My husband has stomach cancer and less than six months to live. But I wanted him to reach our 10th wedding anniversary without worry, so I lied. I told him it was just an unusual stomach ache. While secretly saving up for his medical expenses, I took a high-paying nanny job on the side. Everything was going according to plan—until today.

At the entrance of the prestigious kindergarten where I drop off my youngest son, I saw him. My husband, Franky Bennett. He was supposed to be away on a business trip in another province. And yet, there he was.

From a distance, I watched in horror as a little girl clung to his hand and looked up at him with innocent eyes.

“Daddy.”

The word hit me like a thunderclap. My entire body went cold, as if I had been plunged into an ice cave.

For our tenth anniversary, he had prepared a grand gift. A wife. A child. How thoughtful.

Well, then. The cancer report should be presented to the whole family, shouldn’t it?

——

A red light stopped me at the pedestrian crossing, giving me just enough time to grab my phone. Desperation clawed at my chest as I dialed Franky’s number. He picked up. Across the street, I saw him glance at his phone before switching the video call to voice-only.

Suppressing my rage, I forced my voice to stay steady. "Honey, why won’t you let me see you? Are you hiding something?"

His response was immediate, laced with annoyance. "Didn’t you say you were on a business trip? It’s inconvenient right now. Why are you being so paranoid?"

Before I could say another word, he hung up.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of being child-free by choice—or so I thought. He had grown colder with time, distant. Our intimacy had dwindled to once every two months, if that. When I asked if he wanted children, he had always said no. Now, I understood. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a child. He just didn’t want one with me.

The light turned green. Clutching my girl Quinn’s tiny hand, I crossed the street and walked straight toward Franky.

The moment he saw me, his entire body stiffened. Panic flickered in his eyes before he hastily schooled his features. "Nina... why are you here?"

I smiled coldly, fighting the overwhelming urge to slap him. "Shouldn’t I be asking you that? What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be on a business trip?"

He let out a nervous chuckle and opened his arms as if to hug me. I shoved him away.

His expression hardened as he scrambled for an excuse. "I came back early to surprise you, but my coworker asked me to help pick up their kid. I haven’t had time to go home yet."

Before I could respond, a high-pitched voice interrupted us.

"Daddy!"

The little girl had turned back, rushing toward him with open arms. She wrapped herself around his leg and beamed up at him. "Daddy, pick me up early today, okay? We need to get a cake for Mommy. She has a little brother in her belly!"

The world tilted beneath my feet. My vision blurred. A child. And another on the way. He had an entire second family.

Franky’s face twisted in panic. "Dear, Daisy is just a kid. She doesn’t know what she’s saying. Don’t overthink this—"

Overthink? I saw red. Without thinking, I swung my hand across his face. Hard. And again. And again. I slapped him until my palm burned. Until my breath came in ragged gasps. Until my entire body trembled with fury.

People had stopped to stare. A small crowd gathered around us, whispering.

Daisy shrieked and started hitting me with her tiny fists, trying to protect Franky. "You bad woman! You can’t hit my daddy!"

I snapped. My hands trembled as I pushed her away. She fell onto the pavement with a small cry.

"Your father is a lying bastard!" My voice rang out, raw with betrayal. "Your mother is a homewrecker! And you? You’re an illegitimate child! Do you know that?!"

Franky lunged forward, gathering the girl in his arms. "Daisy! Are you hurt? Tell Daddy where it hurts!"

I stood there, shaking with rage, my chest heaving. The betrayal, the humiliation, the years of wasted love—all of it boiled over, consuming me.

Franky looked up at me, eyes blazing with fury. "You’ve lost your mind, Nina!"

Maybe I had. But I wasn’t the one who had built a life on lies.

At last, he cared enough to show his true colors. Daisy sobbed uncontrollably, her small body shaking as she clung to Franky. "Daddy, it hurts everywhere," she whimpered, her voice thick with misery.

Franky’s face darkened with fury. Clenching his jaw, he suddenly raised his hand toward me. I hadn’t expected him to actually strike me. Before I could react, his slap landed hard against my cheek.

The sting was sharp, but my anger burned hotter. Without hesitation, I lashed out, slapping him back—again and again.

Glaring at him, I spat, "The barefooted have nothing to lose, Franky. You cheating bastard, hit me again and I swear I’ll drag you to hell with me!"

Franky didn’t retaliate. Instead, he stared at me coldly, his expression void of remorse. "What makes you any better? That kid you’re protecting isn’t even yours. You're just as guilty as I am. We’re no different."

I clutched my stinging face, my eyes widening in disbelief. He actually thought Quinn was mine?

How ironic. Here I was, working tirelessly to save money for his medical bills, sacrificing everything for him. And yet, this man—this cruel, ungrateful man—didn’t deserve a single ounce of my effort.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "You really think she loves you, don’t you?" I scoffed, eyes gleaming with disdain. "Go ahead, test her. See for yourself."

Franky frowned, clearly confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

I smirked. "You’ll find out soon enough."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving him standing there, seething in silence.

I did my job—I dropped Quinn off at the kindergarten. But as I turned to leave, I felt a tiny hand grab mine.

"Auntie Nina, I want to stay with you," Quinn said softly, her small voice tugging at my already broken heart.

