No More Miracle Babies: I’m Ruining My Cheating Husband

After giving birth, I was paralyzed. I couldn't do simple things like lying on my side, rolling over, or sitting up. The medical term for my condition is "Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction." Under my husband's cold, disgusted gaze, I fell into a deep depression. In the middle of the night, I wanted him to wheel me to the bathroom. He just rolled over and muttered, "You're so annoying. Why don't you just die? Why are you still alive, ruining my life?" My tears soaked the pillow as I ended up wetting the bed. The next day, I grabbed a paring knife from the bedside table and ended my short, miserable life. If I had a second chance, I would never marry him, and I would never choose to be a mother. Perhaps God heard my cries. After I died, I didn't go to heaven. Instead, I woke up right back at the beginning of my pregnancy. …… "Honey, I’m so lucky to have you. You’re our family’s biggest hero now. Do you think it’s a boy or a girl? Will they look more like you or me?" Zach squatted on the floor, pressing his ear against my belly. His voice was filled with the pure joy of a first-time father. He looked up at me, his eyes shining with a bright, brilliant smile. The scene felt incredibly disgusting. "I don't want this baby," I said. Zach's smile vanished instantly. "You don't want it? Why? We worked so hard to get pregnant. How can you just say you don't want it?" He stood up abruptly, his hand knocking over the water glass on the nightstand. Without even bothering to clean up the mess, he glared at me. "Say something! Why? It took us forever to finally have a baby. Why don't you want them?" *Took us forever?* He was the one with severe male infertility. This baby only existed because of the countless injections I took and the agonizing surgeries I endured. The toll of IVF was far worse than I had ever imagined, and I had been terrified. Back then, I had suggested we live child-free. But he had said, "Chloe, my parents worked so hard to raise me. Their biggest dream is to have a grandchild. I can't disappoint them. Besides, you love kids too, don't you? I know you're suffering right now, but please, just bear with it. We've come so far. Once the baby is born, I promise you won't have to suffer another day. I swear I'll treat you and our baby like royalty for the rest of my life." So, I went through several more egg retrievals. The repeated hormone cycles accelerated my ovarian failure. On top of the physical agony, the psychological pressure was suffocating. I became irritable, anxious, and plagued by insomnia. I would scream at Zach over the tiniest things. And after every outburst, I would hate myself for being so hysterical. I wasn't supposed to be this person. Whenever that happened, Zach would play the understanding saint and comfort me. "Don't feel guilty. I don't blame you." But he was the last person on earth who had the right to blame me. Looking at the man who was now on the verge of losing his mind, I asked him one question. "If I end up paralyzed because of this pregnancy, will you still love me and treat me the same?" He froze. Then, he rubbed his forehead, paced around the room twice, and let out a relieved laugh. "Is that what you're worried about?" "Of course I will!" "Have you been reading those toxic relationship posts online again? That's just scaremongering. I've never heard of anyone getting paralyzed from giving birth. Don't be so anxious. This is just something every woman goes through. My mom was up and working in the garden the day after she had me, and she's healthier than I am today." I didn't want to hear his babbling, so I repeated my question. "If I end up paralyzed because of this pregnancy, will you still love me and treat me the same?"He raised his hand and made a solemn vow. "I, Zach Carter, swear that if Chloe becomes paralyzed from giving birth and I ever mistreat or abandon her, may I get run over by a truck, choke to death on water, and suffocate on my own spit!" After swearing, he grinned and grabbed my hand. "Are you satisfied now, my beautiful wife? Come here, let me hold you. You scared the life out of me. I thought you really didn't want our baby." I pushed his hands away. "Then go tell everyone right now that the reason we couldn't have kids all these years wasn't my fault. Tell them you're the infertile one." "No way!" he refused instantly, without a second thought. "I'm a man! If everyone finds out I'm the one with the issue, what happens to my reputation?" "So you'd rather let me carry the blame and take the abuse all these years?" He grew impatient. "Men and women are different! I'm the provider, the only son of the Carter family. If our relatives and friends find out about this, how are my parents supposed to show their faces in public? How would I face my ancestors?" Right. I forgot I married the heir to a non-existent family legacy. "What is wrong with you today? This is supposed to be a happy day, and you're just trying to ruin it." He wasn't wrong. Today was indeed a happy day. Because today, I was reborn. Furious, he slammed the door and stormed out, shouting, "You're being completely unreasonable! I can't deal with you. I'm calling your parents!" A few minutes later, he posted my positive pregnancy test on Snapchat. Caption: *Thank God, our little miracle is finally on the way.* Image: *The ultrasound report.