The Truth Behind My Divorce After Six Childfree Years

That was six years ago. I spent $6,000 to have a classmate’s classmate get me a fake test report. Six years ago, Michael and I were a pair of star-crossed lovers, relying on each other for survival. Our lives weren’t actually that hard. My parents ran a small shop; I was their only child, and Michael’s parents were successful businesspeople. The tragedy struck when Michael was ten. A car accident took their lives, and his uncle quickly seized control of everything. He even sold Michael to human traffickers in the mountains. I was the neighbor of that buyer. Not long after, the neighbor had his own child, and Michael became a burden, a useless burden. He was always doing endless chores, his body covered in bruises. I secretly gave him bread from the shop and laid out his blankets in the pigsty. Until one day, the neighbor lost money gambling and whipped Michael until he rolled on the ground. I rushed forward and bit the neighbor’s hand tightly, but he flung me away, sending me crashing into a stone in the yard, bleeding profusely. Enraged, Michael grabbed a lawnmower from the yard and slashed his neighbor’s neck. The neighbor’s blood spurted a meter high, and he collapsed without uttering a word. I looked at Michael, trembling and huddled in a corner, and knelt before my father. “Dad, please save Michael! He did all this to save me!” I begged him, crying. “Dad, we can’t be heartless! Michael’s life is ruined if he goes to jail.” My father, his eyes red, went to the police station. Less than a year later, he died unexpectedly in prison. Michael was evicted, and our small grocery store was given to the neighbor. From then on, we began a life of homelessness. We were bitten by stray dogs, bullied by homeless people, and Michael even suffered from pneumonia and fever, nearly dying. I knelt before the doctor, begging to donate my blood to sell for money, and that’s how he was saved. Until I was sixteen, Michael’s uncle, who had been living abroad, returned. Using his skills as a top international lawyer, he won Michael’s case, recovering most of the family fortune, and six months later found me, Michael, and among homeless children. From that moment on, Michael became the eldest son of the Shaw family. He entered a prestigious private school, and under his uncle’s influence, he went on to study law and political science, becoming a top lawyer. I, however, wasn’t particularly gifted and barely managed to study law, becoming a junior assistant. At that time, he held my hand, looking at me earnestly, “Nicole, you don’t need to be outstanding. I’ll take care of everything.” And then, at twenty-two, the year I graduated from university, Michael proposed to me in front of the entire faculty and student body, “Nicole, marry me. I will love you for life. If I ever break this promise, may I swallow ten thousand needles and die in agony.” A month later, we got married. However, during the premarital checkup, it was discovered that Michael was infertile. Michael was so proud, and his relatives were all waiting to kick him while he was down. That day, I hid his test results, got a fake one, and told him I was infertile. That day, he held me tightly, comforting me that it was okay, as long as I was there, that was enough. After marriage, Michael didn’t despise me; instead, he did his best to cultivate me, helping me gradually become a lawyer with some reputation. I felt ashamed of being a burden to him, but he looked at me seriously, “Nicole, a person must have a conscience. The moment your uncle walked into the police station, I swore that I would take care of you for the rest of my life.” “Nicole, without you, there would be no Michael today. Everything I have is yours.” But conscience has no legally binding force.

In the third year of our marriage, he cheated on me with Fiona, a law student we were sponsoring. We intend to contribute to society and recruit excellent talent for law firms. Fiona was indeed outstanding. She landed a major case right after joining the firm, her sharp wit and unique legal insights quickly making her a rising star. They had endless things to talk about, countless case insights to share. They often argued heatedly, then smiled at each other. Finally, they ended up in bed together. Aunt Wendy brought in gourmet soup, interrupting my jumbled memories. I touched my face and realized it was cold. Suddenly, I realized I had unconsciously shed tears, something I hadn’t done in a long time. I tossed the fake medical report into the shredder, straightened my clothes, and sat down at the low table. I think I’d cried all my tears three years ago; back then, tears flowed like a tap, plentiful but worthless. After Fiona joined the firm, she called me “Nicole” and became like family. On the day she landed a nationally renowned case, I specially bought a cake to celebrate. On my way home, I saw Michael’s car. That day, I suddenly felt like teasing them, and as I was about to get out of my car, I suddenly appeared in front of them. I watched him cross the traffic light, watched him get further and further away from home, and finally stop in front of a secluded hotel. I watched them go into the room, naturally undress, and embrace. I went crazy, grabbing Fiona’s hair and slapping her face. That day, Michael grabbed me and threw me against the wall, just like when I was ten years old, blood streaming down my forehead and face. Back then, his eyes were full of anger; he slashed a neighbor’s neck with a knife, and cried while holding me. Now, his eyes are still full of anger, but he’s holding another woman. “You’re crazy! Fiona is pregnant! Are you trying to kill my child?” I stood there, stunned. They already had a child? I don’t know how many times they’d slept together. I angrily lunged at Fiona, pounding on her. “You slut, whose bastard are you carrying? Have you no shame?” Fiona huddled in Michael’s arms, her face swollen and red, strands of her hair clinging to her face with tears. “Nicole, I know I’ve wronged you, but how could you call Michael’s child a bastard?” “Nicole, don’t worry, I won’t compete with you for Mrs. Shaw’s position. I just feel sorry for Michael, such an outstanding man, who doesn’t have his own bloodline. I beg you, let me give birth to his child to repay his kindness.” As she spoke, she knelt down, about to kowtow to me. Michael pulled her into a tight embrace, his eyes filled with heartache. “Fiona, it’s not your fault, it’s my fault.” He then glanced coldly at me. “Nicole, how can you be so heartless? Who is Fiona doing this for?” I slapped Michael across the face, my lips trembling. “Michael, you bastard!” “She slept with my husband, and I should thank her? She’s a slut, a treacherous and vicious woman.” Before I could utter the words that he couldn’t possibly have a child, Michael slapped me across the face. “Nicole, I won’t allow you to say that about Fiona. She’s the mother of my child.” I stared at Michael in shock. So, he already had Fiona in his heart. Perhaps because my expression was too sorrowful and disheveled, Michael’s expression softened, and he gently stroked my face. “Nicole, I just want a child of my own. As long as you don’t make a fuss, this child can recognize you as its mother.” “Fiona is a loyal and devoted person. She won’t take your place or compete with you for anything. Please be magnanimous and accept her, okay?”

