I Ruined My Husband's Reputation

Knowing how much Julian wanted children, I did not even dare ask whether he would come to resent me.I finally understood that he would never deprive himself of what he wanted.“Ma’am…”Tessa’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.When I looked up, she was extending her phone toward me.On the screen was a close-up of a gold-and-emerald amulet.“You have a good eye. Could you take a look at the workmanship on this piece? He said… once the baby is born, he’ll put it on them.”She rested a hand on her still-flat belly, but her face glowed with happiness.I was momentarily taken aback.Was she pregnant?Also, that amulet looked painfully familiar.Three years ago, when I had just conceived, my father had it blessed to protect the child I was carrying.Unfortunately, the child was never born.I had kept the amulet safely tucked away all these years. Whenever I missed the child I would never meet, I would take it out and look at it.What was this? Had he used it to win another

I looked down and sent the photo I had prepared in advance with a reply. [Yes.]Julian seemed relieved. He replied within seconds. [Good. I’ll head over once I’m done. Love you, darling.]What a hypocrite!My lips curled faintly, but there was no warmth in my face.All this time, he had played the role of a devoted husband and a considerate son-in-law perfectly. Every word and every gesture had seemed full of care.Had I not noticed the gold bracelet and the couple photos, I would never have known how much deception hid behind that face.At 6 p.m., relatives of the Holt family began arriving one after another. Nancy Holt was all smiles. She moved briskly through the crowd as she handled everything.Her attentive and considerate demeanor gave the impression of an ideal mother-in-law.Once, she had shown me the same careful attentiveness as a way of expressing the Holt family’s regard.She remembered the fruits I liked and prepared them in advance each season.When Dad’s bl

The air in the private room stilled.Laughter and conversation ceased, and left an uneasy silence.Smiles of satisfaction lingered on every face for a moment before turning into shock, panic, and disbelief.The color drained from Julian’s face at once, and his arm around Tessa stiffened.Meanwhile, Tessa looked like she had seen a ghost.“W-What are you doing here? Aren’t you the owner of the jewelry store?”“Enough!” Julian pulled Tessa back, and she looked at me in sheer panic.Then, realization hit her, and she instinctively covered her still-flat stomach.“A-Annie?”Julian snapped back to his senses first.He let go of Tessa and tried to approach me. He forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace.“What are you doing here? Weren’t you at your dad’s—”I cut him off calmly. “You expect me to be at my dad’s so you can continue your little celebration of the Holt family’s ‘future hope,’ in peace?”My eyes swept over the diamond ring on the table and the gold brace

I scanned the faces of the Holt family’s relatives. All of them were utterly silent. My gaze landed on Owen and Nancy, whose faces had gone ashen.“I’m only here to announce two things. First, I’ve initiated divorce proceedings against Julian. My lawyer will be in touch soon. Everything that belongs to the Quinnell family, I’ll reclaim in full. This includes, but is not limited to, the properties, vehicles, and jewelry you bought for Miss Zander using marital assets, as well as shares and resources in your company that originally belonged to my family.”Julian’s pupils shrank. He tried to speak, but my icy stare stopped him short.“Second, it concerns the child Miss Zander is carrying.”I paused, looking at Tessa and the hand she pressed protectively over her stomach.“Julian’s infidelity during marriage is backed by undeniable evidence. This child is illegitimate. Of course, the child is innocent and has every right to be born. But in the future, what he will inherit will likely

The writing was vile, full of excuses and deflection. There was no trace of remorse. It was the frantic begging of a man at the end of his rope.He even had the nerve to mention the child whose death he had caused knowingly.After reading it impassively, I tore the paper and fed it into the shredder.I learned of Tessa’s fate by chance while out shopping one day.She had suffered a mental breakdown and lost the child.Traumatized in both body and mind, she never recovered after returning to her hometown.As her hometown was conservative in its values, she was met with harsh judgment once word spread that she had been pregnant out of wedlock and abandoned by a wealthy man. Even her family treated her as a disgrace.She later married a local widower with a violent temper. Their life was turbulent, and she was often seen with bruises.The once bright and lively woman was gone. Though still in her twenties, she looked a decade older. She was worn down by hardship.It was said she