It wasn't until after we got married that I found out my husband couldn't have kids. And then he had the nerve to suggest I sleep with his dad to carry on the family line! It was so messed up, I cut him off completely and demanded a divorce. But that creep wouldn't give up. He even started trashing me online, trying to bully me into giving in. I just scoffed. Fine, if that's how you want to play it, let the internet judge your messed-up family drama! 1 I was at my desk, trying to catch up on work, when I realized I was being cyberbullied. I'd taken time off for the wedding and honeymoon, and now I was drowning in deadlines. "Hey, uh, Ashley? I think your husband posted something about you online." I looked up. My coworker, Sarah, looked hesitant. She sent me a link. I clicked it, and there it was – a selectively edited audio clip. Just a few lines, but totally explosive. "Ashley, didn't we talk about this before the wedding? We agreed we'd start trying for a baby right away. You were okay with it then, why change your mind now?" That was supposed to be him, sounding confused and innocent. Then me: "Are you kidding me, Mark? If you want a baby so bad, why don't you make one? ... Yeah, I changed my mind, so what? ... Do you even deserve one?" My voice sounded harsh, dismissive. Mark, my husband, had cleverly edited it to make him look like the victim and me like the cold-hearted bitch. To top it off, he’d added a video. I pressed play. It showed our bedroom – his family's house bedroom, technically. Mark looked awful – unshaven, teary-eyed. "Ashley, I'm so sorry. If you don't want kids, we don't have to have them, okay? Just come back. I'll do anything. Even if I never have kids, it doesn't matter. I can't live without you. Please forgive me, I'll never bring up kids again..." This curated audio, plus his Oscar-worthy performance, totally fooled anyone who didn't know the real story. The comment section was blowing up. Thousands of replies already. "Wow, what is this woman's problem?" "They agreed beforehand! Changing her mind now is basically saying she wants his family line to end. So selfish." "Poor guy. She treats him like dirt, and he's still head over heels. Guess I'm not cut out for that kind of 'love'." It was going exactly as Mark planned. The edited clip and video swayed everyone. The comments were almost entirely against me, attacking me. Some trolls even started insulting my parents, getting really personal. I read the comments, my blood running cold. See? They didn't care about the truth. They just wanted to vent. The few comments defending me or suggesting there might be more to the story were quickly buried. Anyone who spoke up for me became a target too. "What's there to question? Easy for you to judge when it's not your family dying out. If you think something's fishy, fine, hope you never have kids either, lol." "She treats her new husband like crap? Probably slept around before. Can't believe anyone's defending her. Seriously messed up values. Blocked." Things spiraled fast. My phone started exploding with calls from unknown numbers. Texts filled with disgusting insults flooded my inbox. Mark had posted my contact info in the comments. "I'm too scared to contact my wife anymore. Please, internet, help me talk some sense into her. Here's her number. If she comes back, you'll all be my saviors." It went viral so quickly. Within an hour, it was the top story on the local news feed. Family and friends started messaging me, asking what was going on. Even though most of them didn't believe I was that kind of person and figured there was something I wasn't saying, the audio and video were right there, making them doubt. Sarah must have seen how upset I was. She pulled me into a hug. "Ashley, I know there's more to it," she whispered. "Whatever it is, if you need to talk, I'm here. We'll figure it out together." Seeing her genuine concern, all the stress and hurt I'd bottled up for a week just poured out. I hugged her back tightly. "Thanks, Sarah," I mumbled through tears. The online attacks hadn't made me cry, but my friend's kindness broke the dam. 2 Sarah patiently helped me calm down, and I managed to give her a vague outline of what happened. Mark and I met in college. We got married right after graduation. He was Student Government President back in sophomore year when he supposedly fell for me "at first sight" and started pursuing me relentlessly. Flowers, dinners, constant attention – he was everywhere. Being this popular guy on campus, yeah, I fell for it. We started dating. But the thing that really convinced me he was "the one" was how respectful he seemed. In this age of hookup culture, Mark was always proper, never pushed things physically. Even when we traveled and stayed in the same hotel room, I saw