My Infertile Husband Claims His Maid Has Hyper-Fertile Genes

Julian, my husband, was scrolling through our maid Chloe's latest Instagram story. Suddenly, he turned to me and asked, "Don't you think Chloe has such a tragic life?" I looked up from my laptop. "What do you mean?" He frowned slightly, his brow furrowing with pity. "She's a single mother, raising twin boys all on her own. Her ex-husband was abusive, her father is a gambling addict, and her mother is currently fighting for her life in the ICU..." I leaned over and glanced at his phone screen. In the photo, Chloe was wearing a revealing maid outfit and sheer black stockings, arching her back suggestively as she wiped down our master bathtub. I smiled coldly. "You're quite the caring employer, Julian. You even know the intimate details of her ex-husband's abuse." He froze, clearing his throat awkwardly as he tried to look nonchalant. "I want to give her a raise. Fifteen thousand dollars a month." "And we can bring her sons to live with us in our mansion." He blurted it out in one breath, looking at me with dead seriousness. "That way, she can support her family and focus on her work here without worrying about her kids." I looked at him with a half-smile, my eyes cold. "Let's just fire her instead." He was stunned. I put down my phone and said calmly, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to move your mistress and illegitimate children into my house. Am I wrong?" My sarcasm immediately set him off. He stood up, looking flustered and angry. "Audrey, why do you always have to be so cynical?" he snapped. "As a woman, can't you show some basic empathy?" I found his sudden burst of morality hilarious. "Julian, you're the Chief of Medicine at my family's private hospital, managing thousands of employees. What's your monthly salary? I don't see you showing this kind of 'empathy' to any of your female staff. Yet here you are, practically begging to bring another woman's kids into our home." He choked on his words, his face flushing before he tried to defend himself again. "I just pity a struggling woman trying to support her family! Is that a crime?" I couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I'm not a saint, Julian. I pay her for the work she does. I haven't withheld a single penny of her paycheck." He wanted to argue further, but I cut him off with a raised hand. "I'll give you two choices." "Either you fire her today, or we get a divorce. Your call." I had laid it out on the table. He should have understood that I was giving him a final chance to clean up his own mess. If I had to step in myself, he would end up with absolutely nothing. Instead, he slammed his hand on the study table. "A divorce? Just because I want to give Chloe a raise?" "Is it because my family isn't as wealthy as yours, and I only got the Chief position through your family's connections? Am I destined to be beneath you for the rest of my life?" "Do I, as your husband, not even have the right to decide a maid's salary?" Normally, Julian was the epitome of calm and collected. Even when a rioting patient held a scalpel to his back in the emergency room, he hadn't lost his cool. I stared at him, unfazed. "So, you choose divorce, then?" His lips pressed into a thin line, glaring at me in a cold standoff. Chloe suddenly appeared at the study door, her head lowered, looking timid and fragile. "Mrs. Sterling, I wanted to say, you're misunderstanding Mr. Julian and me." "He is so young, successful, and the Chief of Medicine. Just being associated with me feels like I'm dragging him down." "I'm divorced with kids. No decent man would want me. What could he possibly want from me anyway?" Her low-cut maid outfit accentuated her cleavage, and her long legs were wrapped in those sheer black stockings. Suddenly, I remembered the out-of-place anime throw pillow in Julian's sports car. The cartoon character printed on it looked exactly like Chloe. And the mug on his office desk that he had used for years. The cute anime girl on it was probably a stylized version of her, too. I sneered and looked at Julian. "Chloe is asking what you want from her. Let me guess. Is it her great body and pretty face? Or maybe this fragile, helpless damsel-in-distress act?" I paused, letting the silence stretch. "Or is it because she has sons? You've been dying for a son, haven't you? Since you can't produce one yourself, you want to be an instant dad?" "Audrey!" Julian panicked, darting a nervous glance at Chloe. He rushed over and clamped his hand over my mouth, whispering furiously through gritted