I Stopped Fighting For His Love Novel by Juniper Lane _ Novel




I Stopped Fighting For His Love Chapter 01

After the miscarriage, I let go of all the habits my husband, Captain Melvin Dwyer, could never stand.
I stopped asking where he was. Even when he stayed out all night, I went to bed without worry.
When I was injured during a drug bust and the doctor told me to call my family, I replied calmly, "I have no family."
The nurse recognized me and said, "You're Mrs. Dwyer, aren't you? Captain Dwyer is right next door at the police station. Should I notify him?"
I shook my head and told her there was no need.
Yet half an hour later, Melvin showed up anyway.
He stood over me, his voice cold and sharp. "Why didn't you contact me when you were hurt?"
I kept my eyes down. "It's just a minor injury. There was no need to disturb you, Captain Dwyer."
My casual tone seemed to irritate him for no reason. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a police officer's voice drifted in from the hallway.
"Captain Dwyer really dotes on Ms. Emmott. She only sprained her ankle while performing at a club, but he immediately dispatched a police car to get her. He even carried her wherever she needed to go."
Melvin's heart tightened. His gaze drifted toward me. He expected me to snap and make a scene like I used to.
But I didn't even blink. Leaning against the hospital bed, I simply closed my eyes to rest.
***
It wasn't until we were inside his patrol car that he finally said seriously, "Don't believe their nonsense. I was just following the procedure. Allison is a singer at a club in my district. Since I'm in charge of that area, I had to look after her when she got hurt."
I just gave a quiet "mm-hmm" and said nothing else.
Melvin suddenly lost his temper. "You don't believe me? How long is this spiteful attitude of yours going to last?
"Ari, I've come back to you. What more do you want from me?"
I stared out the window without turning my head. "I believe you.
"I didn't think it was serious. That's why I didn't call. Let's go home."
There it was again—flat and perfunctory, like an automated reply.
Melvin slammed his fist against the steering wheel.
The horn blared, startling the club staff who had just finished their shifts across the street.
One of the girls looked up.
When the streetlamp lit up her face, the atmosphere in the car instantly grew tense.
"Allison... What is she doing here?" Melvin murmured.
He looked at me instinctively, probably thinking I'd lose control again like I used to.
But this time, I only gave her a brief glance and looked away, calm and composed.
Melvin tightened his grip on the steering wheel, but his eyes drifted toward her.
On this cold winter night, Allison wore only a thin stage outfit. She hugged her arms, and her nose was red from the cold.
Melvin's hand was already on the door handle. The worry in his eyes was intense.
I knew exactly what he wanted. I opened the door and stepped out, even giving him an excuse. "If you need to patrol the area, I'll just walk back on my own."
Before he could respond, I turned and walked toward the intersection.
Melvin caught up and grabbed my wrist. "I was done with her a long time ago. I didn't know that she would be here. Why won't you believe me?"
"I believe you. Still, it's tough for a young woman like her to get by. Even if you're done with each other, it's normal to worry about her. I get it."
Melvin stared at me—I showed no emotion, proving this wasn't anger talking.
To him, everything felt wrong.
I used to be so possessive and eager to share everything with him. Even finding a single long hair on his police uniform would make me question him until late at night.
Now I had become exactly what he wanted—quiet, reasonable, and considerate.
But instead of happiness, a heavy, suffocating feeling settled in his chest.
I pulled my hand away and turned to leave.
When I reached the corner, I stopped and looked back.
By the police car, Melvin had already taken off his coat and draped it over Allison Emmott's shoulders.
He held her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her deeply.
I wasn't surprised at all. I should have seen it coming.
I would never again confront him like a madwoman as I did the first time I caught him cheating. Back then, I had screamed, "Melvin! Have you no shame? I have been with you since I was 18. We built this life from nothing, and now you tell me you love someone else?"
I had hit him until he bled that day, but he only sneered at me. "You're talking to me about shame? If you had any, you wouldn't have been with me at 18. Your own parents didn't even want you. I'm the one who took you in from the orphanage and looked after you for over a decade. You should be grateful to me!"
Those words cut deep. They shattered the ten years we had spent together, when we were always there for each other in the line of duty.
A vibration from my phone pulled me back to reality.
"Arianna Fairall, the paperwork for your biological parents' belongings and survivor benefits has been approved. When can you come to the Houston Police Department to finalize everything?"
I pulled my sleeve down to cover the scar on my wrist. "Ten days from now. My divorce application will be finalized in ten days."
There was a brief pause on the other end. "You and Captain Dwyer have been through a lot over the years. You don't have to transfer out of your precinct just to receive your parents' benefits and recognition."
I watched the streetlights flash past the window and replied calmly, "I don't love him anymore. I just want to leave this place and never come back."
Back home, I pushed the door open and saw our wedding photo on the wall.
In it, Melvin was smiling brightly, his nose gently touching my forehead.
It was taken when we were at the height of our love.
Melvin and I both grew up in an orphanage.
When I was 18, the director tried to sell me to an old man in the mountains.
It was Melvin who took me away, lifting me over the wall and getting us out.
The director was furious and yelled after us, "Melvin! You think you'll be able to protect her for the rest of your life?"
Melvin looked back, his eyes full of determination. "I will protect her for the rest of my life!"
He used his parents' pension to rent the cheapest room he could find in a poor neighborhood. Then, he went to the police station to sign up for the police force.
"Once I'm on the force and earn enough awards, I can get you a transfer.
"Then no one will ever be able to take you away again."
During the first three years, he worked tirelessly in the Major Crimes Unit.
Before every high-stakes mission, he would tuck a photo of me into his chest pocket.
I held a civilian role at the police department, pinching every penny from my modest salary.
At our lowest point, we had less than two dollars to our names and had to share a frozen pizza for New Year's.
Later, he joined the tactical unit, and I was transferred to Intelligence Analysis.
We moved from a cramped apartment to a spacious one, and eventually into a condo.
As Melvin climbed the ranks, the circle of people around him changed and grew.
Then one day, I found a smudge of lipstick on the inner collar of his uniform—a shade that wasn't mine.
"She twisted her ankle. I was helping her backstage, and it must have rubbed off by accident."
He yanked at his collar, visibly irritated. "Ari, you're a cop, too. Can you stop being so paranoid all the time?"
"Does being a cop make you immune to betrayal? Melvin, we promised to be together for a lifetime—not a single day less!"
We started arguing endlessly.
I began obsessing over his mission records and phone logs, even going as far as staking out the precinct when he claimed to be working late.
Out of spite, Melvin actually started seeing other women.
A revolving door of lovers followed. At his most cruel, he would deliberately show me the scratch marks on his back just to provoke a reaction.
"Satisfied?" he would sneer. "You wanted to keep digging, didn't you? Well, there it is."
I felt like I was losing my mind. I knew I should walk away, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
After more than a decade together, Melvin and I were stitched into each other's lives like flesh and blood.
Tearing ourselves apart would leave us raw and broken, yet staying together was nothing but mutual torture.
Then, a year ago, he suddenly "settled down." He cleaned up his act and cut ties with every other woman—except for one young girl.
I hired someone to look into her. The moment I saw Allison's photo, I completely broke down.

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