him struggling, saw the desire in his eyes. But he always stopped before things went too far, even when I hinted it was okay. "Ashley's my treasure," he'd say. "I have to respect her. I can only truly have all of her on our wedding day..." I felt his urgent kisses, the sweat from his excitement, but even then, he wouldn’t cross that line. At that moment, I thought, this is the guy. He's the one. Who could have guessed the real reason he didn't go further was because he couldn't? He was impotent and infertile. I still remember how excited and nervous I was on our wedding night. The dream was coming true; I could finally be with the man I loved. But when I walked into the bedroom – the one we'd decorated together – I found his paralyzed father lying on our marriage bed! Mark was just sitting casually beside the bed. When he saw me, his face lit up. "Ashley! I'm so happy! We finally made it to today! Quick, get in bed with Dad! After tonight, we can have our baby!" His words hit me like a bucket of ice water, freezing me on the spot. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I stared at him, my chest tight, gasping for air, unable to speak. "Ugh—" I bent over slightly, gagging. Pulling myself together, wiping away tears, my voice trembling, I asked, "What... what do you mean? Your dad is in our bed? You mean... you want me to have a baby with your dad?" Mark acted like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Yeah, isn't it obvious? Why are you getting so worked up? What's the difference between having my baby and having my dad's baby? As long as the kid has our family blood, that's all that matters, right?" Mark was a late-in-life child. His mom died young, and his dad raised him alone through hard times. His dad was seventy now, paralyzed from an accident years ago, and had dementia. He couldn't even move. I'd promised myself I'd treat his dad like my own father after we got married. But now, there he was, lying on the bed, drooling with a vacant smile, seemingly unaware of what was supposed to happen. Mark's words made me gasp. I was shaking with rage. Pointing at his father on the bed, I yelled, "Even if your dad is paralyzed, it doesn't matter?! Mark, what the hell were you thinking? Was everything between us, all the sweetness, was it all fake???" Seeing me lose it, Mark looked guilty for a split second, but it was quickly replaced by irritation and defensiveness. "What's the big deal? My dad's paralyzed. He can't tell anyone." Maybe realizing how awful that sounded, his tone suddenly softened. He looked at me deeply. "Ashley, you're always so understanding, right? You love me so much, just do this one thing for me, okay? Our family needs an heir!" "I'm hurting too, you know? Do you have any idea what it feels like to push the person you love onto someone else? Especially when it's my own father? But I don't have a choice! If I could, I'd want to be with you myself! But God gave me this broken body, I don't even feel like a real man..." He broke down, sobbing, kneeling on the floor. He crawled towards me, his eyes red, pleading. "Ashley... later, after the baby's born, we can have a good life, okay? If... if you really don't want to... we could just be like... sisters..." 3 After that, I completely lost it. We had a massive fight. I can barely remember exactly what was said, only the overwhelming anger and absurdity of it all. Ignoring Mark's attempts to stop me, I ran out of the house in a daze. Only one thought echoed in my mind: Get away from Mark. Get a divorce. Before the wedding, I'd truly believed Mark was the one I could spend my life with. I never imagined all his patience and tenderness were just an act, a carefully planned conspiracy. Blinded by love, I’d transferred the ownership of two properties my parents gave me as wedding gifts, plus all my dowry assets, into both our names. If we divorced now, there was a good chance all our assets would be split equally. I couldn't let that happen. I wanted to ruin his reputation, leave him with nothing, make him pay for what he did. But before I could even figure out a plan, Mark struck first. He tried to use public pressure to force me back. He knew I cared about my reputation and didn't want to worry my parents. He figured I'd cave under the pressure. After all, I'd always been gentle, understanding, and agreeable around him. Even when we argued, I was usually the first to back down. He assumed I wouldn't have the guts to fight back. I let out a cold laugh. Since Mark was so eager for me to come back and be his family's broodmare, fine. I'd go back. I took leave from work as quickly as I could, ignoring the weird looks from my colleagues, and headed straight to Mark's house. That day, getting into his house was suspiciously easy. The front door, usually locked tight, was wide open. I took a deep breath and pushed it open, only to find— In the small living room, Mark was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through his phone with a smug look. The sunlight glinting off his glasses made him look particularly sinister. And his father... was lying next to him on the sofa, completely naked, except for some carefully wrapped ribbons tied around his body, accentuating the folds of loose skin. Like a "present" waiting to be unwrapped. Hearing me enter, Mark glanced up. Seeing it was me, his eyes lit up. He jumped up, grabbed my sleeve, and pulled me inside. "Ashley, come here! I knew you couldn't stay away from me! I knew you'd come around!" 