Her Affair Turned Me Into a Clean Freak

My wife, Natasha Simpson, cheated on me while she was pregnant, but she ended the affair immediately. Her entire family stood up for her. "She's changed. She knows she was wrong. She's pregnant, and that's your child." Pressure came at me from every direction. Everyone expected me to forgive her and be a devoted husband. However, the disgust I felt after her betrayal drove me into depression. Because she was pregnant, I had to keep my temper under control. I endured the racing heart and sleepless nights and forced myself to suffer in silence. The only outlet I had left was an increasingly obsessive fixation on cleanliness. She always spoke to me gently. "It's okay. I'll follow your rules. Once the baby is born, we'll put all this behind us and live a good life together." From then on, she disinfected everything she touched. She had to wear gloves whenever she touched me, and we slept in separate rooms. Yet she never complained. "It's okay. I'm the one who wronged you..." Then, one day, I complained about a strand of hair on the floor. She finally snapped and tore off the protective clothing she had been wearing. "Enough! I cheated, but I ended it. Do you really have to punish me like this? Look at yourself. Do you even look normal anymore? Am I really that disgusting?" She deliberately trashed the house. She smashed plates and kicked over trash cans, all to punish me for my obsession with cleanliness. With her entire family behind her, she took advantage of the fact that I would compromise for the sake of our child and pressured me once again to forgive her betrayal. Something inside me finally broke. I started vomiting blood and was rushed to the hospital. Strangely enough, I felt relieved. "Let's get a divorce, Natasha." Chapter 1 I really couldn't let it go. The thorn was buried too deep. Even after all this time, even after we'd had a child together, I still couldn't erase the disgust I felt now that I'd learned of her betrayal. I had really tried. I had tried to forget, listen to the elders in our families, and be a more understanding husband. However, I couldn't do it. Natasha shoved the door open, pulled on her coat, and walked out. "I can't take this anymore. I'm a person too. If you want a divorce, then fine. Go ahead. If you don't want the baby, there are plenty of people who will." She couldn't even bring herself to look at me again. Not even the blood I'd vomited all over the floor caught her attention. I finally lost the strength to stand and collapsed to the floor. I fumbled for my phone and called 911. No physical pain could compare to the agony in my heart. I'd never imagined we'd end up like this, unable to stand the sight of each other. A memory flashed through my mind. She was young again, nestled in my arms with a shy smile on her face. She had accepted my proposal in front of everyone. We had promised each other forever. We had even gone to the most renowned church and signed a keepsake book with our names and hopes for the future. Sadly, in the end, every promise had come to nothing. … The paramedics carried me into the ambulance. They were shocked by the amount of blood covering the floor. One of them immediately began examining me. "You've suffered a severe emotional shock. Your condition is pretty serious." Pain wracked my body. It felt as though someone had reached into my chest and squeezed my heart with all their strength. I hadn't wanted this child any less than she did. I wanted to be a good father. "I'm sorry… Dad can't bear the pain of being betrayed," I murmured weakly. … The surgeons removed half of my liver. That was where all the pain and misery inside me had become trapped. When I woke up, I lay in the hospital bed like a corpse. I forced myself upright. All that time, Natasha hadn't called me once. Even though the doctor had contacted her through the proper channels, she'd still chosen to disappear. Maybe she was simply too angry to deal with any of this, but what about me? All I had left was my obsession with cleanliness. It was the only way I knew to vent the emotions I couldn't release any other way. So dirty… Why did she have to do this to me? Why did she have to let me find out just as I was preparing to become a father? I would've rather she'd hidden it better and let me live in ignorance for the rest of my life. … I wasted no time. I went straight to a law firm and asked them to draw up a divorce agreement. Chapter 2 When I returned to the hospital for a follow-up, my parents called. Their first concern wasn't how I was doing. They immediately started defending Natasha. "Callum, why are you two fighting again? You have to make a marriage work. Don't be so stubborn. You can't keep bringing up divorce all the time. How awful would that look?" I was exhausted. I didn't even have the energy to argue with them anymore. I couldn't understand why they were so determined to cling to a marriage that was already dying. I'd already ended up in the hospital. I'd nearly died, with one foot in the grave. None of it mattered to me anymore. Hence, I calmly said, "I want a divorce. I nearly died, and Natasha agreed." A long silence followed before they finally hung up. … That afternoon, my in-laws, who lived nearby, came over right away. They took one look at my haggard face, and even they couldn't bring themselves to criticize me. All they could do was promise to talk things over with Natasha. "My daughter has always had a bad temper. How could she not even show up when her own husband is sick? "Don't worry, Callum. I'll make sure I teach her a lesson this time. I won't let her come home until you've calmed down." It was the same old routine. They acted as if they were taking my side, but in