Chapter 1

My wife, Anne Baker, wants to remain childfree, so I decide to get a vasectomy.

But on our way home, she hands me an ultrasound scan. "I'm three months pregnant, and the baby isn't yours."

I look at her in shock. She smiles and points at the BMW behind us.

"I didn't want to tell you I had a one-night stand, but I accidentally got knocked up. An abortion is bad for my body, so I decided to keep the baby."

I grip her hand tightly as I say furiously, "So you lied to me? You were lying about wanting to be childfree!"

She leans in, kisses me, and speaks in a gentle yet cruel tone. "Honey, I just love my baby too much. Since you've lost your ability to have a kid now, this baby will be your only heir. We'll raise him together, okay?"

Just then, someone steps out of the BMW that's been following us the whole way.

When I roll down my window, I see a familiar man.

It's James Litt, my good friend of eight years.

Chapter 1

I opened my mouth, unsure what to say next.

James Litt got out of his car and patted my shoulder like he always did. "Sorry, Seth, I was drunk that day and thought your wife was my girlfriend. Since we're friends, what's mine will be yours. Once the baby is born, you can be the godfath—"

Without waiting for him to finish, I swung a punch at him.

The next second, my wife, Anne Baker, raised her handbag and hit me hard on the forehead. "Seth Reed, how could you hit him? James only told you everything because he still sees you as a friend!"

She strode over and helped James up from the ground, concern in her eyes.

I watched her, feeling a pang in my heart. With bloodshot eyes, I roared, "Even an idiot knows that a friend's wife is off-limits! And you dare say he did nothing wrong?"

Anne looked unconcerned. "I already told you it happened because we were drunk. Are you incapable of understanding what I said? But I got to be honest with you—James is way better in bed than you are. You should learn from him."

James wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice full of hesitation. "Seth, if you're still upset, you can punch me a few more times. I promise I won't hit you back. I just hope you won't be angry with Anne. If you're still worried about this, I'll disappear from your life, okay?"

He spoke as if he were trying to reason with me, yet he clung to Anne, as if I were the evil bastard trying to tear them apart.

I sneered. "Hitting you will only dirty my hands."

Anne came over to my side. "Don't worry, honey, I won't divorce you just because I'm pregnant with James' baby. Your mom always wanted grandchildren, right? Now her wish is finally fulfilled. You don't have to feel guilty anymore."

I was the only son in the family, and my mom, Diana Anderson, had always wanted to see her grandchild born.

When Anne said she didn't want to go through the pain of childbirth and wanted to remain childless, I firmly stood by her decision because I loved her. To show that I was serious about what I said, I willingly went to the hospital for a vasectomy.

When Mom found out, she was so angry that she ended up in the hospital.

But now, Anne actually told me she was pregnant with another man's child and even shamelessly tried to spin this into something she did for my own good.

Did she think my love for her was something she could simply trample on? Or did she think that, no matter what she did, I wouldn't leave her?

At that thought, I squeezed my eyes shut in pain. When I opened them again, only coldness remained in my gaze.

"Since you're having someone else's kid, let's get divorced."

Anne froze for a second, then chuckled. "Seth, who are you trying to scare? I know how much you love me. You told me yourself that you would die without me."

Chapter 2

"I know it's hard for you to accept this all at once, so I'm giving you some time to think it through. James and I still need to head to the hospital for a prenatal checkup. I'm not going to stick around while you act like this."

With that, Anne linked her arm with James and got into his BMW.

I watched their car speed away, feeling utterly hollow inside.

The Seth who had loved Anne with all his heart was truly dead now. She had killed him with her own hands.

Without hesitation, I pulled out my phone and texted my lawyer, Luke Fraser.

"I want a divorce, and I want Anne to leave with nothing."

…

After talking with Luke, I returned to the home I shared with Anne. That was when I realized I couldn't unlock the door.

I tried five times in a row until the digital lock emitted an ear-piercing alarm. At that moment, someone opened the door from inside.

