My daughter Emily was running a high fever in the middle of the night, but my husband Jack had taken the car and left. The next day, I saw a post from Lily, his female business partner, on social media. “Finally fulfilling my dream of motherhood,” she wrote. The picture showed stockings on the passenger seat, and the car’s interior was identical to ours. Furious, I confronted Jack for an explanation. He brushed it off casually: “I’m just maintaining client relationships. It’s all for you and Emily’s benefit.” “Besides, what use is a daughter? Lily’s son will be the one to carry on the Miller family name!” To add insult to injury, Lily leaned into his arms and said, “Don’t mind me, sweetie. I just love kids and needed someone to help me have one.” I kept my face expressionless as I turned away, already planning my next move. 0When four-year-old Emily’s fever suddenly spiked to 104°F in the middle of the night, I frantically woke Jack up. He glanced at his phone, then left without a backward look. “There’s an issue with a business partner. You’ll have to handle this yourself,” he said. I watched in disbelief as he slammed the door shut. With no other choice, I carried Emily downstairs myself. To my shock, Jack had taken the car and driven away without a word. In the dead of night, the streets were deserted. I had to walk eight miles to get Emily to the hospital. As the nurse hooked up the IV, she scolded me, “A little longer and she could have suffered brain damage. Where’s her father?” I forced a smile. “He’s busy with work.” The nurse nodded approvingly. “What a good husband.” Is he really? I wondered. In our seven years of marriage, I had helped him grow his small fruit stand into a thriving store. As our lives improved, I saw less and less of him. Having finally caught my breath and settled Emily to sleep, it was already dawn. I picked up my phone, intending to ask Jack where he was, but instead saw a social media post from Lily from twenty minutes ago. “Finally fulfilling my dream of motherhood,” it read. The picture showed stockings on a car’s passenger seat, and the interior was identical to ours. I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. Though I had a bold guess, I didn’t dare to investigate further. Jack and I had been married for seven years, weathering hardships together. Even as our situation improved, he seemed to be a good husband and father to Emily and me. Lily was a purchasing manager at his company, and had been buying fruit in bulk from our store for company events for years. I’d never heard of them being close. Looking at my sleeping daughter, I tried to push the thoughts away. But the next day, reality hit me like a ton of bricks. In the hospital lobby, I saw two familiar figures. Jack was carefully supporting a woman, laughing and talking. It was Lily. Her belly was slightly swollen, and Jack’s face showed a tenderness I’d never seen before. I remembered being eight months pregnant and still working in the store. Jack would come by after unloading deliveries and affectionately pat my belly. “You’re doing great, honey. I promise I’ll take good care of you both in the future!” he’d say. Now here he was, arm-in-arm with another woman at the hospital! I was grateful Emily was still upstairs getting her IV. Before I could approach them, Lily spotted me. Leaning into Jack’s embrace, she sauntered over. “Well, if it isn’t Chloe! What brings you to the hospital?” Seeing my silence, Jack quickly stepped closer. “Honey, I’m just accompanying Lily for a prenatal check-up. Don’t be upset.” I stared at her belly, my throat dry. “Whose is it?” He looked guilty but tried to appear calm. “Mine… but you know my parents have always wanted a grandson to carry on the family name…” Lily giggled, stroking her belly. “Don’t take it personally, sweetie. I just love kids and needed someone to help me have one!” 0
Heartbroken and disillusioned, I went back upstairs and took Emily home alone. I thought Jack might follow to explain further. But to my surprise, he didn’t come home until that evening. “Emily, look what Daddy bought for you!” he called out. He returned with a load of snacks and toys, but only gave Emily two bags of chips. My daughter looked longingly at the toys in his hands, but was too well-behaved to ask for more. I felt angry and ridiculous. Was his own daughter only worthy of leftovers? If these were bought for someone else, why pretend to be a caring father? “Honey, I bought something for you too. Look at this dress, do you like it?” he said. I coldly watched him pull out the garment. It was a bright red dress. But the size was wrong, and the color wasn’t my style. Since marrying Jack, I’d never bought new clothes to save money. I only wore old black and gray clothes, with my one red dress being my wedding gown. But even that was far inferior in quality to this one. Besides, after having a child, my figure had changed. This didn’t seem like a size I could wear. I took out my phone and smirked. On it was CCTV footage from the store. It showed him passionately kissing Lily, who was wearing an identical red dress. Was this a carefully chosen gift, or just something Lily didn’t want passed on to me? “If you don’t want to stay married, just get a divorce. No need to be disgusting,” I said. He flew into a rage, throwing the dress on the floor. “I try