Once suspicion began, the crime was already established.

I gave birth to my husband's child, but he insisted it was not his.

In a fit of anger, I forced him to go to the hospital for a paternity test.

The result showed that the biological father was someone else.

I couldn't understand it, but my sister-in-law quietly asked me, "Did you get pregnant by him too?"

——

My husband and I had been married for five years, and we had a lovely little girl. But one day, the hospital said the child was not my husband's.

The little girl was four years old, a smart little one.

My husband had a heavy smoking habit, and even when I was pregnant, he couldn't quit completely.

However, because our daughter once said it smelled bad, he put down the cigarette and never picked it up again.

One day, I suddenly noticed that my husband pushed our daughter away and looked at her with a very disdainful expression.

Having lived with him for so long, I knew he wasn't the type to openly express his emotions, so that one look made me realize something was wrong.

I carefully observed his changes, sometimes deliberately creating an atmosphere to make him relax.

But no matter if it was a candlelight dinner or various family outings, nothing could bring him back to his previous state.

Could it be something at work?

I started making some exquisite meals for him and even went out of my way to wait for him after work so we could go home together.

But I never found anything unusual. When we cycled home, he still asked me to hold on tightly to his waist, leaning against him.

If it rained, he would tell me to take a taxi home, while he would ride in the rain.

Months passed without any visible change in him.

Then, it was time for our daughter's parent-teacher conference. To test him, I pretended to be busy and pushed the task onto him.

It was clear he wanted to avoid it, but he couldn't refuse me.

When we got home, I found our daughter crying on the couch while he was eating dinner, scrolling through his phone, completely ignoring the hoarse cries of our child.

Seeing her red eyes, I knew she had been crying for a long time.

In the past, even one tear would leave him at a loss for what to do. What could have made him so indifferent now?

After calming our daughter down, I waited until she was asleep before calling my husband out.

I opened a bottle of wine and lit the leftover candles from before, the firelight reflecting brightly in his eyes.

"Do you have someone else outside?" I finally asked, my tone much calmer than I had imagined.

"No," he shook his head, eyes on the table.

"Then why?" He looked at me, shook his head again without saying a word.

My husband was slow by nature but steady in his actions. I had always considered this his strength, but his unwillingness to communicate was driving me crazy.

"I know you're unhappy, but today you must tell me clearly why you've suddenly become so distant. What did we do wrong?"

Perhaps my slightly accusing tone changed his expression instantly.

"Why? How dare you ask me why? Don't you know in your heart?"

His sudden strong attitude left me stunned. I couldn't recall him ever speaking to anyone this way.

"Explain clearly, what did I do?"

I was at a loss. Since giving birth, my focus had been entirely on our little family. I didn't dare take on too much work, fearing I wouldn't be able to care for our child.

I never expected him to think I wasn't doing well enough.

He downed several glasses of wine in one go and then slammed the glass down on the marble table.

"Gloria, how could you betray me like this? I've been so good to you and our daughter, yet you do this to me."

He only dared to question me so boldly under the influence of alcohol.

After repeatedly questioning him, I finally understood where his suspicions came from.

Before I was with my husband, I had a boyfriend. He was successful in his career and good-looking, but we broke up due to the long-distance relationship.

A few years ago, he returned from abroad, and we met a few times.

I remember once meeting him at a café, and my sister-in-law accidentally saw us. My husband questioned me about it for a long time.

Later, I was facing unemployment, and my ex-boyfriend's company happened to be hiring, so I switched to his company. I didn't tell my husband about this.

"How dare you act innocent? You told me he was abroad, but you've been secretly keeping in touch with him, being ambiguous. I've been lenient by not accusing you. What more do you want?"

He was furious, no longer speaking in his usual gentle tone, as if he had already determined I had betrayed him.

"In the end, you just don't trust me. I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd misunderstand."

I patiently explained, but it was as if a switch had been flipped in him, and he refused to back down.

"If you really cared about me, you wouldn't have taken a job at his company or kept in touch with him. Who are you trying to fool, saying you did it for me?"

