The Paralyzed Daughter's Life, Choosing Divorce

I was married to Lucas for six years. He never let me touch a single chore.

Even after our daughter, Maya, became paralyzed, he handled every grueling detail of her care.

Everyone around us said I was the luckiest woman in the world, cherished and protected.

But the day I finally saved enough for Maya's life-saving surgery, everything shattered.

I was at the hospital, clutching Maya and crying tears of relief.

Meanwhile, Lucas had snuck back home, taken every cent from our savings, and bought a house for his first love, Yvonne.

"Yvonne's husband was my best friend, and he just passed away. She needs a place to live," he told me later.

"Maya's surgery can wait. We still have a little time."

While Lucas was joyfully attending Yvonne's housewarming party, Maya was gasping her last breath in the hospital, waiting for him to sign the consent form.

She screamed for her daddy until her heart finally stopped.

Now that I have been reborn, I watched my husband quietly pocketing our savings book.

"If you want to help them, go ahead. I don't mind," I said calmly.

Lucas beamed, praising me for being so understanding and selfless.

I simply turned around and stepped into the Rolls-Royce my family had sent for me.

"Just remember to sign the divorce papers. You're leaving with nothing."

01

I pushed Maya home in her wheelchair after her physical therapy.

The moment I stepped inside, my heart stopped. The apartment was gutted.

Everything of value was gone. Only some worthless junk was scattered across the floor.

Maya's precious dance photos from before her accident were lying in the dirt, covered in muddy footprints.

Yvonne was in the bedroom, directing movers. When she saw me, she spat a sunflower seed shell onto the floor.

"Oh, Valerie, you're back!" she smirked, leaning against the doorframe with a look of pure triumph.

"Lucas felt bad that my new house was so empty. He told me to come over and take whatever I liked."

She let out a mocking laugh. "It's lucky my new place is right across the hall, or I wouldn't have bothered with this trash."

I looked at the open door across the hallway and began to shake with rage.

"Did Lucas tell you to take that mattress, too?"

Yvonne raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Of course. I thought it was gross because it's used, but Lucas insisted."

"He said it's a high-end orthopedic mattress. It's better for my daughter Nina's back. She's growing, you know. We can't have her uncomfortable."

Maya had spina bifida. The flare-up had left her paralyzed.

I bought that specialized mattress specifically to ease her constant pain.

It cost seven thousand dollars. I didn't want to pressure Lucas, who was already working so hard.

So, I took a secret job as a janitor at a high-end mall. I scrubbed seven thousand toilets over two months to buy that mattress.

And he just gave it away to her.

Maya gripped my fingers, her eyes turning red as she stared at her ruined photos.

"Mommy... do we have nowhere to sleep now?"

Yvonne let out a sharp, nasty snicker as she sauntered past us.

"She's a cripple. Why does she need a bed? Just sleep in your wheelchair."

I knelt down and stroked my daughter's hair.

"No, baby. I promise, Mommy will make sure you're okay."

Maya sobbed in my arms, sensing the cold resolve in my voice.

A moment later, Lucas burst in, carrying several bags of food.

"Hey, princess! Daddy went the long way home to get those nuggets you love!"

He pulled a tiny box of fast food out of a bag and shoved it into Maya's hands.

"Do you like it? I know you've been asking for this!"

I glanced at the other bags. They were filled with expensive gourmet takeoutDeverything Yvonne loved.

Lucas realized how cold the atmosphere was and looked awkward. He reached out to grab my hand.

"Valerie, I'm sorry... I only meant for her to take some old things we didn't use. I didn't think she'd take so much."

"But they're a widow and an orphan. They have nothing. Can't you just be understanding for once?"

He looked at me with that same gentle expression he always used, but I finally saw the hidden flicker of impatience.

My fingers trembled. Even though I had lived through this once before, the betrayal still cut like a knife.

"Mommy... it's okay. I can sleep anywhere. Please don't fight because of me," Maya whispered.

Her voice trailed off, and I suddenly realized she was turning pale. Then, she collapsed.

"Maya! Wake up! Mommy is taking you to the hospital!"

I panicked, trying to lift her. Lucas rushed over to help, his face pale with fear.

But before we could move, a scream echoed from the apartment across the hall.

"Lucas! Help! Nina cut her hand on a box!"

I grabbed Lucas's sleeve, my voice desperate.

"Help me get Maya to the car! She's unconscious! This could be a coma!"

He hesitated, his eyes darting between our daughter and the door.

The sound of Yvonne's daughter crying made him pull away from me.

"You take Maya to the hospital! I'll get there as soon as I can!" he shouted, already running toward Yvonne.

I carried Maya on my back and ran out of the building.

It was rush hour. No taxis would stop. I had to carry her for blocks until I reached the ER.

I was physically exhausted by the time the doctors took her.

"Her condition is critical," the doctor told me later. "She needs surgery within two months, or the damage will be permanent."