teeth. "Shut up! Do you have to broadcast my infertility to the entire world?!"I shoved him away forcefully, laughing mockingly. "Are you afraid Chloe will look down on you once she knows you can't have kids?" He avoided my gaze, adjusting his collar. "This is our private marital business. It's inappropriate to discuss it in front of others. Besides, didn't you hire the country's top fertility specialists for me?" "I believe we can cure it. We will have our own children. Why would I want someone else's?" As soon as he said that, Chloe spoke up, acting completely innocent and naive. "My... my friends always told me I have 'hyper-fertile' genes, though I never really understood what that meant." "But I did give birth to twin boys. Even I thought it was a miracle." She blushed slightly, looking down. "I feel like... if it were me, even if my husband had fertility issues, I'd probably still be able to get pregnant easily." A spark lit up in Julian's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. He stiffly wrapped an arm around my waist, deliberately creating distance from Chloe. "Chloe, don't say things like that. Even if we can't have children, Audrey is the only wife I'll ever want." The way he said it made it sound like I was the infertile one. It implied that if he were with Chloe, he would definitely have kids. A wave of intense disgust washed over me. Two weeks ago, I had flown across the country just to contact top medical experts for his condition. Yet, behind my back, he had secretly hired Chloe as our live-in maid. When we returned downstairs, Chloe was serving plates of charred, overcooked meat. Julian, who was usually extremely picky about his food, devoured three portions without a single word of complaint. Even the antique sapphire earrings he had secretly bought at an auction were now hanging from Chloe's ears. I had thought they were my upcoming birthday present. Every night, he delayed coming to bed until he was sure I was asleep, as if he couldn't bear the thought of me touching him. I took a deep breath and pointed at Chloe. "Julian, I'm asking you one last time. Are you absolutely sure you want to keep her?" He pushed me away impatiently. "Are you seriously starting this again? Haven't I already made my stance clear?" "You just have to nitpick, blow things out of proportion, and drag my dignity through the mud, don't you?" My lower back slammed against the wooden banister of the stairs. A sharp pain shot through my spine, making it impossible to stand up straight. Julian rolled his eyes, approaching me with annoyance to pull me up. "Alright, stop acting. Playing fragile doesn't suit you. Everyone knows you're a tough-as-nails tomboy." In our sophomore year of college, he was walking me back to my dorm. Just as we reached the entrance, a heavy ceramic basin fell from a balcony above. Without thinking, I pushed him out of the way. The basin smashed onto my head, but I just smiled and told him I was fine. I ended up needing five stitches, earning me the nickname "tomboy" among our friends. Now, my sacrifice had become his laughingstock. I avoided his hand. "Don't touch me. You're filthy." His face hardened, his hands clenching into fists. "Can you not speak to me like a decent human being for once?" "I've said all I have to say. It's either her or me." Leaving those words behind, I turned to walk upstairs. Julian was about to chase after me when Chloe began to sob softly, her shoulders shaking. "I understand... Nobody has ever liked me. Everyone says I'm slow and useless. That's why my ex-husband abandoned me and left me to struggle with two boys." "My dad beats me when he loses money gambling, my sick mom screams at me, and even my own kids think I'm worthless." "Now Mrs. Sterling hates me too. If you two divorce because of me, I might as well just end it all!" With that, she made a dramatic move to fling herself headfirst against the living room wall. Julian lunged forward and caught her in a panic, his eyes overflowing with sheer heartache. "Chloe, don't do this. I've never looked down on you." "You're not slow. You're incredibly sweet and lovely." Chloe looked up, tears streaming down her face. "Really?" Julian gently ruffled her hair, deliberately raising his voice so I could hear. "Of course. You're not like some people who are cold, harsh, and lack even an ounce of femininity. Who could possibly love someone like that?" Chloe let out a wet giggle, darting a smug glance up at me. "Julian, Mrs. Sterling sounds exactly like the person you're describing." "The first time I saw her in her stiff business suit with her hair slicked back, I almost thought she was a man." Julian laughed along with her. "Let me tell you a secret. My subordinates at the hospital privately call her the 'iron maiden' behind her back." My steps halted abruptly on the stairs. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst from my chest. I grabbed a heavy ceramic vase from the hallway table and hurled it directly at them. "Julian! Take your damn maid and get the hell out of my house!""Ah!" Chloe screamed in terror. Julian shielded her with his body, and the vase shattered heavily against his back. Yet, his instinct was to hold Chloe steady, making sure she didn't fall. "Audrey! Why don't you just kill me?!" He whipped around, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "I have no family wealth, and I can't give you a child! You can abuse me and look down on me all you want! But don't drag innocent people into this!" "Chloe is the most kind-hearted, pure woman I've ever met! She's only working as a maid to support her family. She actually has a college degree and could easily get a more dignified job!" His voice grew colder and more venomous with every word. "In my eyes, a spoiled, useless heiress like you, born with a silver spoon in your mouth, isn't even worth a single strand of her hair!" Every word was a dagger straight to my heart. He had no wealthy background, and he was infertile. Years ago, I had fought against my parents' fierce opposition to marry him. The condition they set was that I had to double our family company's profits within two years. During those two years, I barely slept. I worked myself to the bone, acting like an emotionless machine, giving it my absolute all. And I succeeded. Yet now, he claimed I looked down on him. He called me a useless heiress and laughed with another woman about how unfeminine I was. Driven to madness, I stormed into the study and shredded the throw pillow that looked like Chloe. I grabbed everything within reach, photo frames, potted plants, desk lamps, and hurled them at them. But he shielded Chloe tightly, easily dodging my rage. "Audrey, I've had enough of living under the Sterlings' thumb! I am talented. I am the youngest Chief of Medicine in this country!" "Do you really think I need to rot away at your brother's hospital? Let me tell you, plenty of top-tier hospitals are begging to recruit me!" "If you keep acting like a psychopath, we are getting a divorce! And you will be the only one regretting it!" I gripped the banister tightly to steady my shaking body. "Suit yourself!" Chloe trembled in his arms, whimpering, "Julian, couples fight all the time. Mrs. Sterling just has a terrible temper, but you should just bear with it." "Life is so hard for divorced women. People look down on us, just look at me..." Julian sneered, not even deigning to look at me. "Who cares about her? She brought this on herself. Not every woman deserves to be cherished!" An overwhelming wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over me. I let go of the banister and silently walked upstairs. Julian stared after me, seemingly caught off guard by my sudden, quiet departure. A flicker of guilt crossed his face, and he opened his mouth to call me back. Just then, Chloe's phone rang. "What? Leo has a high fever?" "Okay, okay, I'm coming to the hospital right now!" Hanging up, Chloe's eyes filled with tears of panic. "Julian, Leo has a 104-degree fever! What do I do?" Julian's face went pale. "Leo? Wasn't he perfectly fine at the amusement park yesterday?" "I'll go with you!" Listening to the sound of the front door slamming shut, my knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the floor. He had already been taking her kids to amusement parks? Or were those kids actually... his? At that thought, I bit my lip until it bled and dialed my brother Harold's number. "Harold, I need you to run a background check on Julian and Chloe." "What's going on? Did he cheat?" "I suspect... he has illegitimate children." Harold gasped on the phone. "Are you sure? I thought he was medically infertile." I felt all the energy drain from my body, my throat tightening. "Chloe claims she has hyper-fertile genes."Saying those words aloud felt incredibly ridiculous. Such an unscientific claim, yet it cast a heavy shadow over my heart. "Harold, the Chief of Medicine position has a five-year term, and Julian's time is up." "Over the past five years, the hospital has suffered continuous losses under his management. If we enforce the performance guarantee clause in his contract, will the penalty be enough to