Cast Out by My Wife, Welcomed by Success

I froze on the spot.

How had something that was perfectly normal between a married couple turned into "forcing" her in Jennifer's eyes?

Thus, even though she was now putting on an alluring show, I only felt a bone-chilling cold and had zero interest.

To her, a baby was nothing more than a bargaining chip for her own benefit.

When she first begged me to invest in the project, to help her secure government subsidies, and to push her to be the project director, she had also sworn up and down that she wanted to have a baby with me.

But she secretly took birth control pills. Then, she would accuse me of having fertility issues, saying I couldn't father a child.

Once, by chance, I overheard her chatting with Maurice about who their future child would look like.

Jennifer had said with utter certainty, "He'll look like you, of course. Why, you're the most handsome man in the world."

Thinking of this, I couldn't hold back a cold, sarcastic laugh.

"Even if we did have a baby, I'm afraid he wouldn't turn out the way you want. You expect him to look like Maurice? You'd be disappointed."

The false warmth in the bedroom instantly froze.

Jennifer's face turned thunderous as she sat up abruptly.

"Archie, I'll say this one last time—Maurice and I are just colleagues! Your constant suspicion is utterly irrational! I gave you a chance, and you didn't appreciate it. From now on, don't even think about having a baby unless you're willing to get down on your knees and beg me!"

She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

I buried my face deep into the blanket, my chest so tight I could barely breathe.

How?

How could she act all insulted and high-and-mighty with me when everyone knew she had been fooling around with Maurice?

I couldn't and wouldn't accept a marriage like this!

The next morning, Jennifer acted completely out of character.

She came up to me and said with a smile, "Archie, we got married in such a hurry back then that we never even had a wedding. So, how about we take a trip to make up for it? Consider it my compensation to you."

In the eight years we had known each other, she had never been this proactive.

I looked at her strangely, my guard going up. There was no telling what she was after now.

But still, I wanted to give it one more try.

Maybe I had been too busy handling project meetings and had neglected her feelings. A trip together might just bring us closer.

However, the moment we got to the airport, I realized just how naive I was.

Jennifer had brought Maurice along.

Seeing me frown, she casually explained, "Maurice is in charge of the project's digital marketing. A lot of the plans targeting younger customers require his attention. We can't afford to fall behind on the project timeline, after all."

"Don't you have three female assistants? Can't you bring one of them instead?"

I had long been dissatisfied with how she brought Maurice along to everything.

"No. To me, Maurice is irreplaceable," Jennifer said firmly.

Before departure, Maurice suddenly said, "Jennifer, let's go to Mount Pratt at Abama. I've been wanting to shoot some footage of camping in the bamboo forest for a while now."

I frowned instinctively. This was my and Jennifer's honeymoon trip, and we had agreed to go to Oakport. What right did an assistant like Maurice have to make suggestions?

I said exactly that.

Maurice immediately looked surprised and aggrieved.

"Jennifer, I've been telling you all along that camping at Mount Pratt is trending and would be great for project promotion. Why would Archie just go and change the destination without telling anyone?

"The signal in those heritage villages at Oakport is unstable. What if a project partner needs to reach us?"

He looked at Jennifer with big, sad puppy dog eyes.

Jennifer changed her decision on the spot and immediately rebooked the flights.

She pinched Maurice's cheek affectionately and said, "You're right. We're going to Mount Pratt. Camping is so much better."

"Yay! I brought a tent. We can go stargazing then," Maurice cheered happily. Then, he turned and asked me with feigned innocence, "Archie, are you coming too?"

Looking at the two of them, I finally understood that this was never a make-up trip for me. In fact, Jennifer had no intention of taking me anywhere from the very beginning.