The Billionaire's Discarded Wife She Never Came Back

Everyone in Havenport knew that Mrs. James had an IQ of 75. Mild intellectual disability, they called it.

So when Mortimer James placed that ultrasound printout in front of me, it took a full three minutes before I could speak.

"Mortimer, I just had a physical yesterday. I'm not pregnant."

He looked away.

"I know. This is... my child with someone else."

Unlike other wealthy wives who might have screamed and sobbed upon discovering an illegitimate child, I didn't cry or make a scene.

Because I hadn't fully processed it yet.

Why would a married man have a child with someone else?

Mortimer must have mistaken my silence for acceptance. He leaned down and patted my head.

"That's right. Just stay this well-behaved."

His voice was soft, the way you'd soothe a small child.

"The James family's firstborn grandson has to be sharp and capable. But you know how you are..."

"Never mind. Maybe you don't understand. All you need to know is that your position as Mrs. James won't be affected in any way."

A dull ache crept through my chest, slow and fine-grained.

I was slow. I knew that.

But I remembered now. When a husband had a child with another woman, that was called cheating.

And a marriage that had gone off the rails needed to end.

——

Mortimer lit a cigarette and said casually:

"She's a new intern at the company. But you know her too. It's Maud Ellison."

Maud. Of course I knew her.

She was the girl from poverty I'd sponsored for seven years.

Smoke drifted apart in front of my face.

It stung, and a thin mist slowly gathered in my eyes.

Only when a tear rolled down my cheek did Mortimer finally notice and stub out the cigarette.

"Sorry, Nora. I forgot you can't handle cigarette smoke."

He jumped up and threw open the doors and windows to air out the room.

"You know how much pressure I'm under. Quitting isn't an option."

I knew he couldn't quit smoking.

But because of my health, he used to have a rule for himself: cigarettes only in his office. He wouldn't even bring the faintest trace of the smell home.

I watched as Mortimer waved the lingering smoke away, still explaining:

"After Maud found out she was pregnant, she insisted on finishing the project she was working on before taking any leave. So I ordered the entire company to go smoke-free, myself included. I just slipped up for a moment..."

"The mother-to-be comes first, after all."

When he talked about Maud, there was a light in his eyes he couldn't hide.

Even someone as slow as me could see it.

"Mortimer, how... how can you talk about cheating like it's nothing? What am I to you?"

The stinging smoke had cleared, but tears still fell from my eyes, one after another.

His brow furrowed. He stepped forward to wipe them away.

"Nora, what do you know? This isn't cheating."

When I kept backing away from him, impatience crept into his voice.

"Nora Dickerson, stop making a scene! I just need an heir. A smart heir. That's all."

"A smart heir. Could you give me one?"

My heart felt like someone had torn a hole clean through it.

I stared at him, shaking from head to toe.

His voice cut off. His throat bobbed once.

"I'm sorry. That's not what I meant."

"I promise, we'll have children someday. A child as sweet as you. A child who'll grow up loved and protected by me, just like you did."

"But before that, I need a smart heir first."

"Maud is brilliant. And you sponsored her all those years. You're her benefactor. She's not like those other women who throw themselves at me trying to climb the ladder. That's why I chose her."

He sighed.

"See? I really did put a lot of thought into this for your sake."