bankrupt him?" Harold paused, asking gently, "Audrey, are you okay?" No. I wasn't. My heart felt like it was being shredded piece by piece. But I refuse to tolerate even a speck of dirt in my relationships. If it's ruined, I will crush it to dust. "Harold, find me the best divorce lawyer in the country. I want Julian to leave with absolutely nothing. I know it's going to be hard." In our social circle, prenuptial agreements are standard. But I hadn't made Julian sign one. I genuinely believed he wasn't with me for money, and that he would never betray me. How naive I was. Soon after, I received a text from Julian on Snapchat. "I was just angry earlier, don't take it to heart. Leo has pneumonia, so I have to stay at the hospital tonight." "I really want to come home, but he's only four and won't let go of my hand. I don't have the heart to leave him." I typed back quickly: "I don't care." "Come pack your things tomorrow and get out of my house." He replied with a question mark. "Audrey, do you have to push me this far? Are you really trying to force me into another woman's arms? Fine, you win!" I paused, then replied. "On our wedding day, I told you that if you ever betrayed me, you would end up with nothing. Do you remember?" At our wedding, he had gently lifted my veil, his eyes shining like a starry night as he made a solemn promise: "I will never betray you, unless I die." But now, my screen showed only a cold red exclamation mark. He had blocked me. However, a friend request immediately popped up on Snapchat. It was Chloe. She sent me a video. In the video, Julian was sitting by a hospital bed, tenderly reading a picture book to a four-year-old boy. He was incredibly patient, and the boy was listening intently. It was a perfect picture of fatherly love. I replied: "What are you trying to prove?" Chloe replied instantly: "Mrs. Sterling, don't you think Leo looks exactly like Julian? Look closely." "He doesn't." I only believe hard evidence, not her pathetic mind games. The next day was the annual hospital board and medical conference. As a major shareholder, I was scheduled to speak. Harold handed me the investigation file as soon as I arrived. As I flipped through the documents, my hands began to tremble uncontrollably. Chloe had met Julian years ago at a cosplay convention near our university, where she was dressed as a sexy maid. That was when she got his contact details. Over the years, she had constantly sent him revealing photos of herself. Julian occasionally liked them. She repeatedly boasted in their chats about how easily she got pregnant. And during the very week Julian and I were preparing for our wedding, there was a record of them booking a hotel room together. After the twins, Leo and Liam, were born, Julian had been wire-transferring $5,000 to Chloe every single month. Until two weeks ago, when he brought her into our home. Under the guise of a maid. My mind was a chaotic mess, but my voice remained eerily calm. "Harold, is Julian speaking at the conference right now?" "Yes. The Medical Association, along with directors and experts from the top fifty hospitals in the country, are all in attendance. It's even being livestreamed on YouTube." "Good. Let's crash it." I walked straight toward the main auditorium. Inside, Julian was sitting in the front row, looking smug and successful. Next to him was Chloe, wearing a white lab coat, pretending to be a doctor. Their fingers were tightly intertwined. Chloe whispered in his ear, "Julian, you're the most amazing Chief of Medicine. You're my hero." Some people in the back rows gasped, realizing they were witnessing something scandalous. But Julian didn't care. He smirked, his lips brushing against her cheek as if by accident. "You're very professional, too. No one even noticed you're posing as a doctor." Then, he spotted me standing in the shadows near the stage, his eyes filled with blatant provocation. I curled my lips into a smile and calmly walked up to the stage. "Before I begin my speech, I would like everyone to appreciate the heroic deeds of our esteemed Chief, Julian, over the years." Without hesitation, I pressed the play button. The giant screen behind me began scrolling through Chloe's revealing cosplay photos, followed by their chat logs, hotel booking receipts, and years of monthly wire transfers. Finally, the screen froze on a live feed of the two of them sitting together in the front row. Julian slumped back in his seat, his face completely drained of color. Chloe's makeup was ruined from sudden tears, though a glint of triumph lingered in her eyes.