It wasn't Anne who opened the door, but James. He wore only a towel around his waist, with fresh scratch marks on his chest. It was obvious he'd just had a pretty rough tumble in the sheets.

James' eyes narrowed when he saw me. "Oh, it's you. Don't you know the password? I thought it was a thief and nearly called the police."

The mockery in his voice was unmistakable.

Before I could speak, Anne's voice came from inside. "Honey, who's that?"

James grinned at me. "Oh, it's the other 'honey' of yours."

His words had barely left his mouth when Anne, dressed in a sexy nightgown, appeared in front of me. Her mostly exposed chest was covered in hickeys.

When she noticed my gaze, Anne didn't explain or look guilty. Instead, she snuggled against James, her voice calm, as if she were describing something trivial.

"James doesn't want other people to take care of me, so he'll be staying with us while I'm pregnant. I changed the password to his birthday. By the way, I moved your stuff into the study. If you don't want to stay there, you can live in a hotel until I give birth."

I'd paid for the house, and now Anne had moved her lover in and was asking me to stay in a hotel.

I looked at her coldly. "Sure, but you'll have to pay for the hotel room."

Anne frowned. "Do you have to keep score with me? James is right. You're petty to the core."

I couldn't be bothered to listen to her anymore. I just went and packed my things, taking the property deed from the drawer with me.

As I passed the living room, I noticed my wedding photo with Anne had been taken down and replaced with an intimate photo of James and her.

James noticed my gaze and smiled smugly. "Seth, I didn't think that wedding photo looked good, so I threw it away. I don't have anything else to put up, so I replaced it with this photo. You won't mind, right?"

Anne walked over. "Who cares what he thinks? I'm pregnant now, so I'm the boss. All that matters is that I'm happy. James and I will be taking wedding photos tomorrow. Come help us carry our things."

I stared at her in disbelief. "You want me to carry your things while you take wedding photos?"

She rolled her eyes. "Are you for real? I'm your wife, and I'm pregnant. You should be taking care of me."

It seemed that when people were pushed to the limit of their anger, they would actually feel like laughing.

I didn't even feel like talking to her anymore, so I headed straight for the study. But the moment I opened the door, something inside me finally snapped.

Before my dad, Ben Reed, passed away, he made me a wooden robot with his own hands. I'd treasured it for over 20 years.

Chapter 3

But now, the robot lay on the floor, shattered.

I rushed inside and picked up the pieces, but its core components were already shattered beyond repair.

Just then, James walked in. Although he sounded apologetic, his eyes were full of malice. "Seth, the robot fell to the floor while I was packing up your things. I thought it was unwanted trash, so I accidentally stepped on it and broke it into pieces."

But the last time James came over, I had told him that this robot was extremely important to me. Obviously, he did it on purpose.

Knowing that, my fury grew, but James kept rambling on.

"I never expected a man pushing 30 like you to be interested in something so childish. No wonder Anne kept complaining to me that you're a good-for-nothing. You should really—"

I didn't wait for him to finish before punching him in the face. "James, you did it on purpose!"

James spat on the floor, saying viciously, "You're right! I did it on purpose."

Suddenly, his voice turned aggrieved. "Seth, I didn't do it on purpose. That robot looks old, so I thought it was unwanted, and I accidentally stepped on it. If you're really upset, you can swing more punches at me."

Just then, Anne charged in and slapped me across the face. "Seth, how dare you hit him again? James is right! That thing is trash. You're the only one who thinks it's a treasure."

James chimed in, "Anne, I don't mind being treated unfairly. Don't get agitated, okay? You're pregnant. Seth must be upset that I slept with you. That's why he used the robot to lash out at me. It's okay. This is my fault. I deserve it."

He slapped himself hard twice as he spoke.

"Seth, do you feel better now? If you don't, I can slap myself a few more times. Just don't be angry with me, okay? I don't want to lose you as a friend."

