The Night I Was Replaced

On our wedding night, my wife led my younger brother onto our marital bed. He was wearing nothing but his underwear. She expected him to consummate our marriage in my place.

"Sweetheart, I feel awful about your legs and what the doctors said about your infertility," she said softly. "Elliot will just have to help us for one night."

My face hardened as I stepped forward. I was ready to throw Elliot Charlton out of the bedroom.

However, my parents immediately sided against me.

"You're the one who can't fulfill your role as a husband," they said sharply. "Elliot is willing to sacrifice himself so that you can have a child. What's wrong with that?"

Even my brother laughed at me. He said I was not a real man and told me to accept things while I still could. According to him, I should be thankful to gain a son without doing anything.

They even suggested that I stay and watch, claiming it would prove the two were only trying to conceive a child and nothing else.

I clenched my teeth until my jaw ached, then turned and called my wife's greatest rival.

"You win," I said quietly. "The Wallace family's investment will be transferred to your account tomorrow."

After ending the call, I raised my eyes and looked at Janet Wallace.

"You share his bed tonight," I said. "Tomorrow, we get divorced."

CONTENT

"All this because I got Elliot to step in for you?" Janet's smile turned upside down. "I just want to give you an heir to strengthen the Wallace and Charlton families! And I even said you can stay while I'm with Elliot. What are you worried about?

"On our big day, are you really going to make a scene over nothing?"

"Over nothing? Janet, no man in the world can stand to watch his wife with someone else!"

I held on to my wheelchair, my voice cold as ice. "And I don't need a kid to make a business deal work! If you want a child, we can wait. You don't have to do it with Elliot!"

Elliot strutted up to me in just his underwear, showing off with a sneer on his face.

"Hey, you can't even walk, and the doctor says you can't have kids anymore. Let's face it, you can't make a baby happen," he said with a laugh. "Thinking you can is just fooling yourself."

I felt a flash of anger as his eyes darted to my legs.

"Why's my doctor telling you all my business?" I asked.

Elliot stiffened, and I just shook my head, not impressed.

Mom and Dad saw us and pushed my wheelchair aside, pulling Elliot to safety.

They were angry with me. My dad snapped, "Your brother's only worried about you, and you accuse him of having bad intentions. How did we raise someone so ungrateful?

"If you can't have kids, it's not just Janet who suffers. You'll anger the Wallaces too. Do you really think this marriage is a joke? Today, I'm making the call. Janet and Elliot will spend the night together!"

"You don't get to decide," I said firmly.

I brushed off the footprint on my knee and looked at Janet. "It's your choice. Kick Elliot out, or we're done."

Janet bit her lip, torn between Elliot and me.

Elliot went pale, grabbed my foot, and started his act. "Yale, don't do this! If you divorce, I'll be the one who messed up the Wallace-Charlton alliance! Don't mess this up for me! If you're worried, I'll hurt myself after tonight!

"I'll do anything to keep Janet from a sad, lonely life!"

He hit my leg like he was in pain and grabbed a knife from the table.

Janet's eyes widened in shock.

In a flash, the knife Elliot held was ripped from his grasp and flung out, piercing into the wall right behind me.

Janet's gaze was icy, her lips barely moving as she said, "Tonight, nobody's going to make Elliot leave my bed! From now on, he's your sweet little brother by day and mine by night!"

I saw how fiercely Janet stood up for Elliot, and it left a sour taste in my mouth, but all I could say was, "Okay."