On the very day I underwent a vasectomy, Susan bought the designer tuxedo I had been eyeing for months. However, her next words struck me like a bolt of lightning.

“Tomorrow is my baby’s sip-and-see. I need you looking your best.”

The IV needle snapped right out of the back of my hand. With bloodshot eyes, I begged her to stop playing around.

However, her face remained dead serious. “Choosing to be childfree back then was just a compromise because we were struggling. But now, I’m sitting on a multi-million dollar estate. I need an heir to inherit my fortune. My child will be your child, too. From now on, you will be the baby’s godfather.”

In that exact moment, my vision blurred.

“So, you pushed me to get a vasectomy just to secure the positions of your lover and your illegitimate child?" I spat out.

Susan frowned, annoyed. “Myles, watch your mouth. I am giving you the status of my official husband, and I'm giving Owen the child. It’s a fair trade. Staying with me means you get to be a father without any of the pain. If you leave me, who else would ever want a sterilized man like you? Think about it wisely.”

The pain hit me all at once as the anesthesia wore off. Yet, I couldn’t help but remember that once upon a time, she had carried a child of ours that she refused to accept.

The call button was pressed, but Susan Brown didn’t stop speaking.

“Myles, I have worked so hard all these years to build this business,” she said, her voice softening as she wiped the bright red blood from the back of my hand. “I need a child to inherit everything I’ve built. Our relationship has grown a bit stale lately anyway. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a sweet little child running around the house to liven things up?”

A soft smile crept into Susan’s eyes.

“As for Owen… he has suffered a lot for my sake. He is gentle and sensible; he won’t ever threaten your status as my husband. I can’t mistreat him, so please, don’t make a scene, okay?”

Watching the sheer tenderness in Susan’s eyes, I laughed until the tears came.

So, that six-month “business trip” she took was actually just a cover to go off and bear a child for her lover. The reason I couldn’t reach her wasn’t that she was busy; she just didn’t want me disrupting her secret life. And through it all, I had been blind to her betrayal.

Even yesterday, when my surgical wound got infected, I called her six times in a row, and not a single call went through. Right up until the moment I passed out from the pain, I was still foolishly making excuses for her, worrying that she was working too hard and forgetting to eat.

How utterly pathetic I was.

“Let’s get a divorce,” I said, my expression cold as I yanked my hand out of Susan’s grasp. “I have zero tolerance for infidelity.”

Susan’s face froze for a second, but she quickly let out a mocking scoff. “Oh, so you insist on making a scene? Fine. Then sign the paperwork.”

She whipped out a set of divorce papers. Her signature was already on the document. It turned out she had come prepared all along.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh and picked up the pen without a moment’s hesitation. However, just as the pen touched the paper, Susan suddenly pinned my hand down. Her expression was ugly.

“Myles Thompson, since when did you become so incredibly impulsive?”

Who was truly the impulsive one here, though?

“You need to face reality. No woman out there is going to accept a man who can’t give her children. Where will you even go if you leave me? Back to some small town to find some old sugar mommy who has one foot in the grave? Myles, haven’t you had enough of living in poverty? Why can’t you just be good and cherish the comfortable life you have right now?”

“You’re filthy. Don’t touch me!”

I wrenched myself free from Susan’s grip, practically screaming the words. Yet, her cruel taunts still felt like a million tiny needles piercing through my heart, and I couldn’t stop my tears from falling.

Ironically, she was the same person who used to tell me that love shouldn’t be chained down by children, and that true happiness had absolutely nothing to do with wealth.

I closed my eyes, forcing the tears back. The woman standing in front of me right now was not the Susan I loved, and she wasn’t worth a single one of my tears.

When I opened my eyes again, my voice was firm. “Susan, staying by your side will only disgust me. Accepting your illegitimate child isn’t happiness. It’s a slap in the face.”

These words enraged Susan, and she slammed her fist down onto the hospital bed. The nurse’s hand shook just as she was trying to reinsert my IV, causing the needle to pierce straight through my skin. The nurse was so terrified that she apologized repeatedly.

Susan glared at my bloodshot eyes as she said, “Myles Thompson, if you’ve got the guts, then get the hell out right now!”

