After My Wife's Affair, I Found New Love

On our seventh wedding anniversary, my wife's secret admirer of five years deliberately drove his car into mine. While I was unconscious, the woman who once claimed to love only me, Jimena, took it upon herself to sign a waiver, freeing Francisco from any responsibility.

When I regained consciousness, Jimena pleaded with me, "Francisco just made a foolish mistake; we can't destroy his life over this. He's just infatuated with me."

Looking at Jimena's composed face, despite the evident tension beneath the surface, I knew our marriage had irrevocably changed.

"What if I insist on holding him accountable?" I asked, keeping my voice steady as I looked at her.

Jimena met my gaze with disapproval. "Kayden, you're a lawyer. You know how damaging a criminal record can be for someone just starting out. Haven't you always said that justice is about fairness and compassion? Francisco realizes his mistake, and he even attempted to harm himself over this. Hasn’t he suffered enough?"

As she spoke up for another man, her words stung with a bitterness I couldn't easily describe. Sensing her tone was too sharp, Jimena paused. Unlike before, I didn't jump in to mend the situation. Instead, I observed her quietly.

After a long moment, Jimena explained that she couldn't watch a young person ruin his future and asked me not to overthink it. I chuckled softly but remained silent.

Jimena seemed uneasy at my quietness. She hesitantly called my name, "Honey, I..."

Before she could finish, a nurse burst into the room, urgency in her voice, "Dr. Foster! The patient you brought in yesterday has woken up and is threatening to harm himself!"

Jimena's expression changed, and she quickly left, saying, "I’ll go check on him."

Francisco had pulled stunts like this before; I never took them seriously. But I hadn’t expected Jimena to be swayed by him.

Not long after, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was a social media update from Francisco: "She says she doesn't care about me, but her actions tell a different story." The post included a picture of Jimena looking worried as she checked on him.

I scrolled up and saw many similar updates, almost all accompanied by photos of Jimena. Without my realizing, they had shared so many moments. Many times when she claimed to be working late at the hospital, she was actually with Francisco.

Through his posts, their story unfolded clearly. In the middle of the night, unable to sleep, I got up and went to the window. Looking out, I spotted two figures not far from our building.

"Jimena! You do care about me! Why else would you be so worried about me?" Francisco's voice was full of emotion as he faced Jimena, who remained impassive.

"I'm just trying to be kind..." she began, but Francisco interrupted her.

"Jimena, stop lying to yourself! It doesn't matter to me! As long as I can be with you, I don't need anything else."

For a moment, I saw Jimena's resolve falter. Francisco noticed her hesitation and suddenly reached up to cup her face, kissing her. Jimena raised her hand as if to push him away but then let it fall. After a few repetitions, she resignedly embraced him in return.

Watching them kiss passionately in the dark, I lowered my head and laughed at my own naivety. After a while, a passerby’s noise disrupted the moment. Jimena seemed to snap back to reality and pushed Francisco away, causing him to fall to the ground. Yet he laughed, seated on the pavement.

Jimena muttered, "Crazy fool," under her breath before walking away. I let out a small laugh, then sent a message and returned to my bed.

The reply came quickly: "Really?!"

An instant later, my phone rang. Just as I was about to answer, Jimena opened the door and came in from outside.