Husband by Mistake, Groom by Design

I brushed the tears from my face and finally responded to the message that had remained unanswered for years.

Without a second thought, I typed, "You don't have to be the other woman. I'll marry you."

…

When I got home, I ignored the crying baby and walked straight into the room to pack my things.

Before I could even start packing properly, Eunice kicked the door open and pulled me into an embrace.

Her breath was hot against my ear. "Jay, I need you. Please don't leave me."

It was the first time in five years she had touched me, and the first time she had ever called me by such an intimate nickname.

However, I couldn't stop thinking about what she had said. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I pushed her away.

"I'll get your medicine."

I was barely out the door when Eunice grabbed me and forced a glass of milk into my mouth.

My vision blurred, and through the fog, all I could see was her irritated face.

"Drink it and rest. I'll be back when I'm done."

It turned out that her gentleness was nothing more than a cover to slip me something. The heat consumed me, and I tried desperately to hold back.

Moments later, Eunice's friends pushed through the door, laughing cruelly.

"Eunice was right. Jayden really is that desperate. All it needed was a tiny dose, and he's already out of control."

"Let's hope the higher-ups enjoy this little show."

Several of them stripped me naked and posed me in all sorts of positions while the camera flashed again and again.

I dug my nails into my thigh, fighting to stay conscious, as burning tears slid down my cheeks and pooled inside my ears.

They stretched and bent my limbs into grotesque, humiliating poses, and I was drowning in a sea of shame.

I couldn't fight back. All I could do was lie there and let them do as they pleased, knowing the camera was recording every second of my humiliation.

At that moment, even the thought of death felt like a mercy I didn't deserve.

In a haze, I started to hallucinate. I saw two bodies tangled together, moving up and down in front of me.

A familiar voice reached my ears.

"Dylan, you have to believe me. I've never touched him all these years. As soon as I find someone to take his virginity, I'll finally be able to prove my innocence..."

Eunice's breath broke into gasps and moans, raw with a passion and surrender I had never once seen in all our years together.

When the heat finally subsided and the last gasps had faded into silence, they turned to the baby.

"Here's your daddy, little one. You're going to be the best little boy for him, aren't you? Go on, give Daddy a cuddle."

The baby gurgled happily, producing two crisp sounds.

"Dada."

Those two syllables I had so desperately wanted to hear now fell on me like a crushing weight, leaving me gasping in agony.

Now, as I looked back, I couldn't help but wonder what those three years of raising him had really amounted to.

I had held on to a loveless marriage for five years, only to find out that the woman I called my wife and the child I called my son had never truly been mine.

While they laughed and celebrated around me, I collapsed into the darkness of despair.

…

In just one night, the video they had recorded had circulated everywhere, and the barrage of cruel comments was unending.

"Eunice, I can't believe there are actually women who don't care that Jayden was a homewrecker. They're fighting over him. Who knew he'd be so popular?"

Eunice scrolled through the footage with a satisfied smile.

"Good. Keep it under wraps for now. Once everything is in place, I'll bring Dylan home. We'll hold our wedding on the baby's first birthday. You can go and make the arrangements."

Her friend asked cautiously, "And what about Jayden? Do we still keep him as the other man?"

Eunice's expression flickered, and then her gaze accidentally met mine.