She immediately ordered the nurse to process my discharge papers.

“But Ms. Brown, Mr. Thompson’s wound hasn’t recovered yet. We highly recommend keeping him under observation for another couple of–”

Before the nurse could finish her sentence, Susan stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. The nurse looked at me with pity, and I simply flashed her a bitter smile. Not caring anymore, I picked up the pen to finalize my signature.

What made Susan think she would decide whether I would stay or leave?

I unlocked my phone, intending to call her, but my finger accidentally tapped on her profile picture instead. Her latest Instagram update popped up. It featured two photos: one of a newborn wrapped in a blanket and another of a man leaning down and gently kissing her pregnant belly. The caption read, “Mommy loves you, but she loves Daddy even more.”

It felt as though someone was squeezing my heart.

Uncontrollably, my thumb scrolled down through her feed. Over the past six months, she had carefully documented all of their dates, prenatal checkups, and anniversaries. It turned out she didn’t hate posting about her life on social media; she had simply blocked me from seeing her happy. However, now that everything was out in the open, she clearly didn’t see any need to hide it from me anymore.

The thought of it made me nauseous, and I choked until tears streamed down my face. If this was how it was going to be… then Susan, this was where we end.

I dialed Susan’s number.

“I’ve signed the divorce papers. When are we going to–”

Before I could finish, the hospital room door opened. The moment I saw the person walking in, the blood in my veins froze.

I broke down and demanded from the person on the other end of the line, “Susan! Why would you do this?”

Her voice on the other end was entirely flat, offering no explanation. “Myles, whatever is going on between us, make sure you tell your grandmother everything. You know her heart can’t handle any stress.”

With that, the line went dead, leaving me trembling uncontrollably.

Susan knew exactly how to manipulate me. Grandma had just undergone major heart surgery last year; she absolutely could not handle any stress.

"Myles, dear, I heard you and Susan had a little misunderstanding… Over all these years, I’ve seen exactly how well Susan treats you…”

I forced a yawn, using the movement to wipe the tears from my face. However, I could feel a lump in my throat.

How could I possibly tell her the truth? How could I tell her that the woman who used to run across the entire city in the middle of the night just to buy me strawberries and who used to skip dinner for a whole month just to save up for a gift to show me she loved me had gone out and had an illegitimate child with another man?

So, when Susan told Grandma to her face that she was taking me out to help me clear my head, I got into the car. However, my chest felt so tight I could barely breathe, so I rolled down the window halfway.

“Susan, you are despicable.”

She gently brushed aside the stray hairs blowing across my face.

“Myles, I posted those photos on social media on purpose just so you would see them. I don’t want you to leave me.”

A bout of nausea hit me again, and I turned my face away from her.

"I’ll go to the party. Just have someone take Grandma back home right now.”

Susan agreed without hesitation.

The ballroom was massive, but the first thing I spotted was the baby right in the center. The clothes, the link baby socks, and even the name belonged to the child Susan and I had lost years ago.

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay calm as I said, “Susan, you could have easily bought new things.”

However, she just frowned. “Don’t be so petty, Myles. Owen said babies grow fast anyway. The kid will only wear them for two days at most.”

I couldn’t help but snort. “Susan, I meticulously picked out every single one of those items for our child. How could you give them away to someone else?”

On the day our baby died, I had intended to cremate those clothes with her. However, Susan had stopped me, saying she couldn’t bear to let them go, and that she wanted to keep them as a memory. Now, she was using those precious memories to humiliate both our dead child and me.

Susan was losing her patience. “Fine. Once the party is over, I’ll have them taken off and given back to you. Happy?”

Apparently done explaining herself to me, she walked away. She took the baby from the nanny’s arms, expertly burping the child and calming her down.

This was a scene I had envisioned a thousand times in my dreams. I remembered that on the day Susan found out she was pregnant, I was so excited that I had rushed to pick her up. Instead, I found her on her knees in the pouring rain, sobbing hysterically and begging for an abortion.

“Myles, our startup lost everything this year, and my mother is critically ill in the hospital. The pressure is suffocating me. We can’t afford a baby right now. We’ll have more children in the future, I promise.”

