My husband, Julian, was a genetic elitist. He looked down on me for graduating from community college, claimed my genes were inferior, and insisted on having a child with his stepsister, an Ivy League graduate. Three months into my pregnancy, they forced me to terminate it. My uterus cramped, bleeding heavily, and I begged him through tears to take me to the hospital. He watched, cold and detached. “It’s for the best. That child’s genes weren’t worthy of mine.” His stepsister, Vivian, tried to console me. “You should be grateful! You’ll get to help raise a child of superior lineage. It’s a privilege.” They would discuss intimate fertility details in eight different languages right in front of me. What they never knew was that I understood every word. The day Vivian’s pregnancy was confirmed, Julian went to church himself to pray for the “genius” in her womb. That same day, I left a signed divorce agreement and never looked back. There was one secret I had never told Julian. He and Vivian would never have a high-IQ child.
As I was wheeled out of the operating room, I heard Julian ask the doctor about safe birth control. “Your wife is very fertile, Mr. Davies. Both barrier and hormonal methods carry risks. If you’re certain you want no more children, I’d recommend…” The doctor’s tone was careful, almost regretful. Julian took my hand, his eyes full of practiced concern. “Maya, let me have the surgery with you. Vivian’s baby will be yours too, someday. I just can’t bear to watch you go through this again.” The cramps in my abdomen still twisted like knives. I stared at him, empty. Tears began to fall, sudden and silent. Julian had hated our child that much. When he found out I was three months pregnant, he erupted in uncharacteristic rage and forced me to take the pills. Just yesterday, he had been meticulously reminding Vivian to take her prenatal folic acid and maintain a light exercise routine. His voice then had been soft, full of anticipation. “The fusion of our genetics will produce the world’s healthiest, brightest child.” Julian, for the sake of your child, are you truly prepared to strip me of my chance to be a mother? A tearing pain in my heart made it hard to breathe. I closed my eyes, my voice chilling. “If you can’t bear to see me suffer, why don’t you get the surgery yourself?” Julian went still, staring at me as if he didn’t recognize me. “Maya, you were the one who wanted a child. I was only granting your wish.” He let out a short, cold laugh. “Besides, what kind of brilliant child could a mother who only attended community college possibly raise?” “Vivian has been exceptionally clever since childhood and studied abroad for years. Wouldn’t a child inheriting her superior genes be a far better fit than one from you?” Before I could retort, his phone suddenly rang. Julian’s expression softened instantly. “I’ll go ask the doctor for some recovery medication.” With that, he hurried away. I could hear Vivian’s sweet, cooing voice from the phone. “Julian, my feet hurt so much! Can you come get me?” “I told you to stop wearing high heels all the time,” Julian said, his voice laced with indulgence. “Take your shoes off. I’ll come carry you.” My heart clenched painfully. The first time I attended a Davies family gala, I was terrified of embarrassing Julian. My high heels had chafed my heels raw, but I didn’t dare say a word. Every step felt like I was walking on razor blades. Julian watched my discomfort with cold eyes, then reprimanded me mercilessly. “If you can’t handle them, don’t force it. From now on, you don’t need to come to these kinds of events.” Back then, I was foolish enough to think he was showing concern in his own cold way. But now, witnessing his blatant favoritism toward Vivian, I realized it had always been my own wishful thinking. Soon after, Julian entered, carrying Vivian on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, grinning as she greeted me. “Don’t laugh at me, Maya. Julian’s just worried I walked too much, so he carried me up.” I closed my eyes, ignoring her completely. The atmosphere grew awkward. Vivian’s eyes instantly welled up. Julian’s face darkened, his voice filled with displeasure. “Maya! If you have a temper, take it out on me, not Vivian!” “Julian! Maya just lost her child, she’s grieving,” Vivian said, feigning sympathy, pinching his arm. Then she turned to comfort me. “Maya, genes are natural. You mustn’t feel insecure, okay?” “Julian not wanting your child was actually for your own good. Davies children are born to be exceptionally privileged. With a mother like you, they might never be able to hold their heads high.” Her voice was soft and gentle, yet every word felt like a sharp blade twisting in my gut. I snapped my eyes open, staring at her with chilling intensity. Vivian maintained an expression of concern, as if she genuinely had my best interests at heart, acting as if her relationship with Julian was nothing more than normal step-siblings. But I knew she had always been madly in love with him. When Vivian’s mother married into the family, Vivian had cried as she smashed our family portrait, screaming in anguish. “I don’t want to be his sister! I want to marry him too!” Later, Julian married me, and she, in a fit of pique, left the country, not returning for years. Vivian flinched under my gaze, her composure faltering. She pouted, wiping away feigned tears. “Maya, if you’re upset, hit me, yell at me, just don’t give me the silent treatment!”