to be nice and this is what I get? Don’t push your luck! I’m just maintaining client relationships, all for you and Emily’s sake!” “Besides, you’re eating my food and spending my money. You’re past your prime and still acting like this!” With that, he stormed out, slamming the door. I knew without asking that he was going to see Lily again. Emily looked up at me and asked, “Mommy, were you fighting?” Looking at her face, I felt overwhelmed with grief. To marry Jack, I had cut ties with my parents and hadn’t seen them in years. I had worked tirelessly to grow the business from nothing, handing over all the profits to him. Now I was being treated like a parasite. Fighting back tears, I knelt down and stroked Emily’s face. “If Mommy and Daddy separated, who would you want to live with?” “I want to stay with you, Mommy!” Feeling a small comfort, I knew I had to fight for Emily’s sake. Late that night, after finishing a call with my lawyer, I suddenly felt a splitting headache. Using my last bit of strength, I sent Jack a message. [Remember to go to the store tomorrow. I’m not feeling well.] Then I passed out. The next morning, Emily woke me up. I realized Jack hadn’t responded all night. Instead, Lily had sent a picture of his sleeping back. My heart ached. The seven-year itch was real after all. To make money, I forced myself to go to the store. But halfway through unloading a delivery, I felt dizzy. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a sterile hospital room. The nurse told me Emily had called her father. I felt a glimmer of hope. At least he wasn’t completely heartless. “You’re overworked and stressed out,” the nurse said. “Whatever’s going on, talk it out. Don’t make yourself sick.” I looked around but didn’t see Emily. I quickly asked the nurse about her. “Her father and grandmother took her home. Oh, you still have one more IV bag…” I pulled out the IV and hurriedly left. 0
When I got home, my mother-in-law Martha was indeed there. Emily ran to me excitedly when I arrived. “Mommy, you’re finally back! Daddy came home earlier too!” “He brought a lady with him. She gave me this toy!” I had a bad feeling, but I sent Emily to her room to play. I heard noises coming from the bedroom and rushed to open the door. “Chloe! Don’t disturb them!” Martha tried to stop me. My heart sank. “So you know about your son’s affair?” She spat, “What affair! He’s just borrowing a womb to have a child. It’s consensual, don’t make it sound so ugly!” “Besides, Jack left Lily to rush here for you. Doesn’t he deserve to make amends?” I laughed coldly and moved to open the door. She grabbed me again. “And you haven’t given our family a son to carry on the name all these years. Lily drank my special tea before getting pregnant, so it’s definitely a boy!” I was both amused and angry. So everyone knew about their affair except me? Shaking off Martha, I kicked the door open. Inside, the two were half-dressed. Jack was even shirtless. “Is this how you make amends? In bed?” I sneered. Seeing me enter, Jack hurriedly covered Lily with the blanket. “She wasn’t feeling well, so I was just checking on her. The baby comes first, you know…” “Don’t worry, once the baby’s born, I’ll never see her again.” I scoffed, “She’s already showing. Aren’t you worried about miscarriage, playing around like this?” Suddenly, he slapped me across the face. My ear rang, and my left cheek burned. “How dare you say such unlucky things! If Lily miscarries, I’ll never forgive you!” Just then, Lily let out a strange cry. “Honey, I’m in pain!” He panicked and quickly helped Lily up to leave. As they passed me, he kicked my knee. Lily whimpered, “Chloe, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come…” Jack cooed, “Don’t apologize. As long as you and the baby are okay.” Even Martha fussed over her as they left. Emily, frightened by the argument, came out with teary eyes and gently touched my swollen face. My heart ached. I was determined to take Emily and leave, no matter what! I spent half the day consulting with my lawyer and gathering evidence. That evening, Martha came home first. “Chloe, think about Jack. He works hard day and night to provide for you two, and in the end, he doesn’t even have a son to carry on the family name.” I laughed coldly. “He provides for us? If I hadn’t begged for connections, could he have turned that fruit stand into a store?” She was taken aback but tried to continue scolding me. I cut her off. “Where is he?” “At… the hospital with Lily. You really scared her earlier.” I scoffed, “Did he know I fainted at the store? Did he know I was taken to the hospital?” Martha stammered, unable to answer. So he did know. A dull pain spread in my chest. Seven years of love, and I still cared for him instinctively. “Tell him I’m filing for divorce.” 0That night, Jack rushed home. “I’m sorry, honey. Please don’t divorce me, okay?” “Are you still mad about me hitting you? Come on, hit me back!” He grabbed my hand and pressed it to his face. Since he insisted, I slapped him hard. He seemed shocked that I actually hit him, his eyes darkening for a moment. Then his expression softened again. “Our family really needs a son to carry on the name. I promise, just this once.” “We’ve been together for seven years, honey. Please don’t divorce me.”
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