She Wanted Me Broken, I Broke Her World

The night before my engagement, my girlfriend Chloe's mother, Eleanor, and her cousin, Sophia, demanded that I undergo a simulated labor experience. They claimed it was a mandatory step for any man marrying into the Jenkins family. To marry Chloe, I readily agreed. I endured a three-hour labor simulation. From level eight agony to level ten nausea and vomiting, all the way to level twelve shortness of breath. I pleaded with Chloe to stop, but she coldly refused, saying if I couldn't even handle this, I didn't truly love her. It wasn't until I developed lasting side effects from the excessive electric stimulation that Chloe reluctantly conceded, agreeing to proceed with the engagement. I was overjoyed to the point of tears. If she hadn't agreed, how could I possibly continue with my plan? When I was wheeled out of the emergency room, Chloe, tears streaming down her face, rushed forward and clutched my hand. "Ethan, so you really love me this much! I'm so touched. Let's get engaged tomorrow, okay?" In her expectant gaze, I nodded solemnly. Having received a satisfactory answer, Chloe completely ignored me, fresh out of surgery, and happily hummed a tune as she left. She left me alone to be wheeled back to my room by the nurse. In her words, the engagement party was just a dress rehearsal for the wedding. She couldn't let her guard down. As I lay pale, my wound throbbing. Chloe's voice messages bombarded my phone, each one more demanding than the last, like she was hounding me to death. My hands trembling from the pain, I struggled to pick up my phone. Before I could reply, Chloe's FaceTime call came through. The moment I answered, a barrage of questions hit me. "Ethan, why aren't you replying to my messages? Don't you love me anymore?" "I…" The moment I opened my mouth, large beads of sweat ran down my forehead. But Chloe, on the phone, seemed oblivious. "Ethan!" Her sharp accusation sent a chill through me. "Why aren't you speaking? Are you guilty about something?" "Ethan, talk! Say something!" "Chloe, please calm down." "I can't calm down! I've been stressing myself sick over our engagement, and not only are you not helping, you're discouraging me!" "Ethan, do you even have a heart?" At that, a pang hit my chest. For Chloe, I'd not only bared my soul but almost lost my life. And now she was saying I had no heart. "Chloe, look where I am right now." There was a moment of silence on the other end. "Ethan, it's just a surgery, do you have to be so dramatic?" "You're a grown man, why are you so whiny and petty?" But Chloe forgot, if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have needed this surgery in the first place. Yesterday, I accompanied Chloe to visit her cousin, Sophia, at the maternity clinic after she'd just given birth. As Sophia was complaining bitterly about the difficulties of childbirth, Chloe's mother, my future mother-in-law Eleanor, had an idea. After whispering a few words to Sophia, she spoke to me solemnly. As a man marrying into the Jenkins family, I needed to experience labor pain before the engagement. The reason? To understand the hardships his future wife would endure for him. No matter how high-minded their justifications, I knew. This rule was only for me. But I loved Chloe, and I understood the pain childbirth brought to a woman. So, I readily agreed. I got onto the operating table out of respect for women, but I never expected. The next three hours would be the most excruciating of my life. When the pain reached level eight, I instinctively began to struggle. Chloe brutally held my hand down, telling me to endure. When the pain hit level ten, my stomach churned, and I couldn't stop throwing up. Chloe shrieked and jumped away from me, cleaning off the mess on her clothes, her eyes full of disgust. At level twelve, I distinctly felt my breathing constrict. I reached out to Chloe for help, begging her to stop. But she looked at me, teetering on the edge of collapse, and snorted coldly. "Ethan, if you truly love me, you'll endure." After saying that, she even added another half-hour to the experience. When the experience ended, I collapsed off the bed.The intense abdominal pain made me instinctively reach out to Chloe. Begging her to take me to the hospital. She squeezed my hand and assured me. I was fine, just 'over-pained'. It wasn't until my consciousness faded, and I couldn't respond to Chloe's frantic shouts, that Eleanor realized something was seriously wrong and called 911. When I regained consciousness, it was to the doctor's somber tone. My small intestine had necrosed due