My Wife's Charity Case

On our fifth wedding anniversary, my wife, who had struggled with fertility for years, suddenly felt nauseous. The college student we had been sponsoring panicked and rushed her to the hospital. Half an hour later, she called me. "I'm pregnant."

I was thrilled, until her next words froze me in place.

"The father's the college student, the one we've been supporting. He got sick that night and I felt bad for him, so I stayed over. I didn't think anything would happen. We have to keep this quiet. He's graduating soon and joining our company. We can't let this mess things up for him.

"And you need to quit your job, so he can take your position. I'm going to need you home to take care of me."

The sheer audacity left me speechless, but I kept my voice level. "Okay."

She hung up, satisfied.

What she did not know was that years ago, someone had made me a promise. If I turned 30 years old and still did not have a child, she would give me one. Today was my 30th birthday.

Faced with my unusually calm reaction, Lisa Lynch called back five seconds after hanging up.

"Matthew, I know you're hurting right now. This whole thing is my fault, but you have to believe me. It was just an accident. I've only ever seen him as a little brother."

I pulled my lips into a mocking smile. "Right, a little brother. The kind you end up in bed with."

Lisa clearly froze for a moment before her tone softened. "I get that you're angry and lashing out, but Elijah's an orphan. Life hasn't been easy for him. I don't want this to ruin his entire future.

"Matthew, can you just be understanding about this? Quit your job and claim the baby as yours. Everyone wins that way."

No matter how she spun it, Lisa only cared about that college student.

I suppressed the urge to roar at her and forced the words out, "Lisa, let's get a divorce."

"What?!" Her expression must have changed completely because her voice shot up. "Matthew Baker, do you even hear yourself right now? You want to throw away our five years of marriage over something this small?

"What about all those vows you made at our wedding? About protecting me for the rest of our lives? Have you forgotten all of that? When did you become so selfish?"

She was the one who had forgotten her promises, yet somehow, I was the one being scolded. I did not answer and only let the silence stretch on to make my position clear.

Lisa seemed stunned that I would resist like this. She laughed bitterly. "Matthew, I'm asking you one last time. Are you sure you want a divorce?"

This time, I answered quickly, "Yes, Lisa. As you wish, I don't want you anymore."

"There's a limit to throwing tantrums. Don't come crying to me later!"

With that, she hung up without waiting for