Lydia’s face was serious, lips pressed into a thin line. ‘We need to talk.’
I led her into the kitchen, tucking Liam into his cot. Lydia’s eyes softened as she looked at him.
She leaned forward, her voice calm but deliberate. ‘I spoke to Ethan’s sister.’
‘His sister?’ My eyebrows drew together. “We’re not on speaking terms. She’s…well.”
‘She’s not an addict like you think,’ Lydia interrupted. ‘She’s been sober for years, and she’s told me a lot of things – things that will change everything for you.’
‘What kind of things?’ I asked.
‘Ethan married you for your money,’ she said bluntly. “His whole family knew. They planned it from the beginning.”
‘What?’ My voice cracked, and I gripped the edge of the table tighter.
“For the last twenty years, he’s been siphoning money out of your inheritance. Not just for himself, but to support another family-his other family. He has three children with another woman.”
‘No…you’re wrong,’ I shouted.
‘Not true,’ Lydia said, sliding the folder towards me. “It’s all in here – bank records, medical bills, and photographs. And that’s not all of it. It looks like Ethan may have sabotaged your attempts to conceive.”
I froze, staring at her. ‘What…what do you mean?’
“Some of the clinics you went to have evidence that he was tampering with something. He didn’t want you to get pregnant, Claire.”
I felt tight in my chest. I could barely breathe.
Lydia’s words hung in the air, choking me. I could barely think. ‘Sabotaging my treatment?’ I whispered, my voice shaking. “Another family? How…how could he do this to me?”
I looked at Liam in his cot, his tiny hand clenching and unclenching in his sleep. The weight of twenty years washed over me like a tidal wave. Memories I had once treasured now seemed tainted. The small gestures of love, the whispered promises of eternity, they were all lies.
The sobs started quietly, but soon they came in waves, shaking me to my core. How could I have been so blind? So stupid? I’d spent years blaming myself – my body – for our difficulties conceiving while Ethan sabotaged me.
I remembered every late-night appointment, every failed treatment, and every moment spent in the dark as he faked anxiety.
‘I trusted him,’ I said aloud, my voice trailing off. “I loved him, Lydia. I gave him everything.”
Lydia stood up and put her hand on my arm. “That’s why you have to fight back, Claire. He doesn’t deserve your tears. Think about Liam. He needs you strong.”
I looked at Liam, my tears slowing as anger replaced grief. Lydia was right. My son needed me. I wiped my face, my resolve growing stronger with each breath.
‘You’re right,’ I finally said, my voice growing firmer. ‘I’m not going to let him get away with this.’
I picked up my phone and stared at the screen for a long moment before dialling the number. ‘James,’ I said when my lawyer answered. “We need to talk. It’s about Ethan.”
A few days later, I heard the familiar rumble of Ethan’s car pulling into the driveway. The divorce papers were neatly laid out on the kitchen table, ready for him.
I stayed in the living room, Liam lying in his cot next to me, and I waited for him to come in. The door opened and Ethan stepped inside.
‘Claire?’ – he called out, his tone unsure, like he already knew he was walking into a trap.
‘I’m here,’ I said, keeping my voice steady.
I hadn’t wasted a second. ‘Why are you abandoning your son?’ I asked, each word deliberate and sharp.
He blinked fearfully. “What, I’m not abandoning anyone. Claire, I’m…I’m sorry, okay? I was confused and emotional. I said a lot of stupid things I didn’t mean. None of it was true.”
‘Really?’ I tilted my head. “Then why didn’t you pick us up from the hospital? Where were you for three days? Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
He hesitated, but then his expression smoothed into a familiar, disarming smile. ‘I had an urgent business trip,’ he said, his voice oozing contrived sincerity.
“Claire, I swear I didn’t ignore you. I would never do that. I’m so sorry, honey.”
‘Interesting,’ I said, leaning back slightly. ‘What are the names of your three children?’
His whole face froze. The smile evaporated, replaced by an expression of pure shock. For the first time, the mask slid away and I saw the man underneath – the liar, the manipulator.
‘Я…’ – he began, but the words wouldn’t come.
‘Leave it alone,’ I said, interrupting him with an icy stare. “I know all about it, Ethan. When you leave tonight,‘ I said as I stood up and turned towards the stairs, ’don’t forget to grab the divorce papers from the kitchen table. Thanks.”
I didn’t wait for his reply. I carried Liam upstairs, my heart pounding frantically.
A moment later, I heard the front door slam shut. When I got downstairs, the papers were gone. It was finally over.
A few weeks later, the settlement agreement was finalised. Ethan walked away with a modest payout, an amount I considered a bargain to rid my life of his toxic presence. The house, cars, and business stayed with me thanks to the mountains of evidence presented by my legal team.
My lawyers were also building a compelling case against Ethan and the fertility clinics that colluded with him. ‘This will take time,’ my lawyer James warned me. ‘But I’m confident we’ll win.’
Time was something I was willing to invest in. For now, my attention was focused on Liam. He deserved a life free of lies and deceit.
One night, while rocking Liam to sleep, I quietly whispered to him, ‘I’ll make sure you never grow up doubting your worth, baby.’
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalised for creative purposes. Names, characters and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental and is not intended by the author.