He Let Her Be Mom, I Walked Away

On our wedding anniversary, Nora Hayes suddenly rubbed her belly and said to me,

“Claire, Ethan is the most loyal friend I have. If he hadn’t lent me some of his sperm, I would never have had the chance to become a mom.”

The air froze instantly.

Seeing my dark expression, Ethan Cole casually explained,

“Relax. Nora and I are like family. It’s just sperm—why are you being so petty?”

“Didn’t I ‘give’ you a whole box last night?”

His crew immediately burst into laughter.

Nora laughed too, teasing,

“Ethan, you’re so biased—gave Claire so much and only spared me one!”

“Claire, you’ve got to set him straight. Don’t let him forget about his friends just because of you, right?”

…

I gave her a cold look, then turned to Ethan. My tone was icy.

“How exactly did you ‘lend’ it?”

Ethan took a sip of his drink and raised a brow.

“Just helped her out like normal.”

“Why are you making a scene over a hotel room?”

“So you slept with her?”

I gripped my glass tighter, my whole body going cold.

Being interrogated in front of his friends, Ethan’s face stiffened, his brows knitting together.

“How else was I supposed to do it? Hospital procedures are too complicated. Nora and I go way back. Can’t I help her out?”

“And for the record, when I ‘helped’ Nora, we treated it as a serious matter. Totally professional. Nothing for you to worry about.”

He shot me a look of irritation.

“Stop filling your head with dirty thoughts. Not everything is filthy.”

I let out a cold laugh, downed half my whiskey in one go, and slapped him across the face.

If I stayed silent one more second, I wouldn’t even be a woman.

The loud smack instantly sucked all the air out of the private room.

Ethan stared at me in shock, his eyes turning red with anger.

Nora quickly grabbed a bottle of liquor and tried to play peacemaker.

“Claire, it was wrong of Ethan and me not to talk to you first.”

“How about this—I’ll toast you three times as an apology.”

She raised her glass without waiting for my answer.

“The first toast—to Claire, for having the saintly patience to put up with Ethan all these years and saving me from wearing out my new lingerie!”

Someone snickered in the room, and the rowdy atmosphere returned.

“The second toast—to Claire’s great training. You turned this threesecond man into a big bad wolf—otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten pregnant on the first try.”

Ethan rolled his eyes at her, helpless but indulgent.

“Cut it out. Since when was I ever a threesecond man?”

Nora grabbed the mic off the table, grinning at me.

“And the last toast—to Claire’s healthy body that hasn’t been knocked up by this guy in three years!”

She downed her drink in one gulp and added cheerfully,

“But don’t worry, Claire—when my kid is born, you’ll be his second mom. When you’re old, he’ll take care of you!”

The whole room erupted in laughter again.

Ethan moved over, pretending to cover Nora’s mouth, his hand resting on her chest.

“Good girl—you really are family.”

Nora punched him in the shoulder, then passed the glass to me.

“Come on, Claire, don’t be mad. Ethan and I really are just close friends.”

Just moments ago, his guys had all looked guilty, unable to meet my eyes.

Now, spurred on by Nora’s jokes, they glared at me like I was the one overreacting—

like I was the one turning their “pure friendship” into something dirty.

They started chiming in one after another:

“Yeah, drink up, Claire. We’re all family here—don’t make it ugly.”

“Come on, Ethan’s no pushover. A little attitude is fine, but don’t push it.”

“Exactly! Nora’s our lucky charm. You piss her off, you piss all of us off.”

I glanced down at my glass, then reached for it.

Under their eager gazes, I slowly raised the glass—and poured it over Nora’s head.

The room went dead silent.

“Ah!”

Nora yelped, stumbling backward into Ethan’s arms.

“Claire, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

Ethan roared and shoved me hard.

My lower back slammed against the table, pain shooting through me.

But he didn’t even look at me—he just fumbled for napkins to wipe Nora off.

“You okay? Did it get in your eyes?”

Nora pouted pitifully, then forced a gracious smile, holding Ethan’s hand down.

