that moment.

I took a step forward, raised my hand, and slapped Chloe hard across the face.

Chloe's head snapped back. Tears instantly spilled from her eyes as she sobbed:

"Ethan... I didn't force her... I'm just in so much pain..."

Ethan's eyes flared with absolute fury.

He grabbed my wrist so hard I felt my bones cracking. His voice was freezing:

"Summer! Are you insane? Who gave you the right to lay a hand on her?"

Beside him, Logan immediately pinned my shoulders down, barking:

"Summer! You've gone too far! Apologize to Chloe right now! Stop acting like a spoiled brat!"

I struggled wildly to break free, screaming at them:

"Too far? Who is the one going too far?!"

"I paid for her mother's funeral! I gave her everything!"

"And she ruined my family, and now she won't even let my mother rest!"

"Logan, she was your mother too! How can you do this?!"

A sudden downpour drenched the cemetery.

The cold rain mixed with my tears, blinding my vision.

Logan's face stiffened, but he remained stubborn:

"She's already dead, Summer. It's just a casket relocation. Don't be so stubborn!"

With those words, the last thread of sibling bond between us snapped completely.

Ethan looked at me, a brief flash of hesitation in his eyes.

But in the next second, Chloe cried out in despair:

"Summer is right. It's all my fault. I shouldn't even be alive."

Ethan panicked.

To comfort Chloe, he looked at me and said coldly:

"Since you dared to hit Chloe, this is your punishment. You will stand right here and watch your mother's grave be dug up."

With a wave of his hand, several burly security guards stepped forward.

They threw me down, pinning me into the wet, cold mud.

In front of me, the workers picked up their shovels and began to dig.

The tombstone engraved with my mother's name slowly began to tilt.

I shook violently, screaming until my voice went hoarse:

"Ethan, please... I beg you... don't do this."

"That's my mother! She is already gone! She did nothing wrong!"

"Chloe's illness has nothing to do with my mother! You know that!"

"Please, stop them! Don't dig her up... I beg you!"

I stripped away every ounce of my dignity, but Ethan remained completely unmoved.

Chloe leaned against his chest, a subtle smirk playing on her lips.

She was doing this on purpose.

Finally, with a heavy thud, the corner of the wooden casket was exposed to the muddy rain.

Kneeling in the mud in front of my mother's desecrated grave, I made a silent vow:

I would never forgive any of them.

After that day, I fell dangerously ill. I lay in bed with a raging fever until a frantic call woke me up.

The school principal's voice was filled with sheer panic:

"Mrs. Reynolds, you need to get to the school right now! Lily had a physical altercation with another student."

"Both girls have run up to the school's rooftop terrace! It's extremely dangerous!"

My heart leaped into my throat. My limbs turned to jelly.

Lily was a gentle, quiet girl. She never fought with anyone. Why would she be on the rooftop?

I didn't have time to think. I threw myself into my car and drove like a maniac.

The entire way, I prayed to God not to let anything happen to my little girl.

The metal door to the rooftop was slightly ajar. I pushed it open, and the scene before me made my blood run cold.