홈 / She Said No Kids—Then Brought One Home / 챕터 1 - 챕터 9

She Said No Kids—Then Brought One Home의 모든 챕터: 챕터 1 - 챕터 9

9 챕터

Chapter 1

"Brent, are you not listening? I said it's gonna be fake divorce," Adrienne Bruckner snapped, annoyance creeping into her voice.I looked down at the wedding photo torn in half on the floor, and for some reason, I wanted to laugh.Adrienne seemed to notice how sharp she'd sounded. Her tone softened. "I told you, it's only a fake divorce. Once everything's settled, we'll remarry."She said it so lightly, so casually, like she was asking about the weather.There was no point arguing with her further. Ever since we were kids, whenever we disagreed on something, Adrienne's mind never changed. Not once.She must have taken my silence for agreement. She let out a sigh, took my hand, and pressed it against her stomach, as if she wanted me to feel the life stirring inside her."This will be your child from now on," she said softly. "Didn't you say it yourself? No matter what, you'd accept everything about me. You can't go back on your word now."I stared at her, stunned. Her words dropp

Chapter 2

The words left me, and Adrienne went silent, as if someone had clapped a hand over her mouth.I slid the ring off my finger and threw it into the trash, along with the one she'd handed me.Adrienne felt both familiar and like a stranger. I couldn't make sense of anything she'd done anymore. The whole thing felt absurd, like the entire world had gone insane. Adrienne had lost her mind. My parents had lost theirs. And so, apparently, had I.Adrienne opened her mouth, then forced the words out. "I didn't cheat."I laughed softly. "Adrienne, I'm the fool here. I love you. I can accept everything about you."But that doesn't mean I love you enough to ignore the baby in your belly, or that I'm happy you cheated on me. Adrienne, I never forced you into Dylan's bed. I never forced you to get pregnant."She crossed the room and slapped me, hard. The crack of it twisted the world in front of my eyes, and my cheek burned.It wasn't the first time Adrienne had hit me. But it was the first

Chapter 3

Adrienne looked at me, suspicious, like she hadn't expected me to give in so easily and take everything so calmly. After all, she knew how I'd reacted when I first found out she was pregnant. I'd fought with her every day since.She'd just opened her mouth to say something when her phone rang. It was Dylan calling.I saw the conflict on her face and said quietly, "Go ahead. He's probably calling because he needs something, or he's not feeling well. He's sick. Go check on him."The moment I finished speaking, Adrienne hurried out without a second thought.I watched her back as she left and smiled. "Goodbye."Once she was gone, the apartment went hollow and silent in an instant.I sat down on the floor, drained, and my hand landed on the marriage certificate Adrienne had torn apart. Our photo was still on it. Her smile in the picture had always been faint. Mine looked like a complete fool's.Adrienne had been cold toward me for all the years we'd been together. I knew why. Her hea

Chapter 4

Mom took out her phone and called Adrienne. Only once she heard Adrienne's voice did she finally relax.She hung up and turned on me. "Adrienne's pregnant. Whatever you're feeling, can't you keep it to yourself and take care of her first?"Something inside me cracked open at that. I could barely breathe.I stared at her. "She went to see Dylan. She's carrying his baby. Do you actually want me to drive her straight to her affair?"Whatever happened before, that was on me. But this? This is my fault too?"My voice had risen without me noticing. Mom's face changed instantly, and she glared at me. "Why are you shouting like that? Do you want the whole building to know you've been cheated on? Keep running your mouth like that and someone will hear. Do you want Adrienne to lose her reputation over this?"I already knew Mom had always favored Adrienne. Ever since we were kids, whenever Adrienne and I clashed, she took Adrienne's side.I never thought much of it before. Adrienne had a

