Love Will Expire

Angelo narrowed his eyes. "When your dad cheated, he brought his mistress to your mom's doorstep and demanded a divorce. I'd never do that to you. What's so hard to accept? You will always be Mrs. Harmon. Think it over."

He grabbed his coat and stormed out, slamming the door shut.

I stared at the red marks on my wrist, tears finally spilling over.

When I was 18, my dad, the perfect husband in everyone's eyes, cheated. His mistress showed up pregnant, demanding my mom step aside.

My dad, who used to adore my mom, stood by his mistress, looking at my mom with nothing but contempt.

The shock broke her, but she refused to divorce, insisting that as long as she was his wife, the other woman would remain a mistress and her child illegitimate.

My dad and his mistress kept causing scenes, but my mom held her ground.

Our once-happy family was reduced to a laughingstock. That drama dragged on for two years until the court finally settled it.

I stopped believing in love, having witnessed the deepest love turned into hatred.

I held onto that belief until Angelo showed up.

We were each other's first love. He said the day we met in college, my smile stuck with him.

For four years, he chased me. No matter how many girls flirted with him, he only had eyes for me. At first, I brushed him off, but he never gave up.

One night, I was walking back from my part-time job when some thugs cornered me in an alley. I thought I was done for until Angelo appeared, fighting them off like a madman.

Outnumbered, he got beaten badly.

When the police sirens finally scared the thugs away, I looked at his battered form and wavered.

I thought that maybe there were exceptions in this world and that he was one of them.

Now I knew better. I shouldn't have hoped for exceptions.

Back when I told Angelo about my parents, he held me tightly. "I'd never be like your dad. You're the only wife I'll ever have."

In the early years of our marriage, he kept that promise.

He'd take me to business dinners, introducing me to everyone. On work trips, he'd video call to check in.

All the other wives envied me for having such a perfect husband. Yet unbeknownst to me, Angelo had another home out there, keeping a 20-year-old woman as his mistress.

If I hadn't followed him to her apartment after he claimed to be working late, I would still have been in the dark.

But as he put it, I should be grateful that he kept my title and spared me public humiliation.

It wasn't like I wanted that title so badly. In fact, I didn't care for it at all.

"Mrs. Harmon, the baby is developing well. You've been preparing for pregnancy. Are you sure you want to terminate it?" the doctor said seriously.

I stared at the tiny blob on the screen, feeling a lump in my throat. I'd longed for this child, but I couldn't give them a complete family.

I fought back the bitterness and nodded firmly, determined to cut ties with Angelo.

The doctor sighed and scheduled the procedure.

It wasn't as painful as I expected, more like waking from a dream.

The nurse gave me aftercare instructions, and I was about to leave the hospital with my meds when I ran into Angelo and his mistress, Sigrid Garrison.

Angelo saw the meds in my hand, and his face darkened. He stepped forward, grabbing my arm. "You're sick and didn't tell me?"

I looked at Sigrid, who was clinging to him. Her face was full of fake innocence, and I felt a wave of irony.

Men were just greedy. They wanted both the thrill of something new and the good image of a loyal husband. They wanted to stray while keeping their marriage intact.

I was glad that I'd seen his true nature before it ruined my future.

I tried to pull free, weak from the procedure, but he wouldn't let go, playing the concerned husband.

In the struggle, my medical records fell and were scattered across the floor.

Someone in the crowd picked up a sheet and said, "Abortion. Well, she should be resting."

Angelo froze, staring at the speaker. "What did you say?"

Startled, the woman handed him my chart. "She just had an abortion. You know her, right? Call her husband. What kind of man lets his wife go through this alone? Total jerk."