“It’s fine. Claire’s just taking her anger out on me.”

“I get it—women overthink things. I won’t hold it against her.”

Ethan’s anger flared even hotter.

“Claire, look at yourself—acting like some hysterical shrew. Apologize to Nora right now.”

I stared at him, at the way he was shielding Nora, and my nose stung.

For a moment, I saw a flash of guilt in his eyes—

as if he remembered how, when he first started his business, I had humbled myself begging for investors just to give him a chance.

He once swore to me he’d never let me suffer again, never let me shed another tear.

But now, for this socalled “friend,” he had done all of this.

After a brief pause, his face hardened even more.

“You think crying makes you right? Right is right, wrong is wrong. You won’t get away with this.”

“I won’t let you run wild. Today you will apologize to Nora.”

My tears instantly dried up.

He wasn’t worth crying for.

I let out a small laugh, my voice eerily calm.

“Ethan, I want a divorce.”

Then I turned and walked out.

He clearly hadn’t expected me to say that, frozen in place.

It wasn’t until I opened the door that he snapped out of it and tried to go after me.

“Claire! Get back here and say that again!”

“Let her go, man.” One of his friends grabbed him.

“If you cave now, she’ll walk all over you for life. Get a grip.”

“Yeah, you can’t spoil a woman like that. Divorce? Who’s she trying to scare?”

Nora looked upset but still clung to his arm, pretending to mediate.

“Don’t fight over me. Maybe… maybe I should just get rid of the baby.”

Her voice broke as if she were making the ultimate sacrifice.

That set Ethan off completely.

He gripped Nora’s hand tightly and shouted after me,

“Claire, you really want to make a scene for everyone to see?”

“Nora came here fighting morning sickness to celebrate our anniversary. This is how you repay her?”

“All you do is get jealous of my friends. You’re being completely unreasonable!”

I didn’t stop.

Just before the door shut, I heard him bark,

“Forget her, Nora! She’s just trying to scare me—she won’t really leave.”

“Come on, guys. The cake isn’t even cut yet.”

The winter wind outside cut like knives.

I pulled my coat tighter, wiped my cold tears away, and headed home to pack my things.

I packed piece by piece, tossing memories away as I went.

Ethan and I had been college sweethearts.

Back then, plenty of guys chased me—

but I chose Ethan, the broke kid with grit.

He was like a weed growing stubbornly out of a crack in the pavement.

Early on, he introduced me to Nora, a girl from his hometown who had worked hard to get into the same college.

The first time we met, she was overly friendly—hooking her arm through mine and warning Ethan,

“You’re lucky, man. Treat Claire right or I’ll be the first to beat you up.”

I laughed then, thinking Nora was just open and warmhearted.

Even when I felt uncomfortable, I couldn’t say anything.

They really did look like they were just “pure friends,” so saying anything made me look petty.

Until two years ago, on my birthday, Nora said she was heartbroken and wanted to die—

Ethan ditched me on the spot to keep her company all night.

Last Christmas, when I had a high fever and called him dozens of times with no answer,

he was at the bar celebrating “friendship day” with Nora.

And even tonight, on New Year’s Day, right in front of my relatives,

Nora whined, “I’m so bored, Ethan, come play video games with me.”

He ditched me and the whole family to game all night—

leaving me to face everyone’s questions alone.

I finally realized that this socalled friendship was just a perfect excuse for the two of them to trample over me.

Halfway through packing, I heard the door unlock.

Ethan stumbled in reeking of alcohol, saw me there, and smirked like he had me cornered.

He hugged me from behind, kissing my neck urgently, mumbling,

“Babe, it’s just a baby. I can give you one too, okay?”

“We’ll have lots of them—way better than that one I gave Nora, yeah?”

His words cut like a knife.

I spun around and shoved him away with all my strength.

“Don’t touch me—you disgust me.”

He staggered, almost falling, then the suppressed rage in his eyes flared back to life.

“Claire, are you insane? I came home early for you. I didn’t even drop Nora off!”

