Goodbye Husband, Hello Baby: I'm Keeping the Child Only

On the night I discovered my husband, Charles Lockheart's affair with the secretary, Whitney Keaton, both of them ended up dying in a fire. I was left with a pair of twins.

Despite my family's objections, I decided to adopt the twins. For the next 18 years, I put in all of my resources, blood, sweat, and tears to raise them. Finally, they are accepted into Hallwood College, a globally prestigious college.

But on the day the twins get into Hallwood College, Charles and Whitney, who are supposedly dead, make a shocking appearance before us.

Whitney links arms with Charles, a wide smile on her face.

"As expected of our biological sons! They really are amazing for getting accepted into Hallwood College! It's all thanks to you raising our sons that we got to spend so many years in our honeymoon phase!"

Charles wears a victorious and smug look. He doesn't feel guilty in the slightest for faking his death.

"Let's get a divorce, Brittany. Now is the best time for the twins to be reunited with Whitney and me."

Everyone turns to look at me, waiting for me to have an emotional breakdown.

But I remain cool and composed as I reply icily, "What a coincidence. I feel the same way."

"Hallwood College! It's Hallwood College!"

I had just gotten back from a business trip when I heard my sons cheering in the yard. The moment I walked in, they ran over excitedly and showed me the acceptance letters.

"Mom, it's the acceptance letters from Hallwood! We both got in! And into the majors we wanted!"

I was stunned. They had already received offers from various prestigious colleges, but not from their dream school, Hallwood College. Now that they had finally gotten in, I was so happy for them.

"That's wonderful. What do you want for dinner tonight? I'll cook for you."

My sons excitedly named dish after dish, arguing over who would help out in the kitchen. After a lively dinner, they pulled me in for some photos and posted them on social media.

My older son, Ethan Lockheart, loved photography and had a large following online. Whenever he posted something, it would gain a lot of engagement.

His younger twin, Ryan Lockheart, scrolled through his phone and said, "Mom, everyone's complimenting you! They're saying Ethan must be lying—you look like our sister, not our mom."

Ethan laughed. "They're not wrong. Mom's a natural beauty. If she wasn't the CEO of a company, she could've been an international superstar."

Watching my sons tease me, I felt comforted and unexpectedly a little teary-eyed.

18 years earlier, my husband, Charles Lockheart, had died in a fire along with his secretary. He had left behind two illegitimate sons and a mountain of chaos.

The business problems were manageable. After all, my family and the Lockhearts were prominent families in Westbrook. But the two kids…

My parents had insisted I return home and sever all ties with the Lockheart family. But I