The moment she cried, Julian became a ticking time bomb. He barely suppressed his fury, stepping forward and gripping my wrist fiercely, with enough force to shatter bone. I cried out in pain. “Maya, Vivian has tolerated so much from you, and you still deliberately make things difficult for her! Do you have any dignity as the Davies family’s eldest daughter-in-law?!” A heavy stone seemed to weigh down my chest, making it impossible to breathe. I struggled, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably, and couldn’t help but shout. “Fine! If that’s how it is, then give the title of Mrs. Davies to her!” Julian’s face turned frighteningly dark, his chest heaving, his eyes burning as if he wanted to tear me apart. “You can be as crazy as you want, but if you ruin Vivian’s reputation, I’ll make your life a living hell!” He spat the threat, threw my hand away, and, with an arm around Vivian, stormed out. I collapsed back onto the bed, a bitter ache spreading through my heart. That night, Vivian posted a picture on Ins. A man embraced her from behind, his distinctively jointed hands clasped over her lower abdomen. The caption read: “Anticipating the arrival of a wondrous little life.” I instinctively touched my own empty abdomen. It had just been cut open by cold blades, scraped and hollowed out, aching with fresh blood. Then, another update refreshed on my feed – a video. In the warm hotel lighting, Julian was intently studying a recipe, preparing a special “Five Red Soup” for her “cold uterus.” Vivian lay on the bed, sweetly bragging. “He said it’s his first time cooking personally. He wants to spoil me like a little girl before I become a mom.” But just last month, when I shared pregnancy recipes with Julian. He had suspected me of tampering with them, inspecting the condoms in our bedroom with a dark expression. It turned out Julian didn’t not want children; he just wanted children with Vivian. These two years of supposed deep affection, of being a loving couple – it had all been a facade. Tears soaked my pillow, the heavy ache suffocating me. I finally drifted off to sleep as dawn broke. The next morning, Julian came to the hospital with breakfast. He set up the small table, placing warm milk and a sandwich on it, his expression unusually gentle. “Maya, I said some harsh things yesterday.” Julian patiently tried to coax me. “Even though Vivian and I aren’t blood relatives, she’s still my step-sister by name. There’s nothing scandalous going on between us like you imagine.” “Once she has the baby, I’ll bring it to live with you, and it will only recognize you as its mother.” “If that child ever dares to treat you poorly in the future, I swear I won’t forgive him!” Listening to Julian’s sanctimonious explanations, my heart slowly sank to the bottom. The milk was leftover from breakfast, still bearing the hotel label from last night. Even now, his soft words were only meant to manipulate me into accepting Vivian’s future child. Was this truly the same man who once loved me so fiercely he was willing to break ties with the Davies family just to marry me? Seeing my continued silence, Julian finally grew impatient. He loosened his tie and sat beside me. “Not talking again? Aren’t you tired of this act?” “Fine, Vivian and I can do IVF, without us even being intimate, and you can be the surrogate! Would that satisfy you?!” His face was grim, his tone cold. I looked at him, countless emotions stuck in my throat, finally managing only a self-deprecating smile. “Julian, let’s get a divorce.” A flicker of panic crossed Julian’s eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. “Don’t pretend.” “You were so desperate to marry into the Davies family, you even agreed to have your parents’ final resting place moved to our private family cemetery, essentially erasing your own family’s history!” He scoffed, certain I wouldn’t leave. But he forgot that he had once knelt before my gravely ill parents, begging for their blessing, for my hand. I had never married into the wealth and prestige of the Davies family. I had married the Julian who loved me as much as his own life.
