My Wife's Charity Case

I looked at Sarah's expectant gaze and suddenly remembered the promise she had made to me. If I turned 30 and still did not have a child, she would give me one. Today was my 30th birthday.

Sarah naturally hooked her arm through mine, her face full of unconcealed joy. "Matthew, do you know how long I've waited for this day? You can't go back on your word now!"

This time, I did not push her away.

Lisa's betrayal had shattered all my persistence and dreams. It was time to return to my old life.

…

The next day, I sent my resignation to the company's HR department.

After graduation, I chose not to return home and inherit my parents' business. Instead, I stayed with Lisa as she built her startup, supporting her all the way until she became CEO of a publicly traded company.

What a waste it had all been.

Within minutes, someone from HR called to reject my resignation. I knew without asking that Lisa had told them to refuse it.

I no longer wanted to waste time with her. I drove straight to Lisa's villa in the suburbs.

Before I even reached the main bedroom, I saw through the half-open door Lisa's and Elijah Lambert's bodies tangled together. She had told me to resign and come home to care for her, but the next moment, she was making out with her young lover. How ironic.

When they parted just momentarily, Elijah caught sight of me in his peripheral vision.

His eyebrow lifted slightly, and he deliberately sucked hard on Lisa's lips before asking in a coquettish tone, "Lisa, you clearly love me, so why won't you agree to Matthew's request for a divorce?"

Lisa's breathing had not yet steadied, but her voice dripped with disgust. "He's just throwing a tantrum. If he actually leaves me, pigs would fly. Besides, he was the one who shamelessly chased after me for ages back then. If you hadn't been too young at the time, how could I have possibly agreed to be with him?"

My heart began pounding uncontrollably, my chest tightening.

Years ago, I fell for Lisa at first sight during a graduate networking event where she gave a speech on stage. I pursued her relentlessly after that.

For a full six months, I carefully studied her every preference and found new ways to surprise her each day.

The entire time, Lisa never even gave me a good look, but I thought that I would one day win her heart. Eventually, Lisa agreed to be my girlfriend.

I thought I had finally moved her heart, but it turned out she had only said yes because the person she really wanted was not legally old enough yet.

No wonder after we got married, she kept pushing me to sponsor college students. It was all just a ploy for her to keep a boy toy on the side.

Elijah shot me an imperceptible look of contempt before continuing to hold Lisa's waist, asking gently, "There's something I've been curious about. You two have been married for five years. How come you never got pregnant? Is Matthew not capable?"

Lisa let out a scornful laugh. "After I got together with him, I never stopped taking birth control pills. Where would he get a kid from? Some poor boy from the mountains doesn't deserve to have children of his own."

Then, she caressed Elijah's face. "I'll only have a child for you. No one else."

My body began trembling uncontrollably.

In our five years of marriage, I had wanted nothing more than to have a child with her. I thought she had trouble conceiving because of health issues, so I even prepared myself for a lifetime without children.

Yet all along, she had been taking birth control pills behind my back.

I turned to leave but froze when I spotted something on the floor. It was an emerald bracelet that had shattered into several pieces.

It was the Baker family's heirloom.