No Second Chances，Taking My Daughter and Leaving My Cheating Husband

As I was tucking my daughter into bed, she suddenly asked, "Mommy, why does Daddy call someone else 'baby'?" "Didn't he say that only you and I are his babies?" My hand froze in midair as I was pulling up her blanket. "Sweetheart, when did you hear that?" "Daddy was on the phone when he picked me up today.

I heard him call the person on the other end 'baby'." She added, "It wasn't Mommy's voice." My heart sank instantly.

My daughter rolled over and continued, "And Daddy said he was going to take that lady out tomorrow.

But didn't he promise to take me to the theme park?" I immediately opened my chat history with Liam.

At six o'clock this afternoon, he had sent me a message. "Something came up at the office. I have to go on an urgent business trip tonight.

We'll go to the theme park next weekend." I called him on FaceTime, but he hung up immediately. A second later, a text popped up: "Busy.

What's up?" I took a deep breath. "Who is she?" Liam replied almost instantly. "What are you talking about?

Who?" "Have you been watching those ridiculous relationship advice videos on TikTok again?" "Don't keep testing me like this.

You know how much I love you." I stared at the words on the screen, my fingers turning icy cold. He was still playing dumb.

He had said things like this countless times since we started dating.

Every time I doubted him, he would soothe me, saying I was the only one for him in this lifetime—past, present, and future.

He had said it so many times that he probably believed his own lies. "I see. Get back to work." I typed those words and tossed the phone onto the bed.

My daughter was already asleep, her tiny face buried in the pillow. Her long, curled eyelashes looked just like her father's.

I tucked her in, turned off the bedside lamp, and quietly stepped out of the room. Only a single floor lamp was lit in the living room.

I sat on the couch, hugging my knees, as my daughter's words played on a loop in my mind. I opened Snapchat and scrolled up through my chat history with Liam.

At 6:10 PM today, he sent that message saying he had an unexpected business trip and would take her to the park next week. The phrasing was exactly the same as always.

The tone was identical. I scrolled back to last month, the month before that—sudden business trips, lastminute overtime, weekend client meetings.

These excuses were everywhere in our chat history. And I had never once doubted him. Because I trusted him. He had fought tooth and nail with his family just to marry me.

After we got married, he didn't want me to stress over work, so he took on all the financial burdens himself.

When I gave birth to our daughter, he stood outside the delivery room for twelve grueling hours. After she was born, his hands shook as he held her.

He swore he would treat both of us like royalty for the rest of his life. I truly believed he loved me with all his heart. But in the end, he still cheated.

I didn't sleep at all that night. The streetlights cast a dim glow through the bedroom curtains. I lay on my side, staring at the silhouette of our wedding photo on the wall.

In the photo, Liam wore a crisp white shirt, his arm wrapped around my waist, his eyes crinkling with a brilliant smile. Back then, he had just moved out of his parents' house.

All his cards were frozen by his father, and he even had to borrow money from friends just for the apartment deposit.

He had dropped to one knee in that tiny rented apartment, holding a simple silver band, promising to give me the world. Over the years, he had kept that promise.

The house, the car, the savings—we had it all. But he had also built a home with another woman. When dawn broke, I sat up from the couch.

Looking at the gray morning sky outside the window, I made my decision.

My daughter stumbled out of her room, rubbing her sleepy eyes, her hair a messy bird's nest. "Mommy, are we still going to the theme park today?" I knelt down and smoothed her hair. "Yes.

Mommy is taking you." She immediately cheered and ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Watching her little back, my chest felt like it was being squeezed by a tight fist.

Since the day she was born, the time Liam spent with her could be counted on one hand. Birthdays, school plays, parentchild events—it was always just me. Lily never complained.

Occasionally, she would ask why Daddy couldn't make it. I would tell her he was busy, and she would just nod. Her maturity broke my heart.

Since it was the weekend, the theme park was packed. Lily held my hand tightly, heading straight for the carousel the moment we walked through the gates.

I bought a ticket, lifted her onto a horse, and stood outside the railing, watching her wave at me. After the carousel, she wanted to ride the bumper cars.

As I was standing in line after buying the tickets, she suddenly tugged on my shirt. "Mommy, look. It's Daddy."

My fingers tightened instantly. Following the direction of her tiny finger, I saw a tall man standing in the crowd. His profile was a silhouette I knew better than my own.

He was holding a little boy, about three or four years old, who was laughing with his arms wrapped around the man's neck. Beside him stood a woman.

She had long hair and wore a floral sundress. She was on her tiptoes, gently wiping ice cream from the little boy's chin. Liam turned his head and smiled warmly at her.

The blood drained from my face, leaving me cold from head to toe. "Mommy, why is Daddy holding another little boy?" Lily tugged at my hand again. "Who is that?" I didn't know how to answer.

My throat felt so tight that I couldn't squeeze out a single word.

Lily spoke again, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Does Daddy not love us anymore?" Those words felt like a physical blade plunging straight into my chest.

I knelt down, pulling Lily into a tight embrace, forcing my voice to sound as normal as possible. "No, sweetie. How could Daddy not love you?

You are his absolute favorite." The moment the words left my mouth, Lily's lower lip trembled. Then, she did something I never expected.

She let go of my hand and screamed toward the crowd. "Daddy!" Her voice was sharp and loud. Liam whipped his head around.

The moment he saw us, his arms instinctively loosened, and the little boy almost slipped from his grip.

The woman beside him quickly caught the child, following his panicked gaze to us. She was young—much younger than I had imagined.

Probably around twentyfive or twentysix, wearing light makeup, with soft, delicate features.

When she saw me, she froze for a second, and then her expression slowly shifted into something cold and calculating.

Liam took two large strides toward me, but he was immediately grabbed by the arm by the woman. She held onto him tightly.

She looked up at Liam and whispered something I couldn't hear. Liam's face grew even paler, his lips pressed into a tight line. He stood rooted to the spot.

The woman let go of his arm, turned, and walked straight toward me. She stopped two steps away, sizing me up from head to toe. "You must be his wife." I pulled Lily behind me.

Lily held onto my leg, peeking out with wide, confused eyes. "Tell Liam to stop hiding it," the woman said, gesturing toward him with her chin. "You were bound to find out sooner or later anyway." Liam rushed over and reached out to pull her back, but she shook him off. "Elena, right?

I'm Chloe. Since we ran into each other today, let's just lay it all out." She looked me dead in the eye, speaking calmly. "That child is Liam's and mine. He's three and a half.

We've been together for a long time." The theme park was filled with the happy screams of children, but to me, the world had gone completely silent.

Chloe continued, "I know this is hard for you to accept, but it is what it is." "He's not happy with you. He's only happy when he's with me.

If you're smart, you won't drag this out.

Letting him go is best for everyone." She spoke with a bizarre sense of sincerity, as if she were offering me a perfectly reasonable piece of advice. I looked down at my daughter.

She was clinging to my leg, her eyes brimming with tears. But she didn't cry out loud. She just stared up at me, her little lips trembling.

I took a deep, steadying breath and scooped Lily up into my arms. She immediately buried her face in the crook of my neck, wrapping her arms tightly around me.

I looked at Chloe and spoke clearly, "I don't want him either." Chloe's eyebrows shot up in surprise. I turned my gaze to Liam.

He was standing just two yards away, his face ghostly pale. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something.

The little boy in the yellow shirt ran over, hugging his leg and calling him "Daddy." He looked down at the boy, then looked back at me. "Liam, we're getting a divorce.

The house, the car, and the savings—they all go to me. Do you have an issue with that?"

His pupils dilated in shock. He stared at me for a long time, unable to utter a word. Holding my daughter, I turned and walked away.

Lily rested her head on my shoulder, looking back at Liam over my shoulder. She whispered, "Mommy, Daddy looks like he's crying." I didn't look back.

During the fortyminute drive from the theme park back to our place, Lily sat in her car seat, uncharacteristically quiet. I watched her through the rearview mirror.

Her head was down, her tiny hands twisting together. I pulled into the underground garage of our apartment building, turned off the engine, and unbuckled my seatbelt.

The car was silent for about ten seconds before Lily spoke from the back. "Mommy, I don't want Daddy anymore." Her voice was incredibly soft. I turned around to face her.

She looked up. "Why don't you want Daddy anymore?" "Because Daddy makes Mommy sad." She paused, thinking. "And Daddy has another baby.

He's a bad boy." I reached into the back seat and pulled her into my arms.

Her little hand patted my back, just like I did when I rocked her to sleep. "Don't cry, Mommy." I wiped my face, only to realize I was completely covered in tears.

Once we got home, I changed Lily out of her dress, gave her a quick bath, and tucked her into bed with some cartoons playing. Then, I started packing.

I flung my suitcase open on the master bedroom floor, grabbing clothes from the closet by the armful and throwing them inside.

Less than twenty minutes later, I heard the sound of keys rattling in the front door.

When Liam pushed the door open, I was kneeling in the living room, stuffing Lily's clothes and water bottle into her backpack.

He stood in the entryway, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead.

It looked like he had run all the way up from the garage. "Don't leave," he gasped, taking a step forward.

I stood up and looked at him coldly. "It's not what you think." His voice was hoarse. "That night... I was out entertaining clients. I drank way too much.

I don't even remember what happened. When I woke up, she was just there." "I was so panicked. I didn't know how to face you. At first, she said she only wanted money.

But then she found out she was pregnant. She refused to get an abortion and had the baby.

Then she came to me and said if I didn't take responsibility, she would tell you everything." He spoke faster and faster, desperate to explain. "She demanded that I divorce you, that I spend time with her, that I be at her beck and call—otherwise, she'd ruin us.

I was terrified you'd find out. I was terrified you'd leave me. That's why I gave her whatever she wanted.

I swear, I only did it because I couldn't lose you." I looked him dead in the eye. "Liam, you weren't afraid of losing me. You were just too greedy to let go of either of us.

It's called cheating." Liam shook his head violently, looking as if he had been struck. "No, never.

You're the only one I've ever loved." "So, you didn't love her, but you still had a child with her and played happy family with her for over three years?" I actually laughed. "Your love is incredibly cheap." Lily, who had been quiet in the bedroom, suddenly ran out.

She hugged my leg and glared at Liam. "Stop bullying my mommy!" Liam flinched, visibly shaken. He knelt down, reaching a hand out toward her. "Lily, Daddy isn't bullying Mommy.

We're just talking." Lily took a step back, hiding her face behind my leg. His hand froze in midair. I scooped Lily up and picked up the suitcase. "Get out of my way."