to excessive electric stimulation and had to be surgically removed. At the same time, I had also lost my fertility. Hearing this, I clenched my fists and pleaded with the doctor not to reveal this information to anyone outside. The doctor expressed understanding. "Ethan, tomorrow morning at 8 AM, at the Grandview Hotel." "If you're not there on time, we're over!" The dial tone snapped me back to reality. Before I was discharged from the OR, Chloe had confirmed with the doctor. That by 8 AM tomorrow, the anesthesia might not have fully worn off. She was intentionally trying to keep me from going, so she could break up with me smoothly. And then she could turn around and blame me. Saying I skipped the engagement party and humiliated her. Chloe had brought me to this point, how could I let her get what she wanted? The next day at 8 AM, Chloe was visibly surprised by my punctual arrival. "Ethan, you... came?" I smiled, walked over, took Chloe's hand, and said softly, "It's our engagement party, how could I not be here?" Then, still holding Chloe's hand, I walked up to Eleanor and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Eleanor, for agreeing to let Chloe marry me." Eleanor offered a forced smile. "You passed our Jenkins family's evaluation, so of course, I would agree." No sooner had Eleanor finished speaking than a meddling relative chimed in. "Chloe, you're so lucky to have found such a considerate man." "Exactly! Anyone who knows you'd think he cherishes our Chloe; otherwise, they'd think Ethan couldn't find a wife and latched onto her." "Haha, an orphan like Ethan, finding a girlfriend like our Chloe, he must be desperate to cling to her." "Still," The relative deliberately glanced at me, then lowered his voice. Yet his words still echoed throughout the private room. "What do you think Chloe sees in Ethan?" "No need to ask, he's handsome!" "So, he's just a pretty face." Suddenly, the entire room erupted in laughter. Out of the corner of my eye, Chloe looked completely unconcerned, even a little smug. I stood up and glared fiercely at the gossiping relatives. "Thank you for your kind words, relatives, but..." I deliberately let my gaze fall on Chloe, making her, who was enjoying the show, involuntarily sit up straight. She tugged at my sleeve, signaling me to sit down quickly. Seeing I didn't move, she anxiously stood up and whispered a threat in my ear. "Ethan, don't make a scene. Sit down. Otherwise, don't blame me if I cut you off completely." Even at this moment, Chloe still thought she had me wrapped around her finger. Any last trace of love I had for Chloe vanished at that moment. I smoothly put my arm around her shoulder and announced to everyone. "The reason we're getting engaged is because Chloe is pregnant."Chloe violently shook me off, yelling angrily. "Ethan, what are you talking about?" I shrugged and sat down casually. Chloe was using anger to mask her fear; the pregnancy was real. But whose child it was, Chloe probably didn't even know herself. No matter how Chloe tried to explain, the relatives' eyes subconsciously darted to her abdomen. Some also understood why Chloe had insisted on the labor simulation: the root of the problem was right here. It was the spoiled Miss Jenkins's resentment and revenge. "Ethan." Eleanor bypassed Chloe and walked up to me. The moment I looked up, a sharp slap landed squarely on my face. Eleanor clutched her chest, looking utterly devastated. "No wonder you refused to give my family the 1.88 million dollars. You were trying to use this to manipulate us!" It seemed my future mother-in-law was much smarter than Chloe. She knew how to turn a defensive situation into an offensive one. Originally, everyone present was Chloe's relatives. As soon as Eleanor said that, people quickly agreed. "Ethan, do you think our Jenkins family is easy to bully?" "A girl getting pregnant before marriage isn't something to be ashamed of; don't try to get any wrong ideas." "Exactly, Chloe, don't be afraid. If Ethan dares to use this to control you, just dump him." "Kick him to the curb and raise the baby yourself!" "Worst case, just abort the baby, and go your separate ways." "Good idea!" I clapped and stood up, but Chloe's face was chalk-white. "No!" Chloe's fingers, clutching her phone, turned white. She intimately linked her arm through mine and apologized to everyone. "I just spoke to the doctor; Ethan's anesthesia hasn't worn off yet, he's still disoriented." Eleanor, who thought her plan was working, was about to say something else, but Chloe's frantic blinking made her reluctantly close her mouth. The engagement party