Recently, my wife had been feeling nauseous, so I took her to an OB/GYN clinic my friend had just opened. After checking her, he told us to take it easy for a while. However, he then pulled me aside and asked if we still planned to stay child-free.

I told him “yes” because ten years ago, Evelyn had an injury that made her unable to have children. For her, I even had a vasectomy. The scar was still there.

When he told me she was pregnant, I was shocked. I thought it had to be a mistake. But everything changed when I found her social media account from overseas.

There was a photo of a happy family of four.

——

I kept scrolling. Half of the photos were with the same man and six years ago, two kids appeared in the posts. A boy and a girl who looked just like him. They were twins, probably around five years old.

The last family photo was taken three months ago, during the time Evelyn told me she was going abroad for a work trip. When she returned, she started feeling unwell. I thought it was just stress. I never imagined she was already pregnant with her third child.

I stared at her latest post. She was smiling, holding her belly, with the caption reading like this.

[Eternal happiness.]

She had known for a while.

I called her.

“Don’t you know I’m in a meeting? Let’s talk later,” she said and hung up before I could speak.

In the past, she would never have acted like this.

I called again.

“James, are you sick? I said I’m in a meeting!”

“Where? Your assistant said there’s no meeting today.”

There was a pause.

Then, she replied coldly, “I’m at Everton Corporation. If you have something to say, just say it.”

“I … ”

She hung up again.

Looking at our photo on my phone, I knew this marriage might already be over.

I went to Everton Corporation and saw her Porsche outside. She wasn’t alone. The man from the photos was with her. They were laughing and touching each other like a couple. I froze in place, heartbroken. I wanted to confront them, but stopped myself.

There was no point in yelling. This wasn’t something I could fix with anger.

So, I pulled myself together, knocked on her office door and walked in to act like I hadn’t seen a thing.

Evelyn smiled at me as she told me, “You really came? Sorry, the meeting was important, so I was a little harsh.”

“It’s fine. Do whatever you want.”

In the past, I would’ve softened the moment I saw her smile. No matter how we argued, I always gave in. But this time, I didn’t.

Evelyn noticed my attitude and frowned.

“I already apologized. You're not that petty, right?”

“No man should be okay with his wife having another man,” I said calmly.

She didn’t deny it.

Instead, she touched my face and asked, “Did someone tell you something? You know I only love you.”

If I hadn’t seen the proof with my own eyes, I might have believed her again. I took out my phone, placed it on the table and opened the photos.

“Do you have anything else to say? I’m listening.”

Evelyn didn’t panic.

She just glanced at the photo and said, “I was planning to tell you in a few days. You found out earlier than I expected.”

“Tell me what? That you had an affair and had children?”

Even now, ten years later, the scar from my vasectomy is still there. I gave up having children for her. And she acted like none of it mattered.

“I did it for us,” she said.

“For us?” I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

“Yes. His name is Anthony Morrison, CEO of Greenville Corporation. We met six years ago. If we wanted to partner with his company, I had to pass his ‘test.’ It was a business decision.”

I stared at her, speechless.

She went on, “I thought I couldn’t get pregnant. But I did. Twins.”

She even looked pleased.

“The boy is Matthew. The girl is Fiona. They’re good kids. I plan to change their last name to Everton. They can be our children.”

Our children? It sounded like a joke.

“You cheated. You had kids with another man. And now you want me to raise them?”

I wasn’t sure if I heard her right. But she just nodded, like it was reasonable.

“So what am I to you?”

She stayed calm and tried to comfort me.

“James, I know it’s hard now, but you’ll get used to it. I can wait.”

I laughed bitterly.

“You really think I’ll accept this?”

Only then did I realize how much I had given up for her and how little it meant.

I picked up my phone and said quietly, “No. I don’t deserve this.”

It was then that Evelyn’s face finally changed. She looked angry.

"Have you caused enough trouble? Do you really think Anthony can replace you in my heart?"

Anthony. She called him by name so casually. I had spent ten years working hard for her family and the company. But it was clear now. None of it mattered to her.

I gave a bitter smile and nodded.

"Fine. It doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s get a divorce."

I had never brought up divorce, not even during our worst fights. I always tried to stay calm. But this time, I meant it. The thought of letting go squeezed my chest.

For a second, I thought I saw regret in Evelyn’s eyes. Perhaps, she still loved me. But then she laughed.

“Divorce? Don’t be ridiculous. How would you live without me? If my family hadn’t married me off to you, you’d still be sweeping the streets.”

She always did this, using my identity as a live-in husband to insult me. I used to feel ashamed. But not this time.

“It doesn’t matter. Even if I do end up sweeping the streets, it’s none of your business.”

“James!” she shouted.

People outside the office turned to look. Aside from the R&D team I led, most treated me like I was useless. A man living off his wife.

I used to put up with it for Evelyn. But now I knew that staying silent only made her worse. Suddenly, she softened and looked at me gently.

“James, I know it’s hard. But believe me, there will only be you and me. No other men.”

I didn’t know what exactly went on between her and Anthony. But I wasn’t blind. I had seen them in the car together. That wasn’t just friendship.

The way she looked at him … Was all her affection for me just an act?

“I’m going home. I need time to think.”

I left while the office workers watched, some of them clearly enjoying the drama. At home, I grabbed some beer and sat on the balcony alone. I didn’t know when I passed out.

Half-asleep, I felt someone cover me with a blanket.

When I woke up, Evelyn was smiling at me.

“You’re awake? You don’t usually drink, but you had so much.”

She handed me a hangover drink as she said, “Here, I bought this for you.”

For a moment, it felt like I had gone back ten years. She was even wearing an apron. I heard noise from the kitchen and turned to look. She was actually making soup. Spices were scattered across the stove. It was real.

In ten years, she had never cooked. I always took care of her meals, clothes and basically everything. I looked at her, unsure of what to believe.

Then, her phone rang.

She checked the screen, smiled and answered it quickly, “Oh, you’re already here? Wait a second, I’ll open the door.”