My Husband Asked Me to Take the Fall for Him, I Kicked Him Away

I went to handle my husband's traffic violation and saw footage of him being intimate with my best friend.

She used the lipstick I left in the passenger seat, took my man, and now she wants to take my child too.

Good men are hard to find, but a rotten one should be kicked out.

I decided to get a divorce and take the child with me.

But he knelt outside the door all night, begging me, "Ruby, for the sake of the child, let's get back together."

...

I went to help Jayden with his traffic violation and saw proof of his affair. I felt dizzy.

"Your mother is still in critical condition, and you're running around trying to cover for him? Are you out of your mind? The Collins family doesn't have daughters like you."

Before I went to the police station, my dad pointed at me and tore into me.

But when I thought of Jayden kneeling and begging for forgiveness, I softened again.

A few days ago, it had been raining when he ran a red light, hit someone, and then fled the scene.

When I opened the door, I saw him soaked in the rain, shivering uncontrollably.

"Ruby, I'm done for. I'm going to jail. Please, you're the only one who can save me. I'm begging you, just say you drove when it happened."

Before I could react, he pulled me into his arms. It had been so long since he'd held me like that.

Just as I was relishing the warmth of his embrace, he slipped the car keys into my hand.

"Ruby, go. If you end up in jail, I promise I'll take care of our daughter. I'll wait for you to get out."

It was like I was seeing him for the first time. He looked like a complete monster.

After all these years, had our relationship really sunk this low?

"Ruby, come back quick! Your mom was just hit by a car and she's at the hospital."

I got a panicked call from Dad at the hospital. I ignored Jayden's pleading, threw on my clothes, and ran out the door.

I asked Jayden to come with me, but he flatout refused. I saw the fear and panic in his eyes.

When I got to the hospital, I saw Mom lying on the bed, weakly gasping for air. If it weren't for the oxygen tank, I'd have feared she wouldn't make it.

"Dad, how did Mom end up like this? Who hit her?" I asked, redeyed and shaken, as I looked at my father standing by the bed.

He threw an umbrella in front of me. "Take a look yourself."

I glanced down and clamped my hand over my mouth in pain.

It was the umbrella I'd given Jayden, since he always forgot to bring one to work. I'd even engraved both our names on the handle.

Jayden had said he hit someone... It couldn't be, could it? Could it really be that much of a coincidence?

After paying the medical bills, I numbly walked back home.

"Ruby, is your mom okay? I was up all night worrying about her," Jayden asked, looking genuinely concerned.

I stared at him, trying to find some hint of guilt on his face, but there was nothing.

"She's fine. I'm tired today, I'm going to go rest."

He didn't offer a single explanation for himself.

"Babe, the weather's so nice today, and you don't have much going on. Why don't you handle it for me?"

The moment I got out of bed, he was speaking to me in that overly sweet tone.

I gave him a long look and replied, "Alright. I'll go later."

Before heading out, I visited my parents at the hospital. Seeing how worn out they looked, I told them I was going to stop by the police station.

As expected, I got a good scolding.

But it didn't matter. I chose this path for myself.

I had no choice but to grit my teeth and push forward. I hoped Jayden wouldn't let me down.

When I arrived at the police station, the officer handed me the surveillance footage.

I froze the moment I saw it. The woman in the passenger seat wasn't me. It was Jane Cooper, someone I hadn't seen in ages.

She and Jayden were leaning in close, oblivious to the world around them, and she was even wearing my lipstick.

I felt like I couldn't breathe, almost passing out on the spot.

At this point, I wasn't going to hold back anymore.

Jane and I have been best friends for years. We both found out we were pregnant on the same day, and even ended up giving birth on the same day.

A few days before her due date, she moved into my house so Jayden and I could take care of her.

"Ruby, you won't be upset about me moving in, will you? You have Jayden, but I don't even know who my baby's father is," Jane said.

I had barely opened the door when I saw Jane dragging two suitcases behind her.

Before I could even say a word, Jayden rushed from the study to the door and pulled her suitcases inside.

"It's fine, both of you just relax and take care of the babies. I've got everything under control. Ruby's been looking forward to having you here," Jayden said cheerfully.

Even though I wasn't too happy about it, I couldn't say much and just went straight to my room.

"Babe, you're usually so understanding. What's going on today? You seem upset," Jayden asked, his voice filled with concern.

I turned my back to Jayden, not wanting to talk.

"You let her move in, but who's going to take care of her? You're already exhausted taking care of me, and I don't want to see you overworked," I said softly.

Jayden pulled me into his arms and kissed me on the cheek.

"Babe, I'm fine. Taking care of your best friend is the right thing to do. She's all alone—what's a little extra responsibility?"

