As I prepared for my IVF sperm collection, I accidentally overhead my wife Chloe whispering to her mother—Dr. Davis: “Mom, I need to switch the sperm sample. I want Brandon’s baby.” Dr. Davis sounded confused: “But Brandon’s dead, honey. How could you possibly have his sperm?” Chloe fell silent for several seconds before blurting out, “It’s Mr. Hayes Sr.’s. Brandon’s mom is too old to have another baby, so I’ll carry their family’s child. You have to keep this from Liam.” Brandon had been Chloe’s first love. At that moment, I watched Mr. Hayes Sr. exit the adjacent sperm collection room. “Liam, my daughter’s making a huge sacrifice carrying your child. She’ll be hormonal during pregnancy—you need to be extra careful around her.” “And there are important pregnancy precautions—pay attention.” Dr. Davis stopped short, her expression hardening as she noticed my distraction. Chloe jabbed my arm sharply. “Liam, are you listening? Mom’s talking to you.” A bitter wave washed over me. My throat tight, I muttered, “Whatever. Handle it yourselves. I need to go.” I’d barely taken two steps when Dr. Davis’s voice cut through the air. “See? I never approved of him! You insisted on marrying this man, and look what happens! So irresponsible—how’s he supposed to take care of you and the baby?” I froze, her words dropping my heart to my stomach. Even before we married, I’d always been the one handling things for Chloe’s family. When her dad passed, she and her mom were lost. I took care of everything—funeral arrangements, bills, everything.” When Dr. Davis broke her leg, I cared for her around the clock for a month. After Chloe was attacked and struggled to cope, I spent two years helping her recover—every single day. But none of that seemed to matter to them. “Liam, apologize right now! Look how upset you’ve made Mom.” I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “And if I don’t?” Chloe’s tone turned icy. “Then I won’t have this baby.” That comment made my blood boil. I spun toward her. “Are you threatening me with another man’s child?” She froze, finally realizing I’d heard every word. “Since you heard, I won’t lie. You’re my husband, so you deserve to know—but I hope you can try to understand.” I lost it then, shouting, “Understand you carrying another man’s baby?” Dr. Davis stepped between us, snapping, “Who do you think you’re yelling at? My daughter can have a child with whomever she chooses! It’s her body—you have no say!” Chloe stared me down. “If you can’t accept this, we’ll get divorced.” Her words hit like a punch to the gut. I was furious, but some stupid part of me still wanted to fix this marriage. “If you’re dead set on having his baby, then our marriage is over.” With that, I walked out of the hospital and never looked back. Three years ago, after Chloe was assaulted and traumatized, I promised I’d never pressure her about having kids. Three years later, she was somehow planning to use her dead first love’s father’s sperm to have his child. As I exited the hospital, a familiar face waved at me from a car’s backseat. I climbed in, and we drove to a nearby café. The old man’s face was lined with deep wrinkles, his hand trembling slightly as he gripped his coffee cup. He looked like a tree withering in autumn.
“If you’ll let Chloe have this baby, I’ll compensate you generously. And I understand you’re bidding on that Southside development project?” “You won’t even need to bid. I can hand you the contract directly.” The speaker was Mr. Hayes Sr., CEO of Hayes Enterprises. His entitled tone made me bristle. “Why Chloe?” Mr. Hayes Sr. didn’t hesitate. “Because she was the only one who truly loved my son. That’s reason enough.” A bitter laugh escaped me. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. If I told her what really happened to Brandon, do you think she’d still play along?” The words barely left my mouth before the old man erupted into violent coughing. I stood to leave when a familiar figure hurried over. She patted the old man’s back gently while shooting me a glare. “Liam, what did you say to Mr. Hayes?” It was Chloe. Somehow she always managed to show up right on cue. But the flicker of triumph in the old man’s eyes told me everything. I shrugged, forcing a tight smile. “Nothing much. Just mentioned a little secret.” Chloe frowned. “What secret?” The old man’s coughing stopped abruptly. “Liam doesn’t want you to have Brandon’s baby, that’s all. I can’t blame him, really.” Chloe’s temper flared immediately. “Liam, stop meddling in my life! My body, my choice. I’ll have a child with whoever I want—you can’t control me!” “And I already had the procedure done.” Looking at her determined face, my heart turned to stone. In that moment, I finally let her go. As soon as I walked out, I called my parents overseas. “Dad, I’ve made up my mind. I want to come home.” I spent the next few days in a fog, practically living at the office. Finally, Chloe called—probably tired of me not nagging her. “Liam, why aren’t you coming home? Do you even want this marriage anymore? Are we going to fix this or what?” Her unapologetic anger finally wore down my last nerve. I took a deep breath and said slowly, “Let’s get a divorce once I wrap things up here.” Chloe went silent on the other end. After a long pause, she scoffed. “Quit being so dramatic. You think divorce scares me? I’m having this baby, no matter what.” She hung up first. I laughed bitterly, feeling utterly helpless. From now on, her choices were her own. The baby? Whether she had it or not was none of my business. And that secret… there was no point telling her now. I used to be terrified of hurting her, afraid she couldn’t handle the truth. But now? It didn’t matter. Maybe her love for Brandon was strong enough to overcome that painful truth. I threw myself into work, determined to erase Chloe from my mind. Mr. Hayes Sr., clearly trying to punish me, made sure the project that should’ve been mine went to my competitor. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sting, but with plans to join my parents overseas, this company no longer mattered. I started this business to give Chloe the life she deserved.If she doesn’t value what we have, there’s no point in me being her doormat anymore. I reached out to the firm that had previously expressed interest in acquiring my company. Just needed to wrap things up here, then I could leave this country for good.
