My Wife's Charity Case

On our fifth wedding anniversary, my wife, who had struggled with fertility for years, suddenly felt nauseous. The college student we had been sponsoring panicked and rushed her to the hospital. Half an hour later, she called me. "I'm pregnant."

I was thrilled, until her next words froze me in place.

"The father's the college student, the one we've been supporting. He got sick that night and I felt bad for him, so I stayed over. I didn't think anything would happen. We have to keep this quiet. He's graduating soon and joining our company. We can't let this mess things up for him.

"And you need to quit your job, so he can take your position. I'm going to need you home to take care of me."

The sheer audacity left me speechless, but I kept my voice level. "Okay."

She hung up, satisfied.

What she did not know was that years ago, someone had made me a promise. If I turned 30 years old and still did not have a child, she would give me one. Today was my 30th birthday.

Faced with my unusually calm reaction, Lisa Lynch called back five seconds after hanging up.

"Matthew, I know you're hurting right now. This whole thing is my fault, but you have to believe me. It was just an accident. I've only ever seen him as a little brother."

I pulled my lips into a mocking smile. "Right, a little brother. The kind you end up in bed with."

Lisa clearly froze for a moment before her tone softened. "I get that you're angry and lashing out, but Elijah's an orphan. Life hasn't been easy for him. I don't want this to ruin his entire future.

"Matthew, can you just be understanding about this? Quit your job and claim the baby as yours. Everyone wins that way."

No matter how she spun it, Lisa only cared about that college student.

I suppressed the urge to roar at her and forced the words out, "Lisa, let's get a divorce."

"What?!" Her expression must have changed completely because her voice shot up. "Matthew Baker, do you even hear yourself right now? You want to throw away our five years of marriage over something this small?

"What about all those vows you made at our wedding? About protecting me for the rest of our lives? Have you forgotten all of that? When did you become so selfish?"

She was the one who had forgotten her promises, yet somehow, I was the one being scolded. I did not answer and only let the silence stretch on to make my position clear.

Lisa seemed stunned that I would resist like this. She laughed bitterly. "Matthew, I'm asking you one last time. Are you sure you want a divorce?"

This time, I answered quickly, "Yes, Lisa. As you wish, I don't want you anymore."

"There's a limit to throwing tantrums. Don't come crying to me later!"

With that, she hung up without waiting for my response.

I put my phone back in my pocket, set down the vegetables I had just washed, removed my apron, and ignored the fish simmering in lemon sauce on the stove. Under the shocked stares of various relatives, I left the kitchen.

Lisa's father, Jackson Lynch, reacted fast and lunged forward to grab my arm. "Matthew, what are you doing? Just because that college student took Lisa to the hospital, you're so jealous that you won't even finish cooking or cleaning? Are you trying to ruin our anniversary dinner and make our relatives laugh at us?"

Lisa's mother, Katherine Pike, added her cold commentary, "I said it from the beginning. How could some poor boy from the mountains ever match our educated family? You pretended to be a devoted husband for a few years, and now, you're just walking away. What a schemer!"

Their daughter had betrayed our marriage, yet these two blamed me first.

I used all my strength to wrench free from Jackson's grip, struggling to keep my voice from shaking too badly. "Your daughter's the one who doesn't want to celebrate the occasion. As for why, you should ask her yourselves. It makes me sick."

Katherine only grew more aggressive after hearing my words. "Even so, you shouldn't just walk out. Are you expecting us to do all that kitchen work? Is this how your parents taught you to be a husband?"

Jackson chimed in, "Get back in there and finish your work!"

I laughed coldly. "Lisa and I are done. I don't need to do your housework anymore. If you two don't mind, please move aside."

They seemed unprepared for such a firm attitude. Both their faces turned ugly.

I ignored their hostile glares and left. Only after I actually left the house did I realize I had nowhere to go.

I had cut off contact with the outside world long ago. My entire world had been revolving around Lisa.

Just as I wondered where to go, a familiar figure came into view. It was my childhood friend, Sarah Montgomery.

She smiled at me, her voice gentle. "Happy birthday, Matthew. I'm here to keep my promise."