I felt sorry for Eleanor again and again. Yet, she would always tell me that I had already done too much for her. She said none of this was my fault.
Later on, to be extra careful, she went to the hospital and had an IUD inserted. I didn’t ask her to do this. Rather, it was her own choice.
However, that wasn’t the end of it. From that day on, she always took the initiative to remind me to take safety precautions every time we were intimate. She did not want to take any chances.
What surprised me the most was the reaction of her parents.
In the beginning, my father-in-law and mother-in-law used to hope that Eleanor would give birth to a child because that would make her position stronger in our wealthy family. But after the miscarriage, they suddenly stopped talking about having children. They no longer pressured us.
After I was discharged from the hospital, they never brought up the subject of children or carrying on the family name. Instead, they even gave us a dog, suggesting we raise it like a child.
I truly believed that this change came from Eleanor. I thought she had worked hard behind the scenes to protect me, to make sure no one forced us into parenthood again. I thought she understood me and respected our agreement to live a child-free life.
But I was wrong. It wasn’t until I overheard my mother-in-law yelling at me that I realized the truth. It turned out that Eleanor did not avoid having children because of me. She just didn’t want to have a child with me.
In her heart, Eleanor had never accepted the help from my parents. That help had always made her feel small and powerless. She couldn’t stand the idea of our first child living with my parents. She didn’t want her child to grow up under their influence.
All these years, she had carefully planned her life. She took the money, the connections and all the resources from me and my family. Yet, she gave her heart and future to another man, a younger man.
Now, with my parents both gone and no other family left to protect me, she felt free to push me out of the way. She wanted to save the life of her illegitimate child, Nate, with Thomas. She was using me to do it.
Apparently, Eleanor wanted me to give her another child so that she could use the baby to treat her other son’s leukemia. I was overwhelmed with humiliation and pain.
My voice was cold when I questioned her, “Yes, the child is innocent. But in order to save your illegitimate child, you want to risk killing my child, the one you’re carrying now. Eleanor, isn’t that cruel?”
For the first time, I saw panic in Eleanor’s eyes. Usually, she was always calm and confident.
“That’s not what I meant, James,” she said quickly.
“Didn’t you want to have a child before? Why not focus on the good side? This child will live and we’ll be together as a family in the future!”
I stared at her and suddenly felt like I didn’t know her at all.
“Do you really think we can still live together after all this? What do you mean by ‘we’ll be a family’? Are you saying the two of us should share one wife?”
Eleanor didn’t get angry. She walked toward the door and looked at me seriously.
“James, Thomas never wanted to compete with you. I still have feelings for you too. You helped me become the richest woman in London. I’m truly thankful for everything you’ve done. You will always be my husband.”
“But can’t you be more understanding? Please understand. My child must be born.”
She left the hospital room after that. I later found out that she had hired two private nurses to keep watch over me. Their job was to make sure I didn’t leave the hospital.
But her actions only made me more determined to divorce.
I immediately called my lawyer.
“Mr. Woods,” I called.
I asked him, “If the other party refuses to divorce, is there still a way?”
Mr. Woods answered clearly, “Yes, there is a way. But you’ll need to wait a week before we can proceed with the legal process.”
The next day, Eleanor did not come to the hospital.
Mr. Woods had many connections. Through one of them, he was able to get proof of Eleanor’s betrayal. He sent me photos.
Eleanor had gone to meet Thomas. Based on their expressions, she had probably just told him about her pregnancy. Thomas looked happy. In the café, he kissed Eleanor with joy.
Without further ado, I turned off the video. I couldn’t watch it anymore. It was too painful. Nevertheless, I forced myself to go online to distract my thoughts. Then, I saw something that made me even angrier. It was my mother-in-law.
This same woman, who used to act gentle and kind in front of me, had completely changed. She had uploaded all the videos she had taken in the past while taking care of her grandson, Eleanor and Thomas’s son. She had kept these videos hidden from me for years.
Only now did I understand.
All those nights when Eleanor said she was working late, she was actually spending time with Thomas and their son. And then, the worst part came. My mother-in-law posted a new video online.
In real life, she criticized me without holding back. Not only that, she also attacked me publicly on social media and called me the worst son-in-law in history. She even took one of my photos and edited it to look like a funeral portrait, as if I were already dead.
My mother-in-law said that I was ungrateful and heartless. She cried in her video, claiming that her poor grandson was dying of leukemia and I, his supposed father, refused to save him or give him a sibling. She told lies to make herself and Eleanor look like the victims.
People online, who had no idea what the truth was, believed her. They left terrible comments under the video, cursing me and even insulting my dead parents. When I thought of my mother and father, who had loved me deeply and supported me all my life,m I was filled with anger.
I couldn’t help but clench my fists.
At that moment, I knew one thing clearly. I could no longer stay silent. Rather, I needed to gather my act.
