You’ll come crawling back to me!
“Oh, so what if I cheated…”
This thought kept echoing in Steve’s mind as he drove to his parent’s house.
“She won’t leave me! Who wants a woman with two kids? Plus, she looks older than me, even though we’re the same age! Men my age are in demand, and women with baggage like hers aren’t wanted anywhere.”
Steve smirked. Yes, exactly. She might get angry, throw a tantrum, but she’ll forgive me in the end. Where else can she go?
Everything came to a head today. Well, it began some time ago, but the climax happened this morning.
Steve always believed that men are naturally polygamous, and nothing can change that. But such affairs must be kept secret, as silly women would struggle to accept it.
He started cheating after the birth of their second child. His eldest daughter was four when Max, their son, was born. It was Steve who insisted on having another child. He needed a son, an heir! Though what he was supposed to inherit, Steve had no idea. He had no factories, no fortune; just a house on mortgage and an old car. Presumably, that was his legacy for Max.
Steve was quite disappointed when the ultrasound for the first pregnancy showed they were having a girl.
“I wanted a boy,” he grumbled. “What am I going to do with a girl? All those ribbons and beads aren’t my thing.”
“Steve, you can’t predict these things,” Helen replied, frustrated. She didn’t care about the gender as long as the child was healthy. “And there’s a saying: when you have a son, you become a father, but when you have a daughter, you become a daddy.”
“What do you mean by that?” he asked irritably.
“I mean that girls usually adore their fathers, and daddies are head over heels for their princesses. You’ll understand soon enough.”
But Steve never did. Of course, he loved his daughter, Lucy, but he found her boring. If only he had a boy…
So when Lucy turned two, he pushed for another child. He was already eyeing other women but held back, thinking it was merely because he didn’t have a son and didn’t find home life interesting. His wife was always exhausted and didn’t make an effort with her appearance. Couldn’t she at least wear some makeup or do her hair?
He thought that everything would change with a son.
Helen agreed to another child only once Lucy went to nursery. When they discovered it was a boy, Steve was overjoyed.
“Finally! I dreaded having another girl. I’d stop feeling like a man.”
Helen just sighed, unable to understand him.
Their family life was far from what Helen had imagined. When Steve wanted a child, she was happy, thinking he was ready for a big family and fatherhood. But it was all words.
Steve barely helped with Lucy, claiming he didn’t know how to deal with girls. He didn’t do any housework, arguing that he worked hard to earn money, so Helen, being home, could manage everything. He ignored the fact that she had a child to look after, assuming motherhood should be easy by default.
Helen didn’t quite understand why she agreed to another child. Probably because Steve was so persistent, like a nagging fly. And women have a weakness: they believe in miracles. Helen hoped the birth of a son would change something.
But, naturally, no miracle happened. Steve soon realized that it wasn’t about having a son or daughter. He wasn’t interested in toddlers at all.
With the arrival of two children, Helen grew even more exhausted. Steve continued to demand various things from her, complaining about the house’s cleanliness and Helen’s appearance. Yet he never offered to watch the children even for thirty minutes so Helen could take a relaxing bath.
More and more, Helen realized Steve was a terrible husband. And a not-so-great father. But she couldn’t bring herself to file for divorce, thinking that things were fine overall. Many live this way.
Something was needed to give her a push to act. Something needed to happen to encourage Helen to take action.
And thank Steve, because he provided that push.
He first cheated before Max was even three months old. Realizing the chaos of a two-child household, Steve came home from work only to frown at the disorder. Lucy clung to him, Helen asked for him his help, and Max’s constant crying drove him crazy. Helen said it was colic and would soon pass, but Steve felt like climbing the walls every night.
One evening, instead of going home, he went to a bar for some relaxation. There, he met a woman with whom he would spend the rest of the night.
He told Helen he bumped into friends and they had a little party. Helen, utterly exhausted, didn’t even suspect he might be lying.
