Zach and Linda exchanged glances, nodding with little hesitation.

Linda, clearly feeling emboldened, added, “More than that, I’ve noticed you've been running to the hospital a lot lately, fussing about needing to eat lighter meals and exercise more. You must be in bad health too.”

She sneered. “A woman who can’t have children is already considered defective. I never said anything because we were kind, but your recent strange behavior makes me think there’s something wrong with you. Maybe you're planning to use that house to fund your medical bills.”

She crossed her arms smugly. “Otherwise, how do you explain all these hospital visits? How do you explain your sudden interest in house prices? Why else would you dig through the real estate certificate in the middle of the night?”

Zach frowned, clearly becoming more irritated. “Listen, I’m giving you two options. First, we pretend nothing happened and you keep living your life with me. Or second, we get a divorce.”

Lindas sharp gaze was locked on my face, clearly hoping to see some sign of weakness. When she saw how calm I was, she added, “And don’t think that if you choose divorce, you’ll walk away with a cent of our family’s money. I’ll make sure of that. Even if this goes to court, you won’t get a penny.”

I couldn’t help but smile to myself. So, this is what they’ve been angling for all along.

Part 5

Looking at the two people before me—once so familiar but now so foreign—it suddenly all became clear. They’d noticed my preoccupation lately, sensed something was off and jumped to the conclusion that I was after the house, or worse, that I had some serious illness. To stop me from claiming anything, they transferred the house to Lily.

Zach and Linda continued throwing accusations at me, but I felt nothing but exhaustion.

For the last two months, I’d been running myself ragged trying to care for them both, searching for ways to get them liver transplants, managing their emotions while juggling all the burdens of the household. But instead of appreciating my efforts, they assumed my motives were selfish—blaming it all on my supposed guilt over not having children.

The irony was laughable.

I’m perfectly healthy. The reason we haven’t had children is because Zach has congenital azoospermia. But I never told him, afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle the truth. I carried the burden for him, letting him believe the problem was with me. I thought his love for me was strong enough to withstand anything, even childlessness.

At first, that seemed true. Zach and Linda barely mentioned my inability to have children, instead taking me to doctors and feeding me endless traditional medicines to “nourish” my body.

But in the past few months, their patience had worn thin. I thought it was just the stress of their illness. Now, I see the truth.

I looked at Zach steadily. “Fine. We’ll get a divorce. Let’s not drag this out.”

Zach and Linda almost jumped with joy.

Linda pointed a mocking finger at me. “You said it yourself—don’t go back on your word.”

I smiled. “No need to worry. We’ll go to the City Hallfirst thing tomorrow morning.”

With that, I packed my things and left without another word.

The next morning, I arrived at the City Hall. Not long after, Zach and Linda showed up—with Lily in tow.

As soon as she saw me, Lily rushed over, grabbing my hand tightly. Her long nails dug painfully into my skin. I yanked my hand back, and somehow, she staggered and fell dramatically to the floor.

I rolled my eyes. “What’s this, some kind of performance? Is this fun for you?”

Zach and Linda’s face darkened. They hurried to help Lily up, shielding her from me like I’d committed a crime.

“How dare you hit her!” Zach snapped. “Lily came here because I told her about the divorce and she wanted to make peace between us. But instead of being grateful, you attacked her?”

Lily coughed weakly, then chimed in. “Zach, please don’t blame her. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have accepted the house. I’ll go to the Housing Authority right now and transfer it back. Please don’t get a divorce because of me.”

Linda shook her head firmly. “Absolutely not. You’re pregnant, Lily! We didn’t just give you the house—we gave it to the child in your belly! If you give it back, what will the baby have?”

Lily’s face flushed with embarrassment. She clearly hadn’t expected Linda to reveal her pregnancy so bluntly. “Auntie, how could you say that?” she muttered, cheeks red.

Linda huffed. “Why shouldn’t I say it? It’s a good thing! Unlike her.” She shot me a look, “you can give us a grandchild. If it weren’t for her stubborn refusal to leave, I would’ve had one long ago!”

I didn’t get angry. Instead, I smiled and glanced at Lily’s stomach. I had so many things I wanted to say, but I held them back.

Not yet. I still needed to sign the papers first.

Part 6

Without hesitation, I signed the divorce papers.

Lily blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected me to give in so easily. She seemed genuinely unwilling for the divorce to happen. After all, she’d grown up with Zach and knew him well. Maybe she was also aware of his and Linda’s true nature.