* Soon, my mom called. "Chloe, sweetie, Zach told me you don't want the baby. What's going on? You two have been married for so long, and it was so hard to finally—" My mind was in a haze. I couldn't even process what my mom was saying. My parents had always treated Zach like their own son. In my past life, when I first became paralyzed, Zach had sworn he would care for me forever. Under the guise of paying for my medical treatments, he conned $100,000 out of my parents—their entire life savings. Shortly after, my dad was diagnosed with cancer. With no money left for treatment, he died in agonizing pain. My mom, utterly broken and exhausted from trying to raise money, fell into a river in a daze and drowned. It was on that very night that I lost all hope and ended my life. But thank God, there was still time to change everything. "Mom, stop talking about the baby. Take Dad to the hospital for a full physical check-up right now!" Right now, the cancer would still be in its early stages. It could be cured with a simple surgery. I immediately drove over to my parents' house. Ignoring their bewildered expressions, I dragged them straight to the hospital. My mom was perfectly healthy. My dad was diagnosed with high blood pressure and early-stage colorectal cancer. My mom gasped in relief, clutching her chest. "Thank God we caught it early. It's all thanks to you, Chloe. But wait... how did you know your dad had cancer?" I sat them down and told them everything that had happened to me in my past life, from beginning to end. My dad slapped his thigh in fury. "That bastard Zach! He acted so noble and generous in front of us, but he was the infertile one all along! He hid it from us for years, and then after you got paralyzed... Oh, my poor Chloe, you suffered so much!" Tears welled up in my parents' eyes. I had half-expected them to think I had lost my mind. But my mom just held my hand tightly, her heart breaking for me. "We are absolutely not keeping this baby. Let's schedule an abortion. I don't care if we never have grandkids. I won't let my daughter go through that kind of hell." "Exactly," my dad agreed, wiping a tear. "I have my pension. I can support you! Even when we're gone, your brother Lucas will protect you."My younger brother, Lucas, was the only person besides my parents who loved me unconditionally. In my past life, when he found out I was paralyzed, he had beaten Zach to a pulp. He had told me, "If that jerk doesn't treat you right, divorce him. I'll take care of you for the rest of my life." Tragically, Lucas had worked himself to death. To pay for the $50,000 down payment and wedding expenses demanded by his girlfriend's family, he worked consecutive night shifts and suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at his desk. His girlfriend, Amelia, fell into severe depression. On her way to visit his grave, she drove into a landslide. The rescue team said she could have easily driven away to safety, but she had sat there, completely still, as if waiting for death. When they finally cleared the debris, they found a bottle of poison and a suicide note in Amelia’s car. She had planned to take her own life at Lucas's grave all along. Only then did I realize that some people truly would die for love. This time, I would never let death tear them apart. When I got back home, Zach was sitting on the couch working on his laptop. I walked over quietly and wrapped my arms affectionately around his neck. To be honest, in that exact moment, I wanted to choke him to death. Zach shrugged me off with a huff. "Hmph." So disgusting. I had to endure it. "Don't be mad. You know pregnant women get mood swings. My parents already scolded me. Are you really going to be mean to your pregnant wife?" I pressed his hand against my stomach, my voice dripping with sweetness. "Stop being angry, okay? If you keep acting like this, I'm going to ignore you." Zach’s tone softened. "I swear, I don't know what to do with you. Do you know how hurt I was when you said those things today? How could you be so cruel to say you didn't want our child? If our son heard you, he'd be devastated. When he's born, I'm definitely going to tell him he owes his life to his dad." I looked down, hiding the burning hatred in my eyes. "I was wrong... Please forgive me." When I looked up again, my eyes were glistening with tears. Heartbroken, Zach wiped the tears from my face and pulled me into his arms. "I forgive you this time. But don't you dare say those things again. You know how much I love you. I just lost my temper today because I was so shocked." He cupped my face, his eyes filled with lust. My stomach churned, and I dry-heaved. He gently patted my back, all romantic tension instantly vanishing. Once I calmed down, I touched my still-flat stomach. "Actually, there is something I need your help with." "Go on. Since you're carrying the next generation of the Carter family, I'll do whatever I can." "I went to see my parents today. They said Lucas is getting married, but they're still short on the down payment and wedding costs. They wanted to borrow some money from us. I figured we're all family, so there's no need to call it a 'loan.' I just agreed to give it to them." Zach shrugged casually. "Oh, that's fine. How much do they need? I'll transfer it to you." "$120,000." Zach froze. The casualness vanished, replaced by a suppressed, irritated tone. "That much? Are you sure your brother isn't getting scammed? And that is not 'a little.' My money doesn't grow on trees, Chloe." I pretended to be angry, my brow furrowing deeply. "I knew it. You don't love me." I stood up, stormed into the bedroom, slammed the door, and began to sob loudly. "I already promised my parents! If you don't give me the money, how am I supposed to face them? You jerk! I'm ignoring you! I'm going to the clinic tomorrow to get rid of this baby!" Inside the room, I started throwing and smashing random things to make a scene. Zach’s annual salary was well over $150,000. He had money, but he was incredibly cheap. Or rather, he just felt I wasn't worth spending money on. This time, I was going to bleed him dry. "Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're pregnant!" "Sigh... fine, I promise you! Just don't hurt the baby!"