My Wife's Money Went to Another Man's Son

The interview was split into two segments. The second one took place at home.

When Elise Berton walked in with the crew, I'd just gotten our daughter, Leona Aldridge, to sleep. She didn't spare me a glance. She shrugged off her coat and scooped up Gus Berton, who was watching TV on the couch.

She pinched his chubby little cheeks and smiled. "Did Daddy give you a hard time today?"

She asked him that every single day. I used to think she was joking, but after what I'd seen in that interview, the question landed differently now. She was genuinely afraid that the moment she stepped out the door, I might mistreat the son of Rowan Hale, the man she'd never gotten over.

"Your husband is wonderful with your adopted son, Ms. Berton," the host said. "I'm sure Mr. Hale would be so happy looking down and seeing his only boy raised with that kind of love. If he hadn't had that accident… honestly, the two of you would've been quite the story."

Elise's expression went soft and distant, and a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. I stood off to the side and cleared my throat.

The air in the room went still for a few seconds before the host realized, a beat too late, just how far out of line she'd stepped.

"Mr. Aldridge, I—"

"Ian." Elise cut the host off without looking at me. "Have you washed Gus's school clothes for tomorrow?"

She gave orders the way she always did, as naturally as breathing. "The nanny never gets them clean enough. I need you to hand-wash them yourself."

Gus didn't bat an eye. He slid off the couch, toddled over on his stubby little legs, and dumped every piece of clothing he'd dirtied that day straight into my arms.

"Well?" Elise said. "Get going."

Every pair of eyes in the room settled on me, and not a single one held anything but contempt. In that moment, I knew exactly how a stray dog on the street felt. In Elise's eyes, I'd probably never been anything more than a servant who was easier to order around than the hired help.

I stood there with my head bowed while a bitter ache climbed up my throat, one I couldn't swallow back down. I took one deep breath and let my fingers go slack.

The dirty clothes fell to the floor.

"Elise, I'm not doing it. I'm your husband, not the nanny."

She slowly raised an eyebrow and flicked a cool, unimpressed look my way. "Ian, what's that supposed to mean?"

"I saw your interview today." I clenched my fists and made myself look her in the eye. "You gave away everything we own to someone else's kid. What gave you the right?"

Elise's eyes went sharp in an instant, and her voice went cold.

"What do you mean, 'someone else's kid'?" She pressed her hands over Gus's ears. "Gus is my child. Ian, when I brought him home, I gave you a choice, and you're the one who chose to take care of him."

I looked at her and felt a chill run straight through me.

Five years ago, Leona had just turned a month old when Elise disappeared for an entire week. I tore through the city looking for her and neglected the baby so badly that she spiked a fever that lasted for three straight days.

I'd already checked Leona into the hospital by the time Elise finally showed up. I'd just started to breathe again for the first time in days and was about to put the baby in her arms when she held out a baby boy of her own, barely a year old.

"Rowan died in an accident. He left his child to me. From now on, this boy is our adopted son."

The color drained from my face. She didn't say anything else until she noticed I could barely stand.

"If you can't accept that, we can get a divorce. I'll send you and the baby child support every month, but that's all you'll ever get."

That was the choice she had given me.