Twins of Deceit

I stared at the profile photo of the mom named Ysabel, and thought she looked oddly familiar.She was still bragging in the chat, saying, "She's my son's free nanny. I'll let her raise him after giving birth—pretending they're twins. This way, I can focus on my career. A woman's place isn't at home; a career is what truly matters! I've invested too much in conceiving alone. Only useless women become full-time moms!"Many in the chat agreed with her, though a few questioned her claims, and she snapped right back at them. I alone sat frozen, staring at her background photo with unease prickling through me. The picture was taken in my neighborhood, and the ring on that hand around her waist was identical to my husband Scott Camden's.What terrified me more was the memory of my doctor telling me I was pregnant with twins. Yet my belly didn't look nearly big enough for two.A dozen suspicions clawed their way into my head, so I rushed to another hospital for a checkup, and the results c

My sudden outburst left him looking grim.I burst into tears, sobbing and shouting, until the doctor rushed in. Seeing the scene, he wiped sweat from his forehead. "Scott, just give in to her a little. It's the hormones—her emotions matter a lot right now! If she gets too worked up, it'll affect the baby."Scott panicked instantly. "I'm sorry, honey, it's all on me. It completely slipped my mind. I'll redo the soup right now. I promise you—there's no one else but you."Seeing how earnest he was, I decided to let it slide—for now. But I refused to let him leave my side. I didn't believe for a second that Ysabel could hold out not seeing him.…I stayed in the hospital for three days under observation, and during that time, I made sure to keep Scott on edge. By the third day, the dark circles under his eyes looked like bruises, and the red veins in them told me he hadn't slept much. He did everything I asked without complaint, and not once did his phone ring. That was fine by me

Just as my dad was about to speak, I grabbed his arm. "Dad, I have faith in Scott. Let's give him one more chance."He froze for a moment, then shot me a look. "I swear, love has blinded you! Forget it—do whatever you want. Just don't come crying to me later!"He was furious, but I pulled Scott closer and said, "You've made your promise. But just to be safe, you'll have to write me a statement of guarantee—and transfer everything you own into my name. Otherwise, I won't have any peace of mind.""Alright—whatever floats your boat," Scott agreed hastily, doing everything I demanded.In recent years, his career had been thriving. He made over 800 thousand a year, plus bonuses, and his investments had paid off. He was flush with cash. Scott transferred three million to me in one go, and even the house was put entirely under my name, mine alone.After all that, he behaved himself. Aside from work, he came straight home every day and showed no other suspicious moves. The private investi

On the day of the trial, Scott's eyes burned with hatred when he saw me. He shouted across the courtroom, "Colette Lively, we were once husband and wife! How can you be so heartless? Don't you care that our child will grow up being mocked for this?""When he grows up, and people talk about this, they'll say his father had an illegitimate child, and his mother swallowed her pride and stayed anyway. What do you think he'll feel then?"My retort silenced him. He knew I was right—I'd hit him where it hurt most. As a child, he'd lived through that same shame. His father had cheated, and his mother had spent years screaming and crying at home. His classmates used to laugh behind his back.I remembered how he once held me close and said, "Colette, that was my childhood. I loathe my dad. Why couldn't he think of me before he cheated? It took me years to pull myself out of that nightmare. I swear I'll never be like him."But he had turned out exactly like his father. Maybe some things rea

Especially after learning that Scott had spent two whole weeks searching for Ysabel before finally showing up at my doorstep, my stomach turned.If he loved Ysabel so much, why hadn't he divorced me back then? I would have let him go.My words left him speechless. He hadn't expected me to know his every move, and the color drained from his face. "Colette, I—""Enough, Scott. I don't want to hear another word. Just don't ever come looking for me again.""But he's my son too!" he burst out. "Colette, you're always like this—so strong, so overbearing! I was exhausted, coming home from work, only to argue with someone just as stubborn as me. I wanted peace, a home that felt warm and gentle, not another battlefield. I wanted someone gentle—someone who could lean on me!"I turned to him. "If you want to fight for custody, go ahead. Take me to court. I'll be happy to face you there. But what do you have to compete with me? A job? Time? Which one can you actually promise?"Raising a chil