Why I Cheered When My Husband Cheated

Chapter 9

"Is this child Hank's? Where is he now?"

I texted Selena right away, but she didn't respond. Every time I tried to call, her phone was off. The silence made my mind spiral with all kinds of terrifying possibilities.

What if our marriage had destroyed the family he was supposed to have?

Even though our families had known each other forever, Hank and I had barely interacted growing up. We only saw each other during holidays or occasional social gatherings. Our homes weren't exactly close, and we went to different schools. He studied abroad for undergrad while I stayed here for my postgrad.

Our real connection didn't start until after graduation, when we both took over parts of our family businesses and began crossing paths in the corporate world. With both sides pushing for a marriage alliance, it felt inevitable. Convenient, even.

We called it dating, but in reality, it was more like exchanging schedules. Most of our conversations happened over the phone. We'd squeeze in a quick meal when time allowed, then rush back to our respective offices.

I've never been high-maintenance. I thought Hank was the kind of man who respected boundaries, who didn't need constant attention.

But marriage showed me a different side of him.

He talked. A lot. About everything, his work, random people I didn't know, pointless details that never seemed to end.

Yet in hindsight, for all his rambling, he never once mentioned anything about his past.

Not even a hint.

And now I realize just how strange that really was.

With Selena still ignoring me, I had no choice, I went to my father and showed him the photos, asking him to look into the child.

The moment he saw them, his face darkened with fury.

He believed the Shaw family had tricked him. Lied to him. Betrayed him. And he swore he'd never help them with business again.

With Hank keeping his head buried in the sand, it didn't take long for the Shaw family's companies to start crumbling.

Desperate, Howard showed up at our house, dragging Hank along and carrying several expensive gifts in a last-ditch effort to make peace.

My father didn't stop them, he was livid and ready to settle scores.

Hank looked like hell. His face was pale, with deep, dark circles under his eyes, and he hadn't shaved in days. The stench of alcohol clung to him. The moment he stepped inside, he didn't even acknowledge us. He just collapsed onto the couch like a sack of dead weight.

My father's face twisted in disgust. Howard nudged Hank, trying to get him to say something, but Hank didn't even flinch, like a corpse.

Howard could only offer us a weak, embarrassed smile.

My father let out a cold snort and flung the photos across the coffee table.

"Your family's truly shameless," he snapped. "You called yourselves our friends for generations, yet this is how you repay us? Deceiving my daughter, letting her suffer like this?"

Howard looked confused at first, picking up the photos to take a look. But the moment his eyes landed on them, they widened in shock. Without a second's hesitation, he slapped Hank hard across the face.

"What the hell did you do?!"

Hank blinked, finally stirring. He lifted his heavy eyelids and scanned the room until his gaze landed on the photos in Howard's hand.

Then he jolted upright.

He snatched the photos, flipping through them with trembling fingers, and stared at them like he'd seen a ghost.

His voice cracked when he finally spoke.

"Where… where did you get these?"

And then he looked at us, eyes filled with something raw. Regret? Desperation? Longing?

It was the first real expression I'd seen on his face in a long, long time.