ended abruptly in chaos. Chloe, feigning concern for my condition, personally drove me back to the hospital. "The patient is still not out of danger; how could you take him away without authorization?" Facing the doctor's questions, Chloe uncharacteristically apologized profusely. But the moment the hospital room door closed, Chloe hurled the phone at me. "Ethan, you've grown quite bold, daring to threaten me with company matters!" On the phone, a colleague from the company was reporting to Chloe. The 'Meet' project had run into a minor issue. And I had been in charge of this project. Just as the Jenkins relatives had said, I was an orphan, and a recipient of the Jenkins family's sponsorship. So, as soon as I graduated, I joined Jenkins Corp. with the intention of repaying their kindness. And through my own capabilities, I rose from a sales associate to the Head of Sales. But in Chloe's eyes, all my hard work was just her benevolence. The 1.88 million dollars Eleanor demanded was exactly the sum of my salary from Jenkins Corp. over the past few years. They wanted to use this to tell me that everything I had belonged to Jenkins Corp. And that I should be completely subservient to them. "Ethan!" Chloe grabbed my chin, raising an eyebrow at me. "Behave, and I'll let you be a part of the Jenkins family; otherwise," She flung my face away. "I wouldn't mind making you a pariah, someone everyone despises." "I understand!" My submissive tone seemed to satisfy Chloe. Watching Chloe walk away proudly, I couldn't help but sneer. Chloe would never understand that it wasn't I who couldn't leave the Jenkins family; it was the Jenkins family that couldn't leave me.Three years ago, from the moment Chloe and I officially started dating, most of Jenkins Corp.'s orders came from a single, mysterious company. And the person behind that company was me. I had planned to tell Chloe this good news after our official engagement. To let her know she hadn't misjudged me. That I, Ethan, was someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her, Chloe. If she was willing, I would even use this company to elevate her to the position of CEO of Jenkins Corp. To fulfill her long-cherished dream. But now, it seemed it was all wishful thinking on my part. To Chloe, I was just a useful tool. Once a more useful tool appeared, I would be discarded. With my intervention, the 'Meet' project was successfully signed. At the celebration party, Chloe, like a proud peacock, walked into the venue arm-in-arm with me. After scanning the crowd, Chloe abruptly released my arm. It seemed that other man was here today too. I was very curious to know who this man was that made Chloe so crazy. Trying every trick in the book to get rid of me. But I had done a lot for Jenkins Corp., and I also knew about quite a few of their scandals. This forced Chloe not to break up with me openly, but to use various means to push me away. Everyone has a rebellious streak, especially after falling out of love with a woman. Moreover, I was also curious. Curious who my rival was, and if he was worth my time to teach a lesson. "Ethan, remember, in a work setting, we only have a professional relationship." Chloe was eager to distance herself from me, afraid I'd interfere with her romantic escapade. But wouldn't such an obvious attempt to cover things up only arouse more suspicion? Everyone in our circle knew Chloe and I were engaged. It seemed this man wasn't from this city. "Ethan, remember your position: Head of Sales at Jenkins Corp." "Ms. Jenkins, don't worry, I won't bother you." Chloe caught the implication in my words and sneered. "Ethan, at least you're sensible. Don't worry, the position of Jenkins family husband is still yours." "Oh! Then I should thank Miss Jenkins." Chloe casually took a glass of wine from a waiter and walked alluringly to the other side of the ballroom. My view, following Chloe, was blocked. It was Chloe's newly hired assistant, David. "Mr. Ethan, I'd like to propose a toast to you." Ignoring my displeasure, David forced the glass into my hand. Chloe finally couldn't wait any longer; she'd pulled out her trump card. I downed the bubbling red wine in my hand. The drug quickly took effect, and I conveniently slumped against David. David frantically called out to Ms. Jenkins, and at Chloe's signal, he helped me to a private lounge. Soon, warm breath enveloped me. My tie was pulled off my neck. One by one, my buttons were undone. I abruptly opened my eyes and firmly grasped the hand of the person in front of me. "David, you'd go this far for money?" David, already half-naked, looked panicked.