Everyone knew that my wife, Vanessa, loved me deeply. She was in poor health. Thus, it was not easy for her to get pregnant.

During our five years of marriage, I had repeatedly told her that I didn’t care whether we had a child or not. But she insisted on improving her health and even went through IVF, just so we could have a child of our own.

But the day after Vanessa finally got pregnant, I overheard her talking to her secretary.

"Miss Hutchinson, now that you’re pregnant, what about your little son? He will be three years old soon and it’s time for him to start kindergarten. What if Mr. Harrow finds out about this, Miss?"

My wife’s eyes turned cold. She gritted her teeth and spoke slowly.

"Make sure Addison keeps his mouth shut. If this ever gets out, I will kill him."

Three years old? Little son? I didn’t understand what she meant. But just then, my phone buzzed with a message.

It was a photo from Addison. My wife was holding a little boy in her arms in the picture. Not only that, she even looked at him with a mother's warmth and tenderness.

I stumbled back to the bedroom and immediately called my sister, who was abroad.

"Charlotte, I want to leave Vanessa. I want to disappear from her life forever."

——

"What’s wrong, Carl? Did Vanessa do something to hurt you? No, she’s so good to you. Even I can’t compare to her."

Although I wanted to explain, as soon as I opened my mouth, my throat tightened and my eyes burned. Indeed. Even in my sister’s eyes, Vanessa was the perfect wife.

Eight years ago, Vanessa fell in love with me at first sight and pursued me relentlessly. At the time, she was the only daughter of the wealthy Hutchinson. On the other hand, I was just an ordinary man with an ordinary family.

It was obvious that our backgrounds and social status were worlds apart.

People assumed Vanessa was just looking for a new thrill. Even I thought so. But she chased after me for three years without giving up, as if she wanted to give me all the happiness in the world.

Then, three years ago, my parents died in a car accident. I was devastated and told her I had no home left. Vanessa looked at me with so much love in her eyes. She wiped away my tears and kissed me.

"Carl, let’s get married. Let me give you a home."

I sobbed and nodded as if she was the only thing keeping me afloat. Vanessa was overjoyed and gave me a grand wedding that stunned the world. Even then, people doubted our marriage. They waited for the day she would grow tired of me.

But Vanessa proved them all wrong. For five years, I remained the love of her life. Everyone said that even though Miss Hutchinson was a strong and ruthless businesswoman, she had one weakness. It was her husband, Carl Harrow.

So, I understood my sister’s doubts.

Even I felt like what I had just heard was a bad dream. I stayed silent for a long time. That was when my sister noticed something was wrong.

"The night after tomorrow, I’ll send a plane to bring you back. Don’t worry about anything else."

"I’m just worried about you being alone in the USA," she continued.

"Endure it for two more days. After that, Carl Harrow will no longer exist in this world."

Not long after we hung up, my phone buzzed again.

A new message.

[Addison Blythe: Did you see the photo, Carl? Congratulations. This is my gift to you, now that you’re going to be a father.]

[Addison Blythe: You’re about to be a father, so of course, I had to share some experience with you. After all, the mother of our children is the same person.]

After reading the message, my knees gave out. Immediately, I collapsed onto the floor. All my suspicions had just become reality.

Vanessa really had cheated on me.

We had been married for five years, yet her child with Addison was already three years old. That meant she betrayed me barely a year into our marriage. No … it might be even earlier.

My hands trembled as memories surfaced. Three years ago, she left for half a year, claiming she had a business trip overseas. I didn’t question it at the time. Instead, I trusted her completely.

But now, I realized the truth. Vanessa wasn’t away for work. She was pregnant.

During those six months, Vanessa wasn’t in meetings or traveling. Rather, she was giving birth to her affair child. The knowledge of it made my chest tighten, making it hard to breathe.

The truth was Vanessa wasn’t struggling with infertility. She just didn’t want to have my child. I was still trying to process everything when Vanessa walked into the bedroom.

She saw me sitting on the floor and frowned with concern.

"Carl, the floor is cold. Why are you sitting there? Are you feeling unwell?"

Her voice was full of worry, her beautiful eyes soft with concern. It was just like they had been every day for the past eight years. So, I could only clench my phone behind my back and force a smile.

"Maybe I was just too excited about becoming a father. I lost my balance for a second."

Vanessa let out a relieved sigh and carefully helped me to the bed.

"Our little baby," she joked, patting her stomach.

"I can already tell they’re going to be naughty. When they’re born, I’ll have to berate them for making their father so nervous."

Her words were playful and affectionate. In the past, they would have made my heart warm. Now, they only made me sick.

I stared at her and asked quietly, "Vanessa, are you hiding something from me?"

She froze for a second but quickly smiled.

"Carl, we’re husband and wife. What could I possibly hide from you?"

I laughed at myself. What was I expecting?

