A Special Paternity Experience

I went back in time to the day I lost my job.

On that fateful evening, I announced the bad news to my husband, Bryce Silverman. The moment he heard that I'd been dismissed, he immediately suggested we split our living expenses evenly. He proposed that each of us would manage our own income and pay half of our shared expenses.

"Don't worry, Linny. I promise I won't spend a penny extra of your money. I won't ask you to pay for what I'd already spent on you previously either," Bryce said.

Bryce sounded so magnanimous when he said that. He spoke as if he had spent a lot of money on me. But in reality, we got married with nothing to our name. There were no wedding gifts exchanged, nor was there a wedding ceremony held.

In fact, Bryce took out a loan to buy the house, and I paid for the renovations. After we got married, we split the mortgage and car loan payments equally. Since my job was easier and I had more free time, I paid for our daily expenses and utility bills. In addition, I did all the housework.

Even when Bryce and I went out on dates, I was the one who paid for the meals and movie tickets. The only thing Bryce paid for were contraceptives.

In my previous life, I got mad at Bryce when he proposed this. He never suggested splitting the expenses when I had a job and a salary. Now that I lost my job due to my pregnancy and needed him to support me, he drew a line and wanted to be responsible for only his share of the expenses.

When I argued with Bryce, he explained his reasoning and perspective in a very persuasive and gentle manner.

"Honey, I'm doing this for your own good. You see—you don't have parents, but I do. Moreover, you know the state of their health. If we split our expenses, you won't need to pay for my parents' medical expenses at all if they get sick. Don't you think that would be fairer to you?"

I said I was willing to help take care of his parents.

But Bryce shook his head and said, "I don't want you to take on unnecessary burdens."

His reasoning was utterly perplexing. Though I was reluctant back then, I accepted it simply because I loved him too much.

Little did I know that my love for him would put the nail in my very own coffin.

Two days before my due date, my water broke. At the hospital, the doctor said my baby was too large and recommended a C-section. However, Bryce was unwilling to go through with that option.

"Honey, a C-section is so much more expensive than a natural birth. I'm only willing to split the cost of a natural birth with you. If you insist on a C-section, you'll have to cover the difference in the price yourself," Bryce stated.

It was then that I saw his true colors. Even when my life was at stake, his main concern was how to split the hospital bill.

I held back my anger and told him that I had almost exhausted my savings during this time and asked him to pay for me first. I promised to repay him once I returned to work.

"What? You don't have any money left?" Bryce was shocked to hear that. "Then it's even more impossible. We've agreed long ago that I wouldn't pay more than my share."

Left with no choice, I had to go through with the natural birth. But my baby was too large and got stuck in the birth canal for a long time. When I finally delivered my baby, the poor child had brain hypoxia and needed to be sent to the neonatal intensive care unit.

As for me, I lost too much blood and required a total blood transfusion. A stay in the ICU was also mandatory for me.

By then, I had already fallen unconscious. Bryce refused to pay the medical expenses for me and our baby. He dragged it out, which ultimately led to our deaths.

"Honey, I just want to be fair to you. So, do you agree to splitting all expenses in the future?"

Bryce's words pulled me back to reality. As I stayed silent for a long time, he went on to explain why he wanted to split things equally, just as he did in our past life.

He had a sincere expression as he sat opposite me at the dining table. From the way he spoke, one would think that I'd greatly taken advantage of him.

I responded with a faint smile. "But, Dear… I have parents too."