Chapter 2 · He Left Me In Labor For His Ex

That night, I gave birth by myself.

And I also gave my marriage its death sentence. By myself.

Giving birth was so much harder than I ever thought it would be.

The pain wasn't even the worst part. The real agony was that, every time another contraction hit, I couldn't stop thinking about Samuel, not just the fact he wasn't there, but all the little things.

How he used to squeeze my hand and swear he'd be the first to hold our baby. How he helped me pick out a crib, fumbled with the car seat, got up at midnight to make me snacks.

How I once honestly believed he'd always be on my side.

With every memory, the contractions felt heavier.

Grace pulled on a sterile gown and stayed right by my side, holding my hand and repeating, "Laura, look at me. Breathe. You can do this on your own. You're stronger than you think."

I clenched my teeth so hard that my lips were raw and bleeding.

I had no idea how long I'd been holding out, but finally, a sharp, clear cry rang out in the room.

That sound cut right through me, like a knife splitting me in two.

Pain, emptiness, and a strange lightness, like I'd finally hit the ground after an endless fall.

The nurse brought the baby over, smiling. "Here's your little princess, six pounds thirteen ounces, healthy as can be."

I turned my head and looked at that tiny, wrinkled face. Tears flooded my eyes in an instant.

She was so tiny, so soft.

She was the one I'd gone through hell to bring into this world.

The nurse asked, "What's her name?"

My voice was hoarse. "Sophie Bennett."

"Going with mom's surname?"

"Yeah."

I closed my eyes for a moment and said softly, "From now on, she'll be with me."

At 5:40 AM, Samuel called me for the first time.

I didn't answer.

He called over a dozen times, but I didn't pick up even once.

Finally, he sent me a voice message, his voice frantic and desperate.

"Laura, which hospital are you in? My phone died, I just got it charged. Don't freak me out, answer the phone."

After listening, I muted my phone with no expression on my face.

At 6:30 AM, the ward door was suddenly thrown open.

Samuel rushed in, disheveled, hair a mess, eyes bloodshot, as if he'd really sped all the way back. But the first thing he looked at wasn't me. It was the baby in the crib next to my bed.

He stood there, frozen for a few seconds. His throat bobbed.

"She's here?"

Grace let out a cold laugh. "What, did you expect us to shove her back in until you show up?"

Samuel ignored her, hurried to my bedside and reached out as if to touch me. "Laura, are you okay? I was rushing the whole way. My phone really died. Julia had a meltdown, so I dropped her at a hotel and came straight back here."

I looked at him, my voice barely more than a whisper.

"So?"

He seemed surprised by how calm I was. His hand stopped in midair.

"I know I screwed up, but it was an emergency. She was stranded alone at the service area in the middle of the night. I couldn't just leave her there.

"You had Grace with you, right? You two got to the hospital first, and I thought if I hurried back, I'd still make it in time..."

"In time?"

I stared at him, giving a bitter smile.

"Samuel, when Julia posted on Instagram, you were already sitting with her, drinking hot cocoa. You didn't even know how often I was having contractions, and you still dare to tell me you thought you'd make it back in time?"

His face changed instantly. "You saw her post?"

"Yeah, I did."

"She posted it on purpose. I didn't know that."

"Then did you know that I had to sign the consent forms myself?"

He swallowed hard, his throat tight.

"Did you know the nurse asked me where my husband was, and I said you were dead?

"Did you know that the first person our daughter saw when she was born wasn't you?"

Word by word. My voice was soft.

But the softer it was, the more it cut like a knife.

Samuel's eyes reddened, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Laura, I'm sorry."

I didn't say anything. I just pulled a document out of the bedside drawer and placed it in front of him.

Two bold words stared back from the cover: Divorce Agreement.

The room went dead silent.

Grace stood nearby, arms crossed, her eyes cold as ice.

Samuel stared at the papers like he'd just been hit with a sledgehammer.

"What's this supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it says."

"Laura, you just gave birth. You're emotional. I won't hold this against you."

"Trust me, I'm perfectly calm," I said, looking up at him. "Calm enough to have already asked my lawyer to start drafting this before I was even wheeled into the delivery room."

"Are you crazy?"

"I'm not the crazy one," I locking eyes with him and said slowly. "You're the one who went insane, ditching your wife in labor to play savior for another woman."

Samuel clenched the papers so hard they crinkled, his voice rough. "There's nothing between me and Julia. Nothing at all."

"Does it even matter?"

I looked at him, and suddenly, the exhaustion just hit me all at once.

"Samuel, you don't have to sleep with her for it to be betrayal. When a husband leaves his wife in labor to comfort another woman, that's already dirty enough."

His face drained of color, inch by inch.

Chapter 2

That night, I gave birth by myself.

And I also gave my marriage its death sentence. By myself.

Giving birth was so much harder than I ever thought it would be.

The pain wasn't even the worst part. The real agony was that, every time another contraction hit, I couldn't stop thinking about Samuel, not just the fact he wasn't there, but all the little things.

How he used to squeeze my hand and swear he'd be the first to hold our baby. How he helped me pick out a crib, fumbled with the car seat, got up at midnight to make me snacks.

How I once honestly believed he'd always be on my side.

With every memory, the contractions felt heavier.

Grace pulled on a sterile gown and stayed right by my side, holding my hand and repeating, "Laura, look at me. Breathe. You can do this on your own. You're stronger than you think."

I clenched my teeth so hard that my lips were raw and bleeding.

I had no idea how long I'd been holding out, but finally, a sharp, clear cry rang out in the room.

That sound cut right through me, like a knife splitting me in two.

Pain, emptiness, and a strange lightness, like I'd finally hit the ground after an endless fall.

The nurse brought the baby over, smiling. "Here's your little princess, six pounds thirteen ounces, healthy as can be."

I turned my head and looked at that tiny, wrinkled face. Tears flooded my eyes in an instant.

She was so tiny, so soft.

She was the one I'd gone through hell to bring into this world.

The nurse asked, "What's her name?"

My voice was hoarse. "Sophie Bennett."

"Going with mom's surname?"

"Yeah."

I closed my eyes for a moment and said softly, "From now on, she'll be with me."

At 5:40 AM, Samuel called me for the first time.

I didn't answer.

He called over a dozen times, but I didn't pick up even once.

Finally, he sent me a voice message, his voice frantic and desperate.

"Laura, which hospital are you in? My phone died, I just got it charged. Don't freak me out, answer the phone."

After listening, I muted my phone with no expression on my face.

At 6:30 AM, the ward door was suddenly thrown open.

Samuel rushed in, disheveled, hair a mess, eyes bloodshot, as if he'd really sped all the way back. But the first thing he looked at wasn't me. It was the baby in the crib next to my bed.

He stood there, frozen for a few seconds. His throat bobbed.

"She's here?"

Grace let out a cold laugh. "What, did you expect us to shove her back in until you show up?"

I looked at him, my voice barely more than a whisper.

"So?"

He seemed surprised by how calm I was. His hand stopped in midair.

"I know I screwed up, but it was an emergency. She was stranded alone at the service area in the middle of the night. I couldn't just leave her there.

"You had Grace with you, right? You two got to the hospital first, and I thought if I hurried back, I'd still make it in time..."

"In time?"

I stared at him, giving a bitter smile.

His face changed instantly. "You saw her post?"

"Yeah, I did."

"She posted it on purpose. I didn't know that."

"Then did you know that I had to sign the consent forms myself?"

He swallowed hard, his throat tight.

"Did you know the nurse asked me where my husband was, and I said you were dead?

"Did you know that the first person our daughter saw when she was born wasn't you?"

Word by word. My voice was soft.

But the softer it was, the more it cut like a knife.

Samuel's eyes reddened, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Laura, I'm sorry."

I didn't say anything. I just pulled a document out of the bedside drawer and placed it in front of him.

Two bold words stared back from the cover: Divorce Agreement.

The room went dead silent.

Grace stood nearby, arms crossed, her eyes cold as ice.

Samuel stared at the papers like he'd just been hit with a sledgehammer.

"What's this supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it says."

"Laura, you just gave birth. You're emotional. I won't hold this against you."

"Trust me, I'm perfectly calm," I said, looking up at him. "Calm enough to have already asked my lawyer to start drafting this before I was even wheeled into the delivery room."

"Are you crazy?"

"I'm not the crazy one," I locking eyes with him and said slowly. "You're the one who went insane, ditching your wife in labor to play savior for another woman."

Samuel clenched the papers so hard they crinkled, his voice rough. "There's nothing between me and Julia. Nothing at all."

"Does it even matter?"

I looked at him, and suddenly, the exhaustion just hit me all at once.

"Samuel, you don't have to sleep with her for it to be betrayal. When a husband leaves his wife in labor to comfort another woman, that's already dirty enough."

His face drained of color, inch by inch.