His Betrayal Broke Me, But I Won in the End

Clarissa's POV

I risked my life saving Alfie Bowen from a fire, and as a result, I temporarily lost my sight.

He swore he would take care of me for the rest of his life, that he would never leave me.

Thankfully, five months into my pregnancy, my vision unexpectedly returned. But before I could tell him, I saw him bringing his female assistant home for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

At the table, she deliberately mouthed the words to him, "Your wife is so ugly. Just looking at her bloated face makes me want to throw up."

Adding fuel to the fire, my motherinlaw and sisterinlaw burst into laughter.

Humiliation burned through me and I couldn’t sit there any longer.

However, just as I set down my chopsticks, Alfie shot me a cold glare.

"Shirley is having dinner with us for the first time. Who are you giving that attitude to?" His voice was sharp, cutting through the air. "Eat if you want. If not, get the hell out."

On New Year’s Eve, he kicked me out of the house. As I stood outside, shivering, I could still hear him boasting inside.

"So what if she's pregnant? I'm not about to start pampering her. Besides, who else would want a blind woman besides me?"

"Don't mind her, she won’t go far," he scoffed. "Just wait. She’ll come crawling back, crying and begging for forgiveness."

But he was wrong.

That night, dressed in nothing but thin layers, I took a cab to the hospital to schedule an abortion.

I didn’t want the child. I didn’t want him either.

——

On the last night of the year, while other families celebrated together, I sat across from the oncall doctor and booked the procedure.

Afterward, I drifted back home like a ghost. The house was dark. Not a single missed call on my phone.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

New Year’s Eve—a time for families to be together. And yet, I was the loneliest person in the world.

Exhausted, I slowly made my way upstairs, feeling my way through the darkness.

But just as I reached for the bedroom door, a woman’s sultry voice drifted out.

"Not so rough… Mr. Bowen, when are you finally going to divorce her?"

My heart plummeted. My hand froze in midair.

I felt like I’d been struck by lightning, unable to move, unable to breathe.

"She went blind saving me," Alfie replied, his tone indifferent but laced with hunger. "I can’t divorce her… not right now."

Then, with a low chuckle, he added, "Besides, doesn’t this make it even more exciting?"

Shirley Crawford giggled, a teasing lilt in her voice. "I wish she could see you like this—so desperate for me. But, oh well… she’s blind."

Laughter rang out, smug and taunting.

I couldn’t listen anymore.

Fury and humiliation surged through me. My vision blurred, and my hands trembled.

Before I knew it, I was downstairs, stumbling in the dark. My hip then hit the table, knocking over a lamp.

The crash shattered the silence and footsteps soon thundered down the stairs.

Within seconds, the entire living room flooded with light.

Alfie emerged from the hallway, wearing nothing but his pajama pants.

His eyes darkened when he saw me.

"You actually came back?" he sneered.

His voice dripped with irritation. "Shirley came over for New Year’s, and you just had to make a scene. Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is for me?"

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms. Words clogged my throat, but none came out.

Shirley’s first time visiting, and she called me ugly in front of everyone. Her first time here, and she was already in my husband’s bed. Just because I was blind… was I supposed to sit at the dinner table and let them humiliate me? Was I supposed to obediently leave so they could continue their affair in peace?

Alfie glanced at the broken lamp, his annoyance deepening.

"You didn’t help with anything all night, and now you’re causing trouble? What, you think you can throw tantrums just because you don’t have to clean up?"

"Clarissa, you’re getting more unreasonable by the day," he added.

Before I could respond, Shirley sauntered over. She reached out and brushed her fingers against Alfie’s arm, causing him to stiffen momentarily. But after a while, he threw her a fierce glare.

However, Shirley was unshaken by it and even pretended to be surprised, saying, "Oh dear, what a mess. Let me help clean it up."

Clarissa's POV

But before Shirley could approach, Alfie stopped her with a sharp tone. “No need. Whoever breaks it should clean it up. I’ve spoiled her too much these past few years.”

A chill spread through me then.

Before, he told me that after we got married, I wouldn’t have to lift a finger—he would take care of everything. He said I married him to be happy.

But ever since Shirley started working for him, everything changed.

He came home later and later. When company parties ended late, he would even drive her home personally.

At first, he told me he just felt bad for her—said she was a young girl trying to make it on her own. But their conversations stretched later and later into the night.

One time, I asked what they were talking about.