Jayden gently turned me to face him. "Besides, it's just a few more days. She'll head home as soon as the baby's born."

I sighed, pushed Jayden away, and went to the kitchen to start making dinner.

Jane sat on the couch, watching TV and munching on chips.

"Jane, you can sleep in the guest room. It's quieter there." After saying that, I went to the kitchen to wash some vegetables.

Little did I know, they exchanged a knowing smile behind my back.

I absentmindedly chopped the celery. It was Jayden's favorite.

In a careless moment, I cut my finger and let out a startled yelp.

"Babe, are you okay? How did you cut your finger? Let me take over."

Jayden came running as soon as he heard me, just like always. I felt a bit more at ease.

"There's no way they have anything to hide, right?"

"Yeah, Ruby, come rest. Jayden and I can handle things." Jane chimed in, backing him up.

They gently pushed me out of the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone in there.

Now with nothing to do, I sat and stared blankly at the TV, my mind drifting.

The sudden sound of laughter snapped me out of my daze.

"Jayden, try these ribs I made," Jane said with a bright smile, offering him a bite with her fork.

The two of them joked around in the kitchen, just like Jayden and I used to.

After dinner, Jayden went to wash the dishes, and Jane followed him into the kitchen.

"Jane, come chat with me. It's been a while since we've talked," I called out to stop her.

She hesitated for a moment but then agreed, "Alright, let's go to the room."

She glanced back at Jayden, and they exchanged a smile.

They were supposed to have just met today, so why did they seem so familiar?

"How's your hospital bag coming along? Jayden must've helped you pack it really well, right?" Jane asked, jumping straight to mentioning Jayden.

My smile faded quickly.

Noticing my silence, she hurried to change the subject.

"Let me show you my hospital bag. Maybe you can check if I missed anything. I'm not really sure on my own."

"Sure."

She opened her suitcase to show me.

"It'd be nice if it's a girl. Here's the baby's washcloth, the towel, and these are the baby's socks..."

Suddenly, she realized something was off and quickly stopped.

The socks were identical to the ones Jayden and I picked out. Even my little mark was still there.

I had asked Jayden why a few socks were missing, and he'd told me they made him feel closer to the baby.

"You and Jayden met for the first time today, right? Where did you get these socks?" I asked, staring directly at her.

I locked eyes with her, unable to hold back the question.

"Oh, Ruby, why are you so sensitive? Maybe we just bought the same ones. Who knows, maybe our kids can be betrothed to each other."

I pressed my lips together, saying nothing. My gut told me it wasn't that simple.

Jane hadn't been staying at my place for long when we both were nearing our due dates. She just happened to feel it first.

That day, we were chatting on the balcony while Jayden was in the room working.

"Oh, my stomach hurts! Jayden, take me to the hospital, I think I'm going into labor!" Jane cried out from her chair, panic in her voice.

She lay back in the wicker chair, yelling in distress.

I rushed over to help her, but she accidentally tripped me. I fell hard, landing on my stomach.

"Jayden, help! I'm going into labor too," I said, clutching my stomach as I felt blood.

"Ruby, I'll call your parents to take you to the hospital. Jane looks like she's in worse shape, so I'll take her first," Jayden shouted as he ran out, scooping up Jane in his arms, but not before offering me some reassurance.

Hearing our cries, Jayden rushed out, carrying Jane and running off. He still managed to throw some comforting words my way.

A wave of pain and bitterness washed over me. "So this is how it is? I don't even rank above my best friend in his eyes."

I watched them disappear, speechless. To be treated like this, it felt like I had completely failed in life.

The door slammed shut. I was left alone, anxiously waiting for my parents to take me to the hospital. At this point, I could barely move.

I waited and waited, but no one came. Even if they hadn't supported my marriage to Jayden, my parents wouldn't just abandon me like this.

Slowly, I crawled toward my phone on the couch, leaving a red trail behind me.

"Mom, Dad, I'm about to give birth, and Jayden's not here. Please, come quickly," I said weakly, on the verge of passing out from dehydration.

"What? He didn't tell us he wasn't home. We're coming right away. Hang in there," my dad said, frantic.

My mom was urging him from the background.

As I drifted into unconsciousness, my last thought was that Jayden would probably come back to see me once I got to the hospital.

The first thing I saw when I woke up was my parents asleep beside me.

"Where's Jayden? Hasn't he come yet?"

I weakly lifted my hand, wanting some water, and only my mom handed me a cup of warm water. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Don't even mention that brat. I tried calling him, but it didn't go through. Who knows where he's off to. When he gets here, I'll give him a piece of my mind."

Dad's rough voice echoed in the room, but Mom quickly pulled him back. "Keep it down. Your daughter just gave birth to a healthy baby girl. She needs to rest now."