02

I sat alone on a hard plastic chair in the hospital hallway, watching the IV drip.

I finally reached into my pocket and dialed a number I hadn't called in years.

"Hello? Who is this?" The voice on the other end sounded much older than I remembered.

Before I could even speak, I started to sob. "Dad..."

My father's voice immediately became frantic. "Valerie! Is that you? Don't cry, honey. Where are you?"

The suppressed agony of two lifetimes finally exploded. My regret and guilt hit me like a tidal wave.

I was actually the youngest daughter of the richest man in Chicago. I had hidden my identity in college when I met Lucas.

Back then, he was quiet and gentle. He would whisper promises in my ear.

"Valerie, I'll never let you down. No matter how hard it gets, I'll protect you."

For him, I cut ties with my family and moved to this city to live a modest life.

In the beginning, he kept his word.

When Maya was diagnosed at age two, he worked double shifts and delivered food late into the night.

His face was always wind-burned and his hands were covered in blisters from the cold.

Even when we barely had enough for Maya's treatments, he would save his lunch money to buy me pretty dresses.

He used to say I was the only flower in his barren life.

But everything changed after he attended the funeral of Yvonne's husband.

He became distant and distracted. He even started falling behind on Maya's medical bills.

While I was scrubbing toilets to pay for her medicine, I saw him at the mall.

He was smiling, handing an expensive designer coat to Yvonne's daughter.

"Be a good girl, Nina. From now on, I'm going to take care of you like my own daughter."

Yvonne was leaning against him, looking like they were a perfect, happy family.

I had run away that day, feeling like my heart had been carved out.

At first, he was guilty when I caught him with Yvonne.

But slowly, helping them became his priority. He even stole Maya's surgery fund to help Yvonne buy a house.

In my last life, my hope in him is what killed my daughter.

This time, I told my father everything.

The man who had dominated the business world for decades was now shaking with rage.

"Don't be afraid, Valerie. I'm coming to get you and Maya right now."

03

With my father's help, Maya was moved to a private suite with round-the-clock nurses.

I finally had a moment to go back to the apartment to get Maya's medical records.

As the elevator opened, I heard a high-pitched, playful voice coming through Yvonne's cracked door.

"Lucas, look! Don't I look much sexier in Valerie's clothes than she does?"

I heard Lucas let out a low groan, probably grabbing the waist of the dress.

"Why are you wearing her clothes, Yvonne?"

Yvonne giggled and I could tell she was wrapping her arms around his neck.

The sound of his protests turned into the sound of heavy breathing and kissing.

"You definitely look hotter in this than she ever did," Lucas whispered.

They didn't even make it to the bedroom. They collapsed right there on Maya's orthopedic mattress.

I stood outside the door, watching through the crack with cold eyes.

That dress was the first one he ever bought me after we got married.

I had cherished it. It was in all our happiest memories.

Now, it was just a prop for his cheap thrill with another woman. It was pathetic.

I pulled out my phone and recorded the whole thing. Then, I kicked the door open.

Lucas panicked, pushing Yvonne away and scrambling to stand.

"Valerie! Yvonne... she just tripped, and I caught her..."

His voice trailed off as he saw my face.

Yvonne gave me a fake, innocent smile, though her eyes were full of spite.

"Valerie, don't be mad at Lucas. It was my fault. I'm just so clumsy."

"Lucas was just giving me some of your old clothes because I have nothing. We were talking about Nina's health."

I was finished with him. I didn't care about their disgusting affair anymore, but the word health caught my attention.

"What kind of health issues require you to be on a mattress together?" I asked coldly.

Yvonne immediately started to fake-cry. "Nina is short for her age. I'm so worried."

"I know I shouldn't bother Lucas, but I'm just a poor widow with no one to help me."

She knelt down, tilting her head to show the red marks on her neck.

Lucas immediately felt protective. He stepped in front of her.

"Valerie, Nina's checkup showed she's two inches shorter than average. Yvonne was desperate."

"I remembered we had that appointment with the top orthopedic specialist, so I gave it to Nina."

I felt like someone had poured ice water down my throat.

"You know that appointment was for Maya's pre-op evaluation, right?"

Maya's case was complicated. Most doctors wouldn't touch it.

I had begged that specialist for six months to get that slot.

And he gave it away because a brat was a few inches short?

Lucas stood his ground, shielding Yvonne.

"We don't even have the money for Maya's surgery yet anyway. I figured Nina should use the slot instead of letting it go to waste."

Behind him, Yvonne smirked, resting her face against his leg.

I let out a cold laugh. Outside the window, the black Rolls-Royce my father sent was pulling up.

"Helping a poor widow is such a noble thing, Lucas," I said.

"I knew you'd understand, Valerie. You've always been so sensible."

I grabbed Maya's records from the trash can where they'd been tossed. I dodged him when he tried to hug me.

I slowly twisted the cheap silver wedding band off my finger and dropped it at his feet.

"Make sure you sign the divorce papers. I want you to leave with nothing."