reality, they always found a way to cover for their daughter and excuse what she'd done. As if anything she did could be forgiven. A profound sense of weariness settled over me. I wasn't angry. I simply didn't love her anymore. I wanted nothing more to do with her. "I want a divorce." My voice was cold and firm. My in-laws' expressions changed immediately. "Callum, don't keep thinking like this. You two just need time to adjust to each other. She's still young and immature. Of course she didn't handle things properly. I'll make her change," my father-in-law, Tobias Simpson, claimed. My mother-in-law, Cindy Miller, muttered under her breath, "A man who can't keep his own woman just isn't capable enough." Not capable enough? I gripped my hospital gown until my knuckles turned white. My voice grew colder than ever. "I'm getting a divorce no matter what you say. Natasha agreed to it. If you have a problem with that, go ask her." My in-laws didn't believe me, so they called Natasha. She was still angry. As soon as she heard what I'd said, she went along with it. "That's right. Let's get a divorce. I can't take it anymore. Do you know how miserable I've been? I cheated, but I changed. I even fired my secretary. "What else do you want me to do? Do you expect me to die and go back in time so I can undo it? "I told you, I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing. What's done is done. We have to move forward. We have a child now. All of that happened a long time ago." She hung up without even asking why I was in the hospital. Just like that, she dismissed all my pain. Had she ever thought about this day when she cheated? People who cheated were shameless. They deserved to be miserable. What right did she have to call herself the victim? For five months, ever since she first got pregnant, everyone had expected me to consider everyone and everything except myself. I couldn't even take medication for my depression and insomnia. Yet she slept peacefully without a care in the world while I lay awake, terrified that the baby in her womb wasn't mine. I felt like a balloon filled to the breaking point with nothing but misery and despair. Every moment was agony, and all I wanted was to die. I was a person too. Who ever stopped to think about me? What right did she have to stand there and complain about how miserable and low she'd been made to feel? What right did she have to call herself the victim? … My parents arrived too. Just as they had pressured me to get married in the first place, they now pressured me to hold on to the marriage. "Listen to me. You're not getting a divorce. Would your mother and I ever hurt you?" Their daughter-in-law gave them plenty to brag about. She had a successful career, made good money, and gave them something to boast about in front of their relatives. But I didn't want her! I stared at their faces, grabbed the glass beside me, and smashed it against the floor. "Enough. From now on, I'll be responsible for my own life." Chapter 3 When my parents realized they couldn't change my mind, they gave me the silent treatment. They told me that no matter what happened, I couldn't get a divorce. If I did, they'd cut ties with me. I treated their words like background noise. Once I felt a little better, I took the divorce papers and went to the office myself. Just as I walked in, a familiar figure entered ahead of me. The familiar smell of tobacco made me freeze. It belonged to Natasha's secretary, Brandon Reed. So this was what she'd meant when she said she'd fired him? My heart clenched painfully. Another lie. Another betrayal. More lies. So this was what she called admitting her mistake and changing? The cheerful chatter inside stopped the moment I opened the door. Brandon's hand rested casually on Natasha's shoulder, far beyond the bounds of any normal professional relationship. Natasha looked panicked, yet she instinctively pulled him behind her. "Callum, let me explain. It's not what you think." She thought I'd react the way I always had. She thought I'd lose my mind, break down in tears, and force her to choose between us. She thought I'd demand that she cut him off completely, swear she'd never do it again, and come back to our family. She thought I'd make such a scene that everyone would find out and we'd all end up humiliated. I really didn't care anymore. If anything, I thought my former self had been an idiot. Cheating happened either once or countless times. I held out the documents to her. "Sign them. Once you do, the agreement takes effect. These are the divorce papers. You already agreed to this." Only then did Natasha seem to notice my condition. I was deathly pale. "Callum, you..." She had assumed her parents had deliberately exaggerated how sick I was just to get her to come home and appease me. That was why she'd kept putting off going to the hospital. She wanted to teach me a lesson. She wanted me to be the one who gave in. Now that she saw me with her own eyes, however, she grew flustered and struggled to get the words out. "Callum, I'm sorry. I... I didn't know you were this sick. I was just too angry at the time." Brandon's eyes reddened as he put on the same pitiful expression. "Mr. Jones, please don't misunderstand. It's all my fault. Without this job, I really won't be able to survive. "I know I was wrong. I won't have anything else to do with Ms. Simpson. Please don't read too much into it. "What happened that day was an accident too. I'm already at the lowest position now. Please, I'm begging you. Give me a way to survive." The more he spoke, the more pitiful he sounded. He even looked as though he was about to kneel before me. As he moved, he bumped into the shelf behind him and sent it crashing down. Natasha immediately stepped in front of me, but the moment she heard Brandon's voice, she forgot all about me and her pregnancy. She pulled him into her arms without hesitation. She anxiously checked him from head to toe. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?" I stepped aside. The bookshelf grazed my shoulder as it fell. Dust filled my mouth and stung my eyes until they watered. A person's instincts never lied. I'd never won. Natasha had never truly let him go. I lowered my gaze and noticed a used condom wrapper that had fallen from between the books. The sight instantly triggered my obsession with cleanliness. My stomach twisted violently. A powerful wave of nausea doubled me over, and I dry-heaved uncontrollably. Only then did Natasha remember me. She hurried over to support me. "Callum, are you okay?" "No! Stay away from me! Get out!" I screamed in fright and shoved her away with all my strength. No matter how hard I tried to hold myself together, I couldn't stop the tears from falling. It was so damn dirty! I had suffered so much, yet no one had ever stood on my side. Not once had anyone spoken up for me. Everyone just wanted me to be understanding. They told me to let it go and move on. I shoved the door open and rushed straight to the bathroom, where I vomited until I had nothing left. Chapter 4 I felt awful, so I went back to the hospital. Just as I was preparing to leave, a major commotion erupted at the hospital entrance. My parents were there. They grabbed Brandon and slapped him across the face. "You homewrecker! How dare you bully my son? How shameless can you be, going after a married woman?" It turned out Natasha had brought Brandon to the hospital because he'd gotten a small cut on his foot. Neither of them had expected to run into my parents. The scene quickly descended into a barrage of curses and insults. "What a shameless bastard. And he looks so respectable, too." All the color drained from Brandon's face. He stubbornly ran up to the rooftop. The red handprint across his cheek only made him look more vulnerable, like some fresh-faced young man who had just entered the workforce. Natasha, who had gone to get his medication, hurried after him. She had eyes for no one else. Not me. Just Brandon. She kept calling out to him and begging him not to do anything stupid. She soothed him the same way she'd once comforted me. "Brandon, I'm your strongest support. Don't do anything stupid. I'm here. We can solve anything." Brandon sobbed as he confessed his feelings for her. He looked utterly broken and pitiful. "Ms. Simpson, I'm sorry. I really do love you. I can't control how I feel, but I've already buried those feelings deep inside. "I feel so ashamed. Please don't stop me. I'm sorry for ruining your family. I hope Mr. Jones won't be angry with you anymore." My parents sneered. "Since when does a homewrecker get to threaten people with suicide?" For the first time, Natasha showed them no respect. She turned on them and shouted, "Stop saying that! Will you be happy if you drive someone to their death?" Natasha tried to comfort Brandon and promised she'd agree to whatever he wanted. He bit his lip without saying a word and merely stared at my parents in fear. Natasha wanted to make him happy, so she turned around and directed her anger at my parents. She ordered her assistant to destroy my parents' company immediately. Their company was in the middle of a transition and especially vulnerable. Its cash flow depended heavily on Natasha's company. I stared at her in disbelief. I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I rushed over to stop her. "This company is their life's work. Natasha, have some decency. Do you remember how good they were to you? They treated you like their own daughter." Natasha shoved me aside without a second thought. "Callum, stay out of this. Nothing is more important than a human life. "If their company goes under, I'll find a way to help them rebuild. Besides, Brandon is my employee. I shouldn't be so heartless toward one of my own employees." I grabbed her by the collar. "Natasha, don't be so arrogant. The market they've spent all these years building can't just be recovered overnight. Do you have any idea how cruel this will be to my parents? "I'm telling you again. Don't do it. If you want to comfort him, I'll step aside. You two can get married." Natasha hesitated. "Callum, that's not what I meant." My in-laws arrived as well and tried to stop her. "Natasha, we're family. Don't act recklessly. You can't destroy the relationship between our two families." Brandon took another step toward the edge of the roof. A gust of wind swept past him. For a moment, he looked as though he might fall at any second. Natasha stopped hesitating. "Make Brandon happy first. I'll handle everything else." … On the way down, someone collided with Natasha and struck her in the stomach. Blood immediately began to pour out, but she forced herself to keep reassuring Brandon. "I'm fine. We can always have another child." A few minutes later, my parents' company suddenly ran out of cash and went bankrupt. My father couldn't catch his breath and collapsed from a heart attack. My mother burst into tears. She cried over everything she'd sacrificed for the family. "What have I done to deserve this? How did I ever choose a daughter-in-law like her? She doesn't even care about her own child." I frantically rushed both of them to the ER. I'd bitten the corner of my mouth so hard that the skin had split open. Natasha took Brandon's hand and slowly led him to safety. She ignored everyone's stares and embraced him in relief. I watched them coldly as I called my lawyer. "Amend the agreement. I want Natasha to leave this marriage with nothing."