She Made Her Lover's Bastard My Heir, So I Ruined Them Both

My heart turned completely to ice the moment I found out my wife spent the night at her ex's place after a high school reunion. Her ex, Nathan, posted a photo of her sleeping on his Instagram story. The caption read: *"Still tosses and turns in her sleep, just like she used to..."* The comments under his post were flooded with congratulations, cheering them on for rekindling their old flame. I smiled, tapped the screen, and left a comment: *"Congratulations! Don't forget to invite me to the wedding. I'll even cover the bar tab."* ... Looking at the comment I just posted, I let out a long breath and lit a cigarette. The wedding portrait hanging on the living room wall felt like a punch to the gut. Chloe hadn't come home all night. I tossed and turned in bed until dawn, memories of our past flashing through my mind. The next evening, I came home from work and saw Chloe sitting on the couch. Her face was dark with anger. I hung my briefcase on the rack and walked straight past her. "Ethan!" She slammed her hand against the coffee table and jumped up, glaring at me furiously. "What the hell was that comment you left last night?" I looked at her and let out a cold laugh. "What did it mean? Exactly what it said. You slept at another man's house, and you're asking me what I meant?" She frowned, momentarily at a loss for words. "Can you stop using your filthy mind to twist my friendship with Nathan? Nothing happened between us last night!" With that, she sank back onto the couch and dabbed at nonexistent tears in the corners of her eyes. Every single argument went like this. Whenever she ran out of excuses, she played the victim and cried. In the past, I always fell for it, rushing over to pamper and comfort her. This time, I just looked at her coldly, not moving an inch. Seeing no reaction from me, her fake sobs ground to a halt. Throughout our marriage, I had indulged Chloe in everything. Maybe that made her think I had no backbone, pushing her to cross line after line. She literally paraded another man in my face. What kind of husband could tolerate that? "Ethan, Nathan slept on the couch, and I took the bedroom alone. Do you really have that little trust in me? Come on, babe, stop making a scene, okay? Just delete that comment. Don't make things embarrassing for everyone." Her words almost made me laugh out loud. The angle Nathan took that photo from clearly showed two people lying in the same bed. What was she still lying for? Besides, all it took was for Nathan to delete his post, but she didn't want him to do that. Instead, she demanded that I take down my comment. Was she that addicted to everyone gushing over their "reunion"? "I'm not deleting it. And one more thing..." I pulled divorce papers from my briefcase and tossed them onto the table. "Sign this." My voice was flat. After being disappointed so many times, I was completely numb. Chloe's eyes went wide. She stared at the divorce papers on the table in disbelief. "Ethan! Have you lost your damn mind?!" Yeah, maybe I had. How much disrespect and pressure had I endured over the years, only to realize she never loved me at all? Anyone in my shoes would have lost it. The fact that I could sit calmly in the same room and discuss divorce was already the ultimate restraint on my part. Truth be told, I had realized long ago that there was no room for me in Chloe's heart. To her, Nathan was her one and only. This wasn't something that started recently. Looking back, the signs had been there all along.Three months ago, I accidentally saw her post on Twitter. She had shared a picture of the two of them with the caption: *The one that got away.* In the thread, she wrote: *"Our love was always just an inch short of forever. Our parents opposed us, forcing our paths to split. My marriage now is dull and lifeless. I have zero desire to keep going. But thankfully, he came back into my life. He feels like my salvation."* Chloe and I had actually been great together once. Our marriage was never as worthless or dull as she made it out to be. Everything fell apart the second Nathan stepped back into town. She started avoiding coming home, working "overtime" constantly, and never walking through the door until past midnight. To accommodate her schedule, I stayed up late every night just hoping to talk to her for a few minutes. Even so, our conversations grew rarer by the day. Everything she talked about revolved around Nathan—her so-called "salvation." Gradually, I realized Chloe's heart wasn't with me anymore. Her gaze, her smile, even her tone of voice—none of it belonged to me. Back then, I kept lying to myself. Maybe I was overthinking. Maybe she was just confused. But reality slapped me in the face over and over again. That post shattered any illusions I had left. One day, while she was in the shower, I glanced at her phone screen and caught snippets of her text thread with Nathan. The flirtatious, intimate banter made my stomach churn. When I confronted her, she just gave a dismissive laugh. "It's just banter between close friends." To be honest, I was pathetic back then. I couldn't let Chloe go. Every little smile of hers still pulled at my heartstrings. Maybe it was toxic possessiveness, but I desperately wanted her to come back to me instead of running to him. I even blamed myself, wondering if I hadn't been a good enough husband. I started treating her twice as well. I bought her designer bags, a new luxury car—anything she pointed at, I bought. She accepted every gift without hesitation, tossed me a few sweet words like she