My new aroma diffuser was acting up. The mist it puffed out had a faint, milky scent. I complained about it offhandedly, and my husband, Taylor, replied without thinking, “Did you forget to use distilled water? That brand is finicky; it only works with distilled water.” I froze. I’d bought the diffuser in secret, without telling him. How could he know its quirks so precisely? That weekend, I told him I had to work late. Using the GPS tracker in his car, I found my way to a high-end, luxury postnatal care center. I pushed open the door to one of the VIP suites. There, lying in bed, was my own sister, Sara. And on her nightstand was an identical aroma diffuser, puffing out the same milky-scented mist. And my husband, Taylor, was holding a newborn baby, expertly burping it, his eyes filled with a tenderness I’d never seen. 1. “Taylor,” I said, my voice conversational as I leaned against the doorframe of the VIP suite. “You look like a natural holding a baby.” Taylor’s body went rigid. The tiny, wrinkled infant in his arms seemed to sense his tension and let out a soft whimper. In the bed, Sara’s face drained of all color. “Soph… Sophia. What are you doing here?” I ignored her, my gaze locked on Taylor. He turned slowly, forcing a smile that was more painful than a grimace. “Honey… you have to let me explain.” “Explain what?” I walked into the room, the sharp click of my heels echoing on the polished floor. “Explain why you’re here, holding a newborn? Or explain why the mother of this child is my dear sister?” I walked to the bedside and looked at the diffuser on the nightstand, a perfect match to the one in our home. White mist curled into the air, carrying that cloyingly sweet, familiar scent. “Or maybe,” I continued, my voice dangerously soft, “you can explain to me how you know so much about this particular brand of diffuser.” Taylor’s lips trembled, but no words came out. Sara struggled to sit up, tears already streaming down her face like broken pearls. “Sophia, it’s not his fault! It’s all my fault!” she sobbed. “I… I love him! I couldn't help myself!” She cried so beautifully, a portrait of tragic love. What a classic line. Her words seemed to give Taylor courage. He finally found his voice. “Sophia, it’s come to this. I don’t want to hide it from you anymore. I love Sara. We’re in love. This baby is the proof of our love.” I looked at him, and then I laughed. “In love?” I said. “Taylor, you drive the car I bought you, you live in the house I paid for in full, and you draw a handsome salary from my company. And now, you’re standing here, holding the child you had with my sister, telling me you’re in love? Your capacity for love is truly boundless.” My calmness seemed to enrage him. “What would you know about it?” he snarled. “You’re always so high and mighty! Have you ever once cared about me? All you care about is your work, your company! Sara is different. She’s gentle, she’s considerate. She gives a man the respect and admiration he needs! She’s the one who can give me a real home!” I nodded, the smile on my face widening. “Well said. So that’s your excuse for betraying me and knocking up my sister? Taylor, you’re not just a scumbag. You’re a stupid one.” 2. At that, Sara’s sobs grew louder. “Sophia! Don’t talk to him like that! We’re truly in love! Please, I’m begging you, just let us be together!” Let them be together? The sheer shamelessness of it was almost comical. “Sara, how exactly do you propose I do that? Should I hand over my husband, my house, and my money, and then wish you two a long and happy life together? Did you mistake me for a saint?” Taylor carefully placed the baby in the bassinet and stood before me. The panic in his eyes was gone, replaced by the brazen confidence of a man with nothing left to lose. “Sophia, let’s talk,” he said. “Now that you know, there’s no point in making a scene. It’ll just make things uglier for everyone.” “A scene?” I raised an eyebrow. “Am I making a scene? I just came to visit my sister after she’s given birth, and to meet the man she’s so ‘deeply in love’ with.” Taylor’s face darkened. “Sara just had a baby. She’s weak. Don’t upset her. Just name your price. Whatever compensation you want, I’ll give it to you if I can.” I glanced around the opulent VIP suite, which cost tens of thousands a month. I noted the Patek Philippe on Sara’s wrist; I’d seen the six-figure receipt for it. “Compensation? What could you possibly offer me? Taylor, the clothes on your back, the watch on your wrist—which of those did I not give you? Are you planning to compensate me with my own money?” He was speechless. From the bed, Sara piped up. “Sophia, is money really that important? You already have so much. Why can’t you share a little bit of your happiness with me? I was always sick as a child, so Mom and Dad always doted on me more. You’re used to it, aren’t you? This time… just let me have this one. Can’t you?” She said it so naturally, so matter-of-factly. As if it was my birthright to yield to her, to hand over everything I had. Then Taylor spoke, and his words were like a bucket of ice water poured over my head. “Sophia, Sara’s right. Just take pity on us. The child is innocent. If you agree to a divorce and voluntarily waive your claim to our marital assets, I’ll be willing to let this go. We can still be family.” Let this go? Did I hear him correctly? He was the one who cheated, and now he was offering to forgive me? “Taylor, did a horse kick you in the head?” He seemed taken aback by my response. “Sophia, don’t push it! Do you think I’m still the same broke loser I was three years ago? I’ve worked at your company for three years! I’ve earned my keep! Half of those assets are legally mine anyway! I’m only asking you to give up your half. That’s the most generous offer you’re going to get!” I looked at this shameless pair and suddenly felt that getting angry at them was a waste of my life. I took out my phone and calmly made a call. “Dad, Mom. I need you to come to Metropolis General right away. Your wonderful daughter just gave me a nephew.” 