Before I could respond, she turned toward Franky and sneered, "Auntie Nina is just my family's nanny. She’s not my mom, you stupid pig. Your daughter is the little pig you made with that homewrecker."

My heart clenched. I knew that would enrage him and I couldn’t risk him lashing out at Quinn. Without another word, I scooped Quinn into my arms and rushed away, my vision blurred by the flood of tears.

As we walked, Quinn reached up, her tiny fingers wiping my tears. "Auntie Nina, don’t cry. I’ll ask my dad to punish them for you."

Her words reminded me of my boss—Garry Moore.

Guilt pricked at my conscience. His precious son, an innocent child, had been dragged into this mess because of me. Worse, he had missed his first lesson of the school year.

I hesitated for a moment before pulling out my phone. I needed to inform Garry of today’s events. But when I called, he didn’t pick up.

He was probably busy. After all, a man like him—one of the most powerful figures in L City—had endless business matters to handle. So instead, I sent him a message, detailing everything that had happened.

His response came swiftly.

[If you need anything, just ask.]

I didn’t hesitate. I asked him to find out who the mistress was. Minutes later, Garry sent over the details. The moment I saw the name, my stomach twisted painfully. Milie Yaeger. Franky’s secretary. His university classmate. They had always been close, too close. I had my suspicions before, but every time I brought it up, Franky would dismiss me, saying I was overthinking things. If I pressed further, he would get angry.

Over time, I learned to stop asking. How ridiculous. I had even visited Milie in the hospital when she gave birth prematurely. I had asked her who the father was and she had simply smirked.

"Guess," she had said.

I had laughed nervously. "How could I possibly guess?"

Her smirk had widened into a chuckle. Now, I finally understood the meaning behind that laugh. She had been mocking me all along.

The weight of betrayal crushed me. My chest tightened until I could barely breathe. I slammed my fist against the steering wheel, my mind spiraling with rage. The first child had been born behind my back. But the second? I wouldn’t let it happen. I would make sure she lost that baby.

"Auntie, are you okay?" Quinn’s timid voice pulled me back from the edge.

I sucked in a deep breath, forcing myself to regain control. No. I couldn’t lose myself. Not in front of Quinn.

I turned around and mustered a smile. "Quinn, Auntie has something to do. Let’s go home first, okay?"

Quinn was reluctant to leave, but she couldn’t argue with me. I handed her over to the Moore Family housekeeper before heading home to retrieve the medical report.

On the way, I called Milie. The moment she answered, her voice was calm and composed.

"Sister Nina."

Disgust surged through me. "Bah! Shameless bitch! Who are you calling sister?"

She let out a light laugh, unfazed. "Oh, looks like you've already found out about my relationship with Franky."

Her shameless attitude made my blood boil. Without hesitation, I started recording the call. If she was so confident, let’s see if she could remain calm when the whole world knew about her dirty affair.

"Don't be so angry, Sister Nina. Anger is bad for your health. So, why are you calling? Looking for forgiveness? It's time we settled this. Let's meet up."

I clenched my jaw and played along. "You don’t even bother to act anymore, do you? You seduced Franky, had his child and now you’re pregnant again. Milie, aren’t you afraid of karma for destroying someone else's family?"

Milie chuckled, completely unbothered. "Don't make it sound so harsh. Only the unloved are mistresses. What do you have besides a marriage certificate? Come to the coffee shop in my neighborhood, let’s talk face to face. Just divorce Franky and make room for me."

I took a deep breath, gripping the cancer report tightly in my hand.

"Sure," I said, voice eerily calm. "I hope your so-called love remains just as strong after you see the gift I have for you."

I hung up and immediately sent the recorded call to every one of Franky’s coworkers I knew. My phone started ringing nonstop—colleagues, mutual friends, all asking if it was true. Some tried to advise me against being impulsive, but their words meant nothing.

The best reaction came from Franky himself. He called a dozen times. Sent dozens of messages.

[Are you insane?!]

[Explain to my colleagues that you’re making this up!]

[Nina, this could ruin my career!]

[Don’t push me, Nina!]

[Please, Nina, let’s not do this.]

From threats to pleading, I could imagine him losing his mind on the other side of the phone. Normally, I would have panicked if his career was at stake. But now, I only wished for his downfall. I wanted him fired. I wanted him destroyed.

When I arrived at the coffee shop, I spotted Milie sitting in the corner. I snapped a picture of her and sent it to Franky.

[Since you love her so much, come and join us.]

His response came instantly.

[Are you crazy?! If you dare touch her or the baby, I swear I’ll ruin you!]

I smirked coldly.

[Oh, but ruining me was fine, wasn’t it? Now it's your turn.]

More frantic messages flooded in.

[Don’t do this, Nina! This is illegal! Please don’t be impulsive.]

[The child is innocent! It’s all my fault! I’ll leave everything to you, I’ll even leave the house! Just don’t do anything rash.]

I laughed bitterly. He had completely forgotten that I was his legal wife, the woman he had vowed to protect. And now, he begged me to spare his mistress and illegitimate child?

I sent one final message.

[If you want to keep them safe, go to your company and admit in front of all your colleagues that you cheated on me with Milie. Say that everything in the recording is true. You have five minutes. Record a video and send it to me. Then, I’ll let them go.]