He Left My Dying Father To Save His Mistress

My dad and my husband got into a car crash on their way to a conference. Ethan picked up the female driver and ran, abandoning my sixty-year-old father inside the wrecked car. When the paramedics asked if anyone else was inside, Ethan snapped, "What are you wasting time for?! Don't you see Chloe's forehead is bleeding? Treat her right now!" By the time I rushed to the hospital, Dad was barely breathing because his rescue had been delayed. His trembling hand reached out, still worrying with his dying breath, "Is Ethan... is he okay?" With those words, his eyes closed forever. The heart monitor went flat. I broke down in agonizing tears, and right at that moment, my phone rang. It was Ethan. "Babe, you're type O, right? The hospital blood bank is running low. Please come donate blood for my junior Chloe." Hearing my silence, he resorted to guilt-tripping me. "A life is on the line! Can you stop being so petty for once?" I sneered through my tears. So, you know a life is on the line? Then why shouldn't you two cheating scumbags pay with your own lives? Ethan kept whining into my ear. Without a word, I blocked and deleted him everywhere. From the moment Dad died, all my hope in this man turned to ash. Handling the funeral took days. Two days later, dragging my exhausted body back to Dad’s house, I saw the last person I ever wanted to see standing right outside the door. Ethan grabbed my arm and yanked me inside. "You think running back to your family's place clears you? Do you have any idea that your selfishness almost killed a young girl?" "If your dad knew what you did, you'd make him turn in his grave!" I was holding Dad’s wooden prayer beads in my hand. Hearing those words, the string snapped, and the beads scattered across the floor. I scrambled to pick them up, stood up, and sneered at him. "What a shame. So, she didn’t die?" Ethan's pupils shrank. When it registered, he pointed a finger straight at my face. "Natalie, do you have any humanity left in you? You really had to wish death on Chloe? Well, you're going to be disappointed! Good things happen to good people. God wouldn't let such an innocent girl die." A sharp pain tore through my chest. Good things happen to good people? Then what about my dad? Did he deserve to die? Clutching my chest, I slowly sat down, forcing myself to breathe to steady my racing heart. I pulled out the divorce papers and slapped them on the table before him, my voice icy. "Looks like you've found true love. Sign the papers and get out of my life. I wish you two a long, miserable life together—and permanent infertility." Ethan stared at the divorce papers in sheer disbelief. "You're the one in the wrong, and you're acting like this? Natalie, do you still not get why I'm mad at you?" I looked at him in shock. What did he just say? Why he is mad? Ethan sat down across from me, trying to lecture me like a reasonable man. "You donate blood every year. You do charity. Everyone praises Professor George's daughter for having such a kind heart. So why do you turn a blind eye when someone actually needs your help? I feel like I don't even know you anymore." He ran a hand through his hair, looking so frustrated and tormented. I felt nothing but sheer disgust. What right did a cheating liar have to preach to me? His phone buzzed. A voice note from "My Little Angel" popped up on SnapChat. Ethan tapped it instantly, completely forgetting I was sitting right there. "Ethan, are you coming over tonight? Never mind... I just miss you, but I don't want you to be too tired." Ethan panicked, shutting his screen off and stammering an excuse. "Don't get the wrong idea. The girl is scared of the dark. I already hired a private nurse for her." I scoffed without a hint of emotion. "You're quite considerate, aren't you? So why did you forget there was a third person in that car the day of the crash?" For some reason, that question pushed his buttons. Ethan shot to his feet. "What could have happened to your dad? He just passed out! There were plenty of paramedics and doctors on site." "Chloe told me he was already back at the university giving lectures today! What more do you want? Natalie, stop acting so righteous and blaming me. The biggest problem in this whole situation is you!" I listened in stunned silence to his ridiculous words. I realized Ethan had probably been lied to. But I had zero desire to correct him. I wanted to see his face when the brutal truth hit him. "You're right. I do have a problem. My biggest mistake was marrying you." He waved his hand dismissively, signaling me to shut up. "Here we go again. Fine, fine! Let's say I neglected your dad for a second that day. I was wrong too, happy?" "It's still early. Let's take your dad out for dinner. Consider it my apology to him." An apology? I burst out laughing. The more I laughed, the more hopeless I felt, tears streaming down my cheeks uncontrollably. "If you really want to apologize, why don't you jump off a building?" Even if they died a thousand times, they wouldn't be worthy of apologizing to my father. Watching me cry, Ethan frowned in annoyance. "So dramatic. Chloe was hurt so badly and she didn't even shed a tear. What's there for you to cry about? You think you're still a little princess?" Every single word felt like a dagger in my heart. I grabbed a glass of water from the table and hurled it straight at him. "Get out! Get out of my