4 The moment Mark came towards me, a wave of nausea washed over me. I bit down hard on my lip to stop myself from wanting to literally kill him. But outwardly, I let him pull me forward, looking dazed. I didn't struggle, didn't speak. I just kept my eyes lowered meekly, looking like I'd resigned myself to my fate, all my previous defiance gone. Mark chattered non-stop beside me, reminiscing about our "good times," painting rosy pictures of our future. But everything he said revolved around one thing – a baby. "Don't worry, Ashley. Dad's in his seventies now, basically got one foot in the grave. After you have the baby, I'll definitely put him in a nursing home so he won't be in your way. Then it'll just be the three of us..." "I know you've sacrificed so much for me. Just this once! This one last time. After this, I promise I'll treat you and the baby right for the rest of our lives. You know me, I love you so much..." He kept sneaking glances at me, cautiously testing my limits. I listened quietly. After a moment, I interrupted him. "So, Mark... after the baby's born, will it call you Daddy, or... big brother?" Mark froze. His face twisted for a moment, his eyes flashing with sudden cruelty. My question hit a raw nerve, making it impossible for him to keep up the act. Just before he exploded, I suddenly burst into tears, slapping myself frantically. "I love you so much! How could I bear to see your family line end? How could I refuse anything you ask? We've been together for years, Mark, don't you know me by now? How could I ever want to make you sad?" "What hurt me was that you never told me about this! What hurt was the pain of knowing the man I love is pushing me towards someone else! I just couldn't accept it right away, so I said some harsh things. Couldn't you give me even a little time to process?" Hearing this, Mark's anger instantly vanished. His eyes lit up with ecstatic relief. "Ashley, Ashley, you mean..." I clutched my head, mumbling, "I was so desperate back then... because I love you. I love you enough to die for you. I don't want anyone else! But if you need this... I'll do whatever you ask." "These past few days, I've been trying to mentally prepare myself. But Mark... I can't believe you didn't trust me at all. I can't believe you resorted to cyberbullying me just to force me back. Now everyone is..." By the end, I was sobbing hysterically, fighting back disgust as I leaned on Mark's shoulder, pouring out my supposed grievances. All the while, I subtly made it clear I'd agreed to his plan, that I would have the baby for his family, I just needed a little time. To gain his trust and sympathy, I played the part of a slightly unhinged, devoted lover, saying ridiculous things I didn't mean. All to placate him, buy time, and gather evidence for the final blow. Thankfully, my act worked. Mark believed me. He was moved to tears by my performance. He held me tight, comforting me gently. "Ashley, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you. I thought you were still angry with me, so I just... I panicked..." Feeling guilty, he quickly pulled out his phone to appease me. Right in front of me, he deleted his previous post and edited it. "To all the concerned netizens, thank you for your support. My wife and I have worked things out. She's a wonderful person, and I misunderstood her. We're going to build a happy life together and have a beautiful baby soon. We'll send out baby shower invites to everyone then!" After posting, he ignored the online storm brewing and looked at me eagerly, trying to be nice but still with an undercurrent of demand. "Ashley, I'll give you time, but please don't make me wait too long, okay?" I lowered my head to hide the sneer in my eyes, watching his pathetic display without a flicker of emotion. When I looked up again, my face was a mask of tearful gratitude. My voice choked, "Mark, don't worry. I'll start researching everything about getting pregnant right away. I'll do my best to give the Johnson family a healthy baby boy..."
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