During a rare lull in work, I checked my phone and found a flood of notifications. My Instagram was blowing up with 99+ messages. I tapped in and saw Chloe had posted something. The caption read: “Happy birthday, Brandon. I have a special gift for you this year.” The photo was an ultrasound. The comments were already blowing up, mostly from mutual friends watching the drama unfold. Mr. Hayes Sr. had commented first: “Thank you for honoring my son and our family this way. You’ve always been like a daughter to me.” Dr. Davis chimed in too: “Take good care of yourself, honey. Can’t wait to meet my grandbaby!” Then came the comments from our friends. “Chloe, that’s so selfless of you to do this for your ex.” One person snarked back: “Liam’s the real MVP here. Guess love means raising your wife’s baby with her dead ex?” Chloe must have seen the comments mocking me, but she didn’t delete them. So why should I protect her reputation anymore? I replied to every single comment: “Chloe and I are getting divorced. Her choices are hers alone from now on.” On the day of the company handover, I was stunned to discover Mr. Hayes Sr. was the buyer. He looked at me with disdain. “Now that you’ve sold the company, get out of town and never come back. I’ll take care of her from here.” “That money should set a poor kid like you up for life. Without my grandson, you’d be stuck slaving away at this failing business forever. Count your blessings.” I shot back, “Right, I should thank Chloe. If she hadn’t decided to have your grandson, I never would’ve gotten this ‘opportunity.’” My words barely left my mouth when Chloe and her mother walked in. Dr. Davis sneered. “You spineless coward! You sold your company, so hurry up and divorce my daughter already. Stop dragging your feet!” “After all, you used to wait on us hand and foot just to marry her. If my husband hadn’t taken pity on you, you never would’ve had a chance. You were never good enough.” “No family connections, no money—your parents didn’t even bother showing up to the wedding. You’re trash compared to Brandon.” Dr. Davis had always looked down on me. Now that I was leaving, there was no reason to hold back. I smiled coldly. “Congratulations, Mom. Soon you’ll have a CEO for a son-in-law.” Dr. Davis turned crimson with rage, while Mr. Hayes Sr. began coughing violently. Chloe slapped me hard across the face. “What’s wrong with you, Liam? Insult me all you want, but don’t you dare speak to Mr. Hayes like that!” The sting on my cheek snuffed out the last remaining embers of my love for Chloe. Mr. Hayes Sr. immediately signaled security. “Get this man out of my sight!” Two guards escorted me out, my pride in tatters. But just last night, my father had called with a mission.
When Chloe got home, I handed her the divorce papers. Her face fell when she saw them—no relief, just a flicker of sadness. Her voice softened, losing its usual edge. “Liam, can’t you try to understand? You know I never got over Brandon. What’s so wrong with giving him a child?” “If you think it’s unfair, I can always have a baby with you later.” I laughed bitterly at her absurd offer. “No thanks. Just focus on having that baby and becoming the Hayes’ golden daughter-in-law. I’ve held you back long enough.” Chloe’s jaw tightened. “Must you be so cruel? You know I’m not doing this for money. If I were, I never would’ve married you.” I stared at her coldly. “But you and I both know why you chose me.” If she hadn’t felt “damaged” after what happened to her, she never would’ve settled for me. Even married, her heart always belonged to Brandon. I wasn’t going to be her backup plan anymore. And I sure as hell wasn’t competing with a ghost. My words struck a nerve. Her face went white, and she ran to the bathroom, retching. When she emerged, her eyes were cold as steel. She picked up the papers and signed her name without hesitation. “Liam, we’re done. I hope you’re happy with your decision.” After her final remark, she grabbed her purse and stormed out. I didn’t feel sad—if anything, I felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted. Shortly after, I received an invitation from Hayes Enterprises. This was my father’s assignment: Hayes needed investment for a new project, and our family was their target investor. Once this deal closed, I’d be out of the country. Three days later, I attended the Hayes gala as scheduled. Of course, I ran into Chloe and her mother right at the entrance. Dr. Davis spotted me and sneered. “You actually think you belong at a Hayes event? Did they mistake you for valet parking?” I ignored her and pulled out my invitation. Chloe looked mortified. “Liam, just leave. Don’t make this worse. Security will throw you out if you stay.” I gave her a flat look. “We’re divorced, Chloe. My embarrassment is no longer your concern.” Chloe stamped her foot in frustration. “You ungrateful jerk!” Dr. Davis pulled her aside. “Calm down. Let him make a fool of himself. We’ll watch.” While they whispered, I’d already pulled out my invitation. As I moved to enter, Dr. Davis snatched the invitation. “Impossible! How could someone like you get a Hayes invitation?” Chloe snatched the invitation and scanned it, then laughed coldly. “This has a foreign name on it. You can’t even forge properly.” Dr. Davis scoffed. “Probably bought it off the street. Does he really think we’re idiots?” “Call Mr. Hayes. He’ll confirm it’s fake.” Chloe nodded and dialed. “Hello, Mr. Hayes? Did you send Liam an invitation?”
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