Julian, who’d never agreed to have kids with me, suddenly turned savage. He demanded me for three days and three nights, without any birth control. I thought he’d finally accepted me. Overjoyed, I took a positive pregnancy test to tell him the good news. Instead, I overheard him, his childhood friend Scarlett, and his two buddies laughing in the company lounge. “You guys spoil me rotten! I was just curious whose baby she’d end up carrying after *this*, and you three went and treated Alice like she was nothing, like a toy. If she ever finds out her baby’s father is unknown, do you think she’ll be mad?” My husband, Julian, sneered, “Mad? It’s a damn *reward* for her! You have no idea how thrilled she was when she heard she could finally have a baby.” “Still, Julian, Alice is totally a natural-born temptress, though!” “And you, Julian, you’re seriously brave for doing this!” “Or how about we make a bet? Who can hit the jackpot? Whoever loses has to buy Scarlett jewelry at the auction—no less than ten million dollars!” It was all about male pride, and the three of them were tripping over themselves to raise the stakes. Scarlett watched them flushing crimson with passion, practically bursting with joy. Through the blinds, she cast a fleeting, dismissive glance my way. …………
“Julian, what if Alice finds out the baby isn’t yours later? What then?” Julian scoffed contemptuously, “If she ends up carrying someone else’s seed, then no matter how you look at it, *she’s* the slut, not only cheating but getting knocked up by another man. Even if Alice found out, would she have the nerve to tell anyone?” “Besides, do you really think I don’t have backup plans?” With that, he pulled a stack of photos from his pocket and scattered them on the table. “Holy hell, her face isn’t blurred at all! If anyone saw these, Alice’s reputation would be toast, hahahaha.” “They’re like something out of a filthy magazine! You can practically feel the sleaze just looking at the pictures!” Scarlett picked one up, glanced at it with disgust, and carelessly tossed it aside. The photo slid perfectly through the crack under the door and landed right in front of my eyes. My breath almost hitched. I lunged to the floor, snatching up my dignity and reputation, stuffing the picture deep into my sleeve. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. Julian had been forced to marry me by our parents. For years, he’d barely touched me. I thought he was finally warming up to me, so even though I knew the drink was spiked, I still obediently swallowed it, letting my consciousness slip away bit by bit. To have a child, to win his favor, I practically threw away my dignity to please him, to respond to him for those three days. I didn’t even realize when they swapped in other men, or when those photos were taken. All of it, just because of Scarlett—a single word from the childhood friend they treasured above all. I fled the company like my life depended on it. Even though my clothes were perfectly modest, I felt like everyone’s eyes on the street were staring at the naked me in those pictures. The immense shame threatened to crush me. I ran headfirst, covering my face. A few minutes’ walk felt like a century. Back home, I rushed to the shredder, tearing the photos over and over again. I wished I could shove my own filthy self in there and be shredded too. The loud slam of the door made me jump. I snapped out of it, and there was Julian. “Did you get your period this month?” I didn’t react at first. “Wh-what?” He curved his lips into a soft chuckle, almost playful. “My little cupcake, that was three whole days. I’m pretty confident in my abilities. Come on, let’s go to the hospital for a check-up.” Julian grabbed me and pulled me towards the garage. Seeing me just sitting stiffly in the passenger seat, he sighed and reached over to buckle my seatbelt. I grasped his hand, blurting out, “To check if I’m pregnant? Julian, do you really want to have a child with me?” He ruffled my hair, his eyes tender. “What silly talk is that? Of course, I do. A girl like you, a boy like me, wouldn’t that be wonderful?” He put on such a convincing act; if I hadn’t overheard their conversation at the office, I would have truly believed him. By the time we got to the hospital, Julian’s two buddies, Mark and David, and Scarlett were already waiting. They eyed me with ill intentions. The two men’s raw, sticky stares gave me goosebumps all over. Julian pulled me behind him. “I heard you might be pregnant. They’re here to congratulate you.” The blood test for pregnancy was quick. It confirmed what I already knew: I was pregnant. Julian held the report, his expression unreadable, but Scarlett’s displeasure was obvious. He looked up at the doctor. “Can we do a paternity test now?” The doctor looked back and forth between Julian and me several times. “It’s only three weeks. It’s possible, but generally, we don’t recommend it—” He cut her off, his voice low and firm. “Then do it. Do it now.” The doctor quickly added, “At this stage, we can only do an amniocentesis. It’s not good for both the mother and the fetus, and we can’t use anesthesia. The woman will suffer greatly. Mr. Hayes, would you like to reconsider?” His brow furrowed, signaling his impatience. “No anesthesia, then no anesthesia! Are you deaf?!” The doctor then turned to me. I managed a bitter smile. “Do it.”