house! Get the hell out!" Ethan stormed off, cursing under his breath. Right then, I made up my mind. As soon as Dad's sea burial was done, I would expose this cheating pair to the entire world.Honestly, I should have divorced him back when I had my miscarriage. If I had, I wouldn't have lost my other family member. When I first found out I was pregnant, Ethan and I were in the sweetest phase of our relationship. He came from a broken, impoverished family, so he was obsessed with having a baby. During those months, he wouldn't let me lift a finger, taking care of everything himself. At the time, my career was taking off, and there was an event venue I had to oversee in person. "Dad, please. Once today is over, I'll rest at home. Just cover for me with Ethan, okay?" Faced with my begging, Dad gave in and lied to Ethan, saying I was hanging out with friends. Nobody expected that ordinary business event to turn into a nightmare. A crazed woman showed up to confront her husband's mistress, splashing toxic cleaning chemicals and starting a violent brawl. The crowd surged into chaos. I was knocked to the hard floor, blood pooling beneath me. During the days I spent in the hospital bed, Ethan never showed up once. Staring at the pale white ceiling, I sobbed my eyes out, grieving for my baby and for myself. Dad looked like he aged ten years overnight, his cloudy eyes drowning in guilt. "It's my fault. If Ethan wants to blame someone, he should blame me." To "make it up" to Ethan, my aging father started attending elite networking dinners he had always despised, just to build connections and pave the road for his son-in-law. Because of that, some of his old academic peers mocked him behind his back, saying he had sold his dignity. Yet as Ethan's business flourished, he was still unsatisfied, and women began appearing around him. Chloe was Dad’s graduate student and Ethan’s junior from college. The first time I walked into Ethan's new office, she was curled up on his couch taking a nap, draped in his black dress shirt. The air was thick with her sweet, suffocating perfume. She didn't look guilty in the slightest. Instead, she sneered at me. "Ethan gave up on you a long time ago. Because you killed his only child!" "I heard you can't even get pregnant anymore. How do you have the nerve to come catch him? He's doing you a favor by not dumping your useless ass." My eyes burned, and my chest felt crushed, but back then, I didn't have the courage to walk away. Not until Dad died, and I saw the dashcam footage from Ethan's car. "Sir, is there anyone else inside the car?" "Hurry! Treat Chloe first! She's bleeding heavily!" Ethan sprinted toward the ambulance holding that fragile girl, completely forgetting that my father was still inside. Minutes ticked away. It was twenty minutes later when a paramedic's horrified shout came from outside. "There's an elderly man trapped in the back..." Tears flooded my face. I finally saw how foolish I had been all along. Was Ethan the only one in pain? Was I not in pain losing my child? Was Dad not in pain? It was an accident. What right did he have to make my dad and me pay with our entire lives? Who the hell did he think he was?!I collected Dad's ashes from the crematorium, planning to scatter them at sea today. When I returned to the house to pack a few keepsakes, Ethan and Chloe were already inside. Chloe was lounging carelessly on the sofa, twirling Dad's vintage collector's fountain pen in her fingers and flipping through his antique manuscripts. Rage flared inside me. "Don't touch his things! And give me back my keys!" Chloe instantly dropped the pen, acting like a frightened little bunny. "I'm sorry, Natalie... I thought it was Ethan's." Ethan immediately stepped in front of her, shielding her as if I were about to tear her apart. "Don't be scared, Chloe. It's just a pen. Hah, compared to what Professor George did, what does this even count for?" Then he barked orders at me. "Where is your dad? I have a few words for him." How ironic. Yesterday he was "Dad," and today he was "your dad." The fury inside me boiled over, but I forced myself to hold it together. I didn't want to make a scene today. "You pieces of trash don't deserve to mention his name. Get the hell out." Ethan scoffed, shoved past me, and began kicking open every bedroom door searching for him. Once he confirmed Dad wasn't home, he stormed back and glared down at me. "Do you have any idea what your precious father did? Yesterday at the university, he openly spread rumors that Chloe is a homewrecking mistress, and he even formally petitioned the board to expel her!" "Why is your whole family so fond of bullying people? He's a tenured professor, and he won't even let a helpless girl off the hook!" I was so shocked I nearly passed out. "What kind of garbage are you spewing?! You've known my dad since you were seventeen! You've been around him for ten years! Don't you know who he is? You dare insult him like this—aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?!" Ethan seemed to regain a sliver of composure, but he refused to back down. "It's a fact! I only found out when I saw Chloe's withdrawal application. Why would she lie with her own future on the line?" Hearing us talk about her, Chloe, who had been hiding in the corner, suddenly burst out emotionally. "I'm not lying! My roommates and professors can vouch for me!" "But I don't blame Professor George. It's my fault for