My Anniversary Gift Was His Sperm Donation Receipt

On the night of our fifth wedding anniversary, I drove out to Long Island, to the dream house we were renovating. I wanted to give Blake a surprise.

While I was waiting, I spotted the tablet he'd left on the counter. The screen was lit up, showing an unread email in his inbox.

From: Maya Lyons, his childhood sweetheart.

"Blake, thank you for everything. I can finally have a baby of my own."

The email included an attachment: a confirmation from a top New York fertility clinic for a "directed donation" procedure.

A chill shot through me. My hand instinctively flew to my stomach.

And inside me, our baby was growing.

Blake... You really thought you could have it all, didn't you?

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1

I slipped the positive pregnancy test back into my Hermès handbag, my hand resting protectively over my stomach.

I silently apologized to the little life inside me.

I had wanted to share the news on our anniversary. Blake Ross had always longed for a child.

Apparently, he'd rather have one with Maya Lyons.

It explained why he’d been smiling at his phone so much lately. His heart was no longer with me.

The next day, he nonchalantly handed me an expensive Cartier bracelet as a gift.

As usual, placating me with an expensive trinket.

In his eyes, I was just a dull housewife, a woman who could be pacified with jewelry.

That night, he lay beside me, his arm wrapping around me. His warm breath brushed against my neck, but all I felt was a bone-chilling cold.

The old me would have broken down, demanding to know why he had to betray me, why he kept hurting his own wife.

How could the heir to the Ross Group do something as absurd as donating sperm for his childhood sweetheart?

But now, I just lay there silently, shifting away when he tried to pull me closer.

He sensed my distance and immediately went on the defensive.

"Darling, it's not what you think. Maya and I are just friends. I'm helping her fulfill her mother's dying wish."

"As long as she has this child, her mother can pass on in peace. After this is over, I promise I'll keep my distance from her, okay?"

I remained silent.

My silence exhausted his patience. His voice sharpened.

"Charlotte Davenport, I'm talking to you! What's with the silent treatment? It's just a sperm donation. Do you have to be so selfish and make such a big deal out of it?"

"I could have hidden this from you," he shot back, his voice dripping with indignation. "Telling you was a sign of respect!" He threw back the covers, slipped on his robe, and stormed into the guest room. The door slammed shut, the sound echoing through the house.

The door frame trembled in the silence. In the vast, empty bedroom, I was alone.

So this was my reward for the anniversary surprise I had so carefully prepared.

Was it because my love for him had made me too accommodating? Too willing to yield? Is that why he dared to treat me this way?

No matter how much I loved him, I could not accept my husband having a child with another woman.

The next day, my mind was made up.

I called my childhood friend, Julian Rhys. Julian was the top divorce lawyer in New York. He had once sworn he would always protect me.

I told him I wanted a divorce and needed his help. He agreed without hesitation.

Then, I went to the clinic and scheduled an abortion.

In the operating room, the doctor asked if I was sure. My voice didn't waver. "I'm sure. I want to terminate the pregnancy."

The doctor looked at me with surprise. "Mrs. Ross, after all you've been through to conceive."

I forced a bitter smile, offering no explanation.

A flicker of understanding crossed his face, and he immediately began the arrangements.

The procedure was quick, over in less than half an hour.

But as I walked out of the clinic, physically and emotionally drained, I saw them in the parking lot.

Blake was carefully helping Maya into the car. His face was etched with concern, a tenderness he had never once shown me.

He even gently placed a hand on Maya's stomach. This from the man who only ever yelled at me.