My Wife's Secret Son Isn't Mine

In the fifth year of my marriage to Cynthia Bolton, she suddenly transfers a sum of money into my bank account.

The note on the transfer reads, "Tuition for our son."

I am completely stunned for a moment. No matter how hard I think about it, I couldn't figure out how exactly we could have a son.

After Cynthia divorces her ex-husband, she marries me. She tells me that she's afraid of pain and of having children. On our wedding day, the very first condition she sets is that we remain child-free.

And because I love her, I agree readily. To put her mind completely at ease, I even undergo a vasectomy.

Staring at the transfer notification, I slowly turn around and ask her in a trembling voice. "What's the meaning of this?"

Cynthia freezes for a moment. When she notices the bank account number she has sent the money to, a flash of annoyance crosses her eyes.

Silence hangs in the air for a long time.

Then, she lets out a long sigh and explains indifferently, as if she is talking about something that is absolutely ordinary.

"Not long after I divorced Bradley Wilson, I found out I was pregnant."

My wife Cynthia Bolton's voice was soft, but her words hit my chest like a ton of bricks.

I stared down at the floor, my mind racing as I tried to process what she'd just said.

Seeing my sheer disbelief, Cynthia let out another sigh and explained calmly, "The night before the divorce went through, we didn't use protection. You and I weren't married yet, and it was all consensual. I'm sorry I kept it from you."

Her words left my brain completely numb.

I knew she was divorced, but I never had any idea she was still in contact with her ex-husband right up until the end.

My breathing grew shallow, and my voice shook. "If you hadn't transferred the wrong account today, were you ever going to tell me?"

Cynthia said nothing.

Her silence only made my heart sink further.

"Why didn't you have an abortion? You told me you wanted to be childfree because you were afraid of the pain. I trusted you so much—"

"Daniel." Cynthia cut me off, her brows furrowing.

She tapped her fingers on the table—a sign she was losing her patience.

"I knew you'd react like this, which is exactly why I hid it for five years. Don't you get it? I wanted to be childfree with you because I already have a kid. I don't have the energy to raise another one!"

It all made sense now. No wonder she left for an overseas assignment less than a month after our wedding.

No wonder she wouldn't let me go with her.

No wonder her phone was always turned off, and she was gone for over a year.

And I'd been naive enough to think she was just busy with work.

Noticing my silence, Cynthia pulled out her phone and transferred another chunk of money into my account.

She actually sounded relieved, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "It's been exhausting keeping this a secret all these years. Honestly, it's probably better that you know now. I know you feel cheated right now. Just tell me what you want, and I'll make it happen."

I clenched my fists, a suffocating tightness squeezing my chest.

Resentment and agony flooded my mind. I opened my mouth, and my voice came out raw and hollow. "Cynthia, cut ties with them right now. Do that, and I can let this go."

I didn't even know how I managed to force those words out.

But how could I just walk away and give up on us?

Cynthia's expression instantly darkened. She leaned against the edge of the table, her gaze turning ice-cold.

"Daniel, you know that's not going to happen. And I'm warning you. Don't you dare bother them."

The moment the words left her mouth, there was a knock at the ajar door.

It was our new downstairs neighbor. We'd just exchanged hellos yesterday. I remembered complimenting him on how cute his kid was.

"Mommy!"

The toddler's bright voice made my pupils dilate.

Cynthia froze too, but the moment she saw who it was, her expression melted.

She scooped the four-year-old boy into her arms and kissed his cheek. "What are you guys doing here?"

The man just smiled. He looked at me and offered a polite nod. "Hey, I'm Bradley Wilson. We met yesterday, remember?"

So this was her ex-husband.

"Theo is still young. He needs his mom. I figured moving into the apartment right below yours would make things easier for everyone."

Ever since they walked in, Cynthia hadn't taken her eyes off them.

A profound exhaustion washed over me. I opened my mouth and said, "Cynthia, I think we should get a div—"

Theo Wilson's whining drowned out the rest of my sentence. He tugged at Cynthia's hand and pulled her toward the hallway.

"Mommy, you promised we'd go play! You're breaking your promise!"

Cynthia gave a helpless chuckle and lifted him back. Her face glowed with a tenderness I had never seen before.

The door clicked shut, leaving the apartment dead silent again.