We really were dirt poor back then, so poor that we could barely scrape together the money for an abortion. Looking at the premature gray hairs on Susan’s head, I bit down and walked with her into a cheap, run-down clinic down the street. Susan’s eyes had been red and swollen for an entire day. She told me then that she didn’t even like children anyway and that a family of just the two of us was more than enough.

My eyes grew watery at the memory. Just as I turned to leave, a hand clamped down on my arm. It was Owen Fisher. He was beaming with a bright smile, holding a beautifully wrapped gift box in his hands.

“Mr. Myles, thank you so much for coming to the celebration for Ms. Susan’s and my baby. Please, accept this small token of appreciation.”

He opened the box, but his eyes took on a defiant look.

“Ms. Susan has been producing way too much breast milk, and our little Juni can’t drink it all. So, I had the extra made into custom breast milk soap. I absolutely love it. I use it every single night when we take our baths together.”

I didn’t reach out to take it.

“The scent is repulsive. I don’t want it.”

Owen shoved the gift box straight into my chest, his tone turning demanding. “Myles Thompson, you have to accept it, no matter how much you look down on it, just like Juni. Even if she makes you sick to your stomach, you have no choice but to accept her.”

“Who said I’ll accept her? As long as I don’t sign those divorce papers, you will always be nothing more than a homewrecker, and your child will always be illegitimate.”

Feeling humiliated, Owen instantly teared up. “Mr. Myles, I can live without a legal title, but you have no right to insult Juni!”

Before I knew it, Susan had walked over. She glared at me and warned me, “Myles, don’t you dare bully him.”

Owen immediately threw his arms around Susan.

“Ms. Susan, Mr. Myles is just in a bad mood because he just had his surgery. As long as it makes him feel better, I’m willing to take the blame. You shouldn’t be angry with him. He just had a vasectomy. He’s no different from an old man now. What a poor thing. Ms. Susan, I’m actually a little scared. I won’t end up like him in the future, will I?”

“You never will,” Susan whispered into his ear. “If you’re scared, we can get you whatever treatments you want. Is a million dollars enough to make it better, hm?”

Enlivened by her coddling, Owen flashed a playful, mischievous smile. “You always know exactly how to spoil me, Ms. Susan. Do you want another baby with me? Oh dear, I forgot Mr. Myles was still standing right here! Mr. Myles, please don’t mind us. My baby will still call you Daddy in the future.”

With that, he forcefully dragged me toward the baby.

“Look, Mr. Myles. Doesn’t Juni look exactly like Ms. Susan?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he gave the baby a vicious pinch. The sleeping baby instantly burst into a frantic, agonizing wail.

“Mr. Myles! You can hate me all you want, but why would you hurt an innocent child? She’s so young…” Owen sobbed hysterically.

Before I could even process what was happening, a violent shove from Susan sent me crashing onto the floor, and an agonizing pain shot through my lower body. With my post-surgery stitches torn open, blood soaked through my trousers.

The commotion drew the attention of everyone in the hall. Guests began pointing and whispering at me.

“What kind of man is that? He can’t even keep his own wife, so he takes his anger out on a helpless baby.”

“If I were Susan, I would have slapped him across the face by now.”

She screamed at me, her face dark with rage. “Myles Thompson, you are a malicious, cruel monster! You don’t deserve to be this child’s father. Get out of here!”

However, the pain was so excruciating that I couldn’t even stand up.

“Susan, please, take me to the hos–”

“What, are you planning to lie there and kick up a fuss now?” Susan’s voice turned dangerously cold.

She then turned to her security detail and ordered them to drag me out of the venue.

I managed to pull out my phone to call 911, but a barrage of automated text alerts popped up first. Susan had frozen every single one of my credit cards. With no money, I couldn’t pay for medical care or get a taxi. Susan was doing this deliberately to punish me, forcing me to walk the three miles back home on foot in this condition.

I clung tightly to the street railing until the agonizing pain slowly turned into a dull numbness. By the time the night wind dried the very last tear on my face, only one thought remained in my mind: leave Susan.

I would take my child’s memorial plaque, and I would leave. Anywhere would be better than here. Life without Susan would be much better.

