My Sterile Husband, His Pregnant Mistress

When I returned to the penthouse, Ben was already home.

The air was thick with smoke; he had clearly been smoking for a long time.

A bitter wave of irony washed over me.

"So, the reason you've barely been home this past year wasn't business after all. You were keeping a woman on the side."

Ben's brow furrowed. I let out a sudden, self-mocking laugh.

"She looks so young. Is she still in college or something? To think she's actually willing to have your baby."

He was obviously waiting for me at home to discuss this very matter.

But he remained silent.

My anger flared.

On impulse, I hurled the Hermès bag in my hand at him.

"Say something!"

It hit him squarely.

He no longer bothered to suppress his emotions. He slammed the bag onto the floor and shot to his feet.

"Earlene! I want to settle this amicably! Don't be shameless!"

I was dumbfounded by his attitude.

"You cheated on me, and that's supposed to be you doing me a favor?"

Ben fumbled for the lighter on the coffee table and lit another cigarette.

The word "cheating" seemed incapable of piercing his sense of shame.

"I've been meaning to tell you about this for a while, but I could never find the right time. Now that you've found out on your own, it's an opportunity. I want to resolve this peacefully."

"You can have this penthouse if you want it. You contributed to the company in its early days, so I'll give you a reasonable share of the assets. But don't get greedy."

He was so business-like, as if our marriage was just another deal he was closing.

I opened my mouth, a hoarse sound escaping my throat.

"Money, how much are you going to give me?"

"I was twenty when I got with you. You had no family, and I was by your side as you built everything from scratch."

"Now we're thirty. Do you think you can just buy off ten years of my youth with money?"

Ben shot me an impatient glance.

"What? Trying to move me with stories from the past?"

"Yes, I'm grateful you helped me entertain clients and attended all those cocktail parties. But you know perfectly well how those deals were actually closed."

A chill shot up from the soles of my feet.

"What do you mean by that?"

Ben sneered, "You should be glad I'm willing to give you any money at all. After all, you had ulterior motives for getting close to me from the very beginning."