Love Left Me Broken But I Came Back Stronger

To save Axel Moore, I gave up everything. My breasts were gone, my body was a map of scars and the doctor’s words echoed like a cruel sentence: I would never bear a child again.

Axel had held me then, his voice calm, almost too calm. “Don’t worry. All I want is for you to live.”

I clung to his words, using them as my anchor through grueling treatments. For six relentless years, I endured until the day came when a miracle unfolded: I was pregnant. Joy surged through me, an unstoppable wave and I couldn’t wait to share the news with him.

But that euphoria crumbled the moment I stepped into the company’s meeting room. There he was, pinning his assistant against the table, their lips locked in a fervent kiss.

“Axel, why don’t you just divorce Belle? She’s not even a woman anymore. How could she possibly satisfy you? I’m the only one who can give you what you need.”

“Just wait a little longer. I need more time to arrange everything.”

The words felt like daggers, each one carving deeper into my chest. I couldn’t bear to hear more. I turned and fled, the storm outside matching the tempest within me. Rain poured relentlessly, drenching me to the bone, but it couldn’t compare to the icy chill that gripped my heart.

By the time I reached home, I had made my decision. I booked a one-way ticket back to the Grasslands, the place where I could finally start over. Axel and I were finished—our paths would never cross again.

***

I fled the company, my heart pounding like a drumbeat in my chest, the rain soaking me to the bone, mirroring the storm inside.

I clutched the pregnancy test report in my hands, a piece of paper that should’ve brought joy, yet it only twisted the knife deeper in my heart.

Seven years with Axel and never once had I felt the heat of true passion between us. Our intimacy had always been a cold, mechanical ritual, a hollow gesture devoid of any real emotion.

Unconsciously, I reached for the empty neckline of my shirt as if somehow it could shield me from the bitter reality. The rain battered against the windows as I drove home, my mind a whirlpool of confusion.

Should I blame myself? Or should I despise Axel for turning me into this broken version of myself?

My body, once whole, was now a landscape of scars, a constant reminder of the price I had paid. If I had been a normal woman, would any of this have happened?

I couldn’t answer, only drown in the thoughts that consumed me. I prepared a simple meal and curled up on the bed, the silence pressing down on me like a heavyweight.

Then came the familiar ping of a message, shattering the stillness. Axel’s words blinked on the screen.

[Wife, I’m off work. Don’t forget the egg soup.]

It used to be my habit to prepare it for him whenever it rained, but now, as I read his words, all I could feel was a bitter resentment. I didn’t want to serve him anymore.

Unbidden, Axel’s cruel words to his mistress echoed relentlessly in my mind.

“Belle is just a housewife, a washed-up old woman. How can she compare to a 211 university graduate like you?”

My hands trembled as I covered my face, tears pouring down like a river that refused to stop.

When Axel’s company had been nothing more than a dream, I had been right there beside him, shouldering every hardship with him.

I had sacrificed my own dreams, giving up my chance to inherit the position of spiritual maiden, following him selflessly wherever he went, pushing him toward success with every step I took.

Even when I was belittled and forced to drink to the point where my stomach bled, I never faltered.

My father had secretly supported the company to ease my burden, ensuring the group’s growth. Still, I never spoke a word of it to Axel.

I had given him everything, including my soul, all while staying home as he demanded, trying to be the perfect wife. Yet, despite everything, I had somehow become nothing more than a discarded, washed-up woman in his eyes.

The sound of the door opening sliced through my thoughts, dragging me back to reality.

When Axel stepped into the bedroom, his eyes darted around, his confusion written across his face.

“Wife, didn’t you get my message?”

I didn’t answer immediately, but my mind raced. “I heard from the receptionist... you came to the office today. Did you see something?”

Our gazes met briefly, a flicker of something unspoken between us. I shook my head, keeping my tone as steady as I could.

“I just stopped by to check on you. When I saw you were busy, I left.”

Axel’s shoulders relaxed slightly, a sigh escaping his lips. He reached out to touch me, but I instinctively turned away.

His hand hovered in the air, frozen and an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

“Come on, wife, I’ve been working all day. Can’t you be a little more understanding?”

I turned my back to him, the chill in my voice cutting through the air. “I want egg soup. Go make it.”