Chapter 1

The laughter inside the house continued, but my head was buzzing.

Just moments ago, I was wondering if my wife, Julia Sullivan, would panic after finding out I was terminally ill.

That was why I came home early. I wanted to comfort her and calm her down.

But instead, I heard all of this.

Julia continued, “It’s such a shame about our child. They’ll have to take his last name, Johnson. Just thinking about it makes me sick.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she laughed. “Don’t worry. After he dies, I’ll take everything he leaves behind and marry you.”

I held onto the doorframe and almost laughed.

I had noticed a month ago that Julia would occasionally feel nauseous.

She told me her stomach was just upset and told me not to overreact.

Looking back, she must have already been pregnant with Caleb Zimmerman’s child at the time.

I was about to push the door open and demand an explanation when Caleb’s voice sounded again. “Tristan’s such an idiot. He doesn’t seriously think I introduced you two because I was looking out for him, does he?

“With a brain like his, it’s a good thing the child isn’t his.”

Julia’s voice immediately sounded aggrieved. “Don’t say that…

“If it weren’t for his money, I never would’ve accepted his confession. I never would’ve left you and stayed away from you for so long…

“Thankfully, fate’s finally on our side. We can finally be together.”

She paused and said excitedly, “Tristan’s the only son of the Johnson family. After he dies, our child will inherit Johnson Corp!

“This is just his way of making it up to us.”

The more I listened, the angrier I felt.

Caleb really was the one who had introduced Julia to me.

Back then, he kept trying to set us up. He arranged for us to meet every few days and constantly praised her in front of me. That was how I slowly fell in love with her.

I spent a lot of money trying to win her over.

I had always been grateful to Caleb because of that.

When he said he wanted to start a business, I gave him two million without a second thought.

When he said he wanted to buy a house, I helped him with the down payment.

Last month, I even gave him a Porsche for his birthday.

Only today did I realize that the two of them had planned everything.

I was just a pawn in their game.

Before I could recover from the shock, I heard heavy breathing from inside the house. Julia said in a sweet voice, “Didn’t we just finish? You want more?”

Caleb laughed. “Don’t worry. The doctor said the baby will be fine as long as we’re careful.

“Besides, Tristan can never compare to me.”

Just then, I heard footsteps from the elevator.

I panicked and quickly hid in the stairwell.

Through the crack in the door, I saw my mother-in-law, Helen Parker, walk into the house with a smile on her face.

Helen used to live in the countryside. Three years ago, I suggested bringing her here to live with us.

I bought her a villa and hired several housekeepers to take care of her.

Over the past three years, I treated her even better than I treated my own mother.

I thought that after she found out about Caleb and Julia, she would defend me.

I heard Helen’s slightly disapproving voice. “Caleb, you really need to be more careful. How could you be so careless?

“Last time, you left your underwear in the bathroom. If I hadn’t put it away for you, Tristan would’ve found out.”

I leaned against the wall in the stairwell. My hands and feet turned numb.

Helen had known about their affair all along.

Were all those times she praised me for being a good son-in-law just an act?

Julia said in a sweet voice, “Mom, don’t blame Caleb. He just misses me so much.”

Helen sighed. “You two really need to be more careful. If you can’t help yourselves, go to a hotel. Why risk doing it at home?

“What if Tristan comes back early one day and catches you?”

She paused, then lowered her voice. “By the way, Julia, are you sure Tristan’s terminally ill?”

Julia nodded. “He showed me the medical report. How could it be fake?

“We’ve been married for three years. He’ll give me everything he has. There’s no way he’d lie to me.

“So, don’t worry. It’s definitely real.

“What does it matter even if he caught us? Will he divorce me?

“He’s a dying man! Who else would want him if he leaves me?”

I smiled. Then, I pushed open the door. “Julia, let’s get a divorce.”