“Zach once said that you don’t love him,” she said softly, “but I always thought he was joking. I never realized you were serious.”

“Just because he gave me the house, you’re so angry you’d divorce him?” She shook her head. “Were you only with him for the house?”

I gave her a look of pure indifference. “Please, don’t flatter yourself. You’re pregnant. If I don’t divorce him, what are you planning on having an illegitimate child?”

Zach’s face twisted, but he said nothing in response. Reluctantly, he signed the papers too.

With the divorce certificate in hand, I finally felt a wave of relief. But before they could leave, I smirked and asked, “Where are you going? You’ve got a baby on the way. Aren’t you going to get your marriage license now, or are you planning on making your child a bastard?”

Zach glanced at his mother, seeking her approval. Linda, glaring at me, muttered, “Annoying as she is, she’s right. You’re already here. Might as well get the marriage license now.”

Zach had no objections.

But Lily’s expression changed instantly. “No!” she exclaimed.

Zach looked at her, puzzled. “Why not?”

Lily forced a smile and spoke in a resigned tone, “Zach, don’t you see? She’s doing this on purpose. If we get married now, she’ll go around saying you cheated on her. How will we ever hold our heads high again? We still have several months before the baby is born. Why rush into this?”

Part 7

Zach and Linda hesitated, especially Zach. “Lily, I think you're overthinking it. She’s still a decent person. She won’t spread rumors. Besides, I don’t care what others say. I love you and we have a child together. Of course, I want to marry you. I think we should do it today.”

But Lily stood firm. “Zach, maybe you don’t care, but I do. And so does Auntie. Don’t you care about our child? Do you want people to gossip and point fingers at the baby?”

She continued, “Why create unnecessary trouble? If we get married now, it will only hurt us and make her happy.”

Hearing this, Zach and Linda seemed easily swayed. Both of them turned to look at me with dark expressions.

“I see what’s going on now,” Zach said, his voice laced with accusation. “You were so eager to push us into getting married just to spite us, weren't you? Are you jealous that I have a child, something you could never give me?”

Linda, with her temper flaring, snapped, “No wonder you can't have children. With a heart as wicked as yours, it’s no surprise. It’s karma! You must have sinned in a past life and now you’re being punished. You don’t deserve to carry on the family name!”

I nodded calmly. “You’re absolutely right. Only people who’ve sinned can’t have children.”

As I spoke, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Even as I pinched my thighs to suppress the laughter, it burst out.

Zach and Linda exchanged bewildered glances, as if I were losing my mind. Once I’d had enough of laughing, I straightened up and said, “Now that we’re divorced, I have something to confess.”

“Actually, there’s nothing wrong with me. I can have children just fine. The reason I told you I couldn’t was to protect Zach’s pride.”

Part 8

Both Zach and Linda froze, clearly unsure whether to believe me or not.

Lily, however, paled. She knew very well how the child inside her came to be and she wasn’t the type to be easily fooled. But the fact that she was carrying someone else’s child and had managed to claim Zach’s house showed just how cunning she was.

Recovering quickly, Lily smiled coldly. “I know you can’t stand to see Zach and me happy. You’re jealous that he gave me the house and that we truly love each other, so now you’re trying to stir up trouble. But this child is Zach’s. If he has any doubts after the baby is born, we can do a paternity test.”

My eyebrow arched and I replied sincerely, “That sounds good. I just wonder… will Zach still be alive to see the baby born and take that test?”

Before the words had fully left my mouth, Linda’s hand flew toward me, aiming for my face. But after living with her for so long, I knew her too well. I easily dodged her slap.

She stumbled, barely avoiding a fall, her face red with fury. “What nonsense are you spouting? My son is perfectly healthy! Stop trying to sabotage his relationship with Lily!”

I looked at Linda and nodded thoughtfully. “Oh, and you too. I almost forgot. Like your son, you might not live long enough to see this child born.”

Seeing the two of them on the verge of losing their temper again, I finally dropped my smile and said, “Aren’t you curious why I was looking for the real estate certificate? If I was planning to add my name to the deed, why would I suddenly want to do that after all these years of marriage?”

The two of them stammered, clearly trying to piece it together. Before they could come up with an answer, I provided it for them.

“It’s because you’re both dying. I was searching for the deed because I wanted to sell the house to pay for your treatment and save your lives.”