All Chapters of Happy Birthday, He Cheated: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Six years into our marriage.Derrick Stratton cheated.We hadn't made out in three months, not even once.They say if your husband's not touching you, he's probably busy with someone else in bed.I didn't wanna believe it—until tonight.He was in the shower.His phone buzzed.Local number. No name.It felt off."Hello? Who's this?"There was silence on the other end. Then a click.They knew who I was.I didn't even know what I felt—just this weird ache, like something slipping through my fingers.Trying not to think nonsense, I grabbed Derrick's phone.Lock screen? Us.Profile pic? Holding hands, all coupley.His posts? Me, me, me.I almost let it go. Thought maybe it was a wrong number.Then I traced the call.It was his assistant—Sabrina Leclair.I opened their chat.Looked squeaky clean—just work stuff.But my gut said nah.So I checked his bank records.Boom.Transfers to Sabrina. $999. $1,430. And a bunch more.My chest tightened.He was cheating.I sta

That afternoon, once I sobered up, I hit up a lawyer and got the divorce papers ready.Good thing we had no kids. Just assets. Cutting him off would be clean.When I got home, Derrick called—said he was heading out on a business trip.That night, I got an anonymous message.A flood of pics.Derrick and Sabrina.Hot tub at a lakeside cabin. Skiing together like some cheesy couple's ad.Didn't take a genius—she sent them.Still, I felt nothing.We'd done all that before. Over ten years, we hit Rivera, Paryss, even chased the northern lights in Eirland.Every trip, Derrick said the same thing—he wanted me by his side to see the world.Now he was doing the same with someone else.Truth is, we'd been together forever. Teenagers to now. A whole decade.Maybe he just got bored of me. Guess that makes sense.I told myself that. Tried to make it hurt less.But it still ached.Of course it did.He was the only guy I ever loved.***Derrick finally showed up on day three.Brou

When I got home, I started sorting—what to keep, what to ditch.Once I'd packed, I grabbed the old photo album I used to cling to and cracked it open.Eleven years of me and Derrick.Back then, he was head over heels for me.There was a time a car came flying at us—he didn't even flinch. Just shoved me out of the way and took the hit.Got thrown clear across the street.He was in a coma for a week.When he finally woke up, I cried harder than anyone. Told him I'd never leave, no matter what.But feelings shift. Fast.And cheating? That's a line you don't come back from.I tore up every photo, one by one, and chucked them in the trash."What are you doing?!"I hadn't even heard Derrick walk in.He looked at the shredded photos, eyes glassy. "Why'd you tear them up? Are you mad?"I wasn't ready to let him know I knew, so I played it cool. "Made a new album. Just ditching the old one before it turns yellow."That settled him. He hugged me. "If you're happy, I'm happy."Onc

When you're swamped, time just vanishes.Six years flew by.Our team made real progress on brain cancer, especially gliomas. With surgery and meds combined, we bumped survival rates up by twenty percent. For a lot of families, that was the best they could ask for.Then one day, our director pulled us in. Said we'd be heading back to Granton City—time to present our research and help local doctors with the surgeries.I froze.I hadn't thought about going back. Not once in six years.But I figured, by now, Derrick had probably moved on. Quiet life, Sabrina, the kid.Strangely... that thought kinda gave me peace.The night before we left, Zara showed up acting all cryptic."You still got feelings for Derrick?"I gave her a look. "You know I don't do second chances."She exhaled, then flipped into full gossip mode—everything straight from her husband, Clark.After I disappeared, Derrick went all out trying to find me. But I was locked into a government project with full NDA, so

After we got back to Granton City, Zara and I were handed a three-year break.After so long in Navara, the city felt weirdly loud.Eventually, my supervisor saw how bored I was and got me a spot at the med school.The job was chill—low-key, barely any pressure—but it kept me busy.Derrick started popping up on campus sometimes, just hanging around.Most days, I ignored him.Now and then, he'd try to talk—dig up old memories.I knew what he was doing. I shut it down every time.Getting back together? Not happening.I could tolerate. Maybe even forgive.But only so far—and only so often.Cheating? That was the line.Right when I was thinking of how to crush whatever hope Derrick had left, Zara introduced me to someone.Paxton Montclair. A restaurant owner.Paxton reminded me of the Derrick I used to love—bold, driven, full of spark.On our first date, Paxton took me to his restaurant and said every dish was his own creation.At first, he gave off unreliable vibes—maybe ev