The paternity test would take a week, and they were already impatient for the results. Any later, and it would delay Scarlett’s auction. My suffering was clearly of no concern to them. In front of everyone, people started pointing and whispering about me. After the doctor took samples, Julian dropped another bomb: “Also take samples from my two brothers. Test them all together.” The crowd immediately ignited. “What the hell?! Is this woman playing such a wild game? With three men?!” “Why else would he bring his newly pregnant wife for a paternity test? Turns out he doesn’t know whose seed it is!” “Her husband is tall and handsome, and she still cheats? She’s so ungrateful. If I were her husband, I’d beat her to death!” The doctor, who’d initially shown me pity, now felt deceived. Without anesthesia, her hands were heavy. A sharp pain tore through my belly, making my vision go black. Tears slid down my cheeks. I clung to the wall as I came out. Julian strode forward, ready to hug me. But then Scarlett ran off, her eyes red. Julian’s two buddies immediately followed her. The arm of the man who’d just wrapped around me stiffened, then let go. I landed hard on my backside on the floor. “You go home first. I need to check on Scarlett.” With that, he turned and ran in the direction Scarlett had left. Look at him. He ran to her. The onlookers, seeing my pathetic state, openly gloated at my misery. “A slut who’ll sleep with anyone, serves her right for her husband running off with someone else!” “Hey, beautiful, wanna swap SnapChat IDs? How much for a night with you? I can definitely afford it.” “She wants money? Free of charge! You call her, and she’ll be in your bed!” I grabbed the handrail and slowly pulled myself up, keeping my head down, staring fixedly at my toes as I shuffled out. By the time I hailed a taxi and got home, it was already dark. I leaned against the doorknob, breathing heavily. As I pushed it open, a humid, intimate scent immediately hit me. The sounds of Scarlett and Julian’s desperate coupling almost pierced my eardrums. I slammed the door shut, crumbling against the wall, burying my head in my arms. Enough. This is truly enough! I don’t want to hear it! Not one bit! I don’t know how long passed before the door opened again. Scarlett was dressed lightly, her face flushed, tiny red marks dotted along her slender neck. The sound of water trickling from the bathroom reached my ears. She leaned against the doorframe, looking down her nose at me with ruthless malice in her voice. “You shamelessly keep trying to seduce Julian into having a baby with you. Where do you get such nerve?!” “So eager to have a baby, happy now? With just one word from me, I got all three of them to sleep with you. Next time, how about I toss you into a homeless shelter?” As she spoke, she moved closer to me, forcing me to retreat step by step. “So what if you made Julian marry you? He only has eyes for me. Have you ever seen how passionately he was with me just now, you pathetic thing? You’re only fit to be a sex toy!” Scarlett’s red lips opened and closed, revealing white teeth, but all I saw was the jealousy etched across her face. I scoffed internally. Was she envious of me, after being violated by three men, left shattered and broken? No, she was only envious of my one-third chance of carrying Julian’s child. Thinking this, I instinctively touched my lower abdomen. But this small gesture made Scarlett fly into a rage. “A bastard whose father is unknown, what makes you so proud of that, do you even deserve it?!” Worried Julian might hear, I feigned ignorance. “Scarlett, what are you talking about? I don’t understand. I don’t know why Julian would take me for a paternity test, but the baby in my belly is definitely Julian’s!” She was absolutely consumed by jealousy! “Who gave you permission to carry his child? Who permitted it! I can’t have his child, and neither can you!” With that, she raised her hand and violently shoved me. My heel caught on the stair. I tumbled backward, my vision blurring, my body in excruciating pain, my stomach even worse. Julian heard the commotion and rushed out. Scarlett pretended to fall to the ground, crying out: “I call you my sister-in-law, Alice. I saw you were pregnant and came over to help you clean the house. Did you really have to hit me first?!” “Why did you throw yourself down the stairs? Are you trying to frame me for pushing you? I really didn’t! Alice, why would you do this to me?!”