But he simply replied, "Work."

I never doubted my love for him. I never thought I had to.

But love can change in an instant. The night he left me—newly pregnant and sick—to be with Shirley, everything fell apart.

While I spent the night throwing up, unable to reach him, he was by her side.

Now, as he gestured toward the mess on the floor, his voice was filled with irritation. “Shirley is staying here tonight. Clean up quietly. Don’t wake her.”

His furrowed brow made it seem like I had created this mess on purpose.

Then, he led Shirley to the guest room.

At the doorway, she leaned up to kiss him—fully aware I was watching. Her eyes met mine, smug and taunting.

A wave of nausea twisted in my stomach. I didn’t even want to imagine how many times they had done this behind my back.

In the end, I didn’t clean up. I just sat on the couch, staring blankly into the darkness for half the night.

At some point, Alfie came back into the living room. He sighed, crouched down, and started picking up the broken lampshards one by one. Then, he knelt in front of me and spoke softly, “You really think I’d make you clean this up?”

He gave me a look as if I were being difficult. “Shirley was eating with us for the first time. No matter what, you should have given me some respect as your husband. If word gets out, do you know how embarrassing that is for me?”

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

His chest and back were covered in faint red scratch marks—marks that weren’t from me.

He didn’t even try to hide them. Because in his eyes, I was just a blind woman. Someone he didn’t have to answer to.

“Don’t be upset,” he said, inching closer. “It’s bad for the baby.”

The scent of Shirley’s perfume clung to his skin, making my stomach churn.

His hands, the same ones that had just been on her, reached out to touch my face.

Disgust and rage surged through me. I shoved him away and fell to my knees, retching into the trash can.

Meanwhile, Alfie stumbled back, startled. He hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward—but soon stopped with a distaste in his face.

“I’ll get you some water,” he muttered before turning and walking off.

I threw up until there was nothing left inside me, gripping the edge of the trash can for support.

When I finally stood up, I watched his retreating figure—his hurried steps, his obvious need to get away from me—and I laughed bitterly.

He used to be different.

One year, at a company New Year’s party, I got drunk. He stayed up all night taking care of me, cleaning up after me without a single complaint.

Back then, he cared. Back then, he loved me.

Now, he didn’t. And it couldn’t be more obvious.

I closed my eyes, willing those painful memories away.

From now on, no matter what Alfie did, it wouldn’t matter to me anymore.

I walked straight to my vanity and opened a small box. Inside were two small dolls, their fabric scorched and ruined by fire.

The night I saved him, these were in his hands. Even when he was on the verge of death, he smiled and said, “Love, these are the lucky dolls you painstakingly got two years ago. I found them again. One for you, one for me. That way, we’ll never be apart.”

Back then, those words moved me to tears.

Now, they were nothing but a cruel joke.

Clarissa's POV

I could no longer tell if Alfie loved me or not.

If he didn’t love me, why would he risk his life to retrieve those dolls for me? But if he did, why would he let Shirley walk all over me?

Outside, the sharp sound of shattering glass broke through the silence. Then came the muffled sounds of Shirley pulling him in again. Seeking excitement, she had no shame—they were getting intimate right outside the door.

Alfie’s voice was low, a weak attempt to stop her. “Don’t mess around. Clarissa is still inside.”

But any hesitation quickly melted under Shirley’s touch. A door clicked shut and he never came back.

I tossed the dolls into the trash.

That was it. That was me severing my marriage with my own hands.

That night, I didn't sleep.

By morning, I heard Alfie open the bedroom door. He must not have expected me to be awake because he hesitated for a second before scrambling for an excuse.

“I fell asleep watching TV in the living room,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Didn’t even realize it. You’re up early.”

I didn’t acknowledge his excuse. Instead, I asked, “Alfie, is it snowing outside?”

His hand paused inside the closet before he pulled out a thick winter coat. He rubbed his nose and muttered, “Yeah, it’s cold. You should stay in. If you catch a cold, Mom will start nagging again.”

With that, he grabbed his coat and hurried out of the room.

I watched him rush off to see Shirley, and the cold in my heart stung far worse than the frost outside.

But this was my first snowfall since regaining my sight. I wanted to see it too.

When I stepped into the living room, my motherinlaw was fastening the zipper of Shirley’s puffer jacket, her face full of warmth and affection—the way a mother looks at her beloved daughterinlaw.

