My wife shyly held the pregnancy test report and told me that she was pregnant and that we were expecting our first child.

It was supposed to be great news, but I was stunned.

Where did this child come from?

I had a vasectomy a long time ago!

***

"Hubby, I have good news for you!"

My wife Ruth was looking all mysterious.

I was a little surprised. After all, Ruth and I had been married for so many years, and our relationship had become a little dull. This was the first time she was this cheerful in a long time.

So I was looking forward to hearing some great news.

Did she come up with a new choreograph or get another promotion?

But what came next was a shock.

"Honey, I'm pregnant. The doctor said it's been more than a month."

Ruth told me as she handed me the pregnancy test report.

I was completely stunned.

Pregnant?

How could she be pregnant?

Ruth was unhappy with my lack of reaction.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? I'm pregnant and we're going to have a baby. Why are you not happy at all?"

Faced with Ruth's questioning, I suppressed my emotions and answered her questions.

"Are you really pregnant? Didn't you say you wanted to focus on dancing in the next few years? We have been taking good protective measures, how could you get pregnant?"

I tried to be casual with it.

Ruth's face froze, and a trace of guilt flashed in her eyes.

I caught it, and my heart sank instantly.

"Oh honey, of course I'm pregnant, and protective measures are not 100% safe. Aren't you happy that I'm pregnant?"

Ruth was trying to fool me again.

I really wanted this child to be mine.

However, unbeknown to Ruth, in order for her to focus on her career, I got a vasectomy after we got married.

I didn't want to distract her, so I didn't tell her.

Who would've thought she would give me such a big surprise?

She was cheating and got pregnancy. Great, I would find out whose child this was.

"Of course I'm happy, baby. It's great your pregnant now. Are you feeling any discomfort? Should we have another check at the hospital?"

I calmly began to change the subject.

Ruth thought she had me fooled and was having an attitude again.

"Of course there's discomfort. What do you know? You've never been pregnant. I'm hungry. Hurry up and make me some food."

I smiled went to the kitchen, but in my mind I was planning on how to catch the adulterer.

Ruth was all about money, the man must be someone in a high position of power.

I had to start with her boss.

It was rare that Ruth had been coming home these days, she used to be busy in the dance studio all the time.

But it may be because she was pregnant and wanted to be waited on.

In order not to arouse her suspicion, I let her have her way.

Ruth was a famous classical dancer in town and usually had a lot of performances.

So I never had any suspicion.

Now that I thought about it, those trips might not have been work.

Although I hadn't gotten any information about the adulterer, someone did tip me off.

He was my former colleague and one of the few friends I still kept in touch with, Josh Stewart.

"Chris, how are you and Ruth doing lately?"

Josh asked tentatively.

Just from his question, I knew he must know something.

I snatched his arm and asked, "Josh, do you know something? Tell me!"

Seeing my reaction, he knew that I had guessed it.

"Chris, I don't want to come in between you and Ruth, but I can't hide something like this from you. I was on a business trip in Harborville when ran into her in a hotel. She should have a performance, but there was another man beside her."

I sat in my seat in a daze.

Harborville?

Wasn't that just over a month ago?

The child was more than a month old now, it should've been conceived around that time.

Anger, shame, and countless other emotions surged up, and I didn't know how to react.

Seeing me in a daze, Josh sighed, patted my shoulder, and said no more.

"It's good you know now. You should take your time with it. If you need any help, come to me. Enough with that. Come, have a drink."

I silently raised my glass and filled it with wine.

Sometimes, alcohol can be a good thing. It can make people forget their troubles, temporarily at least.

I couldn't remember how much I drank, just the sight of Josh collapsing.

I laughed at him for it, then kept pouring myself glass after glass, not knowing if there'd ever be an end to it.

I staggered back home, looking like a wretch.

When Ruth saw how sloppy I looked, she got mad and started screaming at me.

"What is this? Who have you been out getting drunk with ? I'm pregnant here, and you wouldn't stop smoking and drinking! That's not good for me and the baby. Get out of my sight!"

Her look of disgust pierced my heart.

Ruth, I loved her so much. I had always treated her like a princess since we got married, and this was how she was returning the favor.

I felt strangely lifeless, perhaps because the alcohol had numbed my brain.

I pulled up an ugly smile and went to take a shower.

Although Ruth was pregnant, she was still going to the studio to practice dancing, saying she must maintain her figure so she wouldn't get out of shape after giving birth.

I decided to visit the studio to look around.

I cooked a lot of dishes and went there, pretending to be just a husband bringing his wife food.

I stood outside the dance room and peeked in.

Besides Ruth, there were other men and women inside, and there didn't seem to be anything unusual for the time being.

After watching for a long time and not seeing any intimate acts between Ruth and anyone else, I gave up.

"Honey, I brought you food, come eat."

I walked in acting casual.

When Ruth saw me, her face froze, as if she didn't expect me to appear here.

After all, she had expressly forbidden me to come to the dance studio, probably because she thought I would embarrass her.

"Why are you here? Didn't I say..."

Before Ruth could finish her words, I interrupted her.

"You are pregnant, aren't you? The food outside is unhealthy. I gotta bring you food every day, so our baby can grow up healthy. What do you think?"

I deliberately mentioned the baby, so that if she didn't agree, it would mean she wasn't thinking of the baby.

Seeing everyone around looking at us, Ruth could only smile stiffly and nodded in response.

I opened the lunch box, and the aroma of the food instantly captivated the whole dance studio.

"It smells so good. Ruth, your husband's a great cook and must really love you."

"Yeah, yeah, makes me starving, but I'm on a diet."

"If you like, I can make more next time."

My eyes lit up when I heard the compliments. This was a good opportunity for me to get an "undercover" in the dance studio.

"Fine fine, talk about it later. Let's go eat first."

Ruth obviously didn't want me to have too much contact with her colleagues, so she quickly pulled me aside.