Chapter 28
I had understood. Yet, I had still told him, “If one day you want a child, just tell me directly, and we’ll decide together.“”
And Charles had agreed without hesitation.
Seven years ago, Isaiah, his father, inexplicably stopped being angry. Even his mother, Leah, had abandoned her under relentless pressure. They had suggested moving to another city and embracing retirement. At the same time, Charles would visit from time to time to check on them.&
I had believed them. I had truly thought they had finally accepted our choice.
Then… I saw the picture.
It was a family photo on Leah’s social media.
Charles. Another woman. A little boy.
Smiling. Happy. Complete.
The moment I saw it, something inside me shattered. The illusion I had clung to crumbled like sand slipping through my fingers. The truth cut through me like a blade, sharp and merciless.
His frequent trips to another city had never been about visiting aging parents.
They had been about them.§
His real family.
The joyful moments Leah had captured so fondly, so effortlessly, felt like knives tearing through me, robbing me of breath, leaving nothing but searing pain in their wake.
I parted my lips, but the escaped sound was hoarse, barely recognizable.§
“And what about me? Charles, when you treat me like this… isn’t that just as heartless? Just as cruel?“!
A flicker of guilt crossed his face, softening the steel in his voice.
“I’m sorry, Natalie. I never wanted you to endure the pain of childbirth. But if you’re willing, I can bring them here. We can all live together-”
I let out a bitter laugh, the sound sharp and hollow.
“So let me get this straight. My husband cheats on me, and not only am I expected to forgive him, but I also have to accept his mistress’s child. And now, I’m supposed to share a home with her, bump into her in the hallways, and pretend this is normal?“}
Charles fell silent. He had no excuse left.
When he finally left, he was considerate enough to take all the lingering relatives with him as if granting me space to digest the unbearable truth.
Before stepping out, he turned back once more.
*Natalie, I know this is a lot to take in. It’s fine. Take your time. But my decision remains the same: I won’t abandon Eleanor Kelley or our child.”
I sat still as the hours bled into the night.
By the time dawn stretched its weary light across the room, I reached for my phone and dialed the company lawyer.
“You know how to draft a divorce agreement, right? Draft one for me. I want a divorce.”
And just as he had promised, Charles spent an entire week with them, never looking back.
My hands trembled when the high–priced paparazzi finally sent over a stack of photos and videos. I almost couldn’t bring myself to open them.[
Now that everything had blown up, Leah no longer bothered to keep up the facade. She didn’t even pretend to be civil.
Instead, she flooded social media with endless videos, at least eight hundred of them, showcasing Charles’s picture–perfect little family.
Charles played with his son.”
Charles taught the boy how to write.”
Charles tenderly supported his pregnant mistress as they took a leisurely stroll.
And the captions, overflowing with joy, cut deeper than any blade.
[Daddy took the little one out for another fun trip!]}
[My precious grandson is starting first grade this year! He even pouted and begged his dad for help with homework!]}]
[My son and daughter–in–law.]
The content was no different from what the paparazzi had captured, just ordinary, heartwarming family moments.
Yet, to me, they burned like salt on an open wound.
After a long silence, I finally left a comment beneath one of the posts.
[If she’s your daughter–in–law, then who is the person listed as your son’s spouse?]
The comment vanished almost instantly.
Seconds later, a 60–second voice message arrived from Leah.
7:56 AM
[If she’s your daughter–in–law, then who is the person listed as your son’s spouse?]}
The comment vanished almost instantly.
Seconds later, a 60–second voice message arrived from Leah.
“What nonsense are you spewing under my video? Do you even realize what people will think of my grandson if you say things like that? He’s just a child! Do you want him to be labeled a bastard? How can you be so cruel?! Let me tell you, I haven’t even begun to settle accounts with you! You refused to give my son a child, fine! But you even convinced him to get a vasectomy…”
Before I could react, more voice messages followed one after another, flooding my phone.
I thought I had cried all my tears in the past few days.
But hearing her gloat, twisting everything as if I were the villain, my eyes still burned, and the tears still fell.§
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