Hidden Husband: Replaced by Her First Love

On Christmas, I prepare a feast and wait for my wife to introduce me to her family after nine years of being married in secret. Just as I wait with anticipation, my wife walks through the door, holding her first love's hand. Their fingers are interlocked, and their eyes are brimming with affection. "Mom. Dad. This is Henry Cooper, my husband. We've been secretly married for the past ten years." "What a handsome young man. You two look perfect together!" My mother-in-law is grinning from ear to ear. They stand there chatting, looking like a happy family. Then my wife turns to me, her gaze icy. "This is my live-in housekeeper. Come try the food and see if you like it." My wife invites her family to take their seats, but Henry Cooper looks at me with a hint of disdain. "The host hasn't even sat down yet. How can the housekeeper sit first? Where are your manners?" Chapter 1 Henry Cooper's words drew the attention of my in-laws, Julian Finch and Lily Sullivan. They both turned to look at me too, their gazes tinged with displeasure. I was slightly taken aback as my wife, Faith Finch, stepped forward, her expression cold. "You actually think you can sit here? You're just a housekeeper. If you don't want to work here, get lost." I stare at Faith in disbelief. Before I could even react, she slapped me. "Why are you looking at me like that? Got a problem?" Seeing Faith slap me, Henry hurried forward, playing the peacemaker. "Easy, Faith. Julian and Lily just got here today. Don't let someone unimportant like him spoil your mood." But when Henry looked at me, he wore a smug expression. "He's right, Faith." Lily chimed in from the side. "You should just get rid of a housekeeper like this. Hire another one." I was about to get up and explain, but Faith grabbed me by the ear and shoved me out the door. As I stared at the tightly shut door, everything I had looked forward to suddenly came crashing down. I collapsed to the ground and came down with a high fever. After learning that Julian and Lily were coming over to celebrate Christmas, I worked day and night over the past couple of days, preparing for their arrival and cleaning the house until it was spotless. I ended up catching a cold from pushing myself too hard. I only got a chance to sit when Julian and Lily arrived. But my excitement was only met with cold indifference from her entire family. I pushed myself up and staggered forward. At some point, it had started raining. When I was kicked out of the house, I was only wearing a thin shirt and a pair of shorts. Getting caught in the rain only made my fever worse. When I passed by a convenience store, I went in and asked to borrow the owner's phone. I wanted to call Faith and ask her to let me come back and pick up some clothes. As soon as the call went through and she heard my voice, her tone changed. "Wesley, didn't I tell you to leave after you finished cooking? If it weren't for Henry earlier, I would've given myself away. 'I'm very disappointed in you. I want you to reflect on yourself. Once you've figured things out, come back and apologize to Henry!" Before I could even speak, Faith ended the call. I chuckled coldly, and something inside me died. A gust of wind swept past as I walked out of the store, and I collapsed to the ground. Before I passed out, images of Faith and Henry's loving moments came to mind. Then I blacked out. Faith, ten years had passed. Since you never loved me, let's end it here. By the time I came to, I was in the hospital. I stared at the ceiling in a daze and realized I was lying in a hospital bed. "You're awake." When the door to the hospital room opened, a figure stepped inside. I turned to look, and my heart sank. "Was it you who saved me, Ashley?" I was a little disappointed. Ashley Towne smiled and nodded as she looked at me. "What, not happy to see me?" I quickly shook my head, and Ashley said, "It's Christmas. Why weren't you at home? Why were you out wandering around with a high fever? You were barely dressed too. Were you trying to make yourself sicker?" Chapter 2 The concern in Ashley's voice warmed my heart. But when I thought of that so-called home, I couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I came out to buy a few things and forgot my keys." Ashley didn't call me out on my flimsy lie. I wanted to pay her back for my medical bills, but when I checked my pockets, I realized I hadn't brought a single thing with me after being kicked out of the house. Ashley waved it off dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Consider it a Christmas gift, since you're our top salesperson." Ashley bought me a new set of clothes and a new phone as well. Before leaving, she looked at me. "Wesley, the company has a project overseas, and we need more people on board. If you're up for it, give me a call. If everything goes well, I'll make you the general manager of that branch." She gave me a quick nod before turning to leave. During my marriage to Faith, I often had to juggle my career with holding the household together. Whenever the company needed someone to go on business trips, I always turned them down. I had done that because I wanted Faith to always have a hot meal waiting for her at home. And in doing so, I'd missed out on many