Too Late, Husband: Watch Me Shine

is mistress for a fake surgery. I had sacrificed

e twisted our deepest sh

t rid of our first baby,

y-a choice his cruelty had forced upon me. I found him at the hospital comforti

r in my favorite blanket on my sofa, while I

her meant I would always forgive

was a house of cards, and

pte

ise

savings. Not for an investment, not for charity we' d discussed, but for a manipulative young bartender named Campbe

My hands trembled, not with fear, but with a raw, consuming rage. "$250,000, Dawson?" My voice was a shaky whisper, then it g

t it was quickly replaced by that familiar, self-righteous pity he wore whenever Campbell's nam

n, Dawson? What about the condition of our marriage? Is that not critical to you

hair, avoiding my gaze. "You're overreact

down payment for our dream house! The money we put aside for our future, for our family

ke everything about money, Eloise. You've changed

ob, Dawson, to take a stable, lower-paying corporate role, so you could chase your startup dream! I was your financial bedrock, your emotional su

," he mumbled, s

ou, believed in you, while you poured our life savings into some conniving girl's sob story? Is

lint appearing. "Watch your tone,

calm. "I am not hysterical. I am furious. I am heartbroken. And

e. Maybe I'm just tired of your constant judgment. You're so pragmatic, so calculating. You wou

Dawson? What about our suffering? What about the suffering we went through

k about it then. Let's talk about how you just threw away our first chance at a family, back in colleg

replaced by a suffocating emptiness. That dark, unspoken secret, our deepest, most painful trauma, weaponized against

sted it into a weapon to shame me. The betrayal was so profound, so absolute, it eclipsed even the quarter-million dollars he'd gi

man. A new, terrifying secret bloomed in my mind, a chilling determination. I had just discovered I was pregnant again. A tiny, fragile life growing inside me, a second chance. But with Daws

te the escalating argument, stood frozen, their faces pale with shock. Their eyes darted between Dawson and me

hrough this, Eloise," he'd whispered, his voice thick with guilt and sorrow. "I'll always be here for you. We'll try again, when the time is right, when we're ready." He' d held me

like a stone. You were so quick to get rid of it. The words echoed, a cruel, mocking refrain. My stomach churned,

d regret, broke the silence. He took a hesitant step towa

ered, my voice hoarse.

, stepped forward. "Dawson, how

r, his expression grim. "Dude, that

t everything! It's just a loan, for charity!" He looked at Mark, pleading for

months, Dawson! The late nights, the canceled dates, the excuses! We all saw it,

a slow, insidious poison, seeping into the foundations of our marriage. It started with small favors, rides home, then late-night texts, then the "emergency funds"

ir heads close together, laughing. "Tech CEO Dawson Bowman and mysterious companion," the headline screamed. I'd confronted him, my heart a raw,

f what I thought was genuine remorse. "I swear it. I'll cut off

rs, colder nights. His patience for me evaporated, replaced by a brittle irritation. My questions were

uses had run out, the fortress had crumbled. There was nothing left but dust

ly steady, cutting through the tense silence.

elieving laugh escaping him. "Eloise, don't be ridiculous. You're just upset about the money, about Campbell. We'll work it out, like we always do. Y

fortress. He was about to learn it was