My Cheating Wife Thought I Was A Loser, Until I Walked Away

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I was clearing out the bottom of our closet when I found a piece of lingerie hidden beneath the winter clothes.

I picked it up. It was a skimpy, black lace bunny cosplay outfit, complete with a fluffy white tail at the back.

Ever since my wife, Chloe, gave birth, she had always rejected my advances, claiming her body hadnt fully recovered yet.

She would never buy something this wild and provocative.

I was about to call her to ask about it when my phone buzzed with a text message from an unknown number.

It was a photo. She was lying naked in the arms of her boss.

I stared blankly at the explicit photo. The anger I was about to unleash instantly dissolved into a cold, dead silence. My heart felt completely numb.

Yet, she was the one who ended up losing her temper.

With tear-brimmed eyes, she yelled at me: "Do you not even care that I'm fooling around with another man anymore?!"

### 01

I was packing a few personal items to head to the hospital to look after Chloe's father, Robert.

While searching for some clean underwear, my hand caught on something else. I pulled out a black lace bunny outfit.

The fluffy tail on the back was visibly worn and ruined.

It felt like my entire world was collapsing.

Ever since Chloe gave birth, we hadnt slept in the same bed for almost a year and a half.

Even back when our relationship was at its wildest, we had never used props like this.

Clutching the skimpy piece of lace, the truth stared back at me in cold, hard reality: my wife was cheating on me.

I pulled out my phone, a sudden fire burning in my chest. I wanted an explanation from Chloe. Right now.

But the call rang for a few seconds before being abruptly hung up.

I called again and again, but got the same result.

Instead of picking up, she sent me a quick Snapchat message.

*I'm busy. Make it quick, don't waste my time.*

Robert had suffered a sudden stroke a month ago at home.

I had been staying at the hospital, caring for him day and night.

Chloe and I had agreed earlier today that she would bring some clean clothes to the hospital for me and visit her father.

As his daughter, she hadn't visited him once during his entire month-long hospitalization.

It was getting ridiculous.

She had promised she would come, but then texted me saying she had urgent work to finish at the office and could only make it after midnight. She told me to go home and get the clothes myself.

I never expected to find such a "creative" surprise waiting for me.

I was about to text her back to ask if she was even coming home tonight.

Then, my phone dinged.

A message from an unknown number popped up.

I tapped it open, and my knees went weak. I almost fell to the floor.

My heart felt like it was being ripped in two.

It was an anonymous photo.

The background was a messy bed in a hotel. Chloes boss had his arm wrapped tightly around her bare waist.

They were in a position she and I had never tried.

Staring at their faces, a cold chill ran down my spine.

At that moment, Chloe successfully wiped out every single drop of love I had built up for her over the years.

### 02

I packed my things and went straight back to the hospital.

Robert had always treated me like his own son.

Sitting by his bedside, looking at his pale, aged face, I suddenly remembered when Chloe and I first got married. I had knelt before him, promising to cherish and love Chloe for the rest of my life.

She, too, had promised to be faithful to me forever.

We had made those vows in a beautiful church. But it didn't take long for Chloe to forget them.

She started working late every night, coming home smelling of expensive alcohol.

Sometimes, there were even faint, unexplained red marks on her collarbone.

When I asked her if she was falling out of love with me, or if she regretted our marriage, she would snap. Shed accuse me of not understanding her hard work, calling me insecure, clingy, and paranoid.

"Time for the patient's IV change," a nurse said softly as she wheeled her cart in.

I snapped out of my thoughts and stood up.

I helped the nurse adjust Robert's hospital gown. She smiled warmly at me. "You're a good son. You've been here every day for over a month, haven't you? What about your job?"

I nodded with a faint smile.

I was a freelance architectural designer. As long as I had my laptop and a quiet space, I could work from anywhere. I didn't need to be tied to an office.

"All done. Just make sure his arm doesn't get wet."

"Thank you, nurse."

After she left, I wiped Robert down and changed his sheets.

To pass the time, I chatted with him, sharing little stories about Chloe and me.

I told him she missed him terribly and wanted to visit every day, but her new project at work was just too demanding.

I told him that as soon as he woke up, she would be right here.