Then she pretended to just notice Julian, sobbing as she spoke on my behalf: “Julian, don’t mind me. Go check on Alice quickly. She accidentally fell.” Julian’s eyes flicked to the faint red marks exposed on Scarlett’s skin, and a flicker of guilt crossed his face. He quickly took off his jacket and covered her. “Scarlett, are you hurt anywhere? I’ll take you to the hospital!” “I’m fine, just my leg hurts a bit. Alice looks more serious…” He shot me a cold look, then scooped up Scarlett, yelling at me, “Don’t think I didn’t hear you! Scarlett was only trying to help you out of kindness. How could I not know you were so ungrateful?!” I lay on the floor, feeling my eyelids about to close. My lips trembled as I tried to explain: “No, I didn’t, it was her who pushed—” “Don’t you dare play the victim here! Still trying to frame Scarlett? You don’t even bother to make your lies believable! She’s so delicate, she can barely open a jar lid. Do you honestly think she could push you? Besides, Scarlett is kind-hearted. Why would she push you? Alice, when did you become like this?!” With that, he carried Scarlett downstairs. As he passed me, he contemptuously kicked me. “If you like lying there so much, then lie there a while longer! But don’t block the way!” Scarlett twisted her head, flashing a triumphant smile at me. The sound of the car engine sped away downstairs. My vision was fading fast. But I couldn’t fall asleep. My stomach pain was abnormal. Julian wouldn’t come back for me; I had to take care of myself. After a long while, I gathered enough strength to pull myself up by the handrail. Worried about bleeding on the way, I didn’t dare call a taxi. I could only walk to the hospital. The night emergency nurse saw me, bloody below the waist and in abdominal pain, and quickly helped me register. The doctor looked at my daytime medical records and sighed with regret. “My dear, who does an amniocentesis at just three weeks? The pregnancy was still so fragile! Your uterus was stimulated and contracted, and then you fell down the stairs. The baby probably won’t make it.” After the examination, the doctor scolded me urgently, “You can really endure pain! You had a major hemorrhage and waited this long. Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” I, on the other hand, let out a long sigh of relief and even laughed. “Doctor, please proceed directly with the abortion.” From the moment I learned the truth, every second, I felt an intense disgust towards the yet-unresponsive fetus in my belly. Gone, it was for the best. This child’s arrival was like a dream. Now that I was awake, it was all over. I returned home a day later. As expected, Julian hadn’t come back after carrying Scarlett away. The floor and bed were still covered with their ‘masterpieces’. I stepped around the stains and rushed into the bathroom, scrubbing myself dozens of times. I kept feeling like I smelled, and whenever it was quiet, the smell would amplify. The smell of men, the smell of a dead child—it seemed like no amount of washing could get rid of it! I broke down, smashing things to the floor, and buried my face in the bathtub, crying. As the feeling of suffocation crept in, I suddenly thought of my parents. When I first learned I was marrying Julian, I was overjoyed. I picked out every piece of my dowry, and my parents paid for it. Only the file envelope at the very bottom was given to me directly by them. I remembered the day I left home, my mother handed me the envelope: “Alice, even though this is a marriage with a purpose, your father and I still wish you happiness. If one day you no longer feel happy, remember that your parents will always be your fallback.” “If possible, we hope you never have to open it.”
I stood up and ran to the study, pulling out that file envelope. It was a divorce agreement my parents had a lawyer draft for me. They’d somehow managed to get Julian to sign it already, and the property division protected my interests 100%. I resolutely signed my name. Just as my pen left the paper, Julian called, his voice cautious. “Are you… okay?” My tone was cold. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?” “Good that you’re fine. I was wrong that day. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I just got too emotional seeing Scarlett hurt, and I said some harsh things.” “I went back to look for you later, but you were already gone. I figured you were fine.” His attempts at appeasement, tinged with resentment, almost made me laugh. “Do you need anything else?” Julian, after being given the cold shoulder twice, instantly grew impatient again. “I’ve already apologized to you, what more do you want? Haven’t *you* made any mistakes? I’m calling to tell you that Scarlett said she forgives you for pushing her that day. She even invited you to the auction; they said they’re preparing a gift to celebrate your pregnancy.” “Honestly, I can’t believe it. Your temper’s already blown up, and your belly hasn’t even grown. Can’t you learn a thing or two from Scarlett?!” I remained silent on my end of the line. Julian, realizing my silence, softened his tone. “Alright, stop being dramatic. Scarlett hurt her leg, so I’m taking care of her here. The driver will come pick you up in a bit.” As soon as he hung up, Scarlett sent me a SnapChat. “Sister-in-law, you better not miss it! I’ve prepared a big surprise especially for you!” “Your four-person party late-night photos will be the last item auctioned, and they’re all high-definition, no blurring~” She immediately sent dozens of my photos. My phone began ringing off the hook.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “298833”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply