Lahat ng Kabanata ng You Mock Me, I Pull My Investment: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

Before I could give it much thought, my wife, Lauren Ingram, knocked on the car window. Our twin sons, Mason and Cayden Cox, stood beside her.Normally, I would've greeted them with a smile. This time, however, my throat tightened as I stared at Mason and Cayden, because the longer I looked at them, the more undeniable one troubling fact became.They looked nothing alike."What are you staring at?" Lauren teased as she climbed into the back seat. "Don't you recognize your own sons?"I didn't answer. Instead, I lowered my head and clicked on the profile of the user whose comment had gone viral.The person's age and IP location matched those of my childhood friend, Gregory Hayes. Even the profile picture showed a mole on the back of his hand, identical to Gregory's.A chill swept through me.Still, I knew it would be unfair to suspect my wife and children without proof. Rather than drive myself crazy with speculation, I needed a paternity test.I glanced at Lauren and the boys th

Early the next morning, Lauren got up and put on her makeup. Then, taking Cayden by the hand, she said, "Honey, I'm taking Cayden out for the day. Mason isn't feeling well, so stay home and keep an eye on him."I tamped down my emotions and watched them leave without letting anything show on my face. As soon as they were gone, I got into a rental car and followed them.I parked about 300 feet away.The moment Cayden got out of the car, he ran into Gregory's arms with a huge smile and called him "Daddy". Lauren smiled as she walked over and linked her arm through Gregory's.My eyes burned as I watched them from a distance, but my hands didn't tremble. Instead, I steadily recorded the entire scene.The more they looked like a happy family of three, the more my hatred grew.Three months earlier, Gregory had approached me about investing in his new venture. I was hesitant, but Lauren urged me to trust him."You two have known each other since childhood. If you can't trust Gregory, w

The words slipped out of Lauren before she could stop herself.The second she realized what she had said, she clamped a hand over her mouth. "Honey, why didn't you ever tell me you were capable of pulling something like this?"I stared at her in silence.Lauren had changed after we got married. She stopped caring about my job or anything else going on in my life. The only time she ever showed any interest was when she wanted me to send her money, and even then, all I got was a complaint."Why is your paycheck so low this month?"I had always assumed raising the kids was exhausting her. Instead of blaming her, I blamed myself for not earning enough to give her and the boys a more comfortable life.If I hadn't seen Gregory's post, I might still be completely in the dark, busting my ass to support another man's woman and raise his kid for him.The thought of what had happened to Gregory seemed to send Lauren into a panic. She dropped to her knees with a thud and wrapped her arms ar

"I can't believe you had the nerve to cheat on me."Elliora Jones was dressed in a tailored suit, her lips pressed into a hard line."So, that's why you've been trying every excuse in the book to stay here. You kept telling me it was because you wanted to help take care of my parents, but really, you just wanted to stay close to your old flame, didn't you?"Gregory panicked. Clutching his cheek, he stammered, "H-Honey, when did you get back? This isn't what it looks like. I can explain!"I scoffed inwardly.Gregory and I had known each other for more than 20 years, and he had always thought he knew me well. Apparently, that was why he had felt comfortable sleeping with Lauren right under my nose.But that worked both ways. I knew him just as well as he knew me.It hadn't taken much effort to find his wife's email address through social media. Once I had it, I sent her Gregory's post along with the paternity test results."Everything you have, from the clothes you wear to the ho

By the time Mason woke up the next morning, the house had already been emptied out.On the way to school, he looked up at me and asked, "Daddy, don't we have to wait for Cayden?"I gently ruffled his hair and smiled. "No. We won't have to wait for him anymore."I left the divorce entirely in my lawyer's hands. When everything was settled, Lauren walked away with 10% of our assets and custody of Cayden.All the properties that had previously been registered in Cayden's name were transferred back as well. I immediately had them placed under Mason's name instead.On the day we went to court to finalize the divorce, Lauren asked, "You don't even want to see me anymore, do you?"I regarded her calmly, but my thoughts suddenly drifted back to the day I had discovered Gregory's post.I remembered secretly taking Mason and Cayden in for paternity testing and how nervous Lauren had been the entire time.When the results finally came back, the last of my composure had shattered. I coul