Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
My wife had an abortion—killing the baby we fought so hard to conceive—just so she could give her terminally ill first love a child to carry on his bloodline.
Afraid I would ruin things, my father-in-law exposed my undercover identity to the ruthless boss of an illegal mining cartel I was investigating.
Because of his betrayal, the cartel retaliated against me. I was beaten half to death, enduring unspeakable torture and humiliation before the police finally raided the compound and pulled me out.
The day my wife gave birth, my mother-in-law held her hand and cooed, "Chloe, don't worry. Your dad brought men to guard the hallway. Julian won't be able to cause any trouble."
Yet from labor to delivery, I never showed up.
Chloe smiled, thinking I had finally learned my place and wouldn't throw a tantrum over Carter anymore.
She never could understand. To her, she was just giving Carter an heir—why couldn't I just be supportive?
She even thought that if I showed up at the hospital tomorrow, she would generously allow me to be the legal father.
What she didn't know was that after being rescued, my heart had turned to ash.
In one month, I would be deployed overseas as a frontline war correspondent.
The next time she saw me, it would only be on the evening news.
On the day Chloe was discharged from the hospital, I signed the voluntary deployment papers to become a frontline war correspondent.
Coughing with every breath, I walked up to the front door, only to see the four of them in the living room, doting over the newborn. They looked just like a picture-perfect family.
"Look at that nose! It’s straight and sharp, just like Carter’s!"
My father-in-law, Richard, beamed as he rocked the baby.
Chloe was wrapped in cozy loungewear, happily holding Carter’s arm like a blushing newlywed.
My mother-in-law, Martha, walked out carrying a bowl of hot soup. "Chloe, drink up. You need to keep your milk supply high. Don't wean him until he's at least one."
"This boy was born for wealth and luxury," Martha added. "If this were Julian’s kid, he’d probably be doomed to a lifetime of hard labor."
I looked down, my hands balling into fists.
When I first married Chloe, Martha had bragged relentlessly about my job as an investigative reporter.
At every family gathering and holiday party, she praised me to all the relatives.
Now, she called me a penniless drudge who wasn't worthy of her daughter. What a joke.
Looking at their happy little family, a sharp ache hit my chest.
A year and a half ago, the day I went undercover into that illegal mine, Chloe was pregnant. Her eyes were red with tears as she promised she and our baby would wait for me to come home.
Richard and Martha had sobbed openly: "Julian, don't you worry. We'll take care of Chloe and your baby."
In that dark, subterranean hell, I lived on the razor's edge between life and death. I survived cave-ins and brutal shifts.
The only thing that kept me alive was the sheer will to return home to my wife and child.
And then I came back, only to learn my child had been aborted, and she was carrying her ex's baby instead.
"Julian? You’re here?"
Carter greeted me with an easy smile, acting like the master of the house.
The rest of the family turned to look at me.
Richard scowled with deep disgust. "Look at you. Chloe just had a baby and needs care, and you come back covered in injuries. How are you supposed to work and provide for her and the baby like this?"
"Let me make one thing clear: don't come begging us for money."
Chloe frowned, her annoyance written all over her face. "Julian, this family needs money right now. How could you get yourself hurt at a time like this..."
Before she could finish, I cut her off with a cold laugh.
"What does your baby with Carter have to do with me?"
Chloe's eyes instantly welled up, and she put on a look of sheer victimhood. "He’s going to call you dad growing up! Once he's raised, he's your son! Why do you care if he's biologically yours?"
"A year ago, our house caught fire! If Carter hadn't risked his life to pull me out, I would be dead!"
"He has terminal leukemia! He's dying! I just gave him a child—must you be so petty and jealous of a dying man?!"
Hearing that, Carter immediately stepped in, patting Chloe’s back to soothe her before glaring at me self-righteously.
"Julian, it’s not like I can't afford to raise this baby! We did this for your own good. If you don't step up now, why would he ever respect you as a father later?"
"If my presence makes you angry, I can leave. Just promise you’ll take care of the woman I love and my child. After all... I don't have much time left."
He forced out a couple of tears and made a show of turning to leave, though his feet didn't move an inch.
Watching his pathetic performance, I almost laughed out loud.
Chloe, however, fell for it completely. She grabbed his arm in distress. "Carter, you have so little time left with your son. If anyone should leave, it's not you!"
She was right. The person who needed to leave was me.
I went into the guest room, grabbed my packed suitcase, and headed for the door.
Chloe didn't stop me. She just snapped coldly:
"Look at you, pathetic as always! Go ahead, stay in a motel for a while!"
"Just remember, the baby’s one-month party is in four weeks. You’d better show up. Even if he’s not your blood, I’ll keep the truth from him and let you be his legal father."
In one month, I would be flying out of the country.
Since that was the case, I might as well leave them a parting gift.
I lowered my eyes. "Fine."Laughter echoed behind me.
Even after walking dozens of yards down the street, their voices drifted through the air.
"Carter, don't worry. After you're gone, I'll take good care of our son."
