Chapter 1The husband brought his illegitimate child home.

My husband and I had been trying for a baby for years, with no luck.

One day, he brought home his mistress's illegitimate child, telling me he was an orphan we were adopting.

The next day, he and his mistress faked their own deaths to start a new life together. Right after they left, I found out I was pregnant.

I didn't cry. I didn't rage. I quietly had my husband and his mistress declared legally dead and returned their son to an orphanage.

Years later, my own child was grown, a brilliant student accepted to an Ivy League university.

That's when my "dead" husband and his mistress reappeared, demanding their son back.

"He's our biological child!" they cried. "We're his real parents!"

* * *

I had just joined a new mom's group online when I saw a strange post:

"Ladies, I'm the other woman. I had a baby with my married boyfriend, and now I don't want to raise it. What should I do?"

One of the other moms replied:

"If the wife is barren, have your man pretend the baby is from an orphanage and bring it home for her to raise."

"You and your man can go live your best life for a few years. When the kid is older, have him go back and divorce the wife."

"Boom. You're a winner."

I frowned, disturbed by the casual cruelty.

That night, my husband, Mark, came home from work. I was about to tell him I was pregnant, but he spoke first.

"Honey," he said, "we've been married for so long without a child. What if we adopted one from an orphanage?"

My heart skipped a beat. The conversation from the mom's group flashed in my mind.

I swallowed the words I was about to say and decided to test him. "Mark, what if we just keep trying? I went to the doctor today, and she said everything looks fine, that I can definitely still get pregnant..."

"No!" he cut me off, his voice sharp with impatience. "We've been trying for years. What makes you think it's suddenly going to happen now?"

"Besides," he added, his voice rising, "my mom is getting older. She's been dying for a grandchild. Can't you be a little more considerate?"

When I didn't answer, he slammed his chopsticks down on the table. "Don't you dare give me the silent treatment! If you weren't so barren, I wouldn't have to resort to adoption!"

"Every time I'm with my friends, they're all dads. I'm the only one who's not. It's humiliating."

"I have a business trip with a client in a few days. We need to get this adoption sorted out before then."

I inwardly scoffed. If I hadn't seen that post, I might have actually believed him. Seeing his desperation, I knew the truth.

Before he could say another word, I nodded. "Okay. Whatever you think is best."

His expression softened immediately. "Good. I knew you'd understand. I'll go pick up the baby tomorrow."