was petting an obedient puppy, and went right back to being distant. Nathan and Chloe had known each other since high school. Chloe had never gotten over him, but her parents hated him. Nathan came from a shady background. His father had been sentenced to federal prison for running an illegal predatory lending racket, and his mother remarried and took off. Chloe's family owned a decent local business. Naturally, they looked down on a deadbeat like Nathan. Her parents forced them apart, but their relationship truly ended because Nathan dumped her. He left for another city, and they lost contact for years. Around that time, my family's tech company was booming, and lots of small business owners wanted to build connections with us. Chloe's parents were among them. I fell for Chloe at first sight. I kept it to myself at first, but she was the one who took the initiative to get my number. Her parents were thrilled and pushed our relationship forward. We started dating, tied the knot, and lived what seemed like a happy, peaceful life. The only regret was that we still didn't have kids. She always claimed she wasn't ready. I respected her decision. Even without kids, I still planned to cherish her for the rest of my life. Yet everything shattered the moment Nathan came back. Snapping out of my thoughts, I watched Chloe stare at the divorce papers on the table. She looked stunned for a second, but then her face twisted into realization. "Ethan, are you seriously trying to play mind games with me? How old are you, twelve? You're just jealous of Nathan! You're so petty! Fine, drop the act, stop making a scene!" She swept the divorce papers off the table, slammed her bag onto the floor, and stormed into the bedroom. As she brushed past me, the sharp scent of expensive men's cologne hit my nose.After Chloe slammed the bedroom door, I collapsed onto the couch, feeling utterly drained. I never imagined our marriage would end up like this. All the sweet memories, reduced to bitter fights and deceit. I picked up the papers from the floor, my vision blurring. Our wedding vows seemed like a sick joke now. I tried to keep my composure, but the pain crashed over me like a tidal wave, suffocating me. Looking down at Chloe's bag on the carpet, I noticed the zipper was open. A piece of paper had fallen out. Curious, I picked it up. The moment my eyes scanned the words, my hands started to shake. She was... pregnant. In that instant, pure adrenaline overwhelmed my rational mind. I thought, maybe with a baby, the ice between us would finally melt. Maybe this child was the turning point our marriage needed. Taking a deep breath, I walked to the bedroom door and knocked gently. She opened the door, her eyes cold and exhausted. "Chloe, I just saw your medical report. We're having a baby." I tried to keep my voice steady, but the tremor of excitement gave me away. Her expression shifted instantly, a flicker of panic darting across her eyes. She didn't say anything, her fingers gripping the doorframe white. "I know you might not feel ready, but maybe we can start over for this baby. We can fix our marriage and give this child a real home." I tried to convince her—and desperately tried to convince myself. She stayed quiet for a long moment, her eyes darting as if calculating something. Then, she forced a tight smile. "Yeah, we're having a baby. When you doubted me earlier, it broke my heart. I even thought about terminating the pregnancy! I couldn't bear the thought of raising my baby in a home filled with suspicion!" Hearing that, I froze. The burst of joy was swallowed whole by overwhelming guilt. I even started to wonder if I had truly wronged my own wife. "Chloe, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you like that." Looking at the tears in her eyes, I sighed softly. Chloe didn't say another word. She turned back inside and clicked the door shut. I stood outside in the hallway, my chest aching with mixed emotions. From that day on, I treated her like royalty. I poured every second of my free time into caring for her. When she felt unwell and had to be admitted to the hospital, I paid out-of-pocket for a private VIP suite and hand-cooked three meals a day for her. I showered her with gifts and stayed by her bedside whenever I didn't have major client meetings, praying this would heal the rift between us. Her attitude toward me softened. It felt like we were back in the honeymoon phase, and I actually let myself look forward to our sweet future as a family of three. Every time I thought about our unborn child, my heart filled with warmth. Yet Chloe's underlying detachment still made me uneasy. She stopped giving me the cold shoulder, but she was never truly warm either. There was always an invisible wall between us that kept me guessing. "Chloe, have you thought about what we should name the baby?" I tried to bring it up casually, wanting to close the distance. She gave a faint smile, a trace of hesitation flickering in her eyes. "Let's talk about that later. What matters most right now is that the baby stays healthy." A wave of disappointment hit me, but I didn't push. I assumed she was still holding a grudge over the past. After wrapping up a business dinner, I rushed home, cooked her favorite dishes, and hurried over to the hospital. "They're so adorable together! God, I wish my husband was that handsome. The girl just complained about a headache, and he stroked her hair and kissed her on the forehead. It melted my heart!" A young nurse giggled as she stepped out of Chloe's room, gossiping with a coworker. Standing right outside the door, I froze.