opportunities. I recalled everything Faith had done. Ever since we got married, she had been cold and distant toward me. She often used work as an excuse to come home late. The truth was, she had been meeting Henry behind my back. One time, when she got drunk, he was the one who carried her to bed. They slept in each other's arms, and I got cast aside, forced to spend the night on the couch. With that in mind, I didn't hesitate any longer and called Ashley. I told her I was willing to go overseas. She sounded relieved on the phone. "I'm glad to hear that. I'll book you on the earliest flight available. You'll probably be leaving the country in about three days, so get ready." After ending the call, I decided to go home and pack. After all, once I went abroad, I wouldn't be coming back often. Once I had completed the discharge paperwork at the hospital, I headed home. As soon as I opened the door, the stench of blood hit me. Julian and Henry were in the living room, chatting over coffee. Just then, Lily opened the door and stepped out of the kitchen. When she saw me, her face twisted with disdain. "Oh, look who remembers he's the housekeeper. The whole house is in a mess, yet you don't even do your job. I don't know why my daughter even hired you in the first place." Since I was already planning to leave, I had no intention of putting up with their nonsense anymore. I was about to retort when I saw the trash bag Lily was holding. The outside of the bag was covered in white fleece. "You're back just in time. Take this trash downstairs and get rid of it. Once you're done, come back right away and cook for us." Something cold settled in my chest. I opened the bag and found a strip of sheepskin inside. I recognized it immediately. It was Fluffy, the sheep I'd had for eight years. I didn't dare think about what it could mean. I flung the trash bag aside, shoved Lily out of the way, and dashed into the kitchen. As soon as I stepped inside, I went limp and collapsed to the floor. I saw something bubbling away in the pot. Hanging beside the cabinet were freshly butchered pieces of meat. "You cooked my sheep?" I turned and glared at Lily, who replied uneasily, "So that was your sheep? That's right. I cooked it. Well, it's just a sheep. I can always pay you back for it." Seeing how indifferent Lily was, I felt anger surge within me. Mom had raised Fluffy before she passed away, and he was the only connection I had left to her. "How dare you kill my sheep! I'm going to kill you!" Seeing that I was about to resort to violence, Lily immediately backed away in fear. Before I knew it, Henry dashed into the kitchen and shoved me to the floor. Hearing the commotion, Faith came out of her room. The moment she saw my furious expression, she started yelling at me. "Wesley, what are you doing? Don't you dare hit my mother!" Looking at Faith, I suddenly felt sick to the stomach. I had never felt so disgusted by my wife before. Chapter 3 "So what if I hit her? Your mom killed my sheep!" Faith froze at that, then turned to look at Lily. With someone backing her up, Lily puffed up with confidence. "Henry said he wanted to eat mutton. Since I didn't know where to get any, I figured I'd just slaughter this random sheep I saw. Henry's my son-in-law, so I had to do something. The moment Lily said "son-in-law", she looked incredibly proud. I looked at Faith, hoping she would give me a reasonable explanation. Instead, all I got was an impatient look. "Mom only did it for Henry. Wesley, can't you be more sensible?" I looked at Faith with icy disdain. By then, I was utterly disappointed in her. "I raised Fluffy for eight years. You know what he meant to me. Faith, give me back my sheep!" I could feel myself losing control, my eyes bloodshot. Seeing me rush toward Faith, Lily immediately yelled, "He's crazy! He's nuts! Quick! Get security to throw him out!" Henry caught on fast and stepped in front of Faith like a shield. I swung and hit him square in the face. Blood instantly trickled from the corner of his mouth. I grabbed him by the collar, wishing I could just tear him to pieces. But Henry looked pleased with himself when he saw how angry I was. He deliberately leaned in and whispered, "Not only did I get your sheep killed, but I also slept with your wife. What are you going to do about it?" Something inside me snapped, and I landed punch after punch on Henry's face. His face was covered in blood. While I was getting back up, he took the opportunity to grab me and start a fight. The plates and bowls crashed off the counter and shattered across the kitchen floor. Henry and I went down together, our hands wrapped around each other's throats. None of us could gain the upper hand. Eventually, I forced him into a corner, got on top of him, and pinned him down. Behind me, I heard Faith let out a startled gasp. "Wesley, have you lost your mind? Stop that right now! If you hurt Henry, I won't let you get away with it!" Even now, all she cared about was Henry. Then what did our relationship of ten years mean to her? I didn't want to press any further. It was all meaningless. I raised my fist, ready to punch him again. At that moment, I suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot through the back of my head. The pain immediately intensified. I