On our tenth wedding anniversary, I got two reports–one, I was finally pregnant. The other… I had cancer. Ironically, at the happiest moment of my life, I received the most painful news.
With trembling hands, I called my husband–only for a child to pick up the phone.
In a soft and innocent tone, he asked, “Who are you? Why are you calling my daddy?”
Enduring my grief, I asked back, “What’s your daddy’s name?”
A moment later, the answer came from the other end of the line–my husband’s name. Hearing it felt like I had fallen straight into an icy abyss.!!
It turned out my husband had long ago started another family…
And he was not looking forward to the child growing in my belly
With that brutal truth came my decision.
Since he already had another family, then I would leave him and keep my child?
Agnes’s POVE
I looked at my phone. It was still connected to the call. Even with my mind made up, the question I asked almost choked me.
“Where’s your daddy right now?”
The little boy on the other end paused, thinking, before answering in a singsong child’s voice. “Daddy’s with Mommy. They’re throwing me a party at the Clarion Hotel for my fifth birthday.”
The words hit me square in the chest.
The Clarion was the finest hotel in Belvedere City.
In our circle, unless we hosted the celebration at home, it was the place to go.
And now Ridley Swicord was throwing a grand party there–for his mistress and their illegitimate child..
Where did that leave me?
The question drained the color from my face.
The next second, I hung up and drove straight toward the hotel.
Inside my car, the familiar trinkets swayed gently from the mirror, pulling me back through the years.
Ridley and I had been married for ten years. Our relationship had always been good.”
But because I’d never been able to conceive, even with our families equally matched in status, his mother had gradually begun to look down on me.X me.X
I’d swallowed countless bitter herbal tonics to nourish my body, endured appointment after appointment at the hospital- anything just to give him a child.”
Every time he saw me in pain, Ridley would look more stricken than I was,&
He would pull me in his arms, telling me not to put myself through that anymore–that even if we never had children, he wouldn’t mind.
“If you really want a child, he’d say, “I’d rather adopt one than see you suffer.”
Those words had only made me more determined to give him a child of our own.!!
On our tenth anniversary, my wish finally came true, only for it to come hand in hand with a devastating diagnosis–cancer. Looking back now, I understood. The reason Ridley had suggested adoption, was because he already had his biological child with someone elsell
The corner of my mouth twisted bitterly at that realization.
Before long. I reached Clarion Hotel X
I knew exactly which hall Ridley favored. Just a few steps in, I spotted him.X
His face was full of fondness as he lifted a boy–about five years old–high into the air.
Beside him, a woman in a crimson dress, looking incomparably alluring, curled her lips into a smile.l
They looked, in every way, like a warm and happy family of three.
In a casual tone, Ridley warned his buddies.X
“Don’t let word of this get out. Otherwise, Agnes will just come here and make a scene.”
One of his friends hesitated as he looked around him. “But, man, you’re holding this party at the Clarion. She’s bound to hear about it.”
215 AM p p.
Beside him, a woman in a crimson dress, looking incomparably alluring, curled her lips into a smile.
They looked, in every way, like a warm and happy family of three.”
In a casual tone, Ridley warned his buddies.!!
“Don’t let word of this get out. Otherwise, Agnes will just come here and make a scene.“}
One of his friends hesitated as he looked around him. “But, man, you’re holding this party at the Clarion. She’s bound to hear about it.”
Ridley glanced down at the squirming boy in his arms with a soft expression–but his voice was ice.”
“I’ve shut down the gossip. She won’t know. I gave her ten years, and yet she still couldn’t give me a child. The Swicords have been waiting for an heir.“!
His eyes swept the group. “You’re not to breathe a word of this.“”
The friend thumped his chest and agreed. “Relax. We’re not idiots. But hey, she knows more people than just us–what if she hears from someone else?”
He hesitated before adding, “And… what if she gets pregnant later? What will you do then?”
Ridley’s expression hardened.
“I’ve promised Lynzee–the Swicord heir will only ever be our child. Even if Agnes gets pregnant later, I won’t change my mind. If it comes to that… I won’t let her keep the baby.”
I stood rooted at the entrance as his words slid into my heart like a blade.!!
So… everything he’d ever told me was a lie!!!
He hadn’t been unconcerned about my infertility. He’d simply had someone else carrying his child the whole time!!
I knew the woman beside him–Lynzee Sher, his childhood sweetheart.
After we married, I’d believed they’d cut off contact.
But it turned out, they already had a five–year–old child!
For ten years, I’d been nothing but a fool living in the dark!!
When Lynzee heard Ridley’s promise, her eyes lit up with satisfaction.
Feigning concern, she said, “Ridley, if Agnes finds out, she might leave you. I don’t need to take her place, you know. Just being by your side is enough for me.“:
Then, like some delicate thing, she leaned into his arms.!!
He soothed her first, and then he sneered.
“Agnes has been kept dependent on me for so long that she’s useless now. Even if she learns the truth, she won’t leave. She’s like a well–fed dog–have you ever seen one walk away from its master?”
I couldn’t listen to another word. Tears stung my eyes as I turned and fled toward the restroom.!!
I forced my breathing to steady before pulling out my phone. My voice was raw when my brother answered the call.
“Haley… I want to leave Ridley. I’m keeping the baby and coming back to you.”
On the other end of the line, my brother’s voice carried a satisfied smile.!!
“Finally. I told you I’d never steer you wrong. Ridley’s too calculating, Agnes. He’s never suited for you, Ten years with him? That was just you being naïve. Terron’s still waiting. I’ll handle everything. I’ll come pick you up in a week. Just get rid of that son of a bitch first as soon as you can.“W
“Alright,” I replied. “I got it.”
