My Husband’s Lingering Obsession

My husband died, but his voice didn’t. It started echoing in my head. As I checked our bank account, he was gloating. Heh. She’ll never guess I was reborn inside her own womb. She wants my money? Dream on. I already transferred the cash and the house to Claire! And I was smart enough to get a DNA test done with Claire’s kid. All she has to do is open my safe deposit box at the bank. The test will prove the kid is mine and entitle her to half my estate. Then, when Sophia is giving birth to me, I’ll find a way to make sure she dies in childbirth. The rest of the money will come right back to me! I’ll give it all to Claire, and our little family of three can finally be together!

1 When my husband, Marcus, died in an accident, I was so wracked with grief at the funeral that I collapsed. After being rushed to the hospital, the doctor wouldn’t let me leave. “You’re pregnant. Didn’t you know?” she asked gently. “This level of stress is dangerous. If you want to keep this baby, you need to stay here on bed rest. Your pregnancy is extremely unstable right now.” I clutched my stomach in shock. Before I could even process