3. My parents arrived quickly. When they burst through the door and saw a weakened Sara in the bed and Taylor standing beside her, my mother’s tears started instantly. She rushed over and grabbed Sara’s hand. “Sara! My poor, foolish girl! How could you be so reckless!” My father glared at Taylor, his lips trembling with rage. “Taylor! You animal! How did our family ever wrong you?” Taylor hung his head, adopting the posture of a man ready to accept any punishment. Sara began to sob. “Dad, Mom, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I love him. I truly can’t live without him. Blame me, don’t blame him.” She coughed weakly between sobs, looking as if she might faint at any moment. My mother’s heart immediately went out to her. She turned and glared at me. “Sophia! What are you just standing there for? Look at the state your sister is in! Are you trying to kill her with stress?” I watched this farce with cold eyes. “Mom, let’s be clear. I’m the one who was cheated on, not her. What does she have to be upset about? She’s the winner here.” “You!” my mother sputtered, pointing at me. “How can you talk to your sister like that? She’s your own flesh and blood! Can’t you just give in to her for once? The baby is already here, what more do you want?” My father sighed, his tone softening. “Sophia, your mother is right. What’s done is done. We need to find a solution. Taylor made a mistake, but for the baby’s sake…” I cut him off. “Dad, are you asking me to be the fool who pays for all of this? To accept my husband’s and my sister’s betrayal, and then raise their child? All because Sara has been weak and whiny since she was a child, so the entire world has to bow to her every whim?” A flicker of embarrassment crossed my father’s face. “That’s not what I meant…” “Then what did you mean?” Just then, Taylor spoke up. “Dad, Mom, don’t blame Sophia. This is mostly my fault.” With a thud, he dropped to his knees before my parents. “I’m not human! I betrayed your trust, and I betrayed Sophia! But my feelings for Sara are real! I beg you, please, let us be together!” That one move completely turned the tide. My mother rushed to help him up. “Oh, you silly boy, get up! The floor is cold!” She wiped her tears and looked at me, her eyes pleading. “Sophia, look, Taylor is already so remorseful. Men… they all have their moments of weakness. Can’t you just forgive him this one time? For the sake of a happy, peaceful family?” A happy family? I looked at the three of them—Taylor, Sara, and my mother—and the irony was suffocating. In their eyes, I was the outsider. Taylor and Sara exchanged a quick, triumphant glance. They knew they had won. As long as my biased parents were on their side, I could never win against them. Looking at them, the last shred of hope I had for this family withered and died. 4. Seeing that my parents were now firmly in his camp, Taylor grew bolder. He cleared his throat and revealed their true objective. “Dad, Mom, Sara and I have talked about this. We’re not asking for much. We just hope that Sophia, for the baby’s sake, can help us out.” My mother immediately took the bait. “How? Just tell us! We’ll do whatever we can!” “Sophia holds thirty percent of the company’s shares in her name, right?” Taylor’s eyes glinted with greed. “We were hoping… she could transfer those shares to the baby’s name. As a… gift for her nephew.” “What?” Even my father was shocked. “Thirty percent? Taylor, are you insane? That’s nearly half the company’s assets!” “Dad, how is that insane?” Sara said, her voice frail. “I’m thinking of Sophia’s well-being. It must be so exhausting for a woman to run such a big company all by herself. If Taylor manages the shares for her, she’ll have so much more free time to enjoy her life.” “Exactly, Dad,” Taylor chimed in. “And this is for the good of the family. I’ll run the company well. I guarantee I’ll take it to the next level!” They were a well-rehearsed duo, acting as if my shares were already theirs. My mother was actually hesitating, as if seriously considering their proposal. “Sophia, what do you think…” I looked at the faces of the people who were supposed to be my family—their greed, their bias, their foolishness all on clear display. And I laughed. Not a cold smirk or a scornful chuckle, but a genuine, heartfelt, liberating laugh. They were all stunned into silence. “What are you laughing at?” Taylor frowned. I stopped laughing and glanced at the time on my phone. Then I looked up at them and began to count down slowly. “Three.” “Two.” “One.” As the word left my lips, the suite door was thrown open. Several uniformed police officers and my lawyer, Miles Vance, strode into the room.
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