I talked so much that my stomach started growling. When I looked at the clock, it was already 8:00 PM.

I opened a food delivery app, but before I could order, my phone rang. It was Chloe.

"Where are you?" she demanded, her voice dripping with irritation.

I let out a bitter laugh.

She had completely forgotten what we discussed yesterday.

She didn't even care that her own father was lying semi-conscious in a hospital bed.

Of course. She was too busy enjoying her secret romance to care about either of us.

"I'm at the hospital with your dad."

There was a long silence on the other end. After a few seconds, her tone softened slightly. "Oh... babe, I'm so sorry. Work has been absolutely crazy today. I'm on my way to the hospital now. Wait for me."

Thirty minutes later, Chloe walked into the room empty-handed.

She frowned, refusing to step fully into the room, standing awkwardly near the door.

"Come on in," I said quietly, pouring her a cup of water.

She waved her hand, rejecting it. She probably didn't realize how much disgust was written all over her face, as if she was terrified of catching some hospital disease.

"I really wanted to come earlier, but Julian said there was one last financial report to finish. It took hours."

"You have to understand, we're not like you. We don't have the luxury of sitting around all day worrying about trivial things."

In Chloes eyes, my staying at the hospital to care for her father was just "sitting around doing nothing."

Yet, throughout our marriage, I had never asked her for a single penny. I contributed to the household, and I was paying for all of Roberts medical bills out of my own pocket.

And she hadn't even bothered to ask how her father was doing.

She waved her hand in front of my face. "Hello? Space cadet?"

When I didn't answer, she frowned. "What's wrong with you?"

I shook my head. We had nothing left to say to each other.

"Ethan! What is your problem? Are you seriously giving me the silent treatment now?"

She suddenly snapped, knocking the cup of water out of my hand.

"Say something! I swear I hate this dead-silent act of yours! Its like talking to a brick wall every time I come home!"

I used to be the guy who answered her every text within seconds. If she hadn't shut me out cold so many times, would I have ended up like this?

"What do you want me to say? I'm just tired, Chloe."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You sit in a chair all day. How on earth can you be tired?"

She looked completely done with the conversation.

"Forget it. Talking to you is a waste of breath."

Silence fell over the room again, only to be broken by her phone ringing.

I glanced down. Her screen lit up with the contact name: *My Husband* ??.

But I was standing right in front of her.

Noticing my gaze, Chloe quickly flipped her phone face down.

"It's... it's not what you think," she stammered, offering a weak, guilty explanation before I even asked.

"It's fine. I get it."

She stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief. She seemed unsettled by my lack of reaction, as if she expected me to blow up.

I lowered my head and went back to ordering food on my phone.

Chloe stepped away to take the call.

"Julian? Why are you calling at this hour? Is something wrong?"

"Hey, Chloe. I just got a bottle of rare vintage red wine. I know your husband is into wine, and I was feeling a bit bored tonight. I'm actually right outside your apartment building. Mind if I come up for dinner?" Julians voice was smooth and polite through the speaker.

Chloe looked at me, looking conflicted.

I looked up and smiled calmly. "Tell him he's welcome to join us. I'll order some premium catering."

Chloe stared at me, completely stunned.

It was the first time I had ever seen such shock on her face.

I couldn't blame her.

In the past, I was incredibly possessive. Whenever she came home smelling of alcohol or Julian's cologne, I would start a huge fight, begging her to keep her distance from him.

And now, I was actively inviting her lover into our home.

Old Ethan would have lost his mind.

But when a heart dies, it doesn't leave any ash. I knew this marriage was over.

### 03

I canceled the basic food delivery and ordered a premium catering service from *The Gilded Lily*, one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city.

By the time we got back to the apartment, the dining table was already set with gourmet dishes.

Chloe looked at the spread in surprise. "What is all this?"

Julian smiled warmly. "I figured youd be too tired to cook after a long day at the office, so I had *The Gilded Lily* cater this dinner."

*The Gilded Lily* was famous for its months-long reservation list and astronomical prices.

For Julian to get them to deliver a full spread on short notice meant he had spent a fortune.

But what he didn't know was that I did all the cooking in this house. Chloe hadn't touched a frying pan in years.

I looked at the gourmet food, then at the simple grocery bag in my hand.