"I promise he will know who his real father is. Julian will only ever be his father on paper."
Just hearing Chloe's voice, I could picture her leaning happily into Carter’s chest.
The thought alone felt like thousands of needles stabbing my heart.
I still remembered coming home three months ago after escaping the illegal mine. I had been desperate to see Chloe and hold our baby.
When I opened the door, Chloe was still heavily pregnant.
While I stood frozen in confusion, Carter walked out of our bedroom, wrapped his arm around my wife's waist, and asked me who I was.
I didn't answer him. I just stared at Chloe’s belly. It had been an entire year. If that was our baby, it should have been born months ago.
With bloodshot eyes, I stared at Chloe. Panic flashed across her face. "Babe... why didn't you tell me you were coming back early?"
Carter, on the other hand, didn't flinch. A smug grin spread across his face as he invited me inside.
"You must be Julian. I guess you've figured it out, right? Yeah, your baby was aborted long ago. The one in her belly is mine."
His tone was gentle, but his words dripped with pure malice.
I lost all reason. I tackled him to the floor, slamming my fists into his face over and over.
In that moment, my only instinct was to kill the man who stole my wife and murdered my child.
Chloe shrieked. Because of her pregnancy, she didn't dare pull me off. Instead, she called 911.
The police arrived and hauled both Carter and me to the precinct.
Once the officers sorted through the situation, they prepared to let me go. But my in-laws arrived and refused to let it drop.
They claimed I had traumatized their pregnant daughter and demanded the officers hold me on a disorderly conduct charge for seven days so I could "cool down and reflect."
After that, they fussed over Carter and took him home.
I spent seven freezing nights in a holding cell.
That was when I truly realized that every piece of my life had been replaced by another man.
Chloe had his child. My in-laws treated him like their beloved son-in-law.
And I had long been discarded.
A week later, Chloe waddled into the precinct to pick me up.
"Have you calmed down now? I know you're upset, but do you think this was easy for me? You never consider my feelings."
"Carter is dying. I gave him an heir—did you really have to explode like that? He's even willing to let the kid call you dad. What more do you want?!"
Sitting beneath the flickering fluorescent light, looking at Chloe's familiar face, she felt like a total stranger.
In that instant, every ounce of rage and heartbreak inside me felt utterly ridiculous.
I walked out of the police station. Instead of returning to the home I had dreamed about for months, I wandered the streets like a ghost.
And that was when the cartel boss's men tracked me down.
They beat me half to death, dragged me into a windowless basement, and subjected me to electric prods and buckets of ice water every time I tried to close my eyes.
They tortured and degraded me for weeks.
If my newsroom colleagues hadn't noticed my disappearance and pressed the feds to intervene, I would have died down there.
Back at the cheap hotel, just as I dropped my bags, my phone buzzed. It was Chloe.
"Julian, maybe I was harsh earlier, but you understand where I'm coming from, right?"
"Carter only has a few months left to live. I just want him to be happy in his final days."
Understand? How could I not?
Just as I opened my mouth to reply, Carter’s voice came through the receiver.
"Babe, mom and dad said they’ll watch the baby tonight."
"Let’s just enjoy each other, okay?"
The call ended. Right before the line went dead, I heard a gasp and the rustle of sheets.
Chloe, is this what you meant by making him happy?
I bet he was thrilled.
After all, he was in bed with my wife.The next morning, I went to the network headquarters to finalize my transfer.
I also attended the hostile-environment safety training for war correspondents.
"Are you the senior reporter who broke the story on that illegal mining syndicate? I heard the boss came after you, and you still didn't back down. That's incredible!"
The interns in the training program looked at me with open admiration. I just smiled faintly.
When the session ended, I headed down to the nearby bistro for lunch. Just as I grabbed a tray, I spotted Chloe, Carter, and my in-laws sitting by the window.
"Julian? What are you doing here with a tray?"
Carter was dressed in a sharp designer suit, his hair neatly styled.
A flicker of contempt flashed in his eyes, though his tone sounded mockingly sympathetic.
"Don't tell me... because of your injuries, the network fired you? Are you bussing tables here to make ends meet?"
Before I could speak, Richard snapped in fury:
"Julian! Have you no shame? We have a reputation to protect!"
"If our friends find out my daughter’s husband is clearing tables, you’ll ruin our family name!"
Chloe frowned, scolding me with deep irritation:
"I told you not to go undercover on that dangerous assignment! You insisted on playing the hero. Now the truth is out, but look at you—what did you gain from it?"
Hearing her venom, a chill ran through me.
Once upon a time, she praised my courage. She told me I was her hero, a light shining into the darkest corners of the world.
Now, she had forgotten every sweet word she ever said.
Or perhaps... she hadn't forgotten. She just didn't love me anymore.
Martha rocked the stroller, sneering at me.
"Julian, whenever you're outside, don't you dare tell people you’re part of this family. Tell them you and Chloe are already divorced so you don't embarrass us."
"Come on, forget this loser. Let's go eat."
