I Gifted My Cheating Husband to His Mistress

Julian, my forty-year-old Councilman husband, fell madly in love with a twenty-seven-year-old masseuse. He was so obsessed that he was willing to throw away his political career just to divorce me. At the time, my family begged me to endure it for the sake of our young son. Looking at my little boy, I gritted my teeth and refused to sign the divorce papers. Seeing no hope of marrying into the family, the mistress quickly dumped Julian for a wealthy businessman. Devastated, Julian blamed me for his heartbreak and refused to contribute a single penny to our household expenses for the next ten years. To give my son a better life, I worked myself to the bone, pulling endless overtime. The exhaustion eventually triggered ovarian cancer, and I died before I even turned fifty. Yet, barely after my funeral service ended, Julian brought that same masseuse back into our home. My son even sweet-talked her, calling her "Mom." Julian handed her his debit card and said, "Ten years of my salary is in here. I didn't spend a single dime on that old hag!" "From now on, our family of three can finally live happily ever after!" My son grinned widely. "That ugly monster is finally dead! Only someone as beautiful as you, Serena, is worthy of being my mom!" When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the very day Julian demanded a divorce. 1 "I'm sorry, Valerie. If you agree to the divorce, I'll walk away with nothing. Is that okay with you?" I froze, looking at Julian's slightly younger face in front of me. I realized I had been reborn. On the TV, the rerun of the Christmas Parade was playing. The cheerful holiday music felt incredibly mocking. My hands were still covered in flour. Our son, Leo, had begged for homemade pizza, so I had been kneading the dough since early morning. I was about to speak when Julian's phone rang. He answered it, his voice dripping with a tenderness I hadn't heard in years. "Okay, babe. Wait for me. I'll be right over." He hung up, looked at me, and said coldly, "I'm going with Serena to meet her parents today. Think about it. Give me your answer later." With that, he hurriedly turned and left. The front door slammed shut. I walked to the bathroom and washed my hands. In the mirror, I saw the tired, sagging face of a middle-aged woman. I opened the cabinet. The shelves were filled with expensive toiletries for Julian and Leo. I only had a single, cheap jar of drugstore moisturizer. I unscrewed the lid. The cream inside was already dry and cracking. I scooped some out, rubbed it onto my hands, and walked back to the living room. I picked up my phone, opened Amazon, and ordered a premium skincare set. Then, I dialed a number. "Hi, Mr. Davis? I'd like to consult with you about getting a divorce..." 2 In my past life, when Julian asked for a divorce, I slapped him across the face and made a massive scene, exposing his affair to everyone. Because of the scandal, Julian was disciplined by the city council and faced countless warnings from his superiors. Yet, he still insisted on marrying her, even if it meant losing his career. Julian didn't get elected until he was thirty-two. For the past eight years, I was the one carrying the financial burden of our home. My parents were retired, and they occasionally helped us out. But how could I keep taking their money? I took on freelance consulting gigs on the side. Overworked and exhausted, my body fell apart before I even reached forty. Julian's political seat was hard-won. Yet, he was willing to throw it all away for a masseuse who barely finished middle school. How ridiculous. Back then, my relatives urged me to stay for the sake of our child. I listened to them and refused to sign. Eventually, Serena saw she couldn't climb the social ladder through Julian, so she ran off with a guy in the construction business. Julian was completely broken. He hated me for driving her away. For the next ten years, he subjected me to giving me the cold shoulder. He never contributed to our expenses again. To give Leo a good life, I worked myself to death. My health deteriorated rapidly, and at forty-eight, I was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer. I survived for only three months. But before my ashes were even cold, Julian brought Serena back. He proved his undying love by giving her all his savings. "Ten years of my salary is in here. I didn't spend a single cent of it." "All these years, I lived off that old hag's money." "Serena, you're the only one I've ever loved." With tears in her eyes, Serena embraced him tightly. As a ghost floating in the air, I stared at them, shocked. Then, I burst into hysterical laughter, blood-red tears streaming down my face. I laughed at my own stupidity. I laughed at how I had wasted my youth and love on a stray dog. Since he wanted his "true love" so badly... In this life, I would gladly hand him over. 3 I went to my parents' house alone. As soon as I walked in, the rich aroma of roasted turkey filled the air. My parents were usually very thrifty and only made feast meals when we visited. Seeing me alone, my mother asked, "Where's Julian? Didn't he come with you?" "He had some urgent work. Let's talk inside." I put down my coat and changed into my slippers. My son, Leo, was playing on his Nintendo Switch in the living room. Hearing my voice, he didn't even look up. "Grandma, is my pomegranate ready yet?" Leo yelled. "Hold on, sweetie. It's a bit hard to peel..." My mother was struggling with the fruit, her hands shaking slightly. Her arthritis had been flaring up lately, making her fingers stiff. I heard Leo mutter under his breath, "Useless old