My Husband Forced Me to Carry His Mistress’s Child

I returned to the Harris estate with leaden feet, my body still aching from the miscarriage. Two weeks had passed since I'd lost our baby—a child Nikolai never knew existed. The house that once felt like a sanctuary now loomed before me like a mausoleum.

As I pushed open the heavy oak doors, I froze. Sage stood in the foyer, directing staff members as they carried in fresh flowers. Her swollen belly strained against her designer dress—a dress I recognized from my own closet.

"Adeline!" She turned, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "You're back earlier than expected."

I clutched my purse tighter. "This is still my home."

"Of course it is." She waved dismissively. "Though Nikolai mentioned you might be staying with your mother for a while."

The casual way she spoke of my husband sent ice through my veins. I pushed past her, heading for the master bedroom, but stopped when I heard voices from Nikolai's study.

"Adeline," Sage called after me. "Come meet someone."

I reluctantly followed her to the study, where a pale, gaunt man sat in Nikolai's leather chair. His skin had a grayish tint, and he breathed with visible effort.

"This is Orion," Sage said, her voice softening as she placed a protective hand on the man's shoulder. "My brother. He also helped save Nikolai."

Orion nodded weakly. "Pleased to meet you."

"Brother?" I echoed, confusion washing over me.

"Yes," Sage's eyes welled with tears. "He's been so brave. After we rescued Nikolai, Orion donated blood multiple times to help him survive. Now..." Her voice broke. "Now his kidneys are failing."

Nikolai entered the room, his expression unreadable as he looked between Sage and me. "Orion needs a transplant. Immediately."

Sage stepped closer to Nikolai, her hand finding his arm. "The doctors say he'll die without it soon. We've been on the list for months, but..." She looked at me with calculated sympathy. "There are so many people waiting."

I watched as Nikolai's face hardened with resolve. When he looked at me, his eyes were cold—the eyes of a stranger.

"Sacrifices must be made," he said flatly. "For the people who saved my life."

---

Three days later, my phone rang as I sat beside my mother's hospital bed. Her breathing had grown more labored, her skin taking on a waxen quality that frightened me.

"Mrs. Harris?" Dr. Chen's voice crackled through the line. "We've found a perfect kidney match for your mother."

Hope surged through me. "When can you do the surgery?"

"Tomorrow morning. Come to the hospital by eight."

I clutched my mother's hand. "Mom, you're going to be okay. They found a match!"

Her lips curved in a faint smile. "My Adeline. Always taking care of me."

The next morning, I arrived at the hospital early, my heart light for the first time in weeks. But when I reached the transplant department, the administrator's face fell.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Harris. There's been a clerical error."

"A clerical error?" I repeated numbly.

"The kidney has been reallocated to a higher-priority patient."

"That's impossible! My mother has been waiting for months!"

The administrator avoided my eyes. "I'm sorry."

In a daze, I wandered through the VIP wing, my mind refusing to accept what was happening. That's when I saw them—Nikolai and Dr. Chen standing in a quiet alcove, their heads bent close in conversation.

"—the money has been transferred to your offshore account," Nikolai was saying, handing over a thick envelope.

Dr. Chen nodded, tucking it into his jacket. "The procedure will begin in an hour."

I stepped back, my heart hammering. Through the glass door of the next room, I could see Orion lying on a hospital bed, nurses preparing him for surgery.

The realization hit me like a physical blow. I stumbled backward, knocking over a supply cart.

Nikolai turned, his eyes meeting mine. For a moment, something flickered in them—guilt, perhaps—before hardening again.

---

"Mrs. Miller has suffered a cardiac arrest!"

The code blue announcement tore through the hospital corridors as I ran toward my mother's room. I'd confronted Dr. Chen, who stonewalled me with medical jargon and privacy laws, but it was too late.

I burst through the door to find medical staff surrounding my mother's bed, their movements frantic as they worked to revive her.

"What happened?" I cried.

"Her body couldn't handle the missed dialysis session," a nurse explained. "Combined with her weakened state..."

I watched in horror as they pressed paddles to her chest, her body jerking with each shock. But the monitor continued its merciless flatline.

"Time of death, 10:47 AM."

The room emptied slowly, leaving me alone with her still form. I collapsed beside the bed, gathering her cooling hand in mine.

"Mom," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I'm so sorry."

The door opened behind me. Nikolai stood there, his expression unreadable.

"Is it done?" he asked quietly.

I turned to him, tears streaming down my face. "She's gone."

He nodded, not looking at my mother's body. "Good. Then the other surgery should be complete soon."

In that moment, as I knelt beside my mother's body with Nikolai's cold words echoing in my ears, I understood with perfect clarity: he had bought my mother's kidney for a con artist.