She didn’t notice my distant expression. Instead, she gently placed a hand over her still flat stomach.

"Tomorrow is my check-up. We’ve waited for this baby for all these years ... I just want to make sure everything is perfect."

Her voice was so tender, so sincere.

If I hadn’t just overheard her conversation, I would have believed her completely.

But now, I wanted to scream. Had she really been waiting for this baby? Or was she just playing another role? Pretending, as always?

I swallowed my emotions and looked away.

"Go to sleep, Vanessa. I’m tired."

The next morning, as I was washing up in the bathroom, my phone buzzed again.

Another message from Addison.

[Addison Blythe: Tell me, Carl. who is more important? My son, or the embryo in her belly that hasn’t even formed yet?]

Before I could even process his words, Vanessa’s phone rang in the living room.

Three minutes later, she stepped into the bathroom and pressed a light kiss on my forehead.

"Carl, something urgent came up at the company. I have to handle it myself."

She smoothed my hair with a gentle smile.

"Don’t worry, I’ll call you when I’m done and we’ll go to the check-up together. I already arranged everything with the doctor. You just have to show up."

Before I could respond, she turned to leave. She didn’t even wait for me to say anything. I clenched my eyes shut, fighting back the tears that burned my throat.

"Vanessa … can you stay? Just this once?"

Vanessa paused. A flicker of hesitation crossed her face. For a moment, I thought she might actually stay. But then, she gave me another smile.

"Be good, Carl. I’ll be back soon. Just listen and wait for me, okay?"

The door closed behind her. After that, the house fell silent. But it was what I needed. Finally, I was able to let the tears fall.

The driver took me to the hospital on time. Two hours later, Vanessa finally arrived. We completed all the examinations together under the doctor’s arrangement.

Just after the examination, Vanessa left in a hurry again. She used the excuse that she had something urgent at the company. Meanwhile, I sat on a bench in the hospital corridor, staring at the colored Doppler ultrasound report the doctor had just handed me.

In the black-and-white image, there was a small white dot. It was our baby with the size of a peanut. The doctor said it was my child.

I gently stroked the report, my heart aching with an emotion I couldn’t name.

Then, Addison’s text came again.

[Addison Blythe: I just need to tell her that my child misses his mother. Trust me, she’ll drop everything to come to me. And that includes you.]

Attached to the message was a photo.

Vanessa sat on a sofa, holding a little boy dressed in cow-print pajamas. His small arms wrapped tightly around her neck with his face full of trust and dependence. Vanessa looked down at him with a soft, indulgent expression. It was a tenderness I had never seen before.

A warm family scene. I had imagined this moment countless times. I just never expected to see it like this. Even though I could have blocked Addison, I didn’t.

I kept reading his messages over and over, forcing myself to remember. I reminded myself that the happiness I thought I had in my marriage was nothing but a lie. The only thing I could do was to wipe away my tears and carefully folded the ultrasound report.

Then, I called my driver.

"Go back without me. I have something else to take care of."

I remained seated on the hospital bench, waiting.

I didn’t have to wait long.

Another message from Addison. This time, it wasn’t just messages. It was a video.

[Addison Blythe: Enjoy it. We’ll be at the hospital soon. The child you’ve been waiting for these past five years? She can’t wait to get rid of it.]

My hands trembled as I clicked play.

Vanessa appeared on the screen. Her expression was wild, while her movements were desperate. The room was filled with scattered lingerie and sex toys littered across the bed and floor.

I stared at the screen, taking in every painful detail, forcing myself to see a side of Vanessa I had never known. For five years, she had always been gentle and reserved even in our most intimate moments. I had never seen her like this.

I had no idea of how long I sat there, watching the video of betrayal that was done by my wife.

"Sir, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?"

A nurse’s voice pulled me from my trance.

Only then did I realize I had been crying.

My body was trembling, my hands so unsteady I could barely hold my phone. My reflection in the hospital window looked pathetic. I was broken. And yet, even after everything I had seen, I realized something shameful.

I still loved Vanessa.

Vaneesa wasn’t just a woman I could throw away when she betrayed me. She wasn’t something I could simply discard. In the end, she was still my wife.

For five years, people believed she was the one who loved me deeply. But how could they not see? I had loved her just as much. Frankly, I might love her even more.

I couldn’t let go. Not of her. Not of the child growing inside her.

I thought of the tiny life on the ultrasound image and took a shaky breath, wiping my tears. I knew that I wanted to give Vanessa one last chance. So, I dialed her number.

"Vanessa," I said, my voice thick with emotion.

"I don’t feel well. Can you come back? I miss you."

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, Vanessa answered. Her voice was strained, breathless.

"Carl, I’m not done yet. Wait a-"

A muffled moan cut through the call. Then, nothing but the cold, mechanical beep of disconnection. It really broke my heart.

It was that moment that made me realize that I had to leave her for good.