My husband Aaron Brooks and I stayed childless through five years of marriage. To boost my fertility, I took vitamins he specially ordered from abroad at crazy prices. But when my cousin came back from overseas studies, she said that brand never did custom vitamins. I got the pills tested at a hospital. The report showed they were strong hormone drugs meant to stop pregnancy. That was when I realized Aaron’s daily caring routine of watching me take those pills was just an act. He’d been lying to me for five whole years. Right as I was about to confront him, Queenie Bennett tagged Aaron in the company chat. [Honey, the doctor said I’m having twins at today’s check-up.] [Two grandsons for the Brooks family! Happy now?] My heart froze dead. Everything clicked. If this was how things stood, we were done. I took my phone and answered Dorian Bryant, my childhood sweetheart who’d texted three days back. [After Arctic auroras, let’s see penguins in Antarctica.] Queenie’s message set off a storm across the company instantly. [Holy cow! When did you and Mr. Brooks get together?] [You guys even have kids now!] [Congrats! I’m already saving up for your wedding!] [Mr. Brooks, you got the hottest girl in our company!] Messages kept flooding the group chat. My eyes turned colder as I watched. This was Brooks Group’s internal chat filled with key members and Aaron’s inner circle. When Aaron added me here earlier under his parents’ orders, the scene felt just as lively. But back then, when people teased us, Aaron replied: [Nora’s my friend. She joined to learn finance stuff from you all.] After sending that, he told me privately, “Nora, ours is an arranged marriage between families. It’s too complicated. Let’s keep it quiet for now.” I agreed and stayed quiet in the chat. As coworkers joked about asking me out, Aaron replied: [Go for it if you can. Just don’t slack at work!] Queenie fired back below: [Stop acting like that around girls! You’re ruining our company image!] Aaron always used “work overload” as an excuse, so we never had a wedding. That was why after five years of marriage, nobody knew their Mr. Brooks was already married. The chat finally slowed after a full hour. That was when Queenie suddenly posted: [Thanks for the love! You all are welcome to our baby’s birth party!] [But you better bring fancy gifts!] [No problem! Happy life to your family of three!] [Come on! Queenie’s twins make four!] [Can’t wait to meet your babies!] Reading these messages, my heart twisted with bitter pain. I gripped my phone so hard that my fingertips turned pale. I tried to believe this was all a cruel joke, but then, I saw Aaron’s reply to the group. [Thanks for the best wishes. I’ll grant paid leave after this busy period.] My eyes stung as tears spilled uncontrollably. It felt like a giant hand crushed my heart, making it hard to breathe. Why? Why would Aaron do this to me? I sat frozen on the couch, drowning in misery until numbness took over. Opening the chat, I saved all the chat records. Staring blankly out the window, I felt hollow. Just then, keys jingled in the door. I looked up and saw Aaron walk in. He came home before dinner, a rare miracle. “Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?” He sat beside me, oozing fake concern. “Talk to me, darling. Who upset you? I’ll fix it.” He pulled me into his arms. His embrace felt warm, yet my entire body stayed ice-cold. Why? How could he betray me yet act so loving? It made no sense. Feeling his breath on my neck, I shoved him away. “Don’t touch me!” Aaron’s smile faded. He leaned back casually. “You saw the company chat, huh?”
“Nora Sherwood, you should know the real reason why we got married. “We united for our families’ sake. Why obsess over trivial details now?” Aaron’s eyes flickered with impatience. “Besides, isn’t our current arrangement working fine?” His words stunned me. Aaron was right. Years ago, when a new potential group rose in Agelaton’s business world, Brooks Group and Sherwood Group were forced into retreat. The two families had no choice but to form an alliance against their rival. To solidify this partnership, Aaron and I were pushed into a marriage of convenience. “For Brooks Group and Sherwood Group’s future, you two must marry!” “It isn’t negotiable!” Under our parents’ iron-fisted pressure, Aaron’s budding romance with Queenie died prematurely. I, too, was forced to break up with Dorian. Our parents even cut off all financial support to coerce us. Faced with the brutal reality, Aaron and I held out for only three months before surrendering. After leaving the civil registry, Aaron coldly warned me, “This is purely for our families. I don’t love you, and don’t expect what isn’t yours.” I knew Aaron still longed for his secretary Queenie. But how dare he betray our marriage so casually? How could he force me to take strong hormonal contraceptives, harming my body for that woman? I was utterly heartbroken. Yes, our marriage began as a business arrangement. But over five years, 1800 days, how could I not develop any affection? Anger and disappointment surged within me. Staring at Aaron’s calm face, I blurted out, “What exactly are you planning with Queenie’s pregnancy?” Instantly, I regretted asking. If Aaron didn’t want her children, he wouldn’t have publicly acknowledged it in the company chat or thanked colleagues for their congratulations. “Nora, I want children. “That’s my kids. I’m keeping them.” Rage exploded within me. My palm cracked across Aaron’s right cheek. Snapped! He stood frozen, disbelief twisting his features. “You’re insane! How dare you hit me?” Ignoring him, I slammed the medical report onto the coffee table. “Five years, Aaron! “You lied to me for five years!” “Custom-made vitamins? How clever! Using that excuse to feed me contraceptives!” My vision blurred with furious tears. Aaron paled, guilt and fear flashing in his eyes. “Nora, let me explain…” “What’s left to say?” I hissed. “You poisoned me for years. Is this your desire for children? Or do you only want them with Queenie?” Bitter tears streamed down my face. Panicking, Aaron reached to embrace me. I sidestepped his touch. “You want Queenie’s children? Fine! “If you could just tell me! I’d even help convince our parents! “But why hurt me? “Do you know what those hormones did to my body?” Though it was an arranged marriage, we’d grown close over five years. He’d scour the city for my favorite cakes when I was sad. Drunk, he’d cling to me whispering, “Nora, don’t leave.” He’d take midnight flights back during business trips just to comfort me when I missed him. I didn’t know if this was love, but his whispered “darling” always warmed my heart. “Nora, I’m so lucky to have married you.” Countless nights, he’d murmur this while holding me. I thought we’d stay happy forever until discovering his five-year deception. Without my cousin’s help, I’d never have known about the contraceptives. Aaron’s eyes showed panic seeing my tears. “Nora, I hid Queenie’s pregnancy just to spare you pain.”
