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A House of Lies
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When my four sons were finally old enough for preschool, I arrived at the school office with my marriage certificate and their birth certificates, ready to sign them up. But the lady at the counter frowned and said, "These documents don't check out. According to the system, your kids don't even exist." I felt as if the floor had dropped out from under me. I remembered when Sheldon Clem and I got married—he was the one who handled all the paperwork, the birth registrations, everything. I never imagined that when I tracked him down with our four boys, he'd be holding his childhood sweetheart in his arms, with her little girl snuggled against him. And then we heard him sweet-talking her right in front of us. "Don't be mad, babe. I've got everything set up for us overseas. Gigi is going to the most expensive private school, and you'll be living in the nicest penthouse downtown. "Sure, she gave me four sons, but all my love and money are with you. I only kept her around because I felt sorry for her. "What else do you need? My will's already signed. Everything goes to you and Gigi." Riley Anderson pouted, smug and satisfied. "If you don't love her, then she's the other woman, not me. She's got no right to fight me for anything!" So he never went bankrupt. When we got back home, Sheldon acted as if nothing had happened. "Honey, I've found this amazing project overseas, so I won't have time to come home much. I'll need you to hold down the fort at home." I smiled and nodded. "Sure, go ahead." If that was how he wanted to play this, then fine. I'd make sure he really went broke, and then I'd find my boys a new father.
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Chapter 1
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A House of Lies Chapter 9
Sheldon stood there, bold as ever out as he pulled his phone and shoved pictures in people's faces—our old wedding photos, baby pictures, and shots of the boys when they were little."Ken, you're a damn snake!" he shouted. "You ruined my company and made me go bankrupt! And now you're stealing my wife? I won't let you get away with this! Look, everybody—this is me and my wife, and these are my sons. This is our family."The crowd started buzzing."Isn't this bigamy or something?" someone whispered."Yeah, how can she be with her husband's enemy? That's cold."Sheldon reached for me, his voice dropping soft. "Honey, don't be scared. I know he must've forced you into this. But I'm here now. I'll protect you."I laughed, sharp and bitter. "Are you forgetful or just naturally good at lying to yourself? Or maybe you forgot that you gave me a fake marriage license? That you even faked the boys' birth certificates?"The murmurs grew louder."You made our sons illegal on paper. They co
A House of Lies Chapter 8
Ken ditched an important meeting just to come with me to the hospital for my checkup.I was three months pregnant, and everything looked fine.He slipped his hand into mine, lacing our fingers together as if it were the easiest thing in the world. He let out a happy little sigh."Guess I just signed up for the long haul, huh? Whole life, gone just like that."I laughed. Back when we first got married for convenience, he used to complain all the time—said he got the short end of the stick, raising another man's three sons. He swore it wasn't a good revenge plan, and he'd fallen into a trap.But whenever I brought up divorce, he'd switch it up real fast. "I slept with my enemy's wife and made his sons call me Dad, and they'll take care of me when I'm old. Tell me that's not the best revenge."Somewhere along the way, though, he stopped bringing Sheldon up. We just lived like a regular married couple."Even if you regret it, it's too late," I said, grinning.We were still joking w
A House of Lies Chapter 7
Sheldon hurriedly explained, "Lizzie, it's not what you think. Riley going abroad had nothing to do with me. I was innocent."Come on. I've got four sons of my own. You think I'd be dumb enough to waste money raising somebody else's kid? Lizzie, please… You've gotta believe me."I stared him down, my face cold as ice. Then I pulled out my phone and hit play on an old recording—his voice with Riley, before they left together."You lied to me. You didn't go bankrupt. You gave Riley everything, every damn penny. You even wrote her name in your will!" My voice cracked, the anger spilling out. "You let another woman and her kid live fancy while your own children were stuck in a basement, hungry. Sheldon, you're the worst excuse for a father I've ever met."His eyes went wide. He seemed to wonder why I hadn't exposed him sooner."No, it wasn't like that. I-I was out of my mind. I made a mistake. That's all. I swear, I was just messing around with her. You and the boys, you're everythi
A House of Lies Chapter 6
"They're for Jonah," I answered.Sheldon froze, staring at the roses in my arms."These don't really look like… wait." He smacked his forehead as if he had just remembered something. "Today's Jonah's birthday, isn't it? Damn, how could I forget my own son's birthday?"My grip on the flowers tightened. Even three years later, the words hit like a knife. He didn't even remember their birthday.He hadn't thought twice about me holding only one bouquet, as if it was normal when I had four boys. He hadn't even remembered they were quadruplets."Fine," I said, my voice sharp as glass. "I'll take you to see your son."His face lit up instantly, as if I'd just handed him forgiveness. He smiled, relieved, almost giddy.But the second we stepped into the cemetery, he faltered."Uh… Lizzie? Why are we here? The boys should be getting out of school right about now. Shouldn't we—""He's here," I said, walking straight ahead.He blinked, confused, then chuckled nervously. "Oh, I get it. Ki
A House of Lies Chapter 5
Sheldon sold his own blood just to scrape together enough cash to sneak back into the country.He'd lost everything—flat broke, banned from flying, and not a penny to his name. Smuggling himself back was his only option. After a grueling week-long trip, he finally made it home.The first thing he did was rush to the basement apartment in our old neighborhood, thinking he'd find me and the boys there.But when he opened the door, all he saw was junk piled to the ceiling, the place stinking of mold and trash.That was when he realized I'd been gone for years.Later that morning, right after I wrapped up a team meeting, my phone lit up with a number I hadn't seen in forever. My chest tightened, but I let it ring. Three seconds of hesitation, then I hit decline and blocked him.Not even a minute later, he texted me on social media.[Honey, did you move? Where'd you go? I got flowers for you. Tell me where you are. I'll come find you.]I blocked him on that, too.A month passed. On
A House of Lies Chapter 4
Three days before Sheldon was supposed to leave the country, he mortgaged our house.He even helped us pack, moving me and the boys into a tiny one-room basement unit on the third floor down. It was barely 300 square feet and was damp, musty, and dark.Sheldon stood in the middle of that little room, talking to our sons as if he was giving some grand speech."Life gives the hardest battles to the strongest soldiers. You're men. You've gotta be tough. This place isn't so bad. At least it keeps out the wind and rain. And your mom will make sure you never starve. But listen—don't waste her money. Every dollar has to go to my new business, understand?"All four of them nodded, their faces serious.Then he turned to me. "Honey, I won't be around for a while. Gotta focus on the business. I'll need you to hold down the fort at home.""Alright. Go do whatever you want."I didn't waste my breath on a man so good at lying to his own kids.He pulled me into a stiff hug. "Wait for me, okay
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