“Shirley is such a beautiful girl,” she beamed. “If only she could be my daughterinlaw.”

Her words were a dagger straight through my heart.

Years ago, when I was hospitalized after saving Alfie, she visited me every day, bringing soup and calling me her daughter.

But the moment she found out Alfie planned to marry me, her attitude did a complete 180.

After our wedding, she never had a kind word for me. She spent years pressuring him to divorce me.

Eventually, to stop constant fights, Alfie moved out with me.

Back then, he told me, “No matter how bad things get between you and my mom, I will always stand by your side.”

But last night at the dinner table, when Shirley and his family openly mocked me, he sat there in silence.

And that silence shattered something inside me.

I finally understood—his heart no longer belonged to me.

Shirley blushed and lowered her head, acting shy.

My sisterinlaw, on the other hand, looped her arm through Shirley’s. “That’s right, Mom! You have no idea how generous Shirley was with her gift yesterday! Not like that stingy blind woman.”

The moment she said it, a wave of bitterness surged through me.

Just six months ago, on her birthday, I gave her a designer handbag worth thousands of dollars. She had clung to me sweetly, calling me ‘sissy’ like I was family.

And now?

Now, to her, I was nothing more than a stingy, blind fool.

Outside, they built a snowman together, laughing and playing in the snow, looking more like a family than I ever had.

Snowflakes drifted down, but I felt no cold.

That was when Alfie spotted me standing by the door. His body went rigid.

I acted like I hadn’t seen anything, just like always. I reached out, feeling along the wall, and slowly made my way back inside.

Just then, a message popped up on my phone. It was from my lawyer. The divorce papers were ready.

I printed two copies of it. One for him, one for me.

Not long after, Alfie barged into the room.

Before I could react, he was already demanding answers.

“What the hell is this?” His voice burned with anger.

“You hate the cold. Why would you suddenly go outside?” He took a step closer. “Did you do it just to make Shirley look bad?”

Clarissa's POV

“Are you happy now?” Alfie snapped. “She says she’s leaving! It’s freezing outside, and she’s just a young girl. Clarissa, you’ve really let me down.”

Then he grabbed my arm. “Let’s go. You’re going to apologize to her.”

I didn’t want to, but Alfie didn’t care. He dragged me out of the room.

In the living room, my motherinlaw and sisterinlaw glared at me like I was some kind of criminal.

Alfie’s brows furrowed. “Where is she?”

His mother scoffed and said coldly, “She ran off.”

My sisterinlaw sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Thanks to someone, she couldn’t even stay another minute. What a nightmare! Can’t even have a peaceful New Year.”

“As if causing trouble all the time wasn’t enough, you also have to drive a wedge between Alfie and Mom. And now, on a rare holiday when we finally get to be home, you just have to make things worse,” she added, rolling her eyes upward.

Alfie yanked me toward the door, determined to go after Shirley. His grip was firm, leaving no room for resistance.

“When we find her, you better apologize,” he ordered. “How could you be like this? You just had to drive her away, didn’t you? And now, in this freezing weather, she’s out there all alone.”

I had had enough. I ripped my arm away from him.

“Oh, now you care about the cold?” I shot back. “Did you ever stop to think that I’m carrying your child?”

Alfie let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Wow, Clarissa, you’re even using the baby to threaten me now?” His gaze hardened. “But I’m telling you right now, I don’t care what you say. You’re going to apologize.”

He shoved me into the car, not caring how rough he was. My stomach twisted in pain because of it, cold sweat beading on my forehead.

But Alfie barely spared me a glance. Instead, he let out a mocking chuckle. “Oh, cut the act. Didn’t the doctor say the baby was perfectly healthy last time? But the second something happens to Shirley, you’re suddenly in pain?”

I didn’t respond. I had already given up on him.

It didn’t matter.

I just had to endure a little longer. In a few days, I would be gone.

The entire drive, Alfie was restless, like a man on the verge of losing his mind.

Soon, his phone rang. The moment he saw Shirley’s name, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

He picked up immediately and panickedly asked, “Shirley! Where are you?”

On the other end, Shirley sobbed into the receiver. “I got lost. I don’t know what to do.”

Alfie’s voice softened in an instant. “Stay where you are. I’m coming to get you. Don’t run around, okay?”

I sat there, numb.

Years ago, he used to speak to me like that.

Now, it was for someone else.

Not long after, we found Shirley waiting at the side of the road. The moment she saw Alfie, she ran straight into his arms.

