My Womb, His Mistress's Heir

"Lena, how's our little one doing today? Just a little longer now."

He squatted down, his large, strong hands gently massaging my swollen ankles, his eyes filled with the deep affection I once drowned in.

"It's all your favorite, but I got held up by a few family calls on the way."

"Hold on, I'll go heat this up for you."

He picked up the takeout box from the upscale restaurant and headed for the microwave.

My phone screen lit up. The anonymous community post had a new reply.

[Vinny made too much, so I had him pack the leftovers. I picked the pink container myself. Can't let his precious son go hungry, right?]

The pink Hello Kitty takeout box on the table stung my eyes like a poisoned needle.

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

It turned out I was the fool they were plotting against in the post.

"Lena, it's heated up. Come, let me feed you."

I looked at Vinny's charming face, a face that was once my entire faith.

I still couldn't fathom that he would conspire with another woman to deceive me on this scale.

We had fallen in love at first sight at a gallery. My impression of him was powerful, charming, and ambitious.

Ours was an arranged marriage, a family alliance, but I'd fallen for him amidst the fierce possessiveness that defined our life together.

Every time we failed to conceive, he would cage me in his searing embrace and comfort me in a husky voice.

When, through IVF, we finally saw the two red lines on the pregnancy test, he was even more excited than I was.

I naively thought that our power and love had finally borne their inevitable fruit.

It turned out I had foolishly walked right into a trap they had meticulously designed.

I pushed away the fork he brought to my lips.

I looked him straight in the eye. "Vinny, do you think it's possible there was a mistake during the embryo transfer? I want to get a check-up."

The hand stirring his food froze, and an almost imperceptible flicker of darkness crossed his features.

"Lena, have you been reading too much garbage online? How is that possible? That hospital is controlled by the Family. Their tech is the best in the world. They don't make mistakes."

"But I'm just scared. I looked it up; amniocentesis can be used for a DNA test. Vinny, let's go get it done, just for peace of mind."

He put down his utensils, a flash of irritation in his eyes, tinged with the anger of being challenged.

"Lena, I'm worried about the risk to you and the baby. Trust me, a mistake like that is absolutely impossible."

He began deploying his usual cocktail of force and affection, trying every trick to dissuade me, but I wouldn't budge.

His encrypted phone rang. He glanced at the screen and stood up, heading for the study.

"Lena, there's an urgent family matter. I need to take this call."

He walked into the study and closed the heavy, soundproof door.

The faint sounds of an argument were completely blocked out.

Five minutes later, he walked out, his brow relaxed.

"Lena, since you're feeling uneasy, I'll go with you. We'll book the test right now."

"Really? But just now you were..."

Vinny cut me off, pulling me into his arms. "Lena, of course I love our child, but I love you more. Your feelings are what's most important. Only when you're at ease can my heir grow up healthy."

I was filled with suspicion. What could have caused Vinny's attitude to do a complete one-eighty?

On the way to the private hospital, I found the answer in that post.