I Had Two Kids With My Ex’s Uncle

The man my husband had sent to pick me up was my ex, Rowan. He had registered his marriage with my father’s illegitimate daughter five years ago.

“Linette?! Is that you?”

Rowan was the first to spot me.

The others turned too, and the moment they realized who I was, they burst into exclamations.

“Rowan, you were right! One crooked finger, and Linette comes running back like a dog.”

“Damn! That’s some skill.”

Rowan put on a faint smile, acting completely unconcerned.

“Maybe she heard Tara wants a child now and rushed back to volunteer herself.

“If she can’t have me, raising my kid for me isn’t a bad deal either.”

There was a beat of silence, then everyone burst out laughing.

“Linette is still the number one simp in the world!”

“She disappeared without a word back then. I thought she finally grew a spine. Turns out she was just bluffing!”

“But seriously, Linette. If you’re going to be a stand-in, at least dress the part.”

“Look at that dress. It’s ugly as hell! It’s nothing like what Tara wears.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were the cleaning staff.”

They joked and laughed, but even their exaggerated smiles could not hide the disdain in their eyes.

Then again, it was not surprising.

Five years ago, every time they saw me, I was following Rowan’s demands and copying Tara.

Long dresses, long hair, and sky-high heels, never missing a single detail.

All I ever got in return was a comment from him about being a pathetic imitation.

None of that mattered anymore.

I was married. I just had a baby.

My husband was Rowan’s uncle, who lived overseas.

The plain robe wrapping me from head to toe was custom-made by royal craftsmen, commissioned by my husband because he was afraid I would catch a chill.

It seemed like these people had not only failed to recognize its value, but they also had no idea the ‘aunt’ they were here to welcome today was me.

One of them tried to smooth things over when he noticed I was remaining silent.

“Now that Linette’s back, let’s not bring up the past.

“You don’t know this, Linette, but Rowan was heartbroken after you left. He got drunk at the bar for days…”

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Rowan’s face, but he quickly masked it with indifference.

“Tara and I wanted a child. Now that you’re back, you’re coming with me tomorrow to do IVF.”

He lifted his chin confidently, though he kept stealing glances at me out of the corner of his eye.

He was just as self-absorbed as ever.

However, I was no longer the girl who thought love was everything.

When I saw him again, all I felt was surprise and pure hatred for this cheating scumbag.

I rubbed my temples, just about to reveal who I was, when Tara suddenly spoke up.