Home / She Borrowed His Genes, I Tossed My Marriage / Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

All Chapters of She Borrowed His Genes, I Tossed My Marriage: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

My husband, Mike Harris, stared at the ring in the gift box for a moment. Then, he pulled a long face.He demanded, "Put it back on for now. The whole family is here today. Don't make a scene."I didn't take it. Instead, I asked, "Does everyone know the baby is yours?"Mike's silence gave me my answer.There were 12 tables in the banquet hall. At the center of the head table sat two name cards side by side that read, "Father—Mike Harris" and "Mother—Suzanne Lynch".I'd been seated at the table closest to the entrance. My name card had two words printed on it—"First Wife".I picked up the ridiculous card. So, this was what my seven-year marriage to Mike meant to them. I was just the first wife.When Mike's aunt, Lydia Harris, saw me holding the card, she teased, "Nadia, you and Suzanne have the perfect arrangement. She has the baby, and you get to keep your position as Mrs. Harris. Nobody loses."Mike's cousin-in-law chimed in, "Exactly. You didn't have to get any shots or go th

Chapter 2

That night, Mike didn't come home.The only thing he left me was a text. "Get some sleep. Stop throwing a tantrum."The next morning, four movers showed up at my door. Rita led Suzanne and the movers inside, pointing toward the end of the hallway. "Move the crib in there and take the cabinet out."That room was the nursery I'd prepared for my baby. After I lost the child, I'd locked the door and kept it shut for six years.Mike had promised that no one would ever touch anything inside.I blocked the doorway, pressing my palm firmly against the doorknob. "Get out! Who gave you permission to move in?"Rita planted her hands on her hips. "Mike, of course! Ian is his son. Is he supposed to spend the rest of his life somewhere out there instead of living in his father's house?"Holding Ian in her arms, Suzanne said in a soft voice, "I'll only be staying for three months. Mike said you could keep the master bedroom. The baby and I will take this room."Rita signaled for the movers

Chapter 3

That evening, Lydia taped a chore schedule to the refrigerator.Suzanne was responsible for daytime feedings. Mike would handle baths and getting the baby to sleep at night. Beside my name, someone had written, "Wash bottles, change bedding, and feed the baby at 2:00 am."I stared at my name for several seconds. It was as if I could hear the relentless cries of babies from the hospital room six years ago.I tore the schedule off the refrigerator, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it in the trash.Rita's expression darkened. "What do you think you're doing? You're Mike's wife. Isn't taking care of his child your responsibility?"Suzanne held Ian and looked at me with wounded eyes. "Nadia, I've already agreed not to marry Mike, and I won't move into the master bedroom. Ian can call you Mom, while I'll just be his birth mother. How much more do you expect me to give in?"I turned to Mike. "Is this what you want, too?"He rubbed his temples. "I know feeding in the middle of the nig

Chapter 4

I held up my phone to let them see that I'd dialed for emergency services.I explained, "When I opened my bedroom door, he was already lying there. The ambulance is on its way."Suzanne's eyes reddened as she shot back, "That's impossible! I left him in the nursery before going downstairs. He's barely a month old. How could he possibly crawl all the way to your door?"Rita came at me furiously. "The three of us were downstairs the whole time. You were the only one here!"Lydia rushed into the nursery and soon returned with the monitor's power cord, which had been unplugged.She said coldly, "Someone unplugged Ian's monitor; the bottle was right by your feet, and you were the only one home. How much longer are you going to deny it?"The elevator doors opened again, and Mike hurried in. His eyes first fell on my open suitcase behind me. Then, they shifted to Ian in Suzanne's arms. Upon seeing that Ian's face had turned a ghastly blue-gray, all color instantly drained from Mike's fa

