My Cousin's Son's Father is My Husband

My husband's cousin moved in next door.

When I visited, I overheard my husband's cousin's son calling my husband "Dad."

There were also many used condoms under the bed...

But I clearly remembered that my husband's cousin's husband worked out of town and had only returned once recently.

1

While shopping on the weekend, Charles Ward told me that his cousin and her husband bought a second-hand house next to ours and would move in next week.

I exclaimed, a little surprised, "So sudden? Why haven't I heard you mention it before?"

His eyes flickered as he held my hand, which felt sweaty and sticky. "Well, they asked me when they were buying a house, and I casually mentioned that the neighbor next door was selling a house at a reasonable price. Who knew they would like it? They informed me after they made their decision."

"Which cousin are you talking about?"

"You haven't seen her. Her name is Sophie Shaw. She married someone from another province. When we got married, she had commitments with her husband and couldn't attend, but she still sent a monetary gift."

I thought about it and remembered that there was indeed such an event, but I couldn't recall her name.

Before I could ask for more details, Charles pulled me toward the restaurant with an anxious look on his face. "Oh, I'm so hungry! Let's eat first; we can see them next week anyway."

Although being neighbors with relatives meant I would inevitably have more interactions in the future, we generally lived our own lives behind closed doors. Overall, it didn't seem like a big deal, so I didn't dwell on it.

Who would have thought that such a small thing actually concealed a shocking secret?

It also planted the seeds of disaster in the days that followed and became a turning point in my destiny.

2

On Thursday, I finally met this cousin when I got home from work.

She wore heavy makeup, and her skirt was very short. Her black stockings were torn, revealing her fair skin.

The door was open, and the furniture in the room was piled together in a mess, suggesting that someone had just moved in.

Charles was moving the sofa to the middle of the living room while his cousin stood beside him, wiping his sweat with a tissue.

She moved gently and spoke with concern, "Are you tired? Take a break. You've been busy all day."

Charles stood up, grinned at her, and let her hand slide from his forehead to his neck. "It's okay. If we pack up early, you can bring your son Carter to live here sooner."

The atmosphere between them felt intimate and natural.

Watching this scene, a strange feeling washed over me. I couldn't help but frown and cough lightly, interrupting their growing eye contact.

When Charles saw me, he quickly dodged his cousin's hand that was wiping his sweat, casually wiped his face with his sleeve, and called me in.

I greeted his cousin politely, but she ignored me and looked at me with a hint of hostility.

Doubts began to creep in. Charles had taken leave to help her move without telling me. Could it be...

I raised my eyebrows and looked around the room calmly. "Why don't I see your husband? Are you two the only ones here?"

At that moment, a shorter man came out of the bedroom. He dusted himself off and smiled innocently. "Thanks to Charles for helping me today; I wouldn't have finished so quickly. Let's go. I'll treat you and your husband to a meal."

I felt a little embarrassed and cursed myself for being so foolish as to suspect that my husband was having an affair with his cousin.

3

Because of my earlier apology, I was very polite to Sophie, took good care of her at the dinner table, and supported what she said during our conversation, trying to ensure she didn't feel awkward.

However, she didn't seem to appreciate my efforts.

Throughout the meal, Sophie kept serving food and pouring drinks for Charles, seemingly ignoring her husband.

I watched as they reminisced about their childhood in an intimate manner. When they reached a particularly happy moment, Sophie laughed and fell into Charles' arms. He hugged her, speaking in a gentle and indulgent tone, reminding her to be careful.

Their faces were so close that Charles could have touched Sophie's lips if he had leaned down slightly.

I felt very upset, but her husband remained silent, leaving me unable to express my anger.

Perhaps noticing my discomfort, Sophie's husband smiled and explained, "Sophie's personality is more carefree, and they have always had a close relationship. Don't take it personally."

Sophie overheard him and rolled her eyes at me. Not only did she fail to restrain herself, but she also took it a step further. She sat on Charles' lap and pouted her lips at him, saying, "Your wife is so narrow-minded that she can't even tolerate me, let alone..."

Before she could finish her thought, Charles interrupted her sharply, "Sophie! Even if you are my cousin, you can't speak about my wife that way."

Sophie was stunned by Charles' outburst and stared at him in disbelief. After a moment, her eyes turned red, and she got off Charles' lap like a hurt wife, sitting aside and wiping her tears.

Sophie's husband gently coaxed her, while Charles took my hand, rubbing his thumb on the back of it repeatedly. He seemed to be comforting me, but his eyes kept darting toward Sophie, revealing an unspoken heartache.

I felt confused and puzzled, thinking that Charles' sudden anger must have been aimed at stopping his cousin from saying something inappropriate.

"What did she mean by 'not to mention'?" I wondered. "What are they hiding?"

Additionally, I questioned why Sophie had consistently shown hostility toward me since the moment we met.

I began to wonder. Is Sophie Shaw really Charles' cousin?

4

After returning home, I called my mother-in-law while Charles was taking a shower.

After chatting about trivial matters, I casually mentioned, "Mrs. Ward, you might not know this yet, but Charles' cousin bought the house next door and just moved in today. We are having dinner with them tonight."

There was confusion in my mother-in-law's voice as she replied, "Which cousin? I didn't know about this."

I felt disappointed. "It's the one who married someone from another province. She didn't come to our wedding because of some other commitments."

My mother-in-law paused for a moment before suddenly saying, "You must be talking about Sophie, right? To be honest, you two have never met. You haven't been in touch much since she got married. I heard she returned to buy a house some time ago, probably for her child's schooling."

Just to be sure, I also asked a friend from the same village as Charles. He confirmed that Charles did have a cousin named Sophie, but he wasn't familiar with her and didn't know anything else about her.

The information matched, but I still felt that something was off. Perhaps it was a woman's intuition at work; this situation was definitely not that simple.

I made a secret decision. If Charles ever betrayed me, I would make him pay!

The next day, Sophie's husband left, saying he had some work in another province that needed his attention, so he asked us to take care of Sophie.

I expected Sophie to start causing trouble, but surprisingly, she never bothered us again after that night.

It felt like the calm before the storm.

5

My sleep quality has always been good.

If someone hadn't called the wrong number, I wouldn't have woken up in the middle of the night.

I reached my hand into the quilt next to me and felt it was ice cold. I didn't know how long Charles had been gone.

With a nagging suspicion in my mind, I got dressed, took out my cell phone to record a video, and rang the doorbell next door.

The waiting felt incredibly tiring.