quickly got to my feet, hand flying to the back of my head. When I pulled away, my fingers were slick with blood, the back of my shirt already soaked through. I saw Faith standing behind me, fear written all over her face. She was holding a bloody high heel. When she saw me turn around, her gaze suddenly hardened with determination. Faith shoved me aside, hurried to Henry, and helped him up. "Henry, are you okay? Where does it hurt?" But Henry didn't even look at Faith. He shoved her aside and lunged at me. I had humiliated him earlier, so he wanted to get back at me. "Damn you! How dare you hit me? I'm going to kill you!" Henry kicked me again and again, venting his anger. Faith simply stood by. She was even worried that Henry might twist his ankle. The pain shooting through the back of my head and all over my body nearly made me black out. Since I had lost too much blood, I had no strength to fight back. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Faith clinging to Henry, looking worried. He spat at me, like a winner basking in his victory. "Ptui! You're pathetic!" … The police brought me to the hospital. Just then, I received a message from Henry—it was a pregnancy test report. "Faith and I are having a baby. I hope you know when to walk away." My fingers trembled slightly as I stared at the pregnancy test report on my phone. I couldn't stop a tear from slipping down my cheek. It wasn't as if Faith and I never thought of having kids of our own. Chapter 4 Whenever we tried for a baby, Faith would claim she wasn't feeling well to avoid being intimate with me. That was why we still didn't have any kids after all this time. Henry seemed to think he hadn't humiliated me enough and sent me another message. It was a photo of Faith wearing a sexy lace nightgown. In the picture, she looked incredibly alluring, desire shining in her eyes. It was a stark contrast to how cold and detached she was with me. And the background was actually the bedroom I had shared with her for so many years. Suddenly, I found it hard to breathe. I never imagined that my aloof wife could look like that in front of another man. And of all places, in our bedroom too. I had completely lost all hope in Faith. I then forwarded the photo and the pregnancy test report to my lawyer and asked him to start drafting the divorce papers. Over the next two days, I remained in the hospital. Faith never came to see me. She had gone to watch the meteor shower with Henry instead. My situation didn't even affect them in the slightest. Every so often, I would receive photos from Henry. There were pictures of him and Faith kissing, as well as photos of him with Julian and Lily. I saved every single one and forwarded them to my lawyer as evidence of Faith's infidelity. The next day, my lawyer informed me that the divorce papers were ready. I did the math and realized I was scheduled to go abroad the following day. "It's time to put an end to all of this." Once again, I returned to the house that no longer felt like home. Faith was the only one there. Henry had gone with Julian and Lily to the mountains to enjoy the snow, and she had only come by to pick up a few things. Seeing that I was back, she tossed me a gift box from the couch, her expression blank. "I got this watch for you. See if you like it." I bent down and picked it up. It was obvious that it had been opened before. Before I could even speak, Faith continued, "I actually bought it for Henry. He knows you're upset, so you can have it as compensation. You've been through a lot these past two days." As Faith spoke, she walked over to me and reached out to stroke my face. I instinctively took a step back and tossed the gift box aside. "He didn't want it, so you gave it to me instead, right? How ridiculous." I let out a self-deprecating laugh before heading toward the bedroom to pack. Faith followed me, wanting to explain herself. However, when she saw me open the bedroom door, she fell silent again. The room I once knew had completely changed. Every trace of me was gone. My things had been replaced with Henry's clothes and belongings. There was even a wedding photo of the two of them hanging on the wall. Faith seemed to realize she had messed up and quickly explained, "I just wanted to make it look a little more convincing. "Since you haven't been home for the past few days, I thought I'd rearrange the room. Your stuff is in the storage room." I didn't want to waste any more time wondering whether Faith even loved me. I no longer wanted to know why she wanted Henry to pretend to be her husband either. I went to the storage room and sorted through the clothes scattered on the floor before packing them into my suitcase. Seeing the look on my face, Faith scowled in displeasure. "Can you stop throwing a tantrum? Henry and I are only pretending to be married for a few days." I didn't even want to argue with her. After packing my things, I handed her the divorce papers. "Sign these." Without even going through the contents, she signed them on the spot. With that, she put on her coat and prepared to leave. Before walking out, she looked back at me. "Wesley, once I'm back, I'll spend more time with you." With a sneer, I placed the divorce papers down on the table, grabbed my suitcase, and turned to leave.