My Wife’s Double Life

My presence at the sip-and-see event sucked the life out of the party. My indifferent gaze fell on Krystal Markham. “Krystal, care to explain about today?” Krystal and I were a success story, the high school sweethearts who made it all the way to the altar. However, over the last two years, I felt her slipping further and further away. I brushed it off as the spark simply fading over time. Never in a million years did I expect her to cheat on me and have children with another man through surrogacyA trace of panic flickered across Krystal’s face. She averted her gaze and held her tongue. Dale Abbot, on the other hand, approached me with two glasses of red wine in hand. He said, “Don’t get upset, sir. Since you can’t give Ms. Markham kids, she borrowed my sperm to produce heirs. No one is taking your place as her husband.” While downing the glass of wine, Dale handed me the other drink and uttered, “I’m counting on you to take good care of my children.” Not one to take his

Krystal paused for a second before bursting into laughter. “Ray, if you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. We all know you’re an orphan. Where did this sister come from?” Dale said with a smile, “I think you finally lost the plot. The Markham Group’s funding comes from Greene Apex, the city’s biggest financial player. Do you honestly think that by changing your last name, you can associate yourself with the family?” It was true that I was an orphan, but two years into my relationship with Krystal, my biological sister, Lynne Greene, tracked me down. She told me that I had been abandoned at an orphanage, a casualty of an intense power struggle within the family. Our parents’ dying wish was for her to find me. Given the dangers lurking in every corner of the elite world, I had no intention of inheriting the family business. By going back to the family, I would likely become Lynne’s vulnerability. In the end, I chose to take the family name without going public about wh

Standing in reverence behind Lynne, Kerry replied, “This is Lynne Greene, the CEO of Greene Apex.” Krystal’s face drained of color. She looked up at Lynne, then me. “How do you know Ms. Greene, Ray?” I clutched the blazer tighter around me, resentment reflecting in my eyes as I met Krystal’s gaze. “Why did you think Greene Apex, the city’s top player, would choose to partner with a little-known company? “Did you think your brilliance shone through?” I scoffed and added. “You might be a competent woman, but talent is everywhere in the city.” Krystal read between the lines. “Greene Apex reached out because of you? The only reason I got the best deals and resources over the years is because of you?” The cold reality sank in. Scrambling to her feet, Krystal murmured to me, “Ray, why didn’t you say so? I’m not a dinosaur. I would never have looked down on you for securing all the resources for me. “Put in a good word for me and tell her it’s all a misunderstanding. I’ll turn

With the kids in her arms, Krystal hurried to a hospital and told the doctors to draw blood for the DNA test. “We’ve collected the samples, ma’am. Please return in a week for the results.” Krystal couldn’t wait a week. Flashing her cash around, she managed to cut the waiting time to just three hours. Those three hours felt like eternity. It didn’t take long before the twins voiced their hunger through wailing. As if she hadn’t heard a thing, Krystal sat there, numbly on the bench. The longer her eyes traced the twins’ facial features, the more she couldn’t find any resemblance to her. Despite the simmering rage building in her chest, she had nowhere to let it out. The cries of hungry infants echoed through the hallway. Many nurses approached to check the situation, murmuring among themselves. “Why is the woman so heartless? Can’t she hear the babies?” “She’s dressed in designer. It’s not like she can’t afford formula.” “She is loaded. She just dropped 100k to fast-tra