My Husband Hid Another Family From Me

On our anniversary, I secretly flew to the branch office where my husband was on a business trip, hoping to surprise him. But just as I reached the entrance, a soccer ball came out of nowhere and slammed straight into my pregnant belly.

A young boy clapped his hands and laughed. “Nice shot!” The pain hit me like a freight train, cold sweat breaking out across my forehead. I couldn’t even find the strength to call my husband. When the kid turned and started walking away, I had no choice but to grit my teeth through the searing ache and grab him.

His screams pulled employees out of the building, and in no time, a crowd had formed around us. Someone shouted for an ambulance, while others whispered, “That little troublemaker’s at it again. This time he hit a pregnant woman. Mr. Harvey really needs to do something about him.”

“Who are you kidding? Everyone knows Mr. Harvey is crazy about his wife and son.”

“He can’t stand seeing his wife cry. Mr. Harvey is not going to punish his little prince, not even for her sake.”

Before I could make sense of what was happening, I was rushed to the hospital with the scratched-up boy in tow. It wasn’t long before he was grinning triumphantly at a man who burst through the doors. “You’re in big trouble now! My dad is here, and he’s going to sort you out!”

My heart stopped when I realized the man he called “Dad” was my husband of five years, Flynn Harvey.

Flynn brushed right past me without a second glance and pulled the boy into his arms. “Bodie, where does it hurt? Let Daddy have a look.”

I clutched my still-aching belly as a cold chill swept through my body. Bodie smirked, pointing straight at me. “Daddy, this mean lady hit me. You have to punish her!”

Flynn kept his back to me, his voice disturbingly calm. “Anyone who hurts my son will pay twice over.”

Something in me snapped. “Are you sure you want me to pay twice over?”

Flynn froze. Panic flickered across his face the second he saw me. My hands curled into fists so tight that my nails bit into my palms. “Flynn Harvey, since when do you have a son?”

He made a move toward me, but Bodie clung to him. “Daddy, you know her? Oh, I get it now. She’s that bad lady on your phone, isn’t she?”

Flynn’s tone sharpened. “Bodie, don’t say that!”

Bodie’s eyes rounded, and then he burst into tears. “Daddy, you’re scolding me because of her? She’s a homewrecker! She wants to take you away from Mommy!”

The whispers came from every direction. “Shameless, showing up pregnant and trying to wreck a family.”

“Right. And I bet she’s carrying somebody else’s baby.”

The nurse gave me a look of pure disdain as she shoved my test results into my hands. The moment I confirmed the baby was fine, my voice turned fierce. “If you don’t explain this properly, we’re getting a divorce.”

Flynn’s face lost all its color. He had someone take Bodie away, then pulled me aside into a quiet corner.

“Elina, the child isn’t mine.”

“Do you remember Arian Burke? He saved my life back in the service. Bodie is his son.”

I blinked, caught off guard. I remembered Arian. I knew he had truly saved Flynn. But I had never once heard that he had a child.

Flynn sighed. “He and Lorelei hadn’t had a chance to get married before the accident happened. Before he left, he asked me to take care of them. I didn’t have a choice.”

Seeing the doubt on my face, he insisted on taking me for a paternity test. It was a reputable hospital, and I stayed with him the whole time, so there was no way he could have faked it. When the results came back confirming the child wasn’t his, I finally let out the breath I had been holding.

Flynn took my hand. “Elina, don’t you know how much I care about you?”

I stayed quiet, but my mind drifted to the fever I’d once had—he flew back from out of town and sat by my bedside all night. I remembered every prenatal checkup, too. Even our doctor said he was the most devoted father he’d ever seen. Five years. His love for me had always been obvious to everyone around us.

“Then why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

He sighed again. “I was afraid you’d be jealous. And I never found the right moment.”

“I told myself that if I learned how to take care of a child first, at least I wouldn’t be completely lost when our baby finally came.”

Listening to his explanation, my anger slowly faded. Seeing my expression soften, he immediately suggested that we still spend our anniversary together.

Once we were in the car, I realized my phone was completely dead. I picked up his to call my family and let them know I was okay. The second I unlocked it, my breath caught. Our wedding photo wallpaper was gone, replaced by a photo of him holding Lorelei and Bodie.

My voice trembled. “What does this mean?”

Flynn gave a strained laugh. “It’s just to keep the kid happy. Don’t read into it.”

The next moment, I opened WhatsApp, and the ground seemed to fall out from under me when I looked at his contacts. “You’ve saved her as ‘My Wife’—is that also to keep the child happy?”

He stammered, “Bodie must have changed it. He’s just a child. He doesn’t understand.”

I asked coldly, “He doesn’t understand. But do you?”

Before he could answer, we reached the office. When he tried to help me out of the car, I pulled away.

As soon as we stepped inside, a manager walked over and looked me up and down. “Mr. Harvey, is this your new assistant?”

“Oh, and by the way, your wife’s lunch is ready. Do you want it now or later?”

I bit down hard on my lip, tasting blood. So, after five years of marriage, I didn’t even have a name. I had gone through countless rounds of IVF to give us a baby. I had poured all my money into his company to support his career. And in the end, I was nothing but a nameless, faceless bystander in his life.

Noticing how pale I had gone, Flynn lowered his voice. “Elina, let me handle things here, and I’ll explain everything.”

As he bent over his work, I caught sight of his bare ring finger. He had promised me once that he would never take his ring off, no matter what. Now every one of those promises felt absurd. Laughable.

My eyes burned, and I gently placed a hand on my belly. Was there even any point in bringing this child into the world?