Lahat ng Kabanata ng Married to My Friend's Wife: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

When my best friend died, his wife, Mia Lewis, was eight months pregnant.Mia said she didn't want her child growing up without a father.I owed my best friend my life. He saved me, literally pulled me from death's door. So, I stepped up, marrying Mia and raising their son as my own.Mia loved her career, so I quit mine. Traded my job for diapers and school runs. For seven whole years, I cooked, cleaned, folded laundry, and handled the housework. Rain or shine, sickness or health, I was there—every single day.Mia, though? She stayed cold, distant. Her warmth only surfaced in the bedroom—and even then, it was a flicker, never a flame. Just soft sighs and breathy murmurs, like she was playing a role she couldn't wait to finish. Afterward, she would quietly check the condom, as if she couldn't trust me.Then came New Year's Eve.A snap. A tear. A broken condom.Her fury struck like a thunderclap. She locked me out on the balcony and left me standing in the freezing rain, soaked to

Once everything was sorted at the police station, I headed over to Mia's mother's place to pick up Ethan.But I didn't expect what happened next.The second he saw me, Ethan didn't run into my arms. Didn't call me "Dad" in that sweet little voice like he used to. In fact, he didn't call me anything at all.He didn't remember me.Later, after he started school and began hanging out with other kids, things only got worse. He didn't just forget me—he began to resent me. Said I wasn't like the other dads. Said I didn't have a "real job." Said I wasn't cool.That stung.The officer's voice snapped me back to the present. He told me what had really happened.Cole, my nephew, had never gotten on that boat after all.As it turned out, he was smart enough to hide in a dumpster when the traffickers weren't looking. A homeless man found him and took him in. They lived hand-to-mouth, just the two of them, scraping by on the margins of society.Recently, the old man passed away. Someone fo

"Cole, are you okay? Did he hurt you?"I crouched down, hands checking him over, scanning for any bruises or scrapes.Meanwhile, Ethan's composure cracked. His lip trembled before he burst into tears. His sobs were loud, messy, and unfiltered.He hadn't cried like that since he started preschool. But now, he was sobbing like his whole world had just caved in, eyes locked on me, face twisted with hurt.Back then, I would have dropped everything. I would have pulled him into my arms and whispered gently, "Don't cry. Dad's here."But not anymore.Now, my arms were for Cole.Cole sniffled and looked up at me, his voice soft and steady. "Uncle Ben, I'm okay. He just told me to stay away from you. He said you're his dad… Is that true?"I shook my head. "No, he's lying. I'm not his dad."Ethan's sobs abruptly stopped, as if someone had accidentally paused a recording. He looked up at me, wide-eyed, stunned, like I had just slapped him across the face.Then I heard her voice—sharp an

Mia strutted right into the apartment like she owned the place.Arms crossed, she glanced around and wrinkled her nose. "Seriously? You're living in this shoebox? You gave up a perfectly good house for this? You can't even stretch your legs in here."That was it."Mia, do you not understand what I said?" I snapped. "We're divorced. This is my place now. You walking in without permission? That's trespassing. Get out."She just stood there, unfazed, like she thought I was throwing a tantrum and all she had to do was wait for me to cool off. When she refused to leave, I called the property manager and had them escort her and Ethan out. That finally did the trick.…The next morning, just as I was heading to work, I found her parked right at the garage exit, blocking my car in.She rolled down her window. "We need to talk. About the divorce."Fine. It was time for a clean break anyway. This endless back-and-forth was driving me up the wall.We ended up at a nearby coffee spot, sea

She insisted on giving me part of her fortune as compensation. I turned her down flat.Right before she walked away, she paused. Her voice was quiet. "Ben… whether you believe me or not, I really did love you. Maybe I didn't realize it back then, but I do now. I swear it's the truth."I gave her a small smile, choosing not to say anything. With that, I walked away.But Mia didn't let go like she said she would. Far from it. Instead, she started trying to win me back.She told me that I had only married her out of obligation to my best friend, and that it made sense our marriage didn't work."Now I want to start over," she said, eyes bright with conviction. "For real this time. Just me, pursuing you. Not out of obligation. Not as your wife. Just as a woman who loves you. Ben, will you give me a chance? Will you let me be your girlfriend?"Then, she rushed to add, "I'm a single mom. My son's six. But he's a good kid. Quiet, polite…"She rambled on, making her case like it was a bu