CHAPTER 2 — The Wife Who Swore She Never Lied
Michael waited three days.
Three days of pretending.
Three days of smiling through family dinners.
Three days of secretly investigating the woman he thought he knew.
He called the fertility clinic listed in the old paperwork.
"I'm sorry, sir."
"Our records from twelve years ago were transferred."
"But donor information is confidential."
Michael clenched his jaw.
"I'm not asking who the donor is."
"I just need to know one thing."
"Did my wife know?"
Silence.
Then...
the receptionist whispered,
"Sir..."
"I can't answer that."
Click.
The call ended.
That answer told him everything.
Emily knew.
She had always known.
That evening...
Michael invited Emily to their favorite rooftop restaurant.
The same place where he had proposed.
Candles flickered.
Soft jazz filled the air.
Emily smiled.
"This feels just like old times."
Michael reached into his jacket.
Emily's smile widened.
"Are you surprising me?"
He placed the DNA report on the table.
Her smile disappeared instantly.
The color drained from her face.
"Michael..."
"What is this?"
"You tell me."
She didn't touch the papers.
She didn't deny them.
Instead...
she began to cry.
"I wanted to tell you."
"When?"
"Before the wedding?"
"When Noah was born?"
"Or after twelve years of lies?"
Emily covered her face.
"The doctors said you were infertile."
"I couldn't bear losing you."
Michael stared at her.
"So you chose another man's child..."
"...and let me believe he was mine?"
She shook her head desperately.
"No!"
"I believed the clinic used anonymous donor sperm."
"I thought that was the only way."
Michael's voice turned cold.
"So why hide it?"
Emily whispered,
"Because your mother threatened me."
Michael froze.
"My mother?"
Emily nodded.
"She said if I ever told you..."
"...she would make sure you left me."
Michael laughed bitterly.
"That's impossible."
"My mother adored Noah."
Emily slowly pulled out her phone.
She opened an old voicemail.
A voice filled the restaurant.
Michael recognized it immediately.
His mother's voice.
"If Michael ever finds out the truth..."
"...he'll never forgive you."
"So keep your mouth shut."
"...or I'll make sure that little boy grows up without a father."
Michael's entire world cracked again.
His own mother...
had known for twelve years.
But the biggest shock came seconds later.
Emily looked him directly in the eyes.
"I never cheated on you."
"I swear."
"The donor wasn't random."
Michael frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Emily whispered the words that stopped his heart.
May you like
"The clinic made a mistake."
"They gave me the wrong embryo."