Aaron’s half-hearted excuse filled me with bitter disappointment. If he feared hurting me, why cheat? If he cared, why feed me high-dose hormonal contraceptives? The hypocrisy stung. What a despicable liar he was! Watching his guilty expression, I sneered. “These years, I’ve lost sleep over infertility, clumps of hair falling out. Do you know my anguish? Yet you tricked me into taking birth control pills. Those hormones destroyed my hormonal balance permanently—I can never have kids now! You stole motherhood from me to protect Queenie and her children! Aaron, you’re a jerk!” Tears streamed down my face as my chest heaved. The doctor’s diagnosis had shattered me. Aaron obliterated my dream of a daughter. I loathed him. I couldn’t bear his existence, storming to the bedroom. As I sank onto the bed, Dorian’s message lit my phone: [Nora, why ignore me? If Arctic auroras don’t appeal, let’s pick somewhere else.] Dorian, my first love, had moved abroad after college, which was why my parents opposed our relationship. For years, his messages piled up. Invitations to surf oceans, explore canyons, watch desert sunrises… I never replied, not even to his plea for reconciliation. Yet he persisted, sharing his life relentlessly. My phone overflowed with his unopened texts. I dared not read or respond. I was another man’s wife. I’d clung to moral principles while Aaron trampled my dignity and health. My sacrifices yielded only pain. Sobs wracked my body. Eventually, I steadied myself. Summoning courage, I opened Dorian’s chat. Unread messages cascaded. [Nora, I wish you’d attended my PhD graduation today.] [Nora, I saw vanilla cake at a bakery, your favorite.] [Nora, did my gift arrive?] [Nora, I miss you.] Each word pierced my heart. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. Aaron had transferred three million dollars to me. [Darling, I’m sorry. The money proves my remorse. Forgive me.] I scoffed. Three million to buy forgiveness? As if money could erase betrayal and ruined health! I vowed then to never sacrifice anything for Aaron again. I’d live for myself. Opening Dorian’s chat, I typed: [After Arctic auroras, let’s see penguins in Antarctica.]
After the fallout with Aaron, he grew increasingly brazen. He stopped coming home during the day, even staying out all night. But I didn’t care. His absence lifted my mood instead. I wasn’t idle either. First, I applied for immigration paperwork. Then I packed all my belongings from the house, shipping them in batches to Dorian overseas. Returning from the post office one day, I bumped into Aaron at the doorstep. “Nora, I’ve got a surprise for you.” He produced a box containing the bracelet I’d admired at last month’s auction. “Do you like it?” I nodded, mentally calculating whether such valuable jewelry could survive shipping. At dinner, Aaron suddenly proposed. “Nora, come with me to my grandparents’ 50th anniversary next Monday.” “Sure,” I agreed. He blinked, startled by my compliance. “Nora, you’re the best wife ever!” His smile radiated triumph. The banquet swarmed with my family and Agelaton’s business elites. Before entering, Aaron forcibly hooked my arm through his. I didn’t resist, letting him parade me into the hall. Queenie stood there, instantly recognizable. As Brooks Group’s star executive and Aaron’s personal secretary, her presence was inevitable. Watching her bustle around, I smirked. “Her pregnancy glow suits her.” Aaron’s face darkened. During dinner, the interrogation began as usual. “Nora, five years married, you must prioritize children,” Aaron’s mother chided. “Aaron says you’ve been trying. Any progress?” his grandmother added. “Don’t avoid doctors. Get checked,” his grandfather boomed. My heart ached. A child? I’d never have one. Queenie suddenly announced, “Sir, even if Nora can’t conceive, I’m carrying twins!” Silence gripped the table. As Aaron’s grandfather flushed angrily, Queenie purred, “Don’t misunderstand. I just want Nora to share this blessing. Maybe she’ll give you two great-grandsons too.” Aaron shot her a tender, hopeful glance. “Nora, let’s toast. You failed in the past years, but my luck might rub off on you.” Queenie raised her glass, provocation gleaming. I glared, ignoring her. When she kept standing stubbornly, Aaron shoved her into a chair. “You’re pregnant. Sit down!” He then snapped at me, “Stop being petty! Queenie’s blessing you. Why embarrass her?” “Aaron!” His mother frowned at his tone, but he barked, “Mom, stay out of it! She’s my wife, yet she has no manners! We’ve been childless five years because of her infertility. How dare she sulk?” Rage choked me. I was shocked by his shamelessness! How could he have the nerve to say such words? It was all his fault! I clenched my fists, breath ragged. A blessing? I lifted my wine, eyeing Queenie coldly. “Thanks. Extra gratitude if those twins are Aaron’s.” The table froze. But I didn’t care and calmly resumed eating. When the party ended, Aaron and Queenie vanished together, perhaps fooling around somewhere else. So I left without him. Placing divorce papers on the coffee table, I hauled my luggage out forever. Before boarding my flight, I mass-emailed chat screenshots to my parents and the Brooks family: [Aaron already has twins via Queenie. No future here. I’m divorcing him.] As soon as I stepped off the plane, Aaron’s barrage of texts flooded my phone. [Nora, have you lost your mind?]
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