On the day my wife gave birth to a child for her terminally ill first love, her parents hired ten bodyguards to stand guard outside the delivery room. My mother-in-law held my wife’s hand and sighed. “Vivian, don’t worry. We absolutely won’t let your husband get anywhere near you.” Vivian nodded weakly, her face pale. Seeing that I hadn’t come to cause a scene, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn’t understand why I couldn’t be more understanding—it was just helping her first love have a child. Watching the nurse cradle the wailing infant, she smiled with relief. She was even willing to let me be the child’s father. But what she didn’t know was that I had just submitted my report to the United Nations. In seven days, I would renounce my citizenship, become a doctor without borders, and never return. The day Vivian was discharged from the hospital, I had just finished the handover procedures at work. As I reached the door, I heard cheerful laughter from inside. “This baby is so beautiful. Those big eyes are just like his father’s.” My mother-in-law cooed at the infant in her arms while Marcus emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming bowl of chicken soup. “I made this soup myself. You’re still weak, you need to nourish yourself.” He sat by the bed, feeding Vivian with a gentle expression. The scene looked like a harmonious family. My father-in-law held a rattle, grinning from ear to ear. “This child is so lovable, just like his father. Thank goodness he’s not Anderson’s—having a doctor for a father would be such a headache.” My hand tightened on the doorknob. I remembered the first time I met my father-in-law, when he patted my shoulder and said being a doctor was good, that saving lives was an honor for the whole family. He even said he used to be a doctor himself, and if not for injuring his hand during a medical dispute, he wouldn’t have retired early. But now, he was saying doctors didn’t deserve families. I had only been away for advanced training for one year, and this home had already completely shut me out. I lowered my head and smiled bitterly. Vivian and I had been married for three years. She said she was childfree, and I understood how painful childbirth was for women, so I didn’t force her to have children. I still remembered the day I left for overseas training—her eyes were red from crying as she said she couldn’t bear to be apart from me. Throughout that year, we video-called every day to share our lives. Even my colleagues teased us, saying that despite being married for three years, we still acted like young lovers in the honeymoon phase. But just a month ago, I finally managed to request leave and came home. Even after an eight-hour flight, I didn’t complain about being tired. I rushed home, only to find Vivian heavily pregnant, standing beside her first love. My thoughts were pulled back by Marcus’s voice. “Anderson, when did you get back? Why are you standing at the door?” Hearing his words, the others in the room turned to look toward the entrance. When my father-in-law saw the resignation letter in my hand, he frowned deeply. “Why did I ever entrust my daughter to someone like you? What terrible luck. Now you’re quitting your job—are you planning to have us support you?” “Is this how you act as a husband?” My mother-in-law joined in condemning me. “You quit? You couldn’t even handle such a stable job. What else can you do?” “Vivian’s body is precious now. She and the baby need money for everything. If you don’t work, are the three of you supposed to starve?” Hearing this, I found it almost laughable. “Whoever’s wife and child should be supported by him.” “Anderson, what are you saying? How can you be so irresponsible?” Vivian couldn’t hold back anymore. With red-rimmed eyes, she shouted at me. Perhaps from emotional agitation, she clutched her chest and coughed violently. “Three years ago, if Marcus hadn’t saved me from that car accident, I might have died. His parents are gone, and now he’s been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Soon, there won’t be anyone left in this world who remembers him.” “Why do you always have to target him? Do you really think I’m that kind of filthy, disgusting woman?” Marcus helped her catch her breath while turning to look at me. “Anderson, you should say less. I know this is all my fault. I promise I won’t appear in your lives anymore, but don’t let me affect your marriage, okay?” I looked at the four people before me, already united as one front, and felt increasingly ridiculous. So this was what a real family looked like. Just then, Vivian suddenly spoke: “Anderson, my patience has limits. If you dare target Marcus again, don’t bother coming home!” “If you still want to continue this marriage, then settle down. At next week’s party, I can announce in front of our relatives and friends that you’re the child’s father.” Next week? I glanced at the baby already asleep in the stroller. Next week, I would be boarding a plane overseas. But before leaving, I didn’t mind giving them an unforgettable surprise. I nodded without changing expression. “Fine.”
