My Husband and Sister Rekindled Their Affair, So I Gave My Daughter a New Father

Ten years ago, on the night of our engagement party, my sister slept with my fiancé. I was hell-bent on calling off the wedding. My parents beat her half to death and shipped her off overseas. Meanwhile, my fiancé, Nathan Reed, knelt outside my door for nine hundred and ninety-nine days before I finally softened and gave in. For the past ten years, we seemed to live a wonderful life. He treated me with nothing but gentle care and utmost devotion. I genuinely believed our happiness would last forever. Until today—at our daughter's first birthday party. Nathan walked into the ballroom holding the hand of a secret love child, trying to force me into accepting the boy as my own. "This is Vivian's son. Since your body has failed to give me an heir anyway, you might as well take him in." Vivian Vance is my younger sister. It turns out Nathan had rekindled his dirty affair with her behind my back God knows how long ago. My parents stepped up instantly, shielding Vivian behind them like a precious treasure. "We're all family here! You should be thanking your sister for stepping up and giving Nathan an heir!" I looked at them, my heart turning to ice. My daughter never needed an unfaithful father. And if this family has no room for us, I'll simply build another one. Holding my one-year-old daughter in my arms, a creeping numbness spread through my veins. So I was the only one kept in the dark the entire time. I stared at them coldly, my voice trembling with suppressed rage. "You all knew about this from the very beginning, didn't you?" Instead of feeling guilty, my parents fussed over Vivian. Facing my sharp interrogation, my father frowned in annoyance. "We're all family! How can you hold a grudge for so long? No matter what she did, she's still your sister!" Then, my mother cast a blaming glare at me and the tiny baby in my arms. "It's your own fault for being so useless. It took you an entire decade just to produce one single baby girl! If it weren't for you, your sister and her poor boy wouldn't have suffered in exile overseas for all these years!" I shifted my gaze to Nathan, waiting for an explanation. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" A mocking smirk crossed his lips. "I waited until you had our daughter before bringing them back. I've already done more than enough to respect you. Don't be ungrateful, Natalie, and don't make a scene on a day like this. You will keep your status as Mrs. Reed. But Vivian has suffered away from me for too long, and I need to make it up to her." Listening to them sing the same twisted tune, my heart sank to rock bottom. Without another word, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. Slap! "Nathan Reed, have you completely forgotten how you begged outside my door on your knees? Have you forgotten every single promise you ever made to me?!" I didn't wait for his reply. I turned on my heel, walked to a quiet corner, sat down, pulled out my phone, and dialed a number. "Weren't you looking for a chance to be my daughter's father? Well, your chance just arrived." Nursing his stinging cheek, Nathan walked over to me, choking down his fury. He reached out, trying to slide his arm around my waist. "Stop acting out, Natalie. I promise you, Vivian will never step out of line or cross you." Before I could swat his hand away, Vivian stepped forward, leading her little boy by the hand. Ten years had passed, yet she looked more radiant than ever. Her skin was flawless and glowing, and every gesture screamed the effortless poise of a pampered, wealthy mistress. Meanwhile, look at me. Over the last decade, I had run myself into the ground helping Nathan build his business empire. My skin was dull, and my eyes were filled with bone-deep exhaustion. After ten years, it felt as though I was the shameful sinner who had been exiled, not her. Vivian glided up to Nathan with a demure, delicate smile, her voice soft as silk. "Natalie, please don't be mad at Nathan. It's all my fault. I just couldn't bear to let our little Andy grow up without a proper name or a recognized family... Besides, Nathan, you promised you would introduce Andy to the family today." Nathan nodded. He turned toward me, wearing a look as if he were merely seeking my routine consent. "Vivian really went through a lot of hardships abroad over the years. We can't keep mother and son hidden in the shadows forever." A sneer formed in my heart. Just as I was about to walk away from their sickening performance, my daughter suddenly burst into loud wails, her tiny hands reaching out desperately for comfort. Her cries immediately drew curious glances from all the party guests. Flustered, I cradled her closer, rocking her gently to calm her down. Out of nowhere, Vivian jumped in, her voice brimming with theatrical shock. "Natalie! I know I ruined your marriage, and I know you hate me! But no matter how angry you are, how could you pinch your own sweet baby just to make her cry?!" I frowned, completely baffled by her cheap trick. "What the hell are you talking about?" Vivian flinched, shrinking back as if I were about to assault her, mumbling incoherently with fake terror in her eyes. Before I could call her out, Nathan snapped at me, his patience completely worn thin. "I was literally about to introduce Andy to our relatives, and your daughter magically starts screaming at the top of her lungs! Natalie, you deliberately pinched her just to stop me, didn't you?!" His tone was brimming with unwavering certainty, his face dripping with utter disgust. "You truly have a venomous heart, Natalie. To think you'd use your own flesh and blood as a pawn! Stop