When He Stops Protecting Me novel
She gently asked what I wanted.
Without hesitation, I answered,
The car, the house, the savings.
And half of the company shares.
Helena paused, slightly surprised.
What about the children? You dont want them?
You love them so muchhow can you abandon Emma Young and Lily Young?
I looked at the scars on my wrists from countless self-inflicted wounds and quietly shook my head.
I didnt want them anymore.
From now on, aside from money, anything tied to Helena
I wanted none of it.
Seeing my coldness, she seemed to want to speak, but after a pause, she silently signed the divorce papers.
As we parted, she said politely,
I cant give you the shares, but youll always be the father of our children.
If you ever face trouble, come to me.
I nodded.
But as I turned away, I threw the business card she handed me into the trash.
Even to death, I never want to see Helena again.
When I got home, I told the housekeeper to pack her things and throw them out.
The housekeeper didnt mind and joked,
Sir, did you quarrel again? Dont give up your position over anger.
Madam still cares for you.
All the suffering and humiliation Id enduredMargaret Ward had seen it all.
She knew how deeply I loved Helena,
and how many times Id broken down because of her betrayal.
She, like Helena, believed Id never truly leave.
But this time, I didnt cry or beg.
I took down the wedding photo, my voice calm and detached.
My mother passed away.
Margaret froze, her smile vanishing.
She stammered an apology.
I only smiled, saying nothing, and smashed the photo frame to pieces.
Startled, she hurried to clean up, treating the cut on my hand.
She murmured, Divorcegood riddance!
Were top students from Harvard University and Yale University; well live fine without her.
Good child, we wont suffer anymore.
I bowed my head, trying not to cry.
But tears still fellfilled with regret, sorrow, and faint relief.
After ten years of torment,
the so-called fairytale of a princess and her knight had finally ended.
It wasnt perfect, but it was the ending we expected.
At eighteen, I entered Harvard University with the countys highest score.
That same year, I met Helenaback to invest in her alma mater.
Every story begins beautifully; ours was no different.
She fell for me at first sight.
After her lecture, she pursued me relentlessly
waiting after class with Bubble tea and flowers,
sending money to my roommates to learn my schedule,
remembering every detail about me,
and confessing her love beneath a sea of blossoms.
At that time, everyone believed we would never end up together.
They thought an ugly duckling like me, born in a small town, could never deserve someone like Helena.
But she didnt careshe only wanted to be with me.
She endured all the pressure and proposed herself, shielding our love from malice.
Under her protection, my once harsh and poor life suddenly became easy.
Flowers, jewelry, guaranteed grad school admission, study abroad
everything was handed to me.
I didnt need to ask for anything.
As a na?ve, idealistic teenager prone to dreaming,
I quickly fell for Helenas relentless pursuit.
I gave up my future and married her.
Dating, marriage, pregnancy, childbirth
everything followed naturally.
Back then, life seemed effortless.
Everything I wanted was within reach.
I was lost in loves sweetness
unaware that every gift from fate carries a hidden price.
The day Emma was born,
Eleanor Rhodes appeared for the first time and took my baby away.
Her face was polite, her tone cold and arrogant.
Emma is the future heir of the Rhodes familyof noble status.
With your upbringing and limited education, youre unfit to raise this child.
My own flesh and blood, the child Id longed for
and I wasnt even allowed to hold him.
Even seeing him required permission.
I begged Helena not to be so cruel, not to take my child.
She looked at me strangely.
My mothers rightyoure from the countryside.
She said I can be willful, but only she decides anything about the child.
I nearly collapsed in tears.
But Helena ignored me, hugged my waist, and kissed me lightly.
Alright, alright, dont cry, she said with a faint smile.
If you love kids that much, we can have another.
I couldnt refuse.
But when she saw the gray strands Id grown from caring for her,
a flicker of conflict and disgust flashed in her eyes.
After hesitating, she only said coldly,
Youve had a long dayrest.
Her indifference hit me like lightning, shattering my dream.
I remembered Eleanors scorn and everyones ridicule.
Suddenly, I understood
this so-called love was nothing but a spoiled princesss whim.
Fate had once gifted me everything
now, it demanded repayment.
The child was only the beginning.
Helenas coldness caused my status in the Rhodes family to plummet.
The hostility around me pushed me into deep depression.
I lay awake every night, unable to sleep.
I called her, but she never answered.
I texted her, but got no reply.
I feared something had happened to her.
But the next morning, news brokeshe had cheated.
Her photos with a minor celebrity spread everywhere.
People online mocked me, wondering when the rich familys son-in-law would be thrown out.
The gossip and laughter crushed my final illusion.
I couldnt accept it.
My condition worsened.
I had the fiercest argument of my life with Helena.
In a complete breakdown, I tried to harm myself with a knife.
I even threatened to jump off the building in front of her.
At the last second, she rushed over, trembling as she hugged me and apologized.
Like every unfaithful woman, she cried and said she was wrong.
She claimed it was all a misunderstanding.
She said she still loved me and begged for another chance.
That night, she knelt before me, tears streaming down her face.
Samuel Young, please forgive me just this once.
I made the second mistake of my life.
I chose to forgive her.
Because of our child.
Because of a love I couldnt let go of. Because my mothers car accident left me with no home to return to.
So, Helena and I reconciled.
Soon after, we had another child, Lily.
Like Emma, she was taken away right after birth.
The excuse was that Helena needed to focus on work and couldnt stand a babys crying.
To see my children even once,
I had to go to the old house before dawn and observe every formality.
Serving tea and water, massaging shoulders, kneeling to wash Eleanors feet
just to earn a glance at my children.
But all my effort earned me nothing but
Helenas open betrayal
and my childrens deep resentment.
Emma never called me Dad.
