Why I Cheered When My Husband Cheated

Chapter 12

When the police burst in, Hank collapsed onto my lap, crying uncontrollably. He wasn't indifferent to the deaths of Selena's sister and Lily. In fact, the weight of those two lives crushed him. That's why he chose to run, he couldn't face the guilt. He never gave Selena's sister the money because he had already poured all his funds into his father's company, and he was too afraid to tell me the truth. He feared that if I found out, I'd leave him.

Hank had been living with such a heavy burden. He didn't think he had the ability to carry the family business, yet everyone had placed their hopes on him. He didn't know how to support the company, so he had no choice but to marry me, banking on my father's connections and my own talents. But Hank had never considered putting in the hard work to build his own future.

There are thousands of finance graduates each year, but how many actually have the talent to succeed? Most of them spend endless days buried in books, gaining knowledge and experience. Hank didn't. After college, he felt like his life was tied down, so he chose to indulge himself. To be honest, I looked down on him for his lack of ambition and weakness. Unfortunately, I only realized this too late.

When I agreed to write a letter of forgiveness for Hank, Selena snapped, her voice full of fury.

"Why? Why would you let a scumbag like him off the hook?"

I paused, thinking it over. Then, I spoke from my heart.

"Ask yourself: In what happened between your sister and Hank, is he entirely to blame?"

The child was born without Hank's knowledge, right? When your sister chose to keep the baby, she didn't consider the consequences. When things went wrong, she turned to Hank, but did she think about the trouble it might cause him?

"If she had told Hank about the baby before you two got married, maybe none of this would've happened. But she didn't."

I knew my words were harsh, but Lily's suffering wasn't entirely Hank's fault. Your sister played a part too. It was her actions that led to her own pain, not just Hank's.

"I'm different from you," I added softly. "In my view, your need for revenge is driven by anger. You're punishing yourself for other people's mistakes."

"I just want to find peace with myself, not live my life through others' wrongdoings. I want to follow my own heart."

After some silence, Selena seemed to realize I wasn't going to change my stance. Eventually, she agreed and wrote her own letter of forgiveness for Hank.

Hank was sentenced to six months in prison with a 10-month probation period. He was granted bail but chose not to take it, deciding instead to serve his time and reflect on his actions. As for his father's company, Hank chose to walk away. He finally understood that he couldn't keep relying on others, if he wanted to rise, he had to do it on his own.

After the divorce, I held the certificate in my hands, feeling a mix of helplessness and resignation. I thought it would've been easier to get a divorce if Hank had just cheated on me. I never expected it to spiral into all of this, with him ending up in prison. But deep down, I didn't regret it. Even if I hadn't pushed for a divorce, Hank would've had to face the consequences eventually.

Everything happens for a reason, and I just wanted to live for myself, to find peace, not to be dragged down by other people's mistakes.

The End