Science Gave Me a Baby, Not Love

On our fifth wedding anniversary, my husband cancels a 100-million-dollar business deal to take me on vacation.

While we're together, breathless and intimate, I'm about to tell him the news that our IVF finally succeeded when he answers his phone. His Valerian flows, smooth and effortless.

"Of course I'm coming to tomorrow's prenatal checkup. That's our baby."

"But won't your barren wife get jealous?" The woman on the other end speaks with a sultry lilt.

Ethan Shaw traces his tongue along my neck as he responds, "What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

My mind went blank, like lightning striking too close. I stuff the pregnancy report back into my pocket without thinking.

"Honey, who's that?"

Ethan pulls me close by the waist. "Just a business partner in Valeria. Time difference, that's why they're calling now..."

I can't process the rest of his words. Ethan doesn't know I understand Valerian.

Since he's clearly not excited about our child, I'll make sure this baby grows up without him as a father.

After finally getting pregnant through multiple rounds of IVF, I discovered my CEO husband had already become someone else's father.

I verified it again and again, but all I found were more lies. Yet when I walked away carrying our child, he was the one who fell apart.

…

Ethan Shaw pressed his bare, muscular torso against me by the pool. The breeze wrapped our breaths together as one.

We kissed passionately while touching each other, seeing nothing but one another in our eyes and hearts. I had no idea a single phone call was about to destroy everything.

Ethan didn't know I'd learned Valerian from my mother years ago. I understood it perfectly well. His Valerian flowed beautifully as he flirted with the woman on the phone, tender and intimate.

"Kimmy, don't worry. Tomorrow's prenatal appointment will go smoothly, and our genes will create the perfect baby. I'll groom him to be my successor. The moment he's born, he'll inherit everything I own."

Ethan's warm hand still traced patterns on my back, but I trembled involuntarily, doubting my own ears. This woman, Kimmy, was pregnant with my husband's child?

Then what did all my painful IVF attempts mean? What about all these years of marriage?

Of course, I knew the Shaw family needed an heir, and though Ethan never said it out loud, he wanted a child. We'd tried for so long with no success.

That was why I put my body through hell, secretly going through round after round of IVF without telling him. And he'd already gotten someone else pregnant!

How dare he? While I poured everything into our relationship, he was cheating on me?

"Honey, focus."

Ethan hung up and tried to continue. "What were you going to tell me earlier?"

His wet lips touched my skin again, but instead of love and tenderness, all I felt was disgust and hatred. I shoved him away and tied my robe.

"Nothing. I don't feel well. Let's do this another time."

"Did that phone call upset you? Okay, I won't handle work stuff at times like this anymore."

Ethan kept lying to me. Since he didn't know I understood Valerian, he insisted it was just work. If I pushed any harder, I'd look unreasonable.

I forced a smile. "I think my period just started. Want me to use my hand instead?"

"Don't bother." A flash of impatience crossed Ethan's face before he dove into the pool.

I hurried to the bathroom and pulled out the crumpled pregnancy report from my pocket. A new life was growing inside me, but I had no one to share this joy with.

The silence pressed in as a thousand thoughts crashed through my mind.

The name Kimmy sounded familiar. About two months ago, late one night, I'd seen the name Kimberly Jones on Ethan's phone.

She was pinned at the top of his WhatsApp messages. Ethan said she was an important client, so I didn't think much of it.

When had they gotten together? When had Ethan decided to get her pregnant? And why did he betray me like this?

I was the one who stood by him through everything all these years. How could he betray me so completely?

For a moment, rage consumed me. I almost stormed out to demand answers, but Ethan's suit jacket on the counter snapped me back to reality. On the inside of the collar was a clear lipstick stain.

It was bright red, a shade I'd never wear. All my strength drained away, and tears streamed down my face.

"Cindy, why are you taking so long in there? Are you okay?" Ethan knocked suddenly, startling me.

I quickly wiped my tears and answered as steadily as I could. "Almost done. What's up?"

"Something came up at work, so we might need to head back early. I promise I'll make more time for you next time."

Ethan sounded sincere with a hint of reluctance in his tone. If not for that phone call, I would have believed him, understood him, and even felt sorry for how busy he was.

But the truth was, he was lying to me!

He wasn't going back to work. He was going with Kimberly to her prenatal appointment. He didn't deserve to be my child's father.

Ethan, you ought to remember that I was the one who left you.