Whenever she saw me, she frowned and said,
That stupid country bumpkin is here again. I dont want to see him.
Lily couldnt speak yet
she only cried and reached for her grandmother.
My mothers condition worsened.
The childrens coldness and the weight of life left me broken and hollow.
When I needed support most,
Helena started a new family with another man.
That day was our wedding anniversary.
Emma refused my invitation.
Helena hung up on me.
Her lover, instead, sent me a video of them in bed.
Hearing their voices, I completely shattered.
I lost control, grabbed a knife, and slashed my arm.
When Margaret rushed in, I was bleeding out.
She called Helena in panic.
But she didnt return until dawn.
She knelt beside me, smiling as she stared at my mutilated arm.
Werent you going to die?
A whole night has passedwhy are you still like a dog, refusing to leave the Rhodes family?
Those words shattered what was left of my sanity.
Without thinking, I jumped from the balcony.
I didnt die.
Only broke my leg.
Eleanor dismissed the reporters and dragged me to my mothers hospital room.
She looked down coldly and said,
The ICU costs twenty thousand a day.
If you disgrace the Rhodes family again, Ill make sure your mother dies with you.
That was when I realized
death was a luxury.
I couldnt let go of love or blood ties.
I could only endure humiliation in this hollow marriage.
Watching my children drift further away.
Watching Helena flirt with one gigolo after another.
Watching them use my mother to control my life.
Marriage into wealth was both sweet bliss
and a painful chain.
The ugly duckling had become the knight guarding the princess.
But the princess remained lost in her games of love.
She kept rescuing one poor boy after anotheruntil one day, Helena went too far.
She fell for a sleazy man in his thirties, divorced multiple times, and even bore his child.
Eleanor was livid.
She slapped me twice, furious that I hadnt controlled my wife.
What good is a man who cant even keep his woman in line?
Clean up this mess immediately, or else
Ill stop your mothers treatment and make sure you never see Emma or Lily again!
With my marriage in ruins, my family was my last lifeline.
I couldnt lose my mother.
I couldnt lose the only thread of hope left.
So, I hardened myself and went to find Sean Xavier.
Unlike Helenas past loversarrogant and loudhe was polite, even humble.
He called me Mr. Rhodes again and again, his tone dripping with false respect.
Im sorry, sir. I never meant to break up your family.
I just love Helena too much.
If it helps her, Ill convince her to abort and disappear forever.
He meant every word.
After taking the hush money, he vanished completely.
That night, after a long absence, Helena quietly entered my room.
She lay beside me in silence. We just stared at each other.
To reward me for fixing her scandal
and to keep her in the family
Eleanor, for the first time, agreed we could have another child.
She promised to raise this one herself.
My mothers health also improved under the familys private medical care.
I was elated.
I thought the nightmare was finally ending.
I thought happiness was returning.
But just when I looked forward to a new beginning with Helena, she stabbed me.
Watching me writhe in pain, she said coldly,
When you drove Sean away and killed my unborn child, did you think of this day?
Did you ever imagine his painor mine?
You owe Sean a life. This is your punishment. Youll never have children again.
She had my right kidney removed and my vas deferens severed.
I was left brokenboth body and soul.
I cried until I couldnt breathe, unable to accept the truth.
Then came worse news.
My mothers doctor told me she had learned everything about my suffering.
The shock had worsened her conditionsurgery was urgent.
It cost 200,000 dollars, but I had nothing.
None of the Rhodes familys wealth was in my name.
The watches and jewelry werent mine to sell.
Two hundred thousand dollarsfor Helena, it was pocket change.
For me, it was the final blow.
I called her, crying, begging for mercy.
I swore Id do anythingjust to save my mother.
Helena laughed coldly. Samuel, stop pretending.
You think Ill fall for your pathetic lies?
Youll say anything just to compete with Sean for my heart!
She hung up coldly.
The last thing I heard was the sound of two people lost in passion.
Amid those obscene moans, my mother took her final breath.
While arranging her funeral, I happened to see the days headline:
Wealthy Heiress Spends Millions to Propose to Her New LoverThe Ugly Duckling Is Heartlessly Abandoned.
The fallen knight was exposed for what he truly was
and a life had been lost because of it.
Soon after, Helena learned of my mothers death.
She said nothing, just wired me two million dollars.
To her, that sum was a cheap solution.
She had paid me ten times overwhat more could I want?
This was love.
The kind of condescending love only Helena could give.
I should have been grateful and accepted it quietly.
But for me, my last tie to the world was gone.
My body was ruined.
My mother was dead.
I was finally free.
Drained, I asked Helena for a divorce.
The first time, she looked at me with disdain.
Divorce? You really want to leave me?
Without me, youre nothing.
The second time, she was mildly annoyed.
Fine, Im just having funits not like Im never coming back.
Sweetie, dont be mad. Ill take you to Sanya when I return.
The third time, she grew furious and tore up the divorce papers.
By the fourth, fifth time
Helena finally agreed.
Looking superior, she said,
Seans right. Its good for you to calm down.
After suffering outside, youll realize how good the Rhodes family is.
She signed with a flourish, expecting me to beg like before.
But she didnt know
this time, I was truly done.
I handed the villa keys to Margaret.
Calmly, I said, I sold the house. The new owner agreed to keep you on.
Margaret, youre the only one whos been kind to me here. I wish you peace and happiness.
Her eyes reddened.
She choked up for a long time before whispering,
Have a safe journey.
She didnt ask where I was headed or what I planned to do.
She only knew that I had finally escaped the Rhodes familys hell.
After a long silence,
I dragged my suitcase out of the cage that had bound me for ten yearswithout looking back.
And Helena, lost in a blissful dream,
was suddenly jolted awake by a nightmare.
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