홈 / Romance 단편 작품 & 소설 / Five Years of Lies: My Wife, Our Marriage, and Another Man's Child / 챕터 1 - 챕터 9

Five Years of Lies: My Wife, Our Marriage, and Another Man's Child의 모든 챕터: 챕터 1 - 챕터 9

9 챕터

Chapter 1

Noticing that something was amiss, I decided to continue the conversation with my wife, Lydia Cooper."Is that so? You were smiling so warmly just now," I said.Lydia averted her gaze, not daring to make eye contact with me."The child speaks so sweetly. She's very fond of calling me. Anyway, it's getting late. Let's sleep."She didn't wait for me to respond before turning around and entering the bathroom.Lydia and I had been together for a decade, so I was familiar with her microexpressions. The way she averted her eyes earlier made it clear that she was feeling guilty.I was already lying in bed and pretending to sleep when the bathroom door creaked open.Lydia gently crawled into bed and hugged me from behind as usual. However, her embrace felt completely unfamiliar that night.I waited until her breathing turned even before carefully getting out of bed and picking up her phone that she had left on the bedside cabinet.We had been together for a decade, but this was the fi

Chapter 2

"You can explain the situation to me when we're back home," I said coldly.The moment we arrived home, Lydia fell to her knees in front of me with a loud thud. Her voice was shaking when she said, "I can explain, Jasper—"I interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. My voice sounded eerily calm even to my own ears when I asked, "Explain what? Are you going to tell me that that child isn't your daughter?"Tears streamed down Lydia's face as she grabbed my hand. "I made a mistake, Jasper. I've learned my lesson… It was Simon! He's the one who tricked me! I drank so much that night… I had no idea what happened. But he threatened me when I wanted to get an abortion after I found out I was pregnant.""What about after the child was born?" I asked."I had no choice but to stay!" Lydia screamed shrilly, her voice pitching. "At the end of the day, she's still mine! She's my flesh and blood! What else could I do when you weren't willing to have a child with me?"Her words were

Chapter 3

I was the first to arrive at Phoenix Loft.The door swung open at 2:58 pm.George entered first, carrying Lindsey in his arms. Joy was written all over his face as he cooed, "Oh, my darling granddaughter. Look what I brought for you—"His words died on his tongue when he spotted me. His expression stiffened before he fixed a smile on his face and said, "You're so early, Jasper."Lydia was right behind him. There were heavy bags under her eyes, making it obvious that sleep had eluded her. She didn't dare look at me and kept her eyes on the ground when she sat down.The last person to enter the room was Simon. He didn't spare a glance at me as he made his way over to Lydia's other side. He pulled out the chair that was supposed to be mine and nonchalantly took a seat.His seat was directly opposite mine.Meanwhile, George set Lindsey down in the seat between him and Lydia.The four of them sat on one side while I sat by myself on the other side of the long table. It was as if we

Chapter 4

I stared at Simon and said, "Furthermore, not only are you living in a house that was purchased with my money, but you're also spending my money."A dead silence descended upon the private room.Simon glared at me viciously. "Do you hate me that much, Jasper? Does your loathing run so deep that you would snatch my daughter's house away from her?""I don't hate you," I said as I switched off the projector and snapped my laptop shut. "I just want to take back what belongs to me. I'll give you three days to transfer 1.5 million dollars into my account. If you don't, I'll have no choice but to file a lawsuit against you."George slammed his hands on the table and shot to his feet. "How dare you, Jasper!"I grabbed my bag and walked over to the door. Before I left, I spared a glance at Lydia and said, "Give me your answer by 5:00 pm tomorrow, Lydia."I then strode out of the private room, closing the door behind me.The floor was covered in a thick carpet that muffled my footsteps.