After speaking, without waiting for their reaction, I turned and went to the bedroom to pack. Since I’d decided to leave completely, I didn’t want to leave any trace here. The laughter from the living room seeped through the door. My hands paused slightly as I folded clothes. “Marcus, I want to use your surname for this child. That way, even if he calls someone else ‘dad’ in the future, he’ll always remember you’re his real father.” Even without seeing it, I could imagine the deep affection on Vivian’s face as she said this. My heart had long been torn to shreds by her. I suddenly remembered last month when I rushed home, holding a souvenir I’d bought for Vivian from abroad. But at the doorstep, I saw Vivian and Marcus returning hand-in-hand from a walk. Unlike Vivian’s panicked expression, Marcus looked at me with puzzled eyes and questioned whether I’d come to the wrong door. I said nothing, my gaze fixed on Vivian’s pregnant belly. After eleven months away, my wife was pregnant. No matter what, I couldn’t deceive myself into believing this child was mine. Until Vivian frantically positioned herself in front of Marcus and introduced me. “This is my husband, Anderson.” I thought hearing this would make Marcus back off, but instead, like the man of the house, he invited me to come in and sit. As we passed each other, he spoke in a voice only we could hear. “I heard you’re quite a bit older than me? Then I’ll call you ‘bro.’ After all, your wife is carrying my child.” My chest burned with rage. I couldn’t hold back anymore and punched him hard in the face. I completely lost my rationality. The eleven months of missing Vivian transformed into fury. If there’d been a knife nearby, I might have actually killed this pair of adulterers. A neighbor heard the commotion and called the police. We were all taken to the station, but since it involved domestic matters, the police couldn’t intervene much and just sent us home. As soon as we got home, my in-laws, who’d rushed over, didn’t ask anything—they just berated me. They cursed me for causing such a scene as soon as I returned, making the neighbors laugh at us. They also cursed me for wasting all those years of education, actually resorting to violence, and said they’d never forgive me if something serious happened. Turns out they’d known all along about Vivian and Marcus being together, and even fully supported them. In just one year, Marcus had become the perfect son-in-law in their hearts. Only I had been kept in the dark. My mouth tasted bitter. I felt terrible. Vivian trembled as she walked to my side, trying to take my hand and persuade me. “I never meant to betray you. Marcus isn’t well. The doctor said he has at most six months to live. I couldn’t bear to see him die without even having a child.” “I wanted to discuss it with you before, but you were abroad, and I was afraid you’d worry too much and it would interfere with your studies. I planned to tell you when you came back.” “If you’re willing, can we raise this child together?” Having children—such a major decision—yet she made it sound so trivial. I placed the last piece of clothing in my suitcase. Just then, my mother-in-law pushed the door open. Seeing the suitcase by my feet, she wore an expression that said I was finally being sensible. “Since you haven’t been back, I let Marcus sleep in your room. The study has been converted into a nursery too, so tonight you’ll have to make do on the couch. Or you could go stay in a hotel?” I was truly exhausted and had no energy to go find a hotel. I nodded, planning to make do on the sofa for the night. But deep into the night, the baby’s cries kept coming from the bedroom. I rolled over, about to put in earplugs, when I heard Vivian’s complaining voice. “Can’t you do something about the baby? He keeps crying.” “You’re my baby. Taking care of you is enough. Crying is good for a baby’s lung capacity.” Vivian laughed softly and said “you’re terrible,” followed by a shameless giggle. I pulled the blanket over my head, trying hard to ignore those obscene sounds. But when I closed my eyes, Vivian’s face appeared—how she looked the first time she confessed to me.
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