James moved to hit himself again. But this time, Anne grabbed his hand, her eyes full of concern.

"James, don't do this. The baby and I will be upset. I told you, this wasn't your fault."

Then she looked at me, her gaze hostile. "Seth, are you done acting up? You're so violent. Do you have some kind of anger management issue? As your wife, it's my responsibility to get you help."

Anne took out her phone and made a call.

20 minutes later, several men in white coats walked into the house.

"Seth, Dr. Holt is a famous psychiatrist and the deputy director of a psychiatric hospital. He's very good at treating anger issues. Just go with him, okay? Once your condition improves, I'll bring you home," Anne said.

I finally realized what Anne was up to and stared at her in disbelief. "You want me locked up at a psychiatric hospital?"

"I didn't want to do this, but if I let you go on like this unchecked, your condition will only get worse."

She moved closer to me and spoke in a voice only we could hear. "Honey, you acted up, which upset the baby and me, so I have to teach you a lesson. Once you realize your mistake and apologize to James and me, I'll bring you home."

With that, she gave the doctor, Jimmy Holt, a look. The others immediately closed in on me.

I shouted, "Don't come near me! I'm not sick! What you're doing is illegal!"

Chapter 4

I struggled frantically, trying to find an opening to escape, but I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my arm. Then my vision went black, and I fainted.

Anne felt a pang of sympathy for me as they forcibly strapped me into the ambulance and took me away, especially after seeing the last look I gave her before they injected me with a sedative—a look filled with anger and hatred.

The hatred in my eyes made her tremble on the inside.

However, before she could say anything, James spoke first. "Seth's too obstinate. He needs to be taught a lesson. What if he mistreats our son? Or what if he refuses to leave his family fortune to our son? Only by putting him in his place now will he listen to you in the future."

…

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself locked up in a psychiatric hospital. Other than the bed, there was nothing else in the iron-fenced room. I also heard occasional piercing screams coming from outside.

I hadn't expected Anne to be so cruel. In that case, I found no reason to show her any mercy.

Soon, Luke arrived with the director of the psychiatric hospital. The man looked panicked when he saw me.

"Mr. Reed, my subordinates were out of line when they brought you here. Please don't take it to heart. I'll make sure to teach them a lesson later."

"Don't." My lips curled into a faint smile. "Just do as Anne instructed."

I needed these people to play along. Since Anne wanted the doctor to brainwash me into thinking of her illegitimate son as my own, I would fulfill her wish.

…

A week later, I showed up on time at the banquet Mom held for Anne.

The city's elite had gathered to celebrate the upcoming birth of the Reed family's eldest grandson.

At the head table, Mom held Anne's hand happily. When she saw me, her brows furrowed.

"Seth, why are you only here now? You've been missing for the past few days. Why didn't you accompany Anne? I knew you were lying when you said you'd had a vasectomy. We have a big business empire. We need an heir."

Before I could say anything, Anne kindly spoke up for me. "Diana, don't be so harsh on Seth. He's a man. Of course he has to work hard to build his career. I can't help him with his work, so all I can do is take good care of our home and make sure he has a comforting home to come back to."

When Mom heard this, her gaze softened with affection. She took off the heirloom bangle worth over 100 million dollars from her wrist and slipped it onto Anne's.

"Anne, you're so considerate. I've been wrong about you. I apologize. If you give birth to an heir for our family, all of the businesses and assets will be his."

Anne and James exchanged looks, barely hiding the excitement and greed in their eyes.

Anne got up and walked over, linking her arm through mine affectionately. "Honey, why are you still standing? Come sit down."

Then she leaned in and whispered, "Honey, you must have suffered in the psychiatric hospital, huh? I have a ton of videos of you being tortured on my phone. If you don't want to go back to that place or have those humiliating videos get out, then you'd better listen to me."

I sneered and slipped my arm out of her hold. Everyone watched as I walked over to the host and took the microphone from him.

"Mom is right. We do need an heir—but some illegitimate bastard has no place in our family!"