When My Husband Sold Me to His Mistress

By the third year of our marriage, my husband had transferred all his affection to his mistress.

On our anniversary, she staged a dramatic fake suicide attempt. While I went for my prenatal checkup, she pretended to slash her wrists.

My husband knew she was faking it, yet he indulged her antics, telling me it was all harmless fun.

Until the day his company went public, I was invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony as the CEO's wife. I thought he was finally ready to treat me with dignity, but he arrived fashionably late with his mistress on his arm.

The oblivious guests assumed she was the new secretary and jokingly suggested she dance on stage. Instead, my husband shoved my six-month pregnant self forward.

"Surely none of you have ever seen a heavily pregnant woman perform a dance! How about my wife gives us a demonstration?"

Despite my desperate pleas, he forced me onto the stage. My belly slammed against a nearby table, sending waves of pain through me.

In a daze, I heard my husband’s cold voice:

“The doctor assured me that your pregnancy is stable—it won’t cause a miscarriage!”

“I’ve arranged for someone to photograph you. If you don’t want to dance here, then you’ll perform elsewhere. Maybe it’ll attract a few more business partners for me!”

When I awoke in the hospital, the first thing I did was contact a lawyer to prepare divorce papers.

I then went straight to the hotel suite where Calvin Rodriguez was staying but overheard a raucous conversation from inside.

“Calvin, you’re really going to auction off your wife? Aren't you afraid someone might actually take her?”

Calvin's disdainful voice cut through:

“She’s a bloated, out-of-shape woman. Do you think anyone would truly want her? Honestly, just touching her makes me feel sick!”

Next came Daisy Williams’ wheedling voice:

“Calvin, don’t say that. Maybe lots of people have never seen a pregnant woman dance. Some eccentric individuals might find it appealing!”

“True, Bodie, her face isn’t half bad. If no one else bids, I might snag her for the minimum price.”

The room echoed with mocking laughter.

“I always thought Calvin cared deeply for his wife, but who knew he could be so heartless?”

Calvin sneered dismissively:

“That show of concern was all for grandma’s benefit—since she controlled all the shares.”

“But now the company has successfully gone public, and grandma has transferred all shares to me. Regina Murphy’s usefulness as a tool has come to an end.”

“Besides, she dared to try to embarrass Daisy, as if she’s anything worth noticing. I want her to understand that anyone I choose to protect is untouchable.”

“Calvin, I just worry she’ll find out and cause trouble. You know she’s disliked me for ages, plus she’s pregnant with your family’s first grandson.”

“She’s just a parasite; what right does she have to make demands? Without grandma, she’s nothing.”

“There are plenty of women in the world who can bear children. Only the ones I acknowledge can claim to be the Rodriguez family's heir.”

As the mocking voices continued, a cold sensation spread across my face, like my heart was being squeezed by a giant hand, making it hard to breathe.

It turns out Calvin’s care for me was only a ruse to deceive grandma. No wonder that since I became pregnant, he wouldn’t even sleep in the same room with me. He said he didn’t want to harm the baby, but really, he just found me repulsive.

Finally, I understood why his gaze at me was so different from his gaze at Daisy Williams. One was dismissive; the other was filled with warmth.

My family and the Rodriguez family have been friends for generations, and Calvin and I were promised to each other from childhood.

Unfortunately, my family went bankrupt when I was ten. My parents feared the Rodriguez family wouldn’t honor the promise and planned to take me abroad.

But Grandma Lea insisted on me being her granddaughter-in-law and kept me here.

Calvin isn’t the type to be easily influenced, yet he married me without protest. I always thought he liked me deep down.

In the first six months of our marriage, he was genuinely kind to me, and I basked in the illusion of happiness.

Until the day Calvin went on a business trip, and I received an unexpected photograph of him and Daisy wrapped in a close embrace.

Only then did I realize he had been secretly seeing someone else.

I cried, protested, but each time Calvin easily placated me.

He said that some interactions couldn’t be avoided due to business dealings, as refusing to engage would lead to exclusion.

And I believed him.

But I never imagined this was the real truth...

Thinking of this, I dialed Grandma Lea's number, speaking numbly:

“Grandma, you promised me before that if Calvin ever hurt me, I could leave the Rodriguez family at any time. Does that still stand?”