Chapter 5

"Shut up! Simon yelled, grabbing his cup and looking as if he was going to throw it at me.However, he simply kept his hand suspended in midair. He was breathing raggedly, his chest heaving.He finally lowered his hand after a few moments. He sat down again and fixed his stray strands of hair back into place."Say whatever you want," Simon said after regaining his composure.He smiled before continuing, "I won't be giving you 1.5 million dollars in the next three days, Jasper. I also won't be handing the house over to you. Go ahead and file a lawsuit against me.""As for Lydia," he said as he stood up and grabbed his bag. "You can ask her whether she'll choose you or her child."Simon then walked toward the door. Right before he exited the cafe, he glanced at me and said, "Oh, that's right. I forgot to tell you that Mr. Cooper already gave me their family heirloom."He pushed open the door and left the cafe.Silence was restored in the cafe.I sat at the booth for a long time.

Chapter 6

The last flicker of hope in Lydia's eyes went out. She slowly got back up on her feet. Her legs were shaking so badly that she had to lean against the wall to support herself."So, you're determined to divorce me?" she asked coldly."Yes," I answered."What about the 1.5 million dollars?""I'll see you in court if even a single cent is missing. You won't be able to settle this issue with just 1.5 million dollars if that happens."Lydia stared at me. The pleading look in her eyes had morphed into hatred."Don't force my hand, Jasper," she gritted out."You're the one who forced my hand," I replied, staring into her eyes.Lydia suddenly started cackling. "Fine. You certainly are a cruel man, Jasper."She took a step backward and smoothed down her crumpled suit. "Do you really think you'll win just by divorcing me? I'll have you know that nobody else will want you once you get rid of me! It'll be too late for you to come crying to me then!"Her words were like sharp blades that

Chapter 7

"I… bought that house because it's near Lindsey's school," Lydia said suddenly."You could have just rented a house," I retorted."You have no right to tell us how to spend our money, Jasper," Simon said, looking at me haughtily. "Lydia willingly gave the money to us!""Willingly?"I shot a look of disdain in Lydia's direction before continuing, "Tell him where the 500 thousand dollars came from."The color drained from Lydia's face."She took the money from our joint marital account," I explained. "The money in that account consisted of my salary, as well as the money my parents gave me to start my own business. Do you believe that you had the right to take that money, Lydia?"George slammed his hands on the table and roared, "What do you mean that's your money? That's Lydia's money!""After Lydia and I got married, we started saving our money in the joint marital account."I had reached the end of my patience and didn't want to reason with them anymore. "If you insist that i

Chapter 8

Lydia suddenly called out to me right after I stepped out of the meeting room."Jasper."I didn't stop walking, and I didn't turn my head to look at her either.The elevator doors slid shut behind me, separating her world from mine.…It didn't take long for the divorce papers to be processed.It was cloudy when I stepped out of the courthouse.Lydia stood on the stairs for a long time."Jasper…" she murmured, sounding parched.I interrupted her before she could finish her sentence, saying, "Please call me Mr. Swanson from now on, Ms. Cooper."Lydia opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say a single word.I received 1.5 million dollars in my bank account a week after our divorce was finalized. I was unpacking my belongings in my new apartment when Lucas broke the news to me.It was a small unit, only 645 square feet. It faced the south and had a small balcony.Mom didn't breathe a single word about Lydia as she helped me unpack, but she couldn't stop nagging."The

Chapter 9

The unknown number's profile picture was a side profile of a woman framed by snowy mountains in the background.The text read, "Hi, Mr. Swanson. I'm Millie Lovell, one of Lucas' friends. I heard that you're looking for a personal trainer."After mulling over my thoughts, I decided to start up a conversation with Millie. Not because I wanted to start a new relationship, but because I thought it was time to make some new friends.New friends. New circle. New life.…Two years later, I snapped my laptop shut as I sat in the first-class cabin of an international flight.A flight attendant approached me. "Do you need a blanket, Mr. Swanson?" she asked, smiling."No, thank you."I was flying from Sonara to Portia to attend an international industry summit.Many things had changed over the previous two years.I was promoted from project manager to director of the Angelona region in my company. My salary tripled, and I led a team of 30 people.Last month, I bought an apartment i

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