Dragging my weak, unsteady feet, I finally made it back home after dark. However, the moment I pushed the door open, I was met with the sight of Owen naked and Susan pleasuring him.

Even when she heard the door open, she didn’t bother to look up. She just continued what she was doing with absolute focus. It wasn’t until Owen let out a satisfied groan that she finally stood up, wiping her face with total indifference.

“Owen has been holding back and suffering for a long time. He’s moving in starting today, so it’s easier for me to take care of him. You will act as his servant until you realize what you did wrong.”

I didn’t even bother to say anything. I simply turned around and walked toward the stairs.

My heart had long since grown numb. All I wanted was to grab my late child’s memorial plaque and leave this house—a place where I had lived for five years yet always felt like a total stranger. However, the table that used to hold my late Juni’s memorial plaque and teddy bear was gone. In its place, the table was piled high with baby supplies.

I searched every corner of the room, but there was still no sign of it. A sharp, agonizing pain flared from my stitches again, but I couldn’t care less. Driven by panic, I rushed back downstairs and demanded answers from Susan like a madman.

“Where is our child’s memorial plaque?”

Susan looked slightly startled. “Myles, why is your face so pale…”

My voice shook as I asked her the same question again.

“I threw it out,” Owen smirked from the couch, acting completely nonchalant. “I tossed it right into the fire pit, burned it to ashes, and scattered it. Look, your stillborn baby had the same name as my child. Keeping that around is basically a curse on my baby, isn’t it? I was just protecting my own flesh and blood. If you have a problem with that–”

Before he could finish his sentence, I slapped him across the face with everything I had.

“Myles!”

Susan rushed forward, shoving me out of the way to shield Owen behind her back.

“Owen isn’t wrong. That memorial plaque shouldn’t be kept in this house anyway.”

I clenched my stinging hand, my eyes burning red. “Susan, that was your child, too! Do you not care at all?”

A flash of hesitation crossed Susan’s face, and she reached out as if to grab my hand. “I–”

Right at that moment, Owen clutched his swollen cheek, his expression grim. “Susan, my face hurts so much.”

Susan immediately snapped her hand back and cupped Owen’s face in her hands, her eyes overflowing with worry.

“Myles, no matter what, it’s not right to hit someone! Owen went a bit too far this time, I admit, so I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

“I don’t want your apology! I want him to get down on his knees and beg God for forgiveness!”

“In your dreams,” Susan replied, her eyes growing cold. She looked at me as if I were a lunatic.

Behind her back, Owen shot me a deeply provocative smirk.

Fine.

I let out a bitter laugh and whipped out my phone. “Isn’t Owen a popular livestreamer? Why don’t you both repeat everything you just said live to the internet? Let’s see if Owen gets banned by tomorrow, and let’s see if your precious reputation gets ruined!”

“Myles, you are out of your mind!”

Susan snatched the phone out of my hands. Losing my balance from the force, my lower body hit the sharp corner of the table. A sharp cry of pain escaped my lips, but she acted deaf to it, focusing entirely on shutting down the livestream.

Owen began to cry miserably. “Mr. Myles, by ruining my career, are you trying to force me to kill myself?”

Susan’s face sank as she ordered, “Security! Lock him in the basement! If you refuse to admit your mistake, don’t ever think about coming out.”

She turned her back to me, missing the trail of blood dragging behind me on the floor.

With a harsh click, the door to the basement locked. An agonizing pain spread from my surgical wound, each bout more excruciating than the last. I curled up on the cold floor and gave up on struggling.

Just as I was quietly waiting for death to claim me, my phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Grandma. However, it wasn’t her voice on the other end.

“Hello, is this Mr. Myles Thompson? Your grandmother has suffered a massive shock. She’s currently in critical condition and requires emergency surgery. We are at…”

A loud ringing filled my ears, and I couldn’t quite make out what was said after that. So, Grandma was never sent away to that peaceful retirement home. Susan had lied to me again. She had never cared about a single word I said.

I desperately asked the doctor what could have shocked Grandma so badly. There was a heavy silence on the other end of the line for two long seconds.

“Someone came to the hospital and told her that her granddaughter-in-law had a secret child with another man.”