Fine by me. Less work for me.

"Please, sit down," Julian said, gesturing to the seats with the easy confidence of a man who owned the place.

I felt like a guest in my own home.

I sat opposite Julian, studying him. He was dressed in a tailored designer suit.

I knew he and Chloe had met at an art gallery. They had both bid on the same painting and ended up talking for hours.

After that, they started going to exhibitions together.

When Julian decided to launch his own consulting firm, Chloe resigned from her stable job without a second thought to help him build his business from scratch.

She accompanied him to late-night dinners and client meetings.

And she left her newlywed husband waiting alone in an empty house.

I ate in silence, my face expressionless.

Chloe reached under the table, tugging at my shirt, and whispered sharply in my ear, "Julian went to all this trouble for us. The least you could do is show some gratitude instead of sitting there with a miserable face."

"What do you want me to do? Throw myself into his arms?"

My voice was ice-cold. Chloes face turned pale.

She grabbed my arm and dragged me into the kitchen. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my lips, trying to coax me.

It had been eighteen months since she last initiated any physical contact with me.

And now, she was kissing me just to get me to behave in front of her lover.

How pathetic.

"If you behave tonight, I'll give you a proper reward later..."

She took my hand and pressed it against her chest, letting me feel her soft warmth through her thin blouse.

In the past, I would have agreed to anything just for a touch of her affection.

But now? I felt absolutely nothing.

"I have to go back to the hospital to watch over your dad tonight," I said, pulling my hand away.

Chloe's face went completely white.

She pushed past me and walked back to the living room, putting on a fake smile.

Watching her walk away, her hips swaying provocatively, I realized she really did think Julian was the better option.

He was a successful CEO with millions in assets. I, on the other hand, was just a freelancer with no wealthy family background, no corporate title, and in her eyes, no future.

"I hope the food is to your husband's liking," Julian said smoothly.

I glanced at the dishes. They were mostly spicy, heavy foodsexactly what Chloe loved, but terrible for my sensitive stomach.

For years, I had forced myself to eat what she liked just to keep her happy.

"Oh, don't worry about him. He's not picky. A simple guy like him doesn't get to eat Michelin-star food every day anyway," Chloe said dismissively. "If it weren't for you, Julian, he'd probably go his whole life without tasting food from *The Gilded Lily*."

She demeaned me in front of her lover without a single shred of hesitation.

I just kept eating, keeping my head down.

It wasn't the first time she had insulted me, and it wouldn't be the last. I didn't care anymore.

But my silence only made her angrier.

Under the table, she kicked my leg.

"Are you starving or something? Have some manners! Julian is our guest. Pour him some wine instead of just stuffing your face!" she muttered sharply.

I ignored her and took another bite.

I wasn't her servant.

I had spent five years treating her like a queen, and now she expected me to bow down to her side piece? In her dreams.

Julian smiled, pretending to be the bigger man, and poured the wine himself. "It's fine, Chloe. I actually brought this wine to celebrate. Chloe mentioned she bought a special outfit a few days ago that she thought you'd like, Ethan. I was curious, so I wanted to stop by."

"I'm thirty now, and I still don't have a family of my own. Sometimes I really envy what you two have. Let me drink to that."

His words weren't an apology. They were a blatant taunt.

He knew about the highly intimate lingerie Chloe had bought. He was rubbing his affair right in my face.

"Are you talking about the bunny outfit in our bedroom closet? The one with the ruined tail? It looked pretty cheap," I said calmly.

Chloe dropped her fork. It clattered loudly against her plate. "Ruined? It must have been crushed under the heavy blankets. It wasn't cheap at all! I haven't even had a chance to wear it yet!"

She emphasized the last sentence, looking panicked.

I let out a cold laugh. Now I understood why she had rushed home earlier. She must have realized I had gone through the closet.

This dinner was just a staged show to cover their tracks.

"Right. A waste of money if you don't even get to use it. Why don't you try it on now?" I asked, looking her dead in the eye.

Chloe froze, completely caught off guard.

"W-What are you talking about? Didn't you say you have to go to the hospital? Besides, Julian is still here. Let's talk about this later."

I smiled. "Why wait? It's not like Julian hasn't seen it already, right?"