Married Ten Years, Replaced In One NightChapter 1
After ten years of choosing a child-free life together, my wife, who had gone abroad on a research trip, suddenly updated her social media. In the photo, she stood pregnant, visibly so, shyly curled in the arms of a man. Beside them were two little boys, identical from head to toe.
The caption read: [For you two, I’m willing to give up the whole world.]
My heart skipped a beat. In disbelief, I dialed her number. The moment the call connected, her irritated voice snapped through the line.
"Don’t call me if it’s nothing. How many times do I have to repeat myself? I’m very busy. Don’t you get that?"
She hung up without waiting for a response.
I stared at the photo, my gaze fixed on the two children. Slowly, my hand drifted to my abdomen, stopping at the old scar that still burned like betrayal.
So this was why she insisted we remain child-free. This was why she refused to let me undergo treatment.
As I looked at the woman I had loved for over twenty years, the dam finally broke. Tears streamed down without shame.
——
After making ninety-nine unanswered calls, Assistant Vale came to find me.
Without hesitation, I told him to call Reese Ellison and inform her that I was sick and had been hospitalized.
Vale looked confused but still dialed her number. The call connected after just one ring.
“Hello, Vale. What’s up?”
Reese’s cheerful voice drifted through the speaker. I could almost picture her, legs lazily draped over that Italian man’s lap, lips curled into that familiar, carefree smile.
“President Ellison, Vice President Maddox is hospitalized. Do you plan to return soon? The company can’t run itself.”
There was a pause. Then her voice dropped, cold and dismissive.
“Sick again? Honestly, what does he even do all day? Completely useless.”
She sighed, then added, “I know Sebastian’s tenth birthday is coming up. I’ll spend a few more days with them and head back after that.”
As the call ended, Vale looked toward me, his expression twisted with awkwardness. He stammered, “Vice President Maddox, what do you want to do now?”
I simply waved him off. “Just go back to the office.”
Three days passed. Reese finally returned.
I sat slumped on the sofa, surrounded by empty liquor bottles, each one a silent witness to the storm inside me.
She burst in with joy, threw her arms around my neck, and kissed me with force.