Chapter 2 A Deal With the Devil

"Joanne, Mom's not wrong. She's just an old woman who wants a grandchild. Try to understand."

I looked straight at River. "And what if I can’t?"

His expression darkened. "There's no news about a pregnancy from all these years. Isn’t it normal for her to be a little resentful when all she wants is a grandchild? I’ve never blamed you. I’ve even cared for you and treated you well. But if you insist on quarreling with my mother over this, don’t expect me to indulge you!"

"River Grayson!" I lunged forward, snatched "The Pregnancy Guide" out of his hands, and hurled it hard against the floor. My eyes burned red as I glared at him and laid everything bare. "So, this is why you let Yvonne’s mother carry your child through IVF?"

River froze, his dark eyes locking onto mine. "Since you already know, I won’t hide it. Years ago, Yvonne lost her uterus saving me. She’s a woman, Joanne. She wants to be a mother. It’s her only wish. And since you’re my wife, my debt to her is yours too. I hoped you could understand my decision."

A bitter laugh escaped me, raw and uncontrollable, my pregnancy hormones twisting my emotions. "Understand what? Understand you fathering a child with your ex-girlfriend’s mother?"

At that, my mother-in-law planted her hands on her hips and shrieked at me. "You barren hen, how dare you speak like that? It’s my son’s sperm—he can give it to whomever he pleases! You have no say in it!"

River pressed his lips into a thin line, his eyes colder now. "It’s IVF. I never betrayed you. Yvonne saved my life. She wants to be a mother—why can’t I at least give her that?"

The words caught in my throat. He pulled me into his arms, murmuring softly, "Don’t take it to heart. I’ll only ever love you. You couldn’t conceive before, so you don’t need to force yourself with medicine anymore. We can treat Yvonne’s child as our godson. My ties to the Sinclairs are nothing but repayment. There’s nothing else between us."

I laughed bitterly at the false comfort in his eyes, then shut mine tight and shoved him away. "If repayment is your business, if giving someone else a child is your business, then everything is your business. What do you even need a wife for? Let’s get divorced."

I didn’t look back as I walked away.

After five years of marriage, I was finally pregnant—only to find out my husband wanted a child with his old flame's mother through IVF. A month ago, I thought I’d misheard. But now he admitted it, and worse, that the child had already been conceived. The absurdity of it all made me sick.

Stepping outside, I spotted a familiar figure lingering at the gate.

"Care to chat?" Yvonne stood there in a black camisole, her gaze dripping with mockery. It wasn’t a question—it was a declaration.

I followed her into a restaurant near the house.

"From the look on your face, I’d say you already know." She sipped her red wine like a victor flaunting her prize. "Don’t be angry with River over this. He only wants to give me a child to make up for what I lost. There’s nothing improper between us, not a single line crossed. I know what it’s like not to bear children, so I sympathize with you. Don’t worry—once the baby’s born, I’ll even make you my child's godmother."