For some time, Steve saw this woman, but they eventually drifted apart. For almost a year, he remained faithful to Helen, but then got bored with being an exemplary husband and strayed again.
As Helen never questioned his integrity, he became emboldened. He wasn’t afraid of getting caught, which eventually got him into trouble.
This morning, as Helen was tossing dirty clothes into the wash, she found a receipt for a hotel room in Steve’s pocket. And another one for dinner at a restaurant. Steve hadn’t even bothered to rid himself of the evidence.
A row naturally erupted. Steve was still asleep when Helen discovered the incriminating receipts, and in his sleepy state, he couldn’t come up with a reasonable excuse. Helen realized everything.
At first, he denied it, but then he owned up. Yes, he strayed, but it was her fault. The house was chaotic, she no longer attracted him, and she should pay as much attention to her husband as she did to the children.
Helen threw him out. Steve retorted that if she was kicking him out, she’d have to pay the mortgage herself. He wouldn’t give a penny beyond child support.
Now, as he was driving to his parents, he thought that Helen wouldn’t manage on her own. Who would want her? Surely, he would be in demand.
Steve considered going to his lover, but she also had a husband. She said she couldn’t meet him today. So, he headed to his parents.
Naturally, Helen cried for a while. Betrayal hurts, although it was predictable with Steve.
And then, when the tears dried, she realized this was a sign. She had needed to divorce him for a long time, and now she had a reason.
Right up until the end, Steve didn’t believe Helen would file for divorce. When he received the notice, he immediately called her to shout that she had no right, that she’d be left on her own with two kids, and that in spite, he wouldn’t help.
“I’ve managed perfectly well, thank you,” Helen calmly replied. “It’s not like you helped much before.”
“But now you won’t have any money! How will you pay the mortgage? You haven’t worked in years, living off my support.”
Helen had considered this. Thankfully, she’d saved some money. Plus, her previous employer had offered her remote work until Max started nursery. She had debated whether to accept the offer because Max was active, and it seemed challenging to work with him around. But now, she realized she had to.
The divorce went through quickly. Steve didn’t want custody of the kids. He considered fighting for them to spite Helen but realized he couldn’t handle it.
He thought about claiming his share of the house, after all, he had paid most of the mortgage. But he feared his friends and family wouldn’t approve, and Steve didn’t like criticism. If it weren’t for the kids, he’d have taken half. But he had to leave it all to Helen, including the remaining mortgage debt.
Steve still waited for Helen to see her mistake. He anticipated her crawling back, begging him to return. Surely she couldn’t cope with both work and children. Steve stubbornly refused to help, even avoiding contact with the kids.
Although, he used this as an excuse for not seeing the children, pretending it was revenge on Helen. Truthfully, he wasn’t interested in seeing them. They were too little and uninteresting. Plus, they were tiring.
But Helen didn’t meet Steve’s expectations. She didn’t crawl back, didn’t beg.
Surprisingly, she managed. The child support covered the kids’ needs and food. Her earnings were enough for the mortgage and other small expenses.
When Max turned three, he started nursery, and Helen returned to work full-time. She thrived, dressing up, wearing makeup, and losing weight due to her active lifestyle.
Steve watched her on social media, seething. Why hadn’t she been like this with him? Maybe he wouldn’t have strayed.
Moreover, Steve found he wasn’t as sought after as he’d thought. Quite some time passed since the divorce, and he remained alone. Even his lover left him once he got divorced, worrying Steve might try something foolish.
Steve was utterly frustrated when he saw a photo of Helen with a man. He thought she’d done it just to spite him. Surely, no one would want a woman with two kids.
But Helen wasn’t doing anything on purpose. She had already forgotten her ex-husband, like a bad dream. She met a wonderful man who treated her children better than their biological father. Helen’s life improved, and she handled everything. She wondered why she hadn’t acted sooner.
A man should be a support and a partner. If he brings more trouble than he’s worth, life is simpler without him.