Chapter 5

The driver had barely reached the neighborhood exit when he slammed on the brakes.Blue-and-red police lights flashed through the windshield, sweeping across the inside of the car again and again. Clutching my phone, I watched two police officers approach the vehicle.Things hadn't gone as planned. I wouldn't make it to Nordain that night, after all.The officers asked me to return to the station to complete my statement. I handed my luggage to the driver and told him to take it to the hotel first.When they photographed my injuries for the record, I saw my swollen left cheek in the camera's reflection. My right wrist was bruised as well, with dark purple marks from someone's grip.A little after 2:00 am, Mike arrived from the hospital. He was still wearing the wristband for a hospital visitor, and his coat hung open. He sat down and asked the officers if he could speak to me privately.No one agreed, so he turned to me instead and said, "They found traces of your medication in I

Chapter 6

When Mike finally returned home, dawn was just breaking. As soon as he switched on the entryway light, he spotted my slippers beneath the shoe cabinet and called my name.The house was silent, save for the occasional hum of the refrigerator. Half the wardrobe in the master bedroom was empty.Mike figured he'd finally hurt me to the point of breaking my heart. He decided he'd have to treat me better and make it up to me.Mike took out his phone and typed for a long time before finally sending a single message. "I'm sorry for the things I said last night. Stay somewhere else for a couple of days. We can talk once we've both had time to cool off."There was no reply.He sent another message, "Let me know when you get there."There was still nothing.A little after 8:00 am, Rita returned from the hospital with Ian in her arms. The moment she stepped through the door, she began cursing me for being heartless.Then, she urged, "Alright, Mike. Focus on getting Suzanne out of this mess

Chapter 7

Mike continued, "I thought you were just going away for a few days. Then I went to the office and found out you'd really transferred."I said, "You called me at the station. Why did you wait another five days after that?"Rubbing his forehead, Mike explained, "Ian kept getting admitted to the hospital. I couldn't get away. I wanted to get things at home sorted out before coming to see you."I understood what he meant. "You thought that once everything was taken care of, I'd be ready to go back with you."He quickly clarified, "That's not what I meant. Suzanne and I have no feelings for each other. The egg retrieval, the prenatal checkups... It was all for Ian."Even now, he still treated the fact that he had no feelings for Suzanne as his most important defense.I asked, "Who gave her the money? Who gave her the key? And who agreed to let her live in my child's room?"He held the picture frame without answering.After a long silence, he finally said, "I've hired a nanny. You wo

Chapter 8

I asked, "And what happens after I go back?"Thinking I'd relented, she hastily said, "Ian needs daily rehabilitation, and Mike still has to work. You could help out a little. Wouldn't that make things easier for everyone?"Mike interrupted her, "I told you Nadia wouldn't have to take care of Ian."Rita turned on him. "If she's not helping out, then you can quit your job! How long do you think someone my age can keep taking care of him?"Suzanne had been silent the whole time, but now she scoffed. "They haven't even locked me up. How serious can this be?"Mike adjusted Ian in his arms. "Being out on bail doesn't mean you're off the hook. From now on, you can't see Ian without supervision."Suzanne's face fell instantly. "Then why didn't you say that when you accompanied me to the egg retrieval, embryo transfer, and prenatal appointments?"Her words came faster and faster. "You gave me the money. You gave me the key, too. You even stood beside me at Ian's sip and see. Now that Na

Chapter 9

I shook my head. "There's no need to wait a month. My lawyer will proceed with the divorce."I handed the envelope back to him. "Don't come here again."He didn't take it. Instead, he reached out and grabbed my wrist.I recoiled instinctively.Mike immediately let go, as if he just recalled the marks his fingers had left on my wrist that night.He stepped back and said, "Sorry, I won't touch you."I didn't respond. He placed the envelope back on the bench and didn't follow me.On the day of our divorce hearing, he arrived on time.The 436 thousand dollars had been returned, and the marital home was to be divided according to each person's financial contribution. He offered to give me his share.I refused and took back only what rightfully belonged to me.Before signing the papers, he asked whether things might have turned out differently if he'd believed me first on the night Ian was poisoned.I told him it hadn't started that night.After donating his first sperm sample, h

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