making excuses!" With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leading Vivian and their bastard son with him. I stood frozen in place, not bothering to chase after him.So that was what I was in his eyes—a monster who would use her own child as a weapon. In the year since our daughter was born, he had never stayed up a single night to hold her. Not once did he wake up when she cried from nightmares. When our daughter cried, flailing her little hands, was she hungry? Was she scared? Or did she just need the comfort of knowing her mother was there? He had never bothered to ask. Not even once. I looked down at my baby girl. Her tear-streaked face was pressed against my chest. Perhaps this was for the best. If he loved Vivian so much, he could spend the rest of his life tending to that mother and son. From this day forward, my baby girl no longer needed a father who couldn't even bother to understand her cries. I turned to leave, but my parents, who had been lurking nearby, blocked my path. "Natalie!" They dragged me into a secluded corner. "You've been Mrs. Reed for ten whole years, and yet you couldn't even give him a son! Now that Andy is back, you're already stooping to cheap dirty tricks to fight for his attention?" my father chided, his voice full of sheer disappointment. "Do you have any idea how much suffering Vivian had to endure all these years because of you?" "At least Nathan is a responsible man. Ever since Andy was born, he personally raised the boy and treated him like the center of his universe! That's the only way he made up for leaving them alone abroad!" My mother stood beside him, nodding eagerly in agreement. "Just last week, when Andy caught a cold right after landing, Nathan rushed over in the dead of night. He took the boy to the hospital and stayed awake by his bedside for two whole days!" She marveled at how much Nathan treasured his secret son, putting on an insufferable air of doing me a favor. "Natalie, we know this is a bitter pill to swallow. But Vivian has already given the family their firstborn son, and Nathan values the boy so much. Whether you like it or not, you have to accept it!" "She suffered?!" I cut them off, refusing to listen to another word of their nonsense. "He's responsible? If he loved being someone else's husband so much, why the hell did he marry me in the first place?!" "Nathan dotes on Andy, but what about my daughter?!" "What good does throwing a tantrum do now?!" my mother snapped impatiently. "Your sister was always the one who suited Nathan best anyway! If she hadn't stepped aside for you back then—" She abruptly clamped her mouth shut, realizing she had let her true thoughts slip out. I stared at the couple standing in front of me. Suddenly, they and the Nathan they spoke of felt completely foreign. So in their eyes, I was the interloper who had forcefully come between Vivian and Nathan. Just last week, my baby suffered from terrible acid reflux. She threw up milk constantly and woke up choking in the middle of the night. Nathan didn't say a word, but his face had been twisted with pure annoyance. Every look he threw at our daughter was drenched in disgust. I naively thought he simply wasn't used to the noisy fuss of a baby. To avoid disturbing his sleep, I had moved with our daughter into the guest bedroom and hadn't stepped foot back into the master suite since. Yet, when Andy had a simple cough, he spent two sleepless nights watching over the boy like a doting father? I swallowed the burning bitterness in my throat. The buzzing of my phone broke my spiral. I looked down at the incoming photos. A man was standing inside a spacious, sunlit nursery, personally assembling a white crib with his own hands. The room was already filled to the brim with top-tier baby supplies and soft plushies. Even though it was prepared on short notice, the sheer effort and love poured into every detail were undeniable. “Sweetheart, I'm on my way to pick you and our little princess up right now!” A sudden wave of warmth loosened the tight knot in my chest. It didn't matter. My daughter would have a father who genuinely loved her. "I get it," I said flatly, looking up at my parents. "Don't worry. I won't lay a finger on Vivian." Ignoring the audible sighs of relief from my parents, I walked away without looking back.I was inside the guest room packing my daughter's belongings when the door was kicked open with a loud bang. Nathan stormed in, his expression dark and menacing. "The family banquet is about to start! What the hell are you hiding in here for?! Everyone is waiting for you! Do you really have to embarrass me in front of the entire family today?!" His eyes then landed on the open suitcases on the bed. His face froze for a fraction of a second before a smug understanding washed over his features. "Well, look at you being sensible for once. Packing up your things to make room for Vivian? That won't be necessary. Vivian can just move into the master bedroom with me." "Okay," I replied, my voice completely devoid of emotion. He seemed genuinely taken aback by my calmness. Pausing, his harsh tone softened a fraction. "Vivian just returned from abroad. She feels insecure and needs comfort. You can move back to the master bedroom once she settles in." I offered no rebuttal. I simply nodded in silence, quickly changed into a fresh dress, and walked toward the door. "Once the banquet is over, I'll take you and the baby to see the Northern Lights," Nathan said, hurrying after me and reaching out to pull me against his chest. "Come on, stop being angry." He leaned down affectionately, pressing a kiss into my hair, foolishly believing that a small gesture could fix everything like