being a bad driver and getting him into the crash. It's normal for him to hate me. But... I really can't handle everyone whispering and pointing fingers at me..." Before she could finish, she started sobbing pitifully. Ethan gently pulled her into his arms. "Don't blame yourself, Chloe. The crash was an accident." Then he glared at me with pure disgust. "Besides, I bet the professor isn't even mad about the crash. He's just backing up his jealous, vindictive daughter." Chloe wept, then meekly stepped in front of me. "How could you think that? Ethan and I have nothing between us. Natalie, please don't misunderstand, and please ask Professor George to stop targeting me." I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face. "Save the act for your idiot dog. Playing the victim in front of me makes me sick to my stomach." Chloe froze, clutching her cheek, her face flashing between pale and red. The very next second, a brutal slap struck my own face, knocking me hard onto the sofa. Ethan’s roar practically pierced my eardrums. "Your mother died early so no one taught you manners, Natalie! But the world doesn't revolve around you!" Holding my burning cheek, I glared at him and demanded, "Say it again. Do you really believe my dad did that?" He didn't even look at me. "I believe Chloe." I let out a cold laugh, the very last shred of hope in my heart dying out completely. "Fine. I'll call the Dean's office right now and ask." Chloe’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with terror."Stop it! You haven't made a big enough mess yet? You just want Chloe dragged through the mud, don't you?!" Ethan slapped the phone out of my hand. "You're just pissed because I haven't been coming home lately! If you have a problem, take it out on me! Don't let your dad pull these dirty tricks behind my back!" Supporting myself on the sofa, I slowly got to my feet. "You claim my dad slandered her. Do you have proof?" Expecting me to ask, Ethan sneered and unlocked his phone. I thought it would be surveillance footage or a formal email, but it was just a screenshot of a SnapChat group chat between Chloe and her roommates. "Did you hear? Chloe is sleeping with Ethan! Professor George found out and went ballistic." "Professor George already told the department heads. The board is discussing it right now. In a couple of days, her reputation will be trash." "Hahaha, she deserves it! Let's get popcorn." I cast a piercing look at Chloe. She shrank back for a second, then immediately glared back with fake defiance. It seemed she truly was getting dragged across campus lately. Guilty of being a side chick, she naturally assumed my dad or I had leaked it. So she fabricated this chat log and pinned the blame entirely on my father. Too bad for her—ever since she hooked her claws into Ethan, she hadn't stepped foot on campus. She had no idea Dad had already died. I swiped his phone away and turned to pick up the ceramic urn holding Dad’s ashes. "You call this garbage proof? All it proves is how despised she is. Tell her to reflect on her own disgusting behavior." With that, I turned to walk away. Time was running out, and I had no time to waste bickering with these two. "Stop right there!" Chloe screeched and grabbed my arm, her eyes flashing with malice. "My mom took out massive loans to send me to this city! You're not going to ruin my life!" Caught off guard, I lost my balance and crashed to the floor, instinctively curling my body to protect the urn. I failed. The ceramic shattered across the hardwood. Pale grey powder scattered under the bright sunlight. My head went blank. I crawled frantically toward the ashes, inch by inch. No... No! This was the last trace my father left in this world! "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make a mess on the floor!" The culprit apologized profusely, grabbed a broom, and briskly swept the ashes into the trash can. "I'll clean this dirty mess up right now!" I watched in horror as the powder vanished into the dustbin, a metallic taste of blood rising in my mouth. Ethan wrapped an arm around her shoulder tenderly. "You're too soft. She treats you like garbage and you're still apologizing? It's just a cheap vase. What's there to be sorry about?" "Don't say that, Ethan... Natalie hates me. Everything I do is wrong in her eyes." I couldn't take it anymore. I shoved both of them aside with all my strength and frantically dug into the trash can with my bare hands, pulling Dad's ashes out. The bin was full of disgusting garbage, tangled with my father's remains. I fell into complete despair. Clutching the tiny handful of clean ashes left, I curled into a ball on the floor, letting out a raw, animalistic howl of grief. Why? Why did they have to strip away the very last thing I had left of him? Why couldn't I even give my father a dignified funeral?! I sobbed until I could barely breathe. Only then did Ethan's voice soften with a hint of hesitation. "Is it really worth throwing a tantrum over an antique vase? How much was it? I'll pay your dad back!" "Forget it. Since he refuses to clear Chloe's name, I'll just call the Dean myself." Under Chloe's bewildered gaze, he dialed the Dean's office. "Is the Dean in? I need to speak with him." "Sorry, the Dean is out at the coast today attending Professor George's funeral." Ethan's pupils constricted. The phone slipped right through his fingers and crashed to the floor. "What... what did you say?!"