My husband's mistress arrived at our doorstep with his illegitimate child, demanding financial support. Unbeknownst to her, my husband had long been diagnosed with infertility. Yet the boy bore a striking resemblance to him...
An Ordinary Morning
That morning began like any other. I brewed coffee while Mark sat at the kitchen table scrolling through news on his phone. Sunlight streamed in, warm and comforting. We shared the comfortable silence of a long-married couple, neither finding it awkward. Mark took a sip of coffee and frowned. I knew he thought my brew too weak, but I ignored him—such trivialities breed endless disputes. Life simply drifted by, uneventful and calm. It was then the doorbell rang, sharp and urgent. Setting down my cup, I felt a flicker of irritation. Who could be so inconsiderate at this hour?
The Doorbell Chimes
Mark didn't even glance up, eyes still glued to his screen. Muttering "Coming," I walked to the door. Through the peephole, I saw a young woman, her hair disheveled, clutching the hand of a small boy who gripped her pant leg tightly. As I opened the door a crack, she spoke, her voice trembling. "Hello, I'm Susan." She paused, breathless, her eyes darting past me into the house. Pulling the child closer, she added, "This is... Mark's son. He needs support."
The Unfamiliar Visitor
The boy peered up at me timidly, his eyes wide. Susan's words exploded like a grenade. My mind went blank, reeling in shock. Mark's child? Just then, a loud crash echoed behind me. I whirled around to see Mark bolt upright, his face deathly pale. His coffee cup had toppled, spreading a dark stain across the tablecloth. Pointing a shaking finger at Susan, his voice cracked with rage: "What the hell are you saying? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Mark's Reaction
He stood frozen, eyes wide with horror. His roar jolted me awake. Impossible? Suddenly, I remembered the document locked deep in my bedside drawer—the paper. Mark's decade-old medical report, stating clearly: "Extremely low sperm motility, natural conception probability near zero." Married for eight years, we'd abandoned dreams of children because of it. I saw that report annually while organizing, its hospital seal in stark black and white—a cornerstone of our lives.
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