Divorce After Deception

Jrue's phone lay neglected on the couch; he hadn’t taken it with him to the bedroom. It kept buzzing, and after what felt like an eternity, I picked it up. I tried several passwords without success until I recalled Lilian's birthday from his diary. I hesitantly entered it, and the screen unlocked immediately. I laughed quietly at myself. This relationship must have meant the world to him; after all this time, he still used her birthday as his password.

The messages in their group chat kept tagging Jrue repeatedly, and I browsed through their past conversations. My mind went blank and my head felt empty, but my heart was pounding fiercely in my chest.

"I originally thought that by marrying Melanie, Lilian would get jealous and come back to me. But when she didn’t, I went ahead and married Melanie anyway."

"Lilian can't have kids, but she really wants one. I need to make that dream come true for her because a child would be the only thing connecting us."

The impact of those words struck me like a bolt of lightning. My heart turned cold instantly.

"But this is unfair to Melanie. After all, the child would be hers, born through her own effort and pain."

"Melanie is healthy; we'll have more children. But Lilian will never have any in her lifetime. She can be expected to stay quiet about it."

I suddenly looked up towards the bedroom. Jrue must be asleep; soft snores floated down from upstairs. Tears streamed down my face. My fists clenched so tightly that my nails cut into my skin. My chest heaved violently, and my lips trembled beyond control.

No wonder Jrue suddenly started talking about wanting a child. I naively believed that my years of perseverance had finally touched him, but now I realized it was only because Lilian couldn’t have children. Jrue wanted to give her one. A bitter smile appeared, and the hatred in my eyes seemed to materialize.

Their scheme was meticulous, but how could they assume I would let my child call another woman 'Mom'?