I couldn't help but laugh. A girl is great.

As evening approached, my parents were about to go out and buy me some supplements.

Jayden finally came back at this point. "You brat! Where were you? You finally decided to come back? Why didn't you just stay out there forever? Your wife was giving birth, and you didn't even show up!"

Dad charged at him, ready to slap him, but Mom quickly intervened. "Stop it. Let them talk. We'll go get some porridge for our daughter."

Mom dragged him out of the room.

I finally had a chance to take a good look at this man. He had changed so much I didn't even recognize him.

"Ruby, Jane had complications during labor. She lost the baby, and they almost couldn't save her." He knelt beside my bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

I didn't understand why he was so heartbroken. It wasn't our child.

Since she was my best friend, maybe he felt guilty for bringing Ruby to the hospital and not being able to save the baby.

"Stop crying. We had a baby girl. Go and take a look at her."

I thought he would be happy. Instead, he looked troubled. "I'll check on Jane first. She's all alone over there."

Once again, he left me behind, just like before. He didn't even look back as he walked out.

"Where's Jayden? Why did he leave as soon as we came in?" my parents asked as soon as they walked in.

I forced a pale smile and reassured them, "It's fine. He's tired from work, so he went home. I can manage on my own."

Jayden and I had been married for ten years, but I hadn't been able to have children.

"It's okay, Ruby. Don't take what Mom said to heart. She was just talking. I would never divorce you, not even if I died."

After we got back from dinner with his family, Jayden tried to comfort me. At the table, his mom had torn into me, making cruel remarks.

She said that I could not have a baby boy.

"Jayden, maybe we should get a divorce. We can't have children, and your mom's never been happy with me," I said.

I pushed his hand away.

"Babe, I love you. For us, it's 'til death do us part, not divorce. Having no kids won't change that."

After a long process with IVF, I finally got pregnant.

Jayden was very serious about this baby. He took care of everything from food to clothing. But I never expected him to cheat on me with my best friend while I was pregnant.

It's because I naively believed his sweet talk back then that he felt free to cheat on me.

I was so foolish. The signs were already there when I was pregnant, but I had to wait until the proof was right in front of me.

He hit my mom with no remorse and was secretly involved with my best friend the whole time.

This time, he's going to learn that hurting me is one thing, but hurting my family is unacceptable.

I'm done letting him manipulate me. I didn't react. I just went straight back to the hospital.

He needs to face the consequences of his actions. I won't believe another word he says.

"Dad, I've decided to divorce Jayden. He didn't even come to check on Mom after the accident, and he cheated on me with my best friend."

I put on a brave face so Dad wouldn't worry about me and could focus on caring for Mom.

"What? There's no way I'll let him get away with this, even if it costs me my life! I've told you all along he couldn't be trusted, but you didn't listen!" Dad was furious, beating his chest in frustration.

I've let my parents down after all these years.

I quickly calmed him down. "Dad, it's okay. I'll handle this. Just focus on taking care of Mom."

After helping my mom clean up, I went back home. Seeing how pale her lips were day by day, my heart was filled with guilt.

Once I got home, I didn't bother making dinner. I just left a single light on and sat on the couch, waiting for Jayden to return.

"Babe, I'm home! Why didn't you cook today? I'm starving!" he said, looking surprised.

He stared at me, confused.

I fixed my eyes on him. "Jayden, is there something you've been hiding from me?"

His expression immediately changed. "Oh, come on, babe. What could I possibly be hiding from you?"

Trying to keep calm, he confessed, "I'm sorry. I was driving too fast and hit your mom. It wasn't on purpose, I swear."

I let out a laugh. "Not on purpose? How could someone even say that?"

In that moment, I felt completely let down by the man I'd loved for fifteen years.

From the moment he saw me in college, he swore he'd win me over.

Soon enough, I gave in to his gentle pursuit, and we quickly fell in love.

After graduation, we got married and became the perfect example of a model couple among our classmates.

"I'm going to the hospital to be with my mom. You can handle dinner yourself tonight."

With that, I walked out the door.

The rain tonight was as heavy as the day my mom was hit. How could I have been so deceived by his perfect gentleman act?

Standing in the rain, I cried, unable to tell if it was my tears or the rain running down my face.

Suddenly, a flash of headlights came toward me.

I quickly stepped aside, but the splashing rain soaked me.

Isn't that Jayden's car? I'd just stepped outside, and he couldn't wait to go see Jane?

I pulled up the security feed on my phone. Sure enough, he had gone to see Jane.

He seemed to be in a great mood, even humming a tune. I just hope when the truth comes out, he'll still be this happy.