Chapter 1

Three days later, I'd finished making the funeral arrangements for my parents. When I got home, I sat on the couch and smoked one cigarette after another.

Even with the lights off, I could still make out the family photo sitting on the table. My wife, Nina Sable, was gently resting a hand over her swollen belly. My parents were all smiles, their faces full of anticipation and joy.

For any man, this should have been one of the happiest moments of married life.

But now, the dream I once had was shattered.

The moment Nina walked in through the door, she ordered, "Honey, get me a bowl of oatmeal."

But when she looked up, she paused. I was lying exhausted on the couch, with a mess scattered all over the floor. The lingering smile on her face instantly turned into annoyance and disgust.

"Andrew, I've only been gone a few days, and this is the mess that you caused? Also, didn't I tell you how much I hate the smell of cigarettes? You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

I hadn't even said a word, and she was already tearing into me. I was used to these kinds of situations by now.

After all, she saved all her tenderness and understanding for Mike Reed.

As for me, I was just the person she took all her pent-up anger and frustration out on.

I didn't say anything and quietly stared at her. My eyes were filled with nothing but disappointment and coldness.

My attitude immediately got under Nina's skin. She threw her bag aside and snapped at me, "You know what Mike's family is like! He'd rather stay single for the rest of his life because of me. I can't just stand by and watch his family line end. I'm only doing him a small favor. Do you really have to be so petty?

"You just want a kid, right? I'll give you one in the future!"

I almost laughed at the absurdity of it as I wondered how shameless she had to be to say something like that.

Did she consider my family when she went to the hospital and had our baby aborted? Did she ever think about the five years I'd spent loving her with all my heart when she agreed to Mike's ridiculous request?

Did she ever remember how my parents had taken care of her all those years when she shamelessly fooled around with another man?

The cold look in my eyes seemed to make Nina uneasy, and she realized just how absurd those words sounded now that she'd said them.

She took a deep breath, then slowly came over to me and tried to placate me. "Honey, Mike really has it hard. He's taken care of me since we were kids. He just wants me to have a baby for him. Once the pregnancy is over, I won't owe him anything anymore.

"Don't worry, okay? You're the only man I've ever loved. Otherwise, why would I have married you in the first place? Why would I have willingly had your child?'

No matter how angry I was before, Nina would just have to lower her voice and sweet-talk me a little, and I'd end up giving her whatever she wanted.

But now, with that sharp smell lingering under my nose, I couldn't fight the urge to puke.