Carter gave a condescending smirk and chimed in, "Julian, why don't you put down the tray and join us? Don't worry, my treat."
"Let him work," Chloe dismissed coldly. "How else is he going to buy baby formula? Let's go. We can have the waiter pack the leftovers for him later."
With that, Chloe took Carter’s arm and walked away without looking back.
Richard and Martha pushed the stroller behind them, looking every bit like a proud, united family.
I set my tray down, watching their backs, and let out a dry laugh.
"Divorce? Don't worry. You'll get exactly what you asked for."
The next morning, I arrived early at the banquet hall. Not a single guest had arrived yet.
Just then, my phone buzzed. It was Detective Miller, the officer who had pulled me out of the cartel's basement.
He texted to say that the mining boss had confessed: it was my father-in-law, Richard, who had leaked my identity and whereabouts.
Miller asked if I was willing to sign a waiver or if I wanted to press full charges.
I stared at the screen, my blood turning to ice.
Richard sold me out?
All the beatings, the electrical shocks, the agony...
Just the memory sent phantom pains tearing across my skin.
My fingers tightened around the phone. A single question screamed inside my head: Why?!Just then, Chloe’s family walked in with the baby.
Richard took one look at me and sneered. "Today is my grandson’s welcome party, and you show up dressed like a bum?"
"You look like white trash. Why can't you dress like Carter?"
Carter chimed in with a disapproving frown.
"Julian, you’re supposed to be this child’s legal father. How could you put in so little effort?"
Martha scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What do you expect from a glorified busboy? He probably doesn't even own a decent suit."
Chloe held the baby, her face hardening.
"Julian, stay off the stage today. Don't humiliate us."
"And quit that server job when you get home. Find something that actually pays. That chump change won't even cover diapers!"
With that, they turned and walked off.
I glared at their retreating figures, my whole body trembling with cold fury.
They destroyed my life, belittled me at every turn, and still expected me to foot the bill for their illegitimate bastard?
The sheer audacity.
Fine. I was going to give them a celebration they would never forget.
Soon, relatives and family friends began to file in, greeting me.
"Julian, long time no see! We heard you took down that illegal mining operation! You're a real hero!"
"By the way, isn't this welcome party a bit late? He looks older than a newborn."
I gave a tight smile without answering.
The kid wasn't mine. Of course the timeline didn't add up.
Moments later, the massive LED screens in the hall lit up. A montage of Chloe, Carter, and the baby played on loop. I was nowhere in the video.
One of the guests whispered, "Who’s that guy on the screen? Julian, why aren't you up there?"
I smiled slightly and answered loud enough for several tables to hear:
"Because that man is Chloe’s current partner. And I’m her ex."
The guests gasped, their eyes widening in shock.
Martha told me to tell everyone we were divorced so I wouldn't embarrass them, didn't she?
I was just granting her wish.
Whispers erupted across the room.
Finally, Chloe took the stage with the baby.
Holding the child in one arm and the microphone in the other, she radiated false warmth.
"I believe the greatest happiness in life is walking hand in hand with the one you love."
"And an even greater joy is welcoming a child born of that true love."
Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked lovingly down at Carter.
The guest who had spoken to me earlier couldn't hold back anymore. He shouted, "Don't let just the mom speak! Let the dad come up and say a few words!"
"Wait... is this baby even Julian’s?!"
Chloe’s smile froze instantly.
I grinned, stepped onto the platform, and snatched the microphone right out of her hand.
"Julian, if you say one wrong word, I will divorce you!" she hissed under her breath, her eyes flashing with warning.
I nodded earnestly, as if reassuring her. I wouldn't lie. After all, I was an investigative journalist.
Chloe let out a quiet sigh of relief, thinking I had backed down.
I raised the mic to my mouth and spoke clearly:
"Friends, family—this baby is indeed not mine!"
"His father is Carter! Chloe conceived him behind my back while I was away, sleeping with another man!"
Gasps rippled through the banquet hall. The room descended into chaos.
Chloe lunged for the microphone. Carter, Richard, and Martha charged the stage, trying to tackle me.
I dodged them, whipped out the signed divorce papers from my jacket, and slammed them onto the podium.
"Just because her ex got sick, Chloe aborted our hard-won baby to breed with him! Then she expected me to put my name on the birth certificate and raise another man's kid!"
"As a husband, I refuse to wear that cuckold's collar! And as an investigative reporter dedicated to the truth, I refuse to help them cover up this disgusting farce!"
"Chloe! From this day on, we are completely done!"
Chloe finally wrestled the microphone away, her face pale and tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Julian! Shut up! What are you saying?!"
Richard, Martha, and Carter pinned me down.
Richard’s face was red with murderous rage. He grabbed my collar and forced me against the floor.
"You little bastard! You planned this! You dared to ruin my grandson’s celebration!"
"I'll beat the life out of you right here!"
He raised his heavy fist to slam it into my face.
BAM!
The double doors of the banquet hall were kicked open, and a squad of armed police officers marched in.
"Richard Vance! You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder! Put your hands behind your back!"
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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