woman." "What did you just say?!" I snapped. I marched over, snatched the Switch from his hands, and threw it onto the couch. Leo froze, then burst into loud tears. My mother rushed over from the kitchen and pushed me back, complaining, "Valerie, what are you doing? It's the holidays! Just talk to him nicely!" Realizing he had a shield, Leo wiped his tears, glared at me with pure hatred, and ran into his room. My father walked in carrying a cardboard box. "Valerie, Julian brought this gift basket over a few days ago. It looks expensive. He has a lot of people to please at work, so why don't you take it back for him?" Looking at the familiar packaging, I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. That was a luxury gift basket a client had given Julian last year. None of us liked it, so it had been sitting in our pantry, completely expired. And he gave this to my parents? I remembered how, every Christmas, I would spend nearly three thousand dollars buying premium gifts for Julian's mother. Yet, for my parents, all he offered was a box of expired trash. The signs were always there. Julian had never respected me or my family. My phone buzzed. It was a Snapchat message from my best friend, Chloe. "Valerie, I just saw Julian at a Tiffany & Co. store with another woman. After they left, I asked the sales associate. She said Julian bought two gold bracelets. He put one directly on the girl, and said the other was a gift for his mother-in-law. What's going on?" Just last month, I asked him for five thousand dollars to treat my herniated disc, and he claimed he was completely broke. Yet, he could easily spend over ten thousand dollars on jewelry for another woman. I took a deep breath. "Dad, Mom, I have something to tell you..." 4 My mother seemed to sense something, and her eyes welled with tears. My father put down the expired gift basket, his face full of worry. "Did you and Julian have a fight?" "He's cheating on me. I want a divorce," I said directly. My mother broke down sobbing. "Oh, dear lord... Why is this happening? You had such a good life..." My father gritted his teeth and ripped off his kitchen apron. "I'm going to go find him and beat some sense into him!" "Dad, stop." I grabbed my father's arm. "It's useless. His heart is already gone." My mother choked out, "But what about Leo? He's so young. What will happen to him if you divorce?" I looked at the tightly closed bedroom door. "He's eight years old. He's old enough to make a choice. I'll let him decide who he wants to live with." ... "Serena, when are you going to pick me up? You have no idea how annoying that old woman is..." I pushed Leo's door open, and he immediately hid his phone behind his back. His face flushed red. "Why didn't you knock? And you're the one who always lectures me about manners..." Looking at this child—the boy I almost died giving birth to—my heart felt incredibly hollow. "I'm divorcing your father. Who do you want to live with?" Leo didn't even hesitate. "With Dad, obviously! Do you even have to ask?" My mother rushed in, raising her voice at Leo for the first time. "You ungrateful little brat! Do you have any idea what your mother went through to give birth to you? She—" "Mom, don't," I interrupted her quietly. There was no point in arguing. In his heart, he had already accepted that young, beautiful masseuse as his real mother. That was fine. Without him holding me back, I wouldn't have to work myself to death anymore. I could finally live for myself. I called Julian and told him my decision. There was a long silence on the other end of the line before he finally spoke. "Valerie, I'm so sorry. If you..." "When are you coming home? We need to discuss the division of assets. The sooner we settle this, the better." I cut him off, unwilling to listen to his fake remorse. Julian hesitated. "Okay... I'll be back as soon as I'm done here." 5 "Serena said she wants the house we're currently living in. What do you think?" Julian spoke with difficulty, his expression extremely tense. I had already guessed that his promise of "walking away with nothing" was just a dramatic gesture to show his devotion to his mistress. So, I had no intention of fighting him over it. "Sure. But the savings account goes to me," I replied calmly. Fearing I would blow up, Julian quickly agreed. "Of course, of course!" I nodded, keeping my face blank. "Fine. What about the commercial retail property in the North District?" "You can have it if you want." He agreed so easily because that retail space was currently worthless and sat in a run-down area. But he didn't know that in six months, a major tech developer would buy out that entire block. The compensation buyout would be worth five million dollars. In my past life, Julian's mother fell severely ill right after they got that money, and every penny of it went into her medical bills, leaving them with almost nothing in the end. Once the assets were divided, Julian let out a massive sigh of relief. He looked at me with a complicated expression. "Valerie, thank you for letting me go." "Don't mention it," I said flatly. My calm demeanor made Julian uneasy. He probably thought this was just the calm before the storm. He couldn't help but add, "This is all my fault. Please don't go looking for Serena to cause trouble..." "Don't worry, I won't." I didn't even look up as I calculated the total value of the assets on my phone. Julian choked on his words. Seeing me completely absorbed in my own business, he opened his mouth several times but said nothing. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. A woman with heavy makeup pushed open the door, dragging a suitcase. "Serena!" Hearing her voice, Leo dashed out of his room and threw his arms around her waist. "What took you so long? I missed you so much!" "Serena, you have to pick me up from school from now on! If my classmates see I have such a beautiful mom, they'll be so jealous!" "Leo!" Julian's face tightened. He turned to me, attempting to explain. But seeing my cold, indifferent expression, he shut his mouth in embarrassment. Serena patted Leo's hair, smiling sweetly. "Of course, sweetie." Julian walked over, took her suitcase, and asked softly, "I told you I'd pick you up. Why did you come by yourself? Are you tired?" Watching Julian's tender care, I felt a sudden pang of irony. In all our years of marriage, Julian had never spoken to me with such warmth. Even when I had a difficult labor and almost died on the operating table, he never gave me a single word of comfort. It turned out he wasn't incapable of showing love; he just didn't love me. I smiled bitterly at myself. "Thank you, Valerie, for giving me such a wonderful husband and son," Serena said, her eyes flashing with a smug, mocking glint. "You're welcome," I smiled back. "To be honest, I never wanted to ruin your marriage," Serena chuckled, resting her white hand on Julian's shoulder. "But Julian insisted he didn't want me to feel hidden." "And well, men are visual creatures after all..." She looked me up and down with blatant disgust. "Looking at how bloated and wrinkled you are, I don't blame Julian for losing his appetite. No wonder he couldn't wait to divorce you." The air went still for a second. Julian pulled her sleeve gently, but he couldn't bring himself to scold her. I smiled, took a slow step forward, and looked her over. Youth was indeed a beautiful thing. Her skin was tight and glowing, barely needing any makeup. But she was dripping in designer clothes and carrying a luxury bag. Her entire outfit easily cost over fifteen thousand dollars. A simple masseuse making barely two thousand dollars a month? Who paid for all of this? I thought of my cheap drugstore moisturizer. I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. Smack! Serena's head snapped to the side, her left cheek immediately swelling up. I shook out my wrist. Even if I had given up on this pathetic excuse of a family, it didn't mean I would let a cheap homewrecker insult me in my own home. Julian quickly rushed to cup her face. Serena's eyes filled with tears, looking utterly victimized. "Did I say anything wrong? Is she really that sensitive to the truth?" Julian marched up to me, raising his hand. His palm trembled in the air, but he didn't dare bring it down. I raised my chin, staring him down. Ultimately, Julian dropped his hand, but his eyes were filled with disgust. "Get out of here! Serena is right. Looking at you makes me want to throw up!" Even though I had prepared myself for this, hearing those words so plainly still felt like a dagger to my chest. Before I could speak, I caught a sudden movement in my peripheral vision. I dodged instinctively, but scalding hot liquid still splashed across my forearm. A searing, blinding pain shot through my arm. Leo stood behind me, holding a hot water kettle with a ferocious glare. "You ugly old monster! Don't you dare touch Serena!" 6 I was thirty-four when I had Leo, making me a high-risk geriatric mother. During labor, I had a severe hemorrhage. When the doctor asked whether to save the mother or the child, I insisted on saving the child. When Leo was a baby, he cried constantly. Julian couldn't sleep, got annoyed, and even suggested giving the baby sleeping pills to quiet him down. So, I slept in a separate room with Leo, holding him through the night. That was when my health first started to fail. By the time Leo was two, he still couldn't speak, and Julian's mother suspected he was autistic. Under his mother's pressure, Julian actually suggested abandoning him. It was me who fought the entire family. I dragged Leo to every hospital in the state until he was finally diagnosed with conductive hearing loss. Before his final surgery, I walked up the steep stone steps of a mountaintop chapel on my knees, praying for his safety. When I came down, my knees were soaked in blood. And now, this same boy was throwing boiling water at me to protect his father's mistress. My skin was already red, angry, and bubbling with blisters. My heart died completely. Clutching my arm, I walked out without looking back. Julian stared at my retreating figure, a sudden tightness in his chest. He instinctively took a step to follow me, but Serena grabbed his hand. "Julian, my head hurts so much..." He immediately turned back to comfort her, completely forgetting about me. When my best friend Chloe heard about the divorce, she practically threw a party. "Good riddance! I've hated those two for years! So, what's your plan now?" I looked at her perfectly maintained skin. "I want to get a membership at your medical spa. Can I get a discount?" I touched my dull, sagging skin and smiled bitterly. "I don't know if this old face can still be saved." "There are no ugly women, only lazy ones," Chloe said warmly. "Honestly, your features are beautiful. If you lose some weight and pamper yourself, you'll be a total knockout." I accepted her compliments and started planning my new life. After the divorce, I only had to pay Julian two thousand dollars a month in child support. The rest of my income was entirely mine to spend. Shopping, yoga, luxury spa treatments... For the first time, I realized life could be so vibrant outside of cooking and cleaning. I started eating healthy and used my free time to work out. Three months later, I lost twenty pounds.