before. Five years ago, on our wedding anniversary, I told him I wanted to see the Northern Lights. Back then, Nathan claimed he was drowning in work and promised we would go when he had time. He stalled me for five whole years. During those five years, he had plenty of time to be by Vivian's side while she gave birth. He had time to personally raise Andy into a toddler. Yet he never had an hour to spare for me. It was never a lack of time. He just never wanted to. I shoved his arms off me in disgust. I didn't want any of it anymore. "What is your problem now?!" Nathan snarled, his temper flaring again. "Stop testing my patience with these petty little mind games!" I didn't have the energy or the desire to coddle his fragile ego. I walked straight past him and headed downstairs toward the grand banquet hall. Inside the hall, Andy was walking hand in hand with Nathan's father, being introduced to all the prominent relatives. My parents and Vivian stood beside them, beaming with proud smiles. To anyone looking, they appeared to be the perfect, loving family. What a sickeningly sweet picture. Too bad I was about to shatter it. The second Vivian spotted me, she immediately cowered behind my father, playing the frightened victim as if I were a terrifying monster. My parents braced themselves instantly, forming a human wall in front of Vivian, terrified that I might pounce on their precious daughter. Watching this pathetic circus, my heart felt completely numb. Amidst the tense silence, Andy's childish voice rang out loud and clear. "Daddy!" He sprinted forward, throwing himself into Nathan's arms and whispering something giggly into his ear. Nathan's face melted with fatherly warmth. He nuzzled his cheek against the boy's, painting the picture of a doting, devoted father. I watched with a deadpan stare. When was the last time Nathan had ever held our daughter? I racked my brain, but all I could recall were rushed, indifferent glances. He had never stayed by her side for more than fifteen minutes, let alone held her tenderly in his arms. Sensing the suffocating tension, an older relative tried to smooth things over with a hearty laugh. "Andy, my boy, when did you say your birthday was again? Uncle needs to get you a proper birthday gift!" "Next month, on the sixth!" Vivian answered brightly before the boy could even open his mouth. Ignoring Nathan's warning look, she turned toward me with a faux-sweet smile. "Speaking of which, this child really shares an uncanny fate with you, Natalie. You had just miscarried back then when my water broke. Natalie, maybe the little angel just couldn't bear to leave our family..." The sixth. The exact day I lost my baby. And on that very day, their child came into the world.Nathan cut her off with a sharp, thunderous bark. "Shut up!" A violent tremor tore through my entire body. That night, three years ago, was the darkest nightmare I had spent years trying to erase from my memory. I had blamed myself thousands of times. If only I hadn't gotten out of bed in the dark to get a glass of water, I wouldn't have slipped. I wouldn't have lost the child I had prayed for over seven agonizing years. I still vividly remembered sitting alone on the cold hardwood floor, paralyzed with terror as warm blood soaked through my clothes. I had tried desperately to call Nathan, only to remember he had flown overseas for an urgent business trip a week prior. Now, the sickening truth finally clicked. He wasn't on a business trip. He was overseas, holding Vivian's hand in the delivery room. My chest seized with unbearable agony, my hands shaking uncontrollably. Nathan looked at me with sudden guilt, stepping forward to pull me into a hug, but I recoiled as if his touch were poison. Just as I was on the verge of breaking down, my phone rang. A deep, rich, magnetic voice came through the speaker. "I'm almost there, sweetheart." An overwhelming sense of safety washed over me. I quickly whispered, "I'm waiting for you," and hung up. "Who was that?!" Nathan hissed, having caught the end of the call, his eyes flashing with sudden suspicion and rage. "None of your business," I said coldly. Vivian let out a soft, theatrical chuckle behind her hand. Then, with practiced perfection, her eyes rimmed with red, playing the concerned sister. "Natalie, I know you hate me, but you can't drag the Reed family name through the mud like this! How could you just sneak around and commit adultery with some random man..." She stopped herself just in time, but the venomous insinuation was already loud and clear. Before she could finish her sentence, I stepped forward and cracked my palm across her face. Slap! "Is your mouth incapable of doing anything other than spitting lies?!" Vivian clutched her red cheek, bursting into tears and throwing herself into Nathan's arms to complain. Nathan glared at me with pure fury. But a second later, a mocking sneer spread across his lips, as if he had just seen through some pathetic charade. "And here I thought you actually had some dignity left." He raked his eyes over me with condescending contempt. "Did you deliberately hire an actor just to make me jealous?" "Take a good look at yourself in the mirror." "Aren't you afraid of scaring the guy to death in bed? To be completely honest with you, every single time I rolled over and saw your tired, worn-out face at night, I felt disgusted." Swallowing the bitter lump in my throat, I forced the corners of my lips into a cold, steady smile. "You don't need to lose sleep over my life anymore." "Nathan, let's get a divorce." Nathan scoffed, clearly convinced I was bluffing. "Stop making ridiculous jokes, Natalie." He paused, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Where