Back then, when my husband resigned and stayed at home, I also faced the risk of being laid off. We still had a mortgage to pay, so when a well-paying job opportunity came up, I had no reason to refuse.

Besides, I had looked into it—my position wouldn't require frequent interactions with the boss, so there was nothing else to worry about.

"That was years ago. If you were capable, would I need to beg him for a few hundred dollars?"

We graduated from the same university, and when we first started working, our levels were about the same. But now he was a big boss, while I was still a rookie in the workplace.

After I said this, I suddenly felt a pang of regret. Sure enough, my words stung him, and even more hurtful words followed.

It was then that I realized he resented not only that I kept my job with my ex-boyfriend a secret, but he also suspected that our daughter might not be his.

A few days ago, on our daughter's birthday, we had originally planned to celebrate outside, but my husband had to work overtime, so I had to take her to the mall by myself.

Coincidentally, my ex-boyfriend passed by, and upon learning that it was my daughter's birthday, he bought her a cute Peter Rabbit plush toy. She loved it and held it close to her chest all the way home.

I had told my daughter to say that I bought it when asked, but when my husband asked, she said, "Uncle Felix bought it for me. He also said he'd buy me lots and lots of toys in the future." My husband's expression immediately changed.

"Tell me, whose child is Isabella really?"

Faced with such an accusation, I felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation.

"I have never done anything to betray you. If you don't believe me, let's go for a paternity test tomorrow."

That night, I couldn't sleep. I listened to the thunderous sound of his snoring, but my heart kept sinking.

The next day, I prepared everything and went with him to take the test, but the result left me utterly shocked.

"I know in my heart who the father is. How could this be the result?"

Since getting married, my husband and I had a loving relationship, and I am not the kind of woman who would be unfaithful. So why did this happen?

"Could there be a mistake with the test? The child can't possibly not be his."

"Enough." My husband roared. Even I couldn't accept such a result, let alone him.

"Honey, believe me, the child is definitely yours. There must be some mistake."

I looked up at him, only to see his face flushed with anger. The veins on his forehead were bulging as he struggled to suppress his rage. Perhaps he hadn't expected such a result either.

"The result is out, and you still want to keep lying to me?"

I can't say a word in front of this report.

My husband went back to his parents' house, and I didn't even have a reason to make him stay. The house suddenly felt much emptier.

When my mother-in-law learned about the situation, she showed up the next day. She had never liked me, and now that this had happened, it played right into her hands.

"I always knew you and Kane wouldn't end well. Now that you've done such a thing, you must be prepared for a divorce."

"Divorce? I don't agree."

The child was clearly his, and I couldn't divorce over this. Besides, even if we were to divorce, it should be a decision made between us as husband and wife. He should be the one to discuss it with me.

"What right do you have to disagree? You carried another man's child and made my son the fool?"

My mother-in-law's face turned ugly in an instant.

No matter what, the child was still young and needs a father. But I had no clue about this test result.

My husband was soft-hearted, and I still held onto a sliver of hope that he might come back to me.

A few days later, I received a package. When I opened it, I was surprised to find a silk nightgown, and it was a designer brand.

In all the years we'd been together, he had never bought me anything so expensive.

It seemed I was right—he wanted to come back.

I hurriedly put on the nightgown, took a photo, and sent it to him, but I waited a long time without receiving any response.

The next day, I saw a photo on his Instagram showing him having a great time at a bar with some people.

Could I have misunderstood?

I quickly rummaged through the trash, pulled out the package, and found that while the address was correct, the recipient's name wasn't mine.

It turns out I was wrong. He had already started seeing another woman just days after we separated. Given the suggestive nature of the gift, the relationship between the two was obvious.

He didn't want to come back, and I was struggling to care for our daughter on my own. With my mother-in-law's attitude, she certainly wouldn't come to help. I had no choice but to turn to my own mother.

I thought my mother would understand, but as soon as she walked in, she slapped me hard.

I stood there, stunned, unable to believe my eyes.