Fiona also knelt down in front of me with a thud. “Nicole, please, I truly love Brother Michael. Please let me have a child for Michael.” “Don’t worry, I’ll leave after giving birth and never see him again.” Michael panicked, he grabbed Fiona and roared, “Fiona, I won’t let you leave! You promised to be with me and help us take the law firm international! Have you forgotten?” “If you leave, I’ll shut down the firm and haunt you to the ends of the earth!” He turned angrily at me, “Nicole, I know I owe you so much. Fiona is innocent. If you insist on forcing her away, then let’s get a divorce.” “I gave you fame, status, and a comfortable life. Do you think you can have everything you have today without me?” Only at that moment did I realize how much pain my father felt when I knelt down and berated him for being heartless. That day, I ran out of the hotel in tears, leaving them there embracing and comforting each other. How could I swallow this? I ran to the law firm and smashed their office. I threw all of Fiona’s belongings at the door and posted a sign on the entrance that read, “Bitches and dogs are not allowed.” I told my clients about Fiona, detailing her heartlessness and shamelessness. I called each client individually, recounting Fiona’s depraved character. But Michael only needed one phone call to land me at the police station. With his current status and power, a single curse word could be used to draw up legal charges, ranging from personal attack to psychological harm, let alone my blatant attack on Fiona. He crushed me like an ant. In court, I was pathetic and furious, like a madman, my eyes bloodshot as he listed my crimes one by one. Then he easily convicted me. In the end, he pleaded with the judge for leniency, sentencing me to only three months in prison. My reputation was ruined; a well-known lawyer in Everton City was imprisoned for publicly defaming and spreading rumors about someone. That day, Michael handed me a divorce agreement, coldly saying, “Sign it. I can’t let my child be an illegitimate child.” “Don’t worry, as long as you sincerely admit your mistakes and live peacefully with Fiona from now on, I won’t mistreat you.” I threw the divorce agreement at his face, telling him that unless I died, Fiona would forever be a mistress who couldn’t see the light of day. Michael looked at me expressionlessly, placing a document in front of me, “If you want your uncle’s soul to be restless because of you, then you don’t have to sign.” After Michael became successful, he moved my father’s tomb from the mountains to the most luxurious cemetery. Because he handled everything, the grave was in his name. If he wanted, he could indeed dig up the bones and scatter the ashes. That day, I wanted to slap him, to ask him how he could treat my father like this. He was his savior; how could he do this? In the end, I signed it with red eyes. Because I had already caused his death with my willfulness; I couldn’t let him suffer in the afterlife. To warn me, Michael used some extreme measures, transferring the entire law firm to Fiona’s name. He even offered to saddle me with massive debts, forcing me to grovel before Fiona.

Being in prison, I was no match for him and had to leave with nothing. Michael perfectly inherited his father’s genes—decisive, ruthless, and calculating. He didn’t force me to kneel before Fiona; he simply left me room to maneuver, hoping that after suffering in society, I would obediently return to beg him. At that time, whether I became his wife or concubine, it was all up to him. Three months later, I was released from prison. Michael and Fiona had already held their wedding. A custom-made, diamond-encrusted wedding dress from France, the starry sky setting of Silverlake Estate—it was breathtakingly beautiful, showing the owner’s utmost care. Seeing the wedding gift he once gave me transformed into someone else’s bridal chamber, I burned it down. ...When Frederick Blake returned, I was still lost in thought. A warm hand wrapped around me from behind, just like when he took my hand as we stepped across the ocean years ago. “Director Miller called me, we’re having a baby.” The man nestled contentedly in my ear, his warm breath lingering around it. I turned and snuggled into his warm embrace, softly humming in agreement, closing my eyes to breathe and compose myself. “I’m thinking of throwing a celebration banquet tomorrow, inviting my older sister and the others to join in the fun.” I smiled; it had indeed been a long time since I’d seen my older sister. Back then, she was still my client, embroiled in a divorce battle. She was a tearful, resentful woman then; who would have thought she’d become a renowned female CEO in Everton City? It was because of my tireless investigation that she won her case, and we became like sisters. When I was sent to prison again, it was she who paid for my bail, took me away from that painful place, and introduced me to her younger brother who was busy expanding into new markets abroad. Frederick acted immediately, sitting on the bed with my arm around him while making a phone call with a grin. Before long, all the relatives in the Blake family, including the big yellow dog across the ocean, knew about it. Three days later, at Starmoon Manor, all the prominent figures in Everton City arrived, and the hall was piled high with flowers and gifts. When my eldest sister arrived, everyone was surrounding me, teasing me to see what gift Frederick had brought. I unwrapped the package, which was taller than a person, and discovered it was a blood-red jade coral. As everyone gasped in surprise, my eldest sister’s teasing voice rang out, “You brat, you went to the trouble of lighting a sky lantern to take a picture of this, just to win...” “Good wife, no wonder you wouldn’t give me what I wanted.” I turned around and smiled, “Big sister,…” Our eyes met, and I realized Michael was holding Fiona, staring at me in shock. He was holding a gift. “Nicole, you’re the sister-in-law Mr. Blake mentioned?”