could you possibly go after a divorce? Who in their right mind would want a washed-up, penniless older woman dragging a baby behind her? Besides..." A smug, conceited smirk stretched across his face. "You love me too much. You'll never bear to leave me." It was true that ten years of devotion weren't easy to erase in a single day. But staying here to be sickened by their existence was a fate worse than death. The moment I learned Vivian had lurked inside my marriage from day one, that they had a three-year-old child together, and that my own parents had happily sided with her, I discarded every lingering shred of love I had left. I made the wrong choice ten years ago. I was not going to make the same mistake for the next ten years. My voice was completely devoid of emotion. "Believe whatever lets you sleep at night." I turned toward the household staff I had hired and instructed them to carry down the packed luggage.Seeing that I was dead serious about leaving, a burst of unbridled rage exploded in Nathan's chest. With a violent swing of his arm, he slammed the staff member's hands, sending the boxes crashing to the floor. A sharp, searing pain shot through my ankle, forcing a gasp of agony from my lips. Looking down, I saw bright red blood quickly blooming across the pale carpet—just like the night of my miscarriage. My mind went completely blank. Nathan panicked, wrapping his arms tightly around me and roaring at the top of his lungs, "Call the doctor! Get the damn doctor over here right now!" He leaned close to my ear, frantically whispering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Natalie, I didn't mean to..." I stared at the shattered ceramic couple's mug on the floor and offered him no response. That mug was the keepsake from when we first started dating. I was originally going to throw it in the trash today. Now that it was shattered into pieces, it meant our fate was truly severed. Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream pierced through the room! It was my baby! Before anyone could realize what was happening, Andy had crept up to the stroller, his chubby little hands clamped tightly around my daughter's tiny throat! Before my brain could even register the horror, my body moved on pure instinct. Ignoring the agonizing pain in my ankle, I threw myself forward and forcefully tore my daughter out of his grasp. My poor baby's face had turned dangerously purple from suffocation, her breathing ragged and gasping. Trembling, I screamed for the on-site family doctor to come over immediately. Andy stared at his empty hands, glanced around the room, and upon seeing that no one was praising him, his bottom lip trembled. He dropped onto the floor and began to wail at the top of his lungs. Vivian shoved me aside violently, scooping Andy into her arms with exaggerated heartbreak. My parents rushed over in a panic, fussing over him with gentle, cooing voices. Nathan didn't even look back. He grabbed the doctor who was examining my suffocating daughter by the collar and dragged him across the room toward Andy, barking frantically, "Check his arms! Did he break any bones?!" My baby and I were completely cast aside, forgotten on the bloody floor. Seeing that his protectors were backing him, Andy pointed a chubby finger at me and sobbed, "Mommy! She stole my blanket and hit me!" Hearing this, my father blew a fuse. Without asking a single question, he raised his arm and slapped me across the face with all his might. Smack! My mother's face twisted in pure disgust. "You threw this pathetic tantrum, packed your bags, and demanded a divorce just so you could bully an innocent toddler?! How on earth did I give birth to such a wicked, venomous monster?!" The force of the blow sent me reeling. I collapsed onto the floor, barely managing to shield my baby from hitting the ground. Nathan didn't spare me a single glance. His entire focus was glued to Andy. My cheek burned with excruciating heat, but it didn't hurt half as much as the numbness in my chest. My one-year-old daughter was choked until her face turned blue, and not a single soul asked if she was alive. Yet Andy shed a couple of crocodile tears, and they dragged her doctor away without a second thought. Blinking back the tears, I ignored their venomous words, turned to the movers, and ordered coldly, "Don't stop. Keep carrying the luggage out!" Enraged, my father raised his hand to strike me again, but Nathan's roaring voice cut through the chaos. "Enough!" Nathan turned around, pointing an accusing finger at me, his eyes brimming with profound disappointment. "You hurt Andy, yet you don't even have the decency to apologize! All you care about is your own petty drama!" He took Andy into his arms, his voice turning cold and resolute. "You want a divorce? Fine." He closed his eyes for a second, hardening his heart. "After the divorce, I will never acknowledge your daughter as my child! The Reed family will not leave her a single penny of our fortune! If you've made up your mind, then get the hell out!" Nathan's parents chimed in immediately. "Good riddance! She's just a useless girl anyway. Good thing we don't have to claim her!" My mother opened her mouth to speak, but my father tugged at her sleeve, glancing at Vivian and Andy. "This is for the best. At least Andy will be safe from that crazy woman." I cradled my baby tightly, sitting on the cold floor, offering zero reaction. Nathan assumed I was finally terrified into submission. Just as he opened his mouth to deliver another condescending lecture, a commanding voice shattered the silence from the entrance. "Well, in that case, Mr. Reed... I'll be taking my wife and daughter home."