Chapter 5

That afternoon, a call came in on Dad's phone, but the voice on the other end was a stranger's. "Hello, we've admitted a patient here at Sykes General Hospital. He's suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and is in emergency care right now. Your number came up as his emergency contact on his phone. Could you come to the hospital?"I texted Mom on my way there. By the time I reached the ICU, the doctor was waiting with a grim expression. "The patient needs a stem cell transplant, but we don't have a match in our own bank. We'll need to source one from another branch. What's your relation to him?""I'm his son," I answered quickly.The doctor nodded. "Then get ready. For a transplant like this, an immediate blood relative gives us the best match."Mom arrived just in time to hear that, and she grabbed my arm. "No! You can't let him do it!"The doctor frowned. "Ma'am, this is a matter of life and death. This isn't the time for that."Sweat beaded on Mom's forehead. She gritted her teeth a

Chapter 6

In the end, I had to face the truth. My hand trembled as I tore open the sealed envelope.The moment I saw the line that read "no biological father-daughter relationship confirmed", my legs gave out, and I sank to the floor. Only then did I notice my back was soaked through with sweat.I let out a long breath, and somehow, I was laughing and crying at the same time.After a long while, I fed the paternity report into the shredder.On the drive to the hospital, my mind raced through everything, and by the time I arrived, I'd decided to apologize to my parents for doubting them.I walked up to the hospital room door and saw that Dad was awake. I was about to open it.Then I heard Dad's voice, complaining to Mom. "You were reckless. Thank god my friend happened to see it and told me, or the whole thing about switching the babies would've come out."All these years I've worked so hard to keep those two kids close together, just in case it ever did come out. At least there'd be some

Chapter 7

Once he had the paternity report in hand, Mr. Bruckner's hands were shaking. An old, unfamiliar awkwardness settled between us. Even though they'd watched me grow up all these years, finding out it had all been built on a lie left us both a little uneasy.After a long while, Mr. Bruckner wiped at the corner of his eye. His voice came out steady. "Well, then. Let's set things right."You're my biological son. Of course you belong with the Bruckners. Even if you are our own flesh and blood..."He trailed off, and I braced myself, thinking he was about to tell me they couldn't let go of Adrienne. Something in me sank at the thought. I already knew, clearly enough, how much he and Mrs. Bruckner loved her. I couldn't quite accept that, but I understood it. I was an adult now. Maybe I just wasn't fated to be close with my own blood.While my thoughts spiraled, Mr. Bruckner spoke again. "I owe you an apology all the same. We failed to raise Adrienne properly."I froze for a second. H

Chapter 8

I moved the company's headquarters to Brighton City. On my first day back with the Bruckners, Mr. Bruckner transferred every share under his name over to me. He looked almost guilty about it. "Your mother and I both just assumed you looked like me and didn't think much further than that, back when you married Adrienne."We'd planned to hand all of this to you eventually, but we wanted to watch you a while longer first. We had our reservations. Now, there's nothing left to worry about."I looked at Mr. Bruckner and found myself smiling. He'd watched me grow up and treated me like half a son even before any of this. Once the shock wore off, we both settled into it calmly enough.Only when I thought of the Rossels did something in me dim. Mr. Bruckner asked what I wanted done about Eric and Marilyn. I shook my head. "You might think I'm being too soft. But they raised me well. They gave me the best of everything, and they never held back on me. Let's just leave it."I've always be

Chapter 9

Riley's words sent Adrienne's eyes wide with shock. She stared at Riley like she couldn't believe what she'd just heard."Go ask your dear parents yourself," Riley said. "Oh, and don't ask the wrong people. Your real parents are Eric Rossel and Marilyn Winslet. Go find out exactly what they did."Adrienne swayed on her feet like she might collapse. I didn't want to get tangled up in any more of this, and I didn't want an audience either, so I took Riley and left.Once we were in the car, Riley turned to me. "I'm sorry. I couldn't hold it in, and I let the truth slip. I was genuinely angry."I smiled gently. "I know. Adrienne's the one who crossed a line with you. You don't need to apologize. She was going to find out eventually anyway."Adrienne was admitted to the hospital that same night. Eric called me several times, and I didn't pick up once. But I went to see her anyway.In the hospital room, Adrienne lay pale on the bed, with Marilyn wiping away tears beside her. When Maril

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