For a second, he looked guilty and glanced at my way. But then he seemed to remember that I was blind, and his hesitation disappeared.

He wrapped his arms around Shirley without a care.

She sniffled, wiping away nonexistent tears before turning toward me. “I’m so sorry, Clarissa. I was just scared… I didn’t mean to hold onto Alfie like that. I hope you don’t mind.”

She wanted me to know exactly how much Alfie cared about her. But I no longer had the energy to play this game.

When I didn’t react, she wasn’t satisfied. “Clarissa, I’m really sorry. This is my fault. I should just leave. I don’t want to be in your way.”

Alfie’s face twisted in distress. He turned to me and said, “Clarissa, just take a taxi home. I’ll drop Shirley off first. She’s a little afraid of you.”

Afraid? Huh!

Even so, I smiled faintly. “Alright.”

Alfie seemed surprised by my calmness, like he had expected me to fight back. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

He helped Shirley into the car, and without looking back, they drove away.

I stood there for a long time, my fingers and toes numb from the cold.

At some point, my phone rang. It was Alfie.

But when I answered, what I heard wasn’t his voice.

It was a low, muffled groan.

And Shirley’s breathy, exaggerated cries.

She wanted to make sure I knew exactly what they were doing.

Clarissa's POV

I slowly put my phone down, feeling nothing but emptiness inside. Without a second thought, I called for a cab and headed straight to the hospital.

The hospital quickly admitted me, and they told me my surgery for abortion was scheduled two days from now. But there was a problem—it required a family member’s signature.

I had no idea how I was supposed to bring this up to Alfie.

That night, Alfie showed up at the same hospital, holding Shirley in his arms.

Doctors and nurses rushed to meet them. One doctor spoke urgently, “The patient has a ruptured corpus luteum. Get her bloodwork done immediately and check if an operating room is available. We need to get her in as soon as possible.”

The nurse nodded and hurried off.

As Alfie walked past me, our shoulders nearly brushed. He did a double take and frowned. “Clarissa? What are you doing here?”

I kept my expression neutral. “I forgot to pick up my test results from my last prenatal checkup.”

He looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, a nurse called out to him. “Mr. Bowen, please come with me. Your wife needs emergency treatment.”

Alfie didn’t even bother to correct her. Without hesitation, he turned and followed her inside.

I gripped the documents in my hand—the surgical consent form and the divorce papers—and walked into the emergency ward after them.

Inside, the bright lights illuminated the frantic movement of doctors and nurses. Alfie was running back and forth, his face clouded with worry, even as he stood by the payment window, pulling out his wallet with trembling hands.

I watched it all unfold, yet my heart remained still.

Then, as if sensing my gaze, he turned and spotted me.

“Clarissa, about Shirley—” he started, but I cut him off before he could explain.

Pulling two documents from my bag, I handed them to him. “Alfie, I forgot to get your signature when I took leave for my prenatal checkup last time. Our company has a new policy—family members need to sign for reimbursement.”

His expression stiffened. “I’ve never heard of that before.”

I had never lied to him before, so he didn’t suspect a thing. Muttering under his breath, he grabbed a pen and signed his name in both places—the consent form for my surgery and the divorce papers.

As I took the documents back, he suddenly grabbed my hand. “Why are your hands so cold?”

For a brief moment, guilt flickered in his eyes.

Had he finally remembered that he left me outside in the freezing cold last night?

With a soft voice, he said, “I know tonight was hard on you. I promise it won’t happen again.”

I gave him a small nod, but my tone was indifferent as I replied, “It’s fine. Shirley is more important.”

Alfie’s brows knitted together, but before he could respond, I turned and walked away.

From behind me, I heard him call out.

“Clarissa, you’ve never been this passiveaggressive before. What’s going on with you lately?”

“Shirley is just a guest here,” he continued, trying to reason with me. “She has no family in this city. She needs someone to take care of her. That’s all there is to it.”

Yet, I didn’t turn back. I simply nodded.

He thought I couldn’t see anything. He thought I was blind in more ways than one.

But now that he had unknowingly signed both the divorce papers and my surgical consent form, I had no reason to keep pretending.

Two days later, I took the signed consent form and checked in for surgery.

Just before I lost consciousness on the operating table, I heard a commotion outside.

“You can’t just take my wife in there! What the hell are you doing?” Alfie’s voice was frantic.