Legally Her Husband, Emotionally the Extra

On our third anniversary, the restaurant my wife, Selena Sander, and I frequent is reserved by her twisted first love, Shane Johnson.

He tramples over the rose petals that are scattered all over the floor while making his way toward our table. Then, he slaps a pregnancy report onto the table.

"Three years ago, I personally tattooed a rose on Selena's abdomen. I even made a vow with her, saying that she cannot give birth to your child until I find someone I love more than her."

As Shane points at the name shown on the pregnancy report, he flashes me a cruel smile.

"Now, I've found my true love. That's why I came to inform Selena that our vow can now be broken."

The bitterness that I tasted from the countless contraceptives that I've taken over the past three years suddenly floods my mouth. I then turn to look at Selena.

There's no trace of guilt shown on her expression despite having gotten exposed by Shane. Instead, she just looks at me coldly.

"You heard him, right?" she utters. "We can have a child together now."

At that moment, I feel like strangling her more than anything else in the world.

"What? Aren't you happy for me?"

Selena Sander's voice was coated in ice, and her words stabbed into my eardrums like icicles. She didn't even look at me as she spoke, her gaze still locked on the man called Shane Johnson.

It was as though he were her husband, whereas I was simply an insignificant bystander.

Shane scoffed as he looked down at me arrogantly. "Adrian Luther, you really should be thanking me. If it weren't for my generosity, you wouldn't have been able to even touch Selena in this lifetime.

"Oh, wait. That's not right. What I mean is, without my sudden graciousness, you can forget about ever having a child with her."

His words seemed to home in on the softest part of my heart and slice deep inside.

For the past three years, I would take a small white pill every morning, as Selena had said she was allergic to latex, yet she couldn't bear the thought of me going for a vasectomy.

Back then, she had said, "Darling, I know this is tough on you. However, you can stop after a few years, and we decide to have kids, okay?"

I had believed her.

I had loved her so much that I had been willing to do anything for her.

Even though I had to take that incredibly bitter pill every morning, even though my friends laughed at me, calling me stupid for taking the pill despite being a man, I still thought that my action was simply proof of my love for her.

But now, the man, Shane, was telling me that all my suffering had only been because of a promise. A promise between him and Selena, made when he tattooed that rose on her lower abdomen.

My stomach churned with nausea,