My Husband Claimed He Was On A Business Trip. I Found Him At The Hospital With My Pregnant Best Friend. Little Does He Know, I Just Cut Him Off From Every Penny He Ever Stole. What Should I Do Next?

Chapter 32: The Job Hunt

Richard crushed the container. The broth spilled onto the hallway floor. His breathing was ragged.

“Sarah, you are the devil,” he growled.

He entered the room with a grim face. Lauren, seeing that he brought nothing but an angry face, protested.

“Where is my food?”

“Eat air!” Richard snapped.

He threw the bag of fried chicken at her.

“Eat that and do not complain anymore!”

That night they ate in silence. Lauren ate the chicken while crying. Richard ate with a vacant stare, filled with vengeance. Outside, the city noises became their dreary lullaby.

The next day, financial reality began to haunt Richard. He got up early, took a cold shower, and put on the best shirt he had left.

“Where are you going?” Lauren asked.

“To look for a job, to ask for a loan,” Richard replied.

“Stay here. Do not spend money. Do not turn on the lights.”

Richard went to a print shop to print his resume. His first target: his best friend, David. David was a business partner to whom Richard often gave projects from Sarah’s company.

“Hey, Richard, what is up? Strange for you to call so early.” David’s voice sounded cheerful.

“David, I need help. I have a little family problem. I need a loan, or if you have any freelance projects, I am available.”

There was a silence. David’s cheerfulness vanished.

“Wow, man. I heard some rumors. Did you have trouble with Mrs. Hayes?”

“It is not trouble, just a misunderstanding. I will be back soon, but I need cash now,” Richard lied.

“I am really sorry, Richard. It is not that I do not want to help you, but this morning we received an internal memo: all suppliers are prohibited from doing business with Richard Miller due to a matter of fraud and embezzlement. If I help you, my company could lose the contract with the Hayes Group, and you know that contract is 60% of my revenue.”

Chapter 33: A Surprising Reality

Richard fell silent. He gripped the phone tightly. Sarah had really closed all the doors on him.

“David, we have been friends since college. I need it for food.”

“I am sorry, Richard. I have a family to feed. I cannot risk it. Good luck.”

Click. They hung up.

Richard called a second friend, a third, a fourth. The answer was the same. At noon, Richard sat dejectedly on a park bench. He had spent $10 on calls for nothing. He saw the tall buildings of Midtown in the distance. Suddenly, his phone vibrated—a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. A photo. A photo of Richard sitting thoughtfully on the park bench, taken from a distance. Then a text message: You look tired, honey. The administrative assistant position at our branch is still open if you are interested. The salary is minimum wage, but it is enough to buy milk for the baby. Call HR if you want to swallow your pride.

Richard threw the phone onto the grass. He screamed with all his might. He did not care if people looked at him like a madman. His shame was gone; only a dense despair remained. He knew Sarah was watching him. Sarah was enjoying every second of his suffering.

Back at the rooming house in the afternoon, Lauren was bored to death. The internet signal was terrible. She craved something fresh—fruit or a smoothie. She left the room. Downstairs, Mrs. Carmen was watching TV at full volume. She went out into the alley. She saw a fruit stand surrounded by flies; it disgusted her even more. On her way back, she saw a small cosmetics shop. Her eyes lit up; she had run out of face wash. She went in. The display window had cheap products—no La Mer or Sisley.

“Do not have a face wash for sensitive skin?” Lauren asked.

The shopkeeper offered her a pink plastic bottle.

“This one is very good. Only $3.”

Lauren rolled her eyes. $3. Her face wash cost $100, but her face felt sticky. She rummaged through her purse. She had $5 left from the money Richard gave her. She bought it. In the room, she washed her face in the smelly bathroom. As she applied the cheap soap, she felt a sting. Heat.

“Ah!” Lauren screamed.

She rinsed quickly. The skin on her face turned red and broke out in hives.

“My face! What is happening to my face?” she screamed hysterically.

The water there was not suitable for her skin, which was used to clinic treatments, and the cheap soap probably contained harsh ingredients.

Chapter 34: The Slap

Richard arrived as Lauren was crying loudly in front of the mirror.

“What is it now?” Richard shouted, tired after a day of rejections.

“Look, Richard! My face is ruined! The water here is dirty! The soap is terrible! I want to see a dermatologist! Ask Sarah for money or sell a kidney, but do something! I do not want to be ugly!”

Richard looked at Lauren’s red, swollen face. Instead of compassion, he felt nausea.

“Dermatologist?” Richard laughed bitterly.

“Listen, Lauren. Tomorrow we do not know if we will have enough to eat, and you are worried about your face?”

“Useless husband!” Lauren threw the soap bottle at him.

“I regret secretly marrying you! If I had known, I would have stayed Mister Woody’s mistress!”

Slap. A loud slap landed on Lauren’s cheek.

Silence. Lauren touched her cheek with wide eyes. Richard stood there, breathing heavily. His trembling hand had just hit a pregnant woman, but Lauren’s words had just destroyed the last remnants of his male ego.