Only a month after we got married, my wife's sister ran away with her lover. When I opened the door to comfort her, Raline Leighton handed me an agreement.
“Henry, my brother-in-law’s fortune can’t be left without an heir. I’ve decided to take my sister’s place and give him a child.”
Like a sudden shock, I ripped the papers and shouted, “Raline, this is the modern world! Are there really people who rent out their wives to have kids? What do you think I am?”
Raline stared at me, stubborn as ever.
“Henry, it’s just three years. I’ll come back in three years and I’ll still be your wife.”
"If my mother had only given birth to me back then, her only daughter, I would’ve been the one to marry Hudson Pellegrini. What would you have done then, being just a live-in son-in-law?"
My heart ached as I looked at Raline, once so familiar, now with a face gone cold and self-righteous.
“I’m willing to let you try IVF and surrogacy, that’s my biggest compromise.” Raline stood up quietly and took out another contract.
“The heir of the Pellegrini Family shouldn’t come from something cold and mechanical; they should be born from real passion.”
She looked at me without feeling sorry. "For the sake of our family alliance, the child must be born. I’m telling you, not asking.”
I gripped my fists tight and gave up at last. “Raline, let’s get a divorce.”
——
My mother-in-law instantly stood up and slapped me hard across the face.
“Raline has treated you so well and you still dare talk about divorce? How could you be so heartless!”
The elders and uncles of the Leighton Family surrounded me, trying to talk me out of it.
“Henry, Raline still cares about you. If she really got pregnant with Hudson’s child in secret, you wouldn’t even know, right?”
“That’s true. Raline is doing all this for the sake of the Leighton Family. If Hudson gets angry and turns against her, the Leighton Group could be in trouble.”
I stared at the elders talking about right and wrong in disbelief, then suddenly let out a laugh.
Raline, both embarrassed and angry, yelled, “Enough! Henry will understand.”
I looked around at my mad relatives. This was the company and family I had fought so hard to protect, even turning down a job offer from a Lucky 500 company.
My heart hurt with pain and sorrow. I forced back my tears and looked at Raline, “Raline, we’ve been through so much together. Are you really going to trade our marriage for the future of the Leighton Group?”
Raline went quiet, then, after a long pause, looked at me with pleading eyes. “Henry, I didn’t trade our marriage for the Leighton Group’s future. No matter what happens, I’ll always be your most beloved wife.”
“Henry, think about it. Hudson is the richest man in the U.S., smart and capable and he’s connected to several powerful families in Phoenix. Your health…”
I stared at Raline in disbelief. She had finally revealed what she truly felt. So, she looked down on me because of my poor health, which was why she insisted on using birth control for six years.
But who made me drink so much that my liver was damaged? Who pushed me to have a third of my stomach removed just to win contracts?
A tear dropped onto the back of my hand. I looked up and asked in a rough voice, “Raline, what if I refuse to agree?”
“Henry, I understand you can’t accept this right now, it’s fine… I’ll give you time to think.”
Guilt showed on Raline’s face for a moment, then she raised her voice with confidence.
“I must give birth for the greater good, for the common heir of the Leighton and Pellegrini families. You should think long-term, not be petty.”
I smiled with bitterness, tears rising in my eyes as I looked at Raline. At twenty-six, she was at her best, already showing the clear aura of a strong woman.
“So, you mean you not only want to have a child with Hudson, but that child will also inherit everything we have?”
