After My Husband Cheated, I Fell for My Younger Trainer Chapter 04
Did Ethan love me?
I supposed he had, once.
When we were newly married, he remembered my birthday.
He would spend hours fumbling around in the kitchen after work, trying to make me a birthday dinner himself.
He would hold my hand while we shopped, pick up a red dress, and say, “Erin, try this on. You’ll look beautiful in it.”
At dinners with friends, he would peel shrimp while talking and place them on my plate.
Every so often, he would glance over at me and say, “Make sure you eat. Stop staring at your phone.”
Yet that same man eventually became someone who could not even give me the most basic fidelity a marriage required.
Over the past six months, my weight had dropped from 121 pounds to 101.
All he said was, “Have you been dieting?”
When someone no longer cared about you, even seeing you on the verge of falling apart would only make them think you were being dramatic.
Once Ethan realized I had stopped arguing with him, he became even more open about what he was doing.
He started bringing Lily into our mutual social circle.
The night of a dinner with friends, I entered the restaurant’s private dining room and immediately saw Lily sitting beside him.
She wore a white dress, her long hair falling over her shoulders.
The moment she saw me, she stood and said softly, “Hello, Mrs. Walker.”
Everyone around the table immediately stopped talking.
Ethan offered no explanation.
He leaned back in his chair and watched me as though he were waiting for me to lose control.
I set down my bag, took the seat across from him, and smiled.
“Oh, Lily. It’s been a while.”
Ethan looked momentarily stunned.
Lily bit her lip and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Mrs. Walker, please don’t misunderstand. I only came along with Ethan tonight.”
I lifted my wineglass.
“That’s good. Young employees should take every chance they get to learn.”
I studied Lily.
She was carrying a designer bag from a luxury brand.
It was the exact model Ethan had purchased through the personal shopper.
The bracelet around her wrist had come from the same jewelry store listed on his bank statement.
I had looked through all their designs, trying to guess which one Ethan might have chosen.
I had guessed correctly.
It was exactly what he would have chosen.
Our friend Daniel tried to ease the tension.
“Erin, are you okay?”
I smiled at him.
“Why wouldn’t I be? Ethan brought a young employee to a private dinner. He certainly takes very good care of her.”
Ethan did not look pleased.
He wanted to see me completely lose control.
He wanted proof that I still cared about him.
But making a scene took too much energy.
My health was already poor, and I no longer had the strength to argue with either of them.
When the food arrived, Ethan casually picked up a shrimp from the plate in front of him and began peeling it.
He glanced at me, then placed it on Lily’s plate.
The table fell silent for a moment.
Lily looked at me too, her eyes turning slightly red.
I showed no reaction and put a piece of beef in my mouth.
Kyle reminded me every day to eat real meals and get enough protein.
After swallowing, I continued chatting with the friend beside me and ignored the two of them.
Lily did not dare touch the shrimp on her plate.
Ethan turned to her and said, “Make sure you eat.”
A dull ache still twisted through me.
There really was nothing left in this marriage worth holding on to.
After we got home, Ethan suddenly said, “You were very gracious tonight.”
I kept taking off my shoes.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
He stared at me.
“Erin, stop talking to me in that tone.”
I looked up at him.
“Then what did you expect me to do? Throw my wine in her face or slap you in front of everyone?”
He had no answer.
I walked into the bedroom. Before closing the door, I added, “Ethan, don’t flatter yourself.”
Soon afterward, Lily began posting photos on social media.
Pictures taken from the passenger seat of a car.
A man’s wristwatch.
Expensive dinners for two.
Her caption read:
[When someone spoils me, I don’t have to be strong all the time.]
A mutual friend sent me screenshots with a cautious message.
[Erin, are you okay?]
I looked through every photo before replying:
[Her photography could use some work.]
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror for a long time.
It was not because I still loved him.
It was because everyone around us could already see that something was wrong with our marriage.
The next day, my father called me.
“I heard from Greg that Ethan has been getting very close to a young female employee.”
Greg was Ethan’s boss and one of the important professional connections my father had introduced to him.
“Dad, I finally understand why you and Mom told me not to rush into having children. I want a divorce.”
“You’ve always been stubborn. No matter how many times people warned you, you had to learn things the hard way. But it’s not too late. Come home.”
A friend recommended a divorce attorney.
I met with the attorney after work and did not return home until later that evening.
To my surprise, Ethan was already there.
It was only eight. What a miracle.
No matter what I did that night, he kept watching me.
He did not even call Lily.
He was getting on my nerves.
Finally, I could not take it anymore.
“Aren’t you going out on a date? Since you’re free, we should discuss the divorce.”
He actually laughed.
“Erin, that’s a pathetic joke. Fine. I’ll spend more time with you from now on.”
“Ethan, I’m being completely serious. I want a divorce.”
Ethan looked into my calm eyes, and the smile slowly disappeared from his face.
He finally seemed to understand that I meant it.
Right in front of him, I called my father again.
“Dad, stop using your connections to keep those clients working with Ethan.”