The day I was discharged, Vivian was also brought home. They maintained a superficial politeness, a distant facade, but in private, they were anything but. When Vivian stood on tiptoes to reach a book, Julian reached from behind to precisely retrieve it for her. When Vivian took off her hair towel, Julian would gently blow-dry her hair. At dinner, Vivian’s gaze lingered on the shrimp. Julian had already peeled them and placed them on her plate. “Eat more.” His eyes were soft. Then he glanced at me and set a piece of fish on my plate. “Maya, you eat too. It’s good for you.” The fish was full of tiny bones-the part I hated most. Julian used to pick every bone out for me, reminding me to eat slowly. But now, looking at that piece of fish, a wave of nausea hit me. They talked about everything and nothing, their conversation effortlessly weaving between three or four languages. I dropped my fork and bent to pick it up. Then I saw what was happening beneath the table, and I froze-rooted to the spot. Vivian had already slipped off her heels. Her long legs, sheathed in black stockings, were wrapped tightly around Julian’s like a serpent. “Julian, the kisses in the car were amazing. We should do that again later, ja?” “And I’m wearing your favorite little bunny outfit tonight… specially to arrest you!” Hearing the familiar Danish, I stiffened upright, my eyes darting instinctively toward Julian. His expression was as usual, yet he replied in the same language. “Naughty girl, be careful. Don’t let Maya find out.” They were intimate without a care in the world, completely disregarding my presence. But Julian probably never imagined that I had been fascinated by foreign languages since childhood, possessing an extraordinary talent for them. I understood every single word they said. Overwhelmed by anger and distress, my face suddenly paled, and I coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. “Maya!” Julian was alarmed, immediately reaching out to steady me. “Maya, it was a miscarriage, not some terminal illness. Why would you suddenly throw up blood?” Vivian feigned confusion, then pretended to realize something. “Could it be… you’re putting on a show for Julian?” Julian stiffened, his hand slowly retracting, his eyes filled with disappointment. “Maya, are you trying to manipulate me?” “You’re poorly educated, from a humble background, yet you foolishly deluded yourself into thinking you could bear a child worthy of the Davies family name. This is the consequence of your greed.” “Vivian is at a crucial stage of her pregnancy planning. If you cause her even the slightest fright, I’ll make you pay a hundred times over!” Vivian gave me a triumphant look, then gently pulled Julian away, comforting him. “Maya’s so sensitive and prone to overthinking, why bother getting upset with her…?” Their voices faded into the distance. Strings of blood dripped onto the floor. I managed a pained, hollow laugh, feeling utterly suffocated by the pain. Julian had probably forgotten that I, too, had a promising future ahead of me. Back then, to be with him, I gave up the chance to study abroad. The Davies family was one of the wealthiest and most influential in the city, and the conditions for marrying Julian were ridiculously harsh and outlandish. Giving up my academic pursuits, learning the strict socialite etiquette, even agreeing to have my parents’ graves moved to their private cemetery… Whenever I felt my boundaries were pushed, seeing his pleading expression, I would bite down hard and force myself to accept. The love I had fought so hard to protect, no matter the cost, now lay shattered at my feet. Julian, if this is what you want, then I will grant it to you. I silently wiped away the bloodstains, took out the prepared divorce agreement, and went straight to the upstairs study to find him. As I reached the corner, I suddenly heard hurried gasps and moans. I froze. Through a gap in the curtains, I saw Vivian, wearing a bunny headband, pinning Julian beneath her. “You don’t even like Maya, so why don’t you just divorce her and marry me instead!”
Julian held her waist, his eyes narrowing slightly in warning. “Vivian, you’re crossing a line.” “Mrs. Davies will always be her. You’re merely a tool to provide reproductive genes.” Vivian pouted, complaining petulantly. “But what if she refuses to accept our baby?!” “Don’t worry. As long as she can’t have children for the rest of her life, she’ll have no choice but to accept it.” Julian’s chilling voice pierced the air. I stood frozen, a cold dread spreading from my feet upward. Julian had always claimed to love me, but his favoritism was always for Vivian. It turned out that in this relationship, from beginning to end, I was the only one in love. Numbly, I returned to my bedroom and sat there for a long time. Only when the room was shrouded in darkness did I pick up my phone and dial. “Please book me a flight. I accept the conditions you proposed.” Julian didn’t return until late that night. Fresh from the shower, his hair still damp, he tried to wrap his arms around my waist from behind. I shifted away. “You’re still up? Work ran late. Don’t be angry, my love?” “Tomorrow is our two-year anniversary. I’ll take you to church to pray for peace and blessings.” When I didn’t answer, he seemed unsettled. He pulled me closer, his face buried in my neck. “Maya, I know you’ve been through so much recently.” “Just hold on a little longer…once the baby arrives, we can start over. Okay?” “Okay,” I said, my voice flat, my heart a block of ice. The heavens listen. Julian was desperate for Vivian to conceive his privileged prodigy. But he would be waiting in vain.
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