My Husband Stole My Future

Three years into her marriage, Chloe James knew something was wrong. She had pain, itching, and occasional bleeding, symptoms she was too embarrassed to discuss. She finally made a secret appointment. Lying cold on the examination table, she flinched as the doctor looked inside. "You're so young to have an IUD," the doctor remarked casually. "Why did you decide not to have kids?" Chloe's mind went blank. Her nails bit into her palm. "IUD? Doctor, that's impossible. I had a miscarriage two years ago. I've been trying ever since. I've done six rounds of IVF. Why would I have an IUD?" The metal instrument pressed in. Chloe gasped, tears springing to her eyes. "It's no mistake," the doctor sighed. "The coil has grown into your uterine tissue. "If you'd waited much longer to come in, the damage could've been much worse." Chloe's heart plummeted. Two years ago, she ate a slice of almond cake handed to her by her husband, Michael James. Then, her severe allergic reaction triggered a miscarriage. Her best friend, Sarah Daniels, a top OB-GYN, slapped her husband, Michael, right in front of her. "How could you be so careless?" Sarah sobbed, clutching Chloe's hand. "Hang in there, Chloe! I'll do everything to save your baby!" Sarah even knelt by the bed afterward, weeping. "I couldn't save the baby... I'm so sorry, Chloe." Ever since that tragic night, Chloe had never been able to conceive again. Chapter 1 Every night, she took bubbling herbal brews until midnight. Her back was bruised blue from acupuncture. Each round of egg retrieval felt like stepping into the grave. Even her husband, Michael, couldn't bear it anymore. He pulled her close, his voice thick with emotion. "As long as I have you, that's enough. A baby... let's just leave it to fate." Chloe stubbornly blamed her own body. Now, the doctor gave her the truth. She wasn't infertile. Someone had secretly inserted an IUD inside her. "Do you want me to remove it?" the doctor asked. Chloe bit her lip until the tang of copper filled her mouth. "Remove it." When the instruments entered again, pain racked her body. She clenched her teeth, holding completely still. The doctor frowned during the procedure. "No matter how tight money is, you shouldn't neglect your health. This cheap iron coil is completely rusted through! It can cause cancer!" A cheap iron coil. Rusted through. Chloe stared at the white ceiling, tears slipping into her hairline. She remembered how Sarah held her after every checkup, whispering comforting words. "Chloe, your body is healing well. It's just bad timing. "We've been best friends for years. I want this for you more than anyone. Stop punishing yourself." She had trusted Sarah completely. Today, Chloe was just scared. She feared her humiliating symptoms meant some terrible infection, so she had secretly gone to a different clinic. What had she done wrong to be ruined so quietly by the person she trusted most? --- When the procedure ended, Chloe sat up and stared at the removed device. Torn tissue and blood clung to the rusty edges. She stumbled off the examination table and practically dragged herself out of the clinic. She needed to find Michael. She had to tell him about this nightmare. --- Reaching home, before her hand could touch the door handle, loud laughter floated out from inside. "Congrats, Michael! Who would've thought you and Sarah would actually get back together?" It was Michael's childhood friend, Mark Fraser, sounding thrilled. "A top finance guy and a brilliant doctor. Your kid's going to be a genius!" Another voice joined in. "Exactly. Sarah said she went abroad to study, but she actually went to have a baby. What a secret! Even Chloe doesn't know, right?" In the living room, Michael gently stroked an infant's cheek with his finger. "All right, cut it out," Michael said calmly. "Keep your mouths shut. Above all... not a word to Chloe." Sarah stood up abruptly, her face pale. She pushed Michael's hand off her shoulder, eyes glistening with tears. "I don't want to hide it anymore! "Michael, Chloe truly considers me her best friend... "I'm going to tell her. Even if she hates me or hits me, I'll take it." Michael's expression hardened. He grabbed her hand tightly. "Tell her what? That you were my first love and you dumped me? "Or that I courted Chloe like a fool, even married her, just to spite you?" --- Outside the door, Chloe froze. She slammed a hand over her mouth as an agonizing pain tore through her chest. So that was why. That explained why Michael had seemed to fall in love with her at first sight at that party three years earlier and had pursued her so relentlessly. She stumbled backward, nausea surging in her throat. Trembling, she pulled out her phone. Her finger hovered over Maya George's name. Her former college roommate was now a leading divorce lawyer. "Hey, Maya... I need some legal advice about a divorce." Chapter 2 On the other end of the line, Maya hesitated for a second before her tone turned anxious. "Chloe? Take a deep breath. Tell me what happened." Chloe opened her mouth, but tears fell first. "Michael and Sarah are together behind my back. They... they even have a baby." Silence stretched over the line for several agonizing seconds. Then, Maya let out a soft laugh. "I thought it was something major. Chloe, are you really that naive?" Chloe froze, her mind going completely blank. "Maya... you knew too?" "Of course. We literally took a vote on how to handle your pregnancy. "Pushing you down the stairs won first place, but Michael was worried you would get hurt, so he switched it to almond cake instead." Maya's voice remained calm, almost dismissive. "Honestly, given his status, he was incredibly thoughtful. What more could you possibly want?" Chloe gripped her phone, numb. Her eyes went dry, unable to shed another tear. Thoughtful? Watching her suffer a violent allergic reaction, spiraling into anaphylactic shock? Leaving her bleeding on the floor, helpless, until her baby died inside her? --- The call went dead. Chloe pushed the front door open. The noisy laughter in the living room abruptly died. Sarah reacted first. She rushed over and fell to her knees at Chloe's feet. "Chloe, I'm so sorry! I should have told you sooner! "But every time you talked about how happy you were with Michael, I couldn't bring myself to break your heart. I was only trying to protect you..." Chloe looked down at her. A bitter, hollow laugh welled up in her chest. "Protect me?" Chloe's voice rasped. "By conspiring to murder my baby? By shoving a cheap, toxic piece of metal inside me so it would rot into my flesh?! "By crawling into my husband's bed and bearing his child behind my back?!" Chloe poured all her strength into a vicious slap across Sarah's face. "I am a human being, Sarah! What right did any of you have to make decisions about my life?!" She raised her hand to strike again, but a hand clamped around her wrist like iron. "That's enough!" Michael shoved her back. Chloe lost her balance and her head smashed hard against the sharp corner of the table. Warm blood instantly spilled over her forehead, blurring her vision. Michael stepped in front of Sarah, shielding her with his eyes cold as ice. "I approved all of it. If you're angry, take it out on me. Don't touch Sarah." The guests snapped out of their shock, chiming in one after another. "He's right, Chloe. If you weren't so difficult, nobody would have had to lie to you." "Michael treats you like royalty. And Sarah's been your best friend for over ten years. Don't make a bigger scene than this needs to be." Chloe leaned weakly against the table. Blood trickled into her eye, and the sting brought back painful memories. Chapter 3 Yes, Michael had been undeniably good to her. When she mentioned craving pastries from a bakery across town, he drove an hour at three in the morning to buy them and brought them back piping hot. When she was afraid of the dark, he made sure to video call her every night at ten while away on business trips, whispering gently until she fell asleep. On her birthday, he rented out a rooftop restaurant. He pulled out a ring under the night sky, and said softly, "Chloe, for the rest of my life, I only want to cherish you." That devotion had been so real, so impossible to doubt. Now, every memory carved into her like a scalpel. Michael looked at her, his expression softening for a fraction of a second. His voice dropped low. "Chloe, stop making a scene. If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to keep things balanced." He sighed, reaching down to help her up. "Can't we just keep things the way they are?" She didn't want his twisted version of balance. All she had ever asked for was honesty and a life built for two. A sudden baby's cry shattered the tense silence. Chloe raised her eyes. She looked past the gathering crowd, her gaze landing on the small bundle wrapped in blankets. She walked toward it, step by step. Everyone watched her with guarded eyes, terrified she might snap. But she just stared at the infant. The child's eyes and the bridge of his nose looked just like Michael's. An agonizing ache crushed her heart. She remembered her lost pregnancy two years ago. She had been six months along. On countless nights, she had traced the baby's ultrasound pictures, leaning into Michael's chest, asking sweetly, "Look, doesn't the baby look just like you?" Michael's expression had turned unreadable then. He looked away in silence. "The baby is still so small. How can you tell? Get some rest." She had felt a flicker of disappointment, but quickly reasoned it away. Maybe Michael just isn't used to being a father yet... The next day, Michael brought her a slice of cake containing almonds. She ate it, her heart full of warmth, only to be met with unbearable abdominal agony hours later. The tiny life she had cherished for months thrashed frantically inside her. The kicks and flutters grew weaker and weaker, until there was only dead silence. Sarah had wept beside her bed, telling her they hadn't been able to remove the baby intact because the pregnancy was already so advanced. She never even got to see her baby's face. The pain back then was so severe she couldn't even scream. They claimed Michael grew to care for her, but how could a man who loved her be so utterly ruthless?! --- In the crib, the infant stopped crying. He stared up at Chloe, parting his toothless mouth into a tiny smile. Chloe closed her eyes, hot tears spilling over her lashes. She reached out, wanting to touch the child, but her right hand suddenly spasmed violently out of control. Michael's face changed instantly. He stepped forward and grabbed her hand, using his thumb to expertly massage the cramped muscle between her thumb and index finger. "Don't get worked up. Just relax." Chloe looked down at her hand. Once, this hand held a scalpel with absolute precision, repairing nerve fibers finer than a strand of hair. She and Sarah had been top stars in medical school, dubbed the finest young surgeons of their class. That year, a prestigious surgical fellowship abroad had offered just one place to applicants from her country. Competition was fierce. Chloe slept three hours a night and performed over a hundred simulated surgeries to win that spot. The day the acceptance letter arrived, she ran home overjoyed. "Michael, I got it! The fellowship offer!" Michael pulled her into his arms, letting out a long sigh. "Chloe, give the spot to Sarah." The smile froze on her face. "Why?" she asked, her voice trembling. Michael stroked her cheek softly. "If you leave, what about me? Coming home after work to an empty house, without you here to talk to me? "Chloe, you love me so much. Would you really leave me all alone?" She couldn't sleep that night. Her mind was a battleground. One side screaming to pursue her career, the other sobbing that she couldn't abandon Michael. The next morning, with bloodshot eyes, she was about to tell him, "Michael, I've decided... I'm giving up the offer. Sarah can have it." Before she could speak, a swerving motorcycle slammed into her, running over her right hand and crushing the bones. Michael stayed by her hospital bed for three days and nights, his eyes filled with agonizing guilt. "Chloe, I'm so sorry. I failed to protect you." Her hand never recovered enough to hold a scalpel again. Naturally, the fellowship spot went to Sarah. Ever since then, whenever Chloe got too emotional, her right hand would tremble violently. And every single time, Michael would hold it in his palm just like this, massaging it with endless gentleness. Chapter 4 She used to be moved to tears by his actions, believing they were proof of his deep love. Now, Chloe stared at him. "Michael, the motorcycle accident years ago... you arranged that, didn't you? Just to make me give up my fellowship spot." Michael's massaging fingers froze. He looked up and met her despairing eyes, completely unbothered. "What if I did?" His voice was entirely devoid of emotion. "Didn't I make it up to you by marrying you? You have the title of my wife and a life of luxury. What more could you possibly complain about?" Chloe's entire world shattered in an instant. She stared at him, numb. Every detail she had once deliberately brushed aside flooded her mind like ice water. She remembered their honeymoon trip. Right before boarding, Sarah popped up behind Michael with a playful smile. "Chloe, I heard Hawaii is gorgeous! I've never been, so Michael decided to bring me along!" Once aboard, Chloe realized that the place reserved for her mother had been given to one of Sarah's friends. When her mother called, her voice was hesitant and quiet. "Chloe, honey, I'm all packed. When is Michael coming to pick me up?" At that moment, Michael offhandedly replied, "Sarah wanted to bring a few friends along. Your mom is getting older anyway, no need for her to deal with all that travel hassle." There was a long silence on the line before her mother forced a faint laugh. "Oh... alright then. You kids have fun..." She remembered their candlelit anniversary dinner that she was delayed in getting to. By the time she arrived, Michael and Sarah were already full, leaving behind a table of mess. That day, Sarah cooed playfully, "Chloe, you're finally here! Everything looked so delicious I couldn't help ordering too much. Don't let it go to waste!" Michael chuckled while ruffling Sarah's hair fondly. "Yeah, Chloe, just grab a plate and eat whatever's left." Chloe sat across from them, swallowing the lukewarm leftovers like ashes. She listened to them chattering about things she knew nothing about while their laughter rang sharply in her ears. She wasn't blind. She had once asked Michael with red-rimmed eyes, "When will we ever have time just for the two of us?" Michael stroked her hair with a smile. "Chloe, weren't you worried that dating me would make Sarah feel left out? I'm doing this for your sake." What a flawless excuse. And she had actually believed him. But now, none of it mattered anymore. Chloe took a deep breath. Earlier that year, she had completed the required training and passed the licensing exams to become a pharmacist. Her mentor was amazed by her talent and had quietly offered her a top research fellowship abroad. She had planned to find the right moment to tell him as a surprise. Now she realized there was no need. "I'm tired. I want to rest," Chloe said softly, pulling her hand away from Michael's grasp. Just then, the front door burst open. Her lawyer friend, Maya George, walked in with a teasing smile on her face. "Chloe called me crying her eyes out earlier, insisting she was going to divorce you!" Maya glanced at Michael with an amused smirk. "So, Michael... does she actually have the nerve to leave?" Michael's face instantly darkened. He pulled Chloe into his arms, his voice laced with a subtle tremor. "Chloe, why divorce? Is it because Sarah and I had a baby?" He took a deep breath, as if trying his hardest to remain patient. "You know how much I care about you. You have the title of my wife, and you had a grand wedding. You can't have everything. It isn't fair to Sarah. "You two have been best friends since childhood. The baby can just call you his godmother, okay? Stop making a fuss." Chloe went entirely rigid. Even now, he thought she was just being hysterical? Beside them, Maya let out an exaggerated laugh and winked at Chloe. "See? You only act tough over the phone. Deep down, you can't bear to leave him, can you?" Michael stroked Chloe's right hand, his tone turning pitying. "Your hand is ruined. You can't hold a surgical knife ever again. If you leave me, what can you even do?" Chloe yanked her hand back violently. She couldn't understand how a man could speak so casually of her deepest trauma, as if he wasn't the one that inflicted it. "What happens to me is none of your concern." "None of my concern?" Michael chuckled, ruffling her hair dismissively. "Chloe, you don't own any property, and your savings are practically nonexistent. "Without me, you can't even afford an apartment in this city." Chloe lowered her eyelashes, hiding the mockery in her eyes. She never intended to stay in this city anyway. "Who says!" Maya's voice suddenly rose. "Chloe is heading abroad soon! She just got accepted into the prestigious medical fellowship overseas for this year!" "What did you say?" Michael's voice dropped, each word squeezed out through gritted teeth. He grabbed Chloe's wrist, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Chloe, when did you apply for that? Why didn't I know anything about this?!" Maya gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth as she looked at Chloe in horror. "Chloe, I'm so sorry! I... I didn't know you could keep something that big from Michael. My big mouth…" Chapter 5 Chloe lifted her eyes slowly, looking at Maya's picture-perfect face of innocence. The day she received her acceptance letter, Maya was the very first person she shared it with. That day, her hands trembled with excitement, yet she felt anxious. She gripped Maya's hands, repeating the same words over and over: "Maya, please don't tell Michael yet. I haven't figured out how to break it to him..." Maya laughed and reassured her. "Trust me, Chloe! My lips are sealed. You're incredible. I always knew you could do it!" That genuine, beaming face overlapped with the woman standing before her now. Chloe's blood turned ice-cold. "Chloe!" Michael growled her name, veins bulging along his arms. "I don't give you permission! You're not going anywhere!" Sarah rushed forward with bloodshot eyes, clutching the hem of Chloe's shirt. "Chloe! Are you going abroad... to expose what happened years ago? Are you going to tell everyone I took your spot?" Sarah sobbed, trembling. "Please don't do this. You'll ruin my entire career!" "Sarah!" Michael immediately pulled Sarah into his arms. "It's okay. I'm here. What happened over that fellowship wasn't your fault. No one is going to ruin your reputation." He looked up, his tone resolute. "Besides, with your talent, you deserved that fellowship fair and square." Chloe felt as if she were listening to the most absurd joke on earth. She brushed Sarah's hand away, her voice eerie in its calm. "I never planned on exposing anyone. Anything that's been stolen from me, I don't want back anyway... because it's filthy." Sarah's face was drained of color. She looked up, fragile and deeply wronged. "If that's true... then why? Why keep it a secret from Michael and me?" Michael's expression hardened, his eyes filled with cold disappointment. "Chloe, is this how far you'll go over a fellowship? When did you become so petty and vengeful?" Chloe felt a violent pang in her chest, the sharp pain bending her nearly in half. Before she could speak, Michael's voice cut through the air, icy and unyielding. "Chloe, if you leave, what about your mother? She has late-stage lung cancer. "How much time does she even have left? Will you just abandon her?" Chloe whipped her head up, her eyes bloodshot as she glared at him. "Michael, how dare you bring up my mother?!" Her voice was raw and raspy. "She treated you like her own son! When you started your company, who sold her family home and gave you her entire life savings? "She handed over three hundred thousand dollars without hesitation! Have you forgotten?!" She gasped for air, tears tasting bitter and salt-heavy as they slipped into her mouth. "And Sarah! Her parents died when she was young! My mother welcomed her into our home for ten years! "My mother paid for her education, guided her hand when she first picked up a scalpel! She even washed her clothes when Sarah got her very first period!" Michael flinched under the sheer despair in her gaze, but his posture quickly hardened again. "Your mother treated Sarah like a daughter. That's why I take care of her, too, so your mother can rest easy knowing I'm looking after both of you." Chloe stared at him, her right hand trembling uncontrollably once more. Just then, her phone rang in her pocket. The screen flashed with the caller ID, "Mom." Michael glanced at it, remaining remarkably composed. "Answer it, Chloe. If you insist on going abroad, I will pull all the funding for your mother's treatment tomorrow." His voice was quiet, but every word struck like a heavy blow to her chest. "The choice is yours." Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, her body trembling. "Fine. I'll stay." A satisfied smile finally broke across Michael's face. He patted her head approvingly. "That's a good girl." Chloe raised her hand and wiped away her tears, finally pressing accept. She placed the phone against her ear, forcing a faint smile into her voice. "Mom? What's wrong?" On the other end, her mother's voice sounded faint and frail. "Chloe, sweetheart, nothing is wrong... I just wanted to hear your voice. Is Michael with you?" Chloe went rigid. Before she could answer, Michael calmly reached out and tapped the speakerphone button. "Mom, I'm right here. We were just getting ready to come visit you. We'll be there soon." "Oh, good, good... As long as Michael is with you, I can rest easy." --- On the drive to the hospital, Michael held out his hand toward Chloe. "We had an agreement, remember? You will hand over the acceptance letter." Chapter 6 Chloe lifted her eyes to meet Michael's gaze. There was no room for negotiation. Her hand trembled as she pulled the acceptance letter from her bag. With deliberate indifference, Michael tore her acceptance letter into tiny pieces. "No!" Chloe lunged forward, trying in vain to catch the scraps as tears spilled down her face. "Michael... I hate you!" Michael bent down and let out a gentle, helpless sigh, pulling her tight against his chest. "I'm doing this for your own good." He kissed her ice-cold forehead. "I just don't want you suffering alone overseas. Is it so wrong to protect you?" He pulled out a tissue, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Come on, dry your eyes. If Mom sees you crying like this, she'll worry." Chloe went entirely rigid in his arms. It took every ounce of her remaining strength to suppress the burning fury inside her. --- At the hospital, Chloe took a deep breath. She forced her emotions down and managed a soft smile as she approached the bed. "Mom, how are you feeling today?" Michael placed a warm hand on her shoulder, his tone filled with attentive care. "I just spoke with your specialist. The new medication arrives next week, and the side effects are minimal. Rest up, Mom. Leave everything to us." He played the devoted son-in-law so convincingly. Leaning against him, Chloe could only dig her fingernails deep into her palms. Her mother smiled, tears shimmering in her faded eyes. She reached out with a frail, bony hand, placed Chloe's hand over Michael's, and gently patted them. "I have no regrets in this life. As long as the two of you stay happy together, I can rest easy." "Mom..." Chloe couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears choked her voice. She nodded frantically, burying her face in Michael's chest so that her mother wouldn't see her breaking down. Michael tenderly lifted Chloe's hand, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. "Don't worry, Mom," he murmured softly. "I'll cherish Chloe for the rest of my life." --- Outside the hospital room, Sarah gripped the doorframe, her knuckles turning white with raw envy. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her phone and fired off a quick text to Maya. [Execute the plan. Post it to the alumni group now.] Slipping her phone away, Sarah burst through the door, her voice trembling with tears. "I'm sorry, Michael... Mrs. Wright... I shouldn't interrupt. But I can't keep Chloe's secret any longer!" Chloe's mother blinked, caught off guard. "Sarah? What secret? What are you keeping from me?" Chloe whipped her head around, her eyes locked onto Sarah with utter fury. "Sarah! What are you doing?! Get out! Don't cause a scene in my mother's room!" Sarah's eyes overflowed with dramatic tears. "I'm so sorry, Chloe! I promised I wouldn't say anything, but this isn't right! "Michael, you need to know... Chloe hasn't been faithful! She contracted an STI! I was terrified she would pass it to you!" Chapter 7 Michael let go of Chloe's hand instantly, subtly taking a step backward. The sheer humiliation burned straight through Chloe's heart. She thought she would break down sobbing, but her heart felt as if it had been scraped raw with a dull blade. She felt numb and broken, yet she was unable to shed a single tear. "No... that's impossible..." Her mother's face turned deathly pale. Her frame trembled violently as she gasped for air. "My Chloe... she would never do such a thing..." Before her sentence finished, every phone in the room pinged with notifications. Sarah gasped dramatically, turning her screen toward Michael with shaking fingers. "Michael, look! Someone posted screenshots in our college alumni group! "Messages of Chloe flirting with other men... and proof she was sleeping around for money!" Chloe stood frozen. She unlocked her phone, watching as vicious comments flooded the screen. [Unbelievable. She always acted like a saint, but she was this wild behind closed doors?] [Look at those texts! So pathetic and desperate. I used to think she was pure. Disgusting.] [Right? She used to say flirtatious things to me back in school. She was trying to seduce me all along!] "Lies... it's all lies!" Her mother struggled to sit up, her frail fingers shaking over her phone keyboard. [Stop it! Chloe is not like that! These are fakes! I will take legal action against every single one of you!] Her message defending Chloe was instantly drowned out by cruel mockery. Sarah leaned in close, her voice dripping with pity. "Mrs. Wright, don't be angry. Chloe was just young and reckless back then..." Her mother shoved Sarah's hand away, her faded eyes locked onto her with pure fury. "Sarah! Did you do this?! You ungrateful snake! How dare you frame my daughter after everything I did for you?!" "Mrs. Wright, how could you say that?" Sarah bit her lip, looking deeply wronged. She pulled a marriage certificate from her bag and threw it onto the bed. "Take a look at this. Michael and I have been legally married for years. Chloe is the mistress who stole my husband! "She used a fake marriage certificate to deceive you all along. I only endured it out of gratitude to you!" Her mother's eyes landed on the bright document. Her pupils contracted sharply. With trembling hands, she picked up the marriage certificate and opened it. There was the photo of Michael and Sarah standing side by side, stamped with an official seal. All the strength drained from her body and she collapsed backward into the pillows. Chloe stared in complete disbelief. It looked just like her own marriage certificate, except that Sarah's name and photograph appeared beside Michael's. She shook her head frantically, a sharp, searing pain tearing through her chest. "No! How is that possible... I'm the one who registered the marriage with Michael! How..." Tears streaming down her face, her mother turned a hopeless gaze toward Michael. "Michael... what Sarah is saying… is it true?" Chloe raised her bloodshot eyes, fixing her gaze on Michael. He had talked so much about fairness. Was even their grand wedding nothing more than a fake performance?! Michael stayed silent for a long moment before nodding softly. "Mom, don't worry. I will take good care of both of them..." Before he could finish, her mother gasped, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Her eyes, which had once been bright and kind, were now bloodshot and filled with unbearable sorrow. Slowly, the light inside them faded into nothingness. Her fingers, still clutching the marriage certificate, slipped loose. "Mom!!!"