“She didn’t even throw a fit after you poured a drink on her, and here you are making a scene again. What do you want from me?”

“Divorce.”

I stared him down, voice flat and cold.

“No way!”

He struggled to stand, his eyes bloodshot.

“All this over something so small? You’re throwing away years of love for this?”

“Small?”

I almost laughed.

“You call knocking her up a small thing?”

I stepped closer, my voice shaking but clear.

“Don’t you dare hide behind your socalled ‘bro code’ as a fig leaf for cheating.”

“Don’t you dare make me out to be the crazy one every time you side with her, like that can turn black into white.”

“All those secret looks you share with Nora, those latenight hearttohearts—do you really think I’m blind? You think I can’t feel what’s going on?”

“Five years, Ethan. I’ve had enough.”

“Enough!”

At the end, I was just exhausted.

“In the end, you’re still just mad because of Nora.”

He froze for a few seconds, staring at me in frustration.

“I’m not agreeing to this. Make a scene all you want.”

I lowered my head and let out a cold laugh.

“Really? Ethan, if you don’t agree, I’ll file for divorce in court.”

“Nora is pregnant—your cheating during our marriage is a fact. Do you think a court will buy that it’s just ‘pure friendship’? Or are you ready to walk away with nothing?”

I looked him straight in the eye, my face calm, almost relieved.

Panic flashed in his eyes as he finally realized I wasn’t bluffing.

The last bit of drunken haze vanished from him.

He reached out with a trembling hand and grabbed me, his voice suddenly soft.

“Claire, I… I was wrong. I’ll change.”

“No socalled ‘friend’ is more important than my wife…”

“I promise I’ll keep my distance from Nora, I’ll cut her off completely. I don’t want a divorce, I…”

“Ethan? What are you saying?”

At some point, Nora had walked in and was standing behind us.

One of his guys supported her, looking awkward.

“She wouldn’t go home—insisted on seeing Ethan.”

As soon as he saw the scene inside, he bolted.

Nora bit her lip, pointing at Ethan in disbelief, her voice shrill.

“Ethan, what about what you said when we became rideordie friends? You told me women were like clothes and brothers were for life—now you’re gonna cut me off for a woman?!”

“You ungrateful bastard!”

She shouted, tears streaming, and ran out.

Ethan’s face changed drastically, his body instinctively wanting to follow.

I spoke coldly, stopping him in his tracks.

“You said you don’t want a divorce? Then stay.”

His feet were nailed to the floor, torn between me and the door where Nora had disappeared.

Every time, he chose Nora.

This was my last chance to him—

but of course, nothing was different this time.

Like a trapped animal, he turned on me, roaring,

“Claire! The saying ‘the most vicious thing is a woman’s heart’ is true after all.”

“Nora is pregnant—if something happens to her, can you live with that on your conscience?!”

Without waiting for my reply, he stormed out after her.

That night, I moved out of our home.

I had my lawyer deliver the divorce papers to Ethan directly.

This marriage would end—whether he wanted it or not.

But before he even responded, the next morning as I arrived at my company’s building,

a familiar red car came speeding straight toward me.

I couldn’t dodge in time—there was a blur of spinning sky and ground—

then I hit the pavement, the lower half of my body numb.

The car door opened.

Nora stepped out slowly, looking down at me with a twisted smile.

“Claire, you’ve got guts—actually trying to break me and Ethan apart?”

“You’ll never match what we have!”

“He was jealous when Chris stole his scholarship and pushed him down the stairs—I covered for him and lied to the police.”

“When he wanted that internship at a top real estate firm, I let Mr. Thompson touch me to get him the spot.”

“Could you have done that for him? Could you?”

She screamed the words at me, then pulled out her phone, dialing 911—

but her finger hovered above the call button.

“Claire, I’ll give you a chance. Swear you’ll stay out of things between me and Ethan,

and I’ll call for an ambulance right now.”

“Otherwise, wait a few more minutes and those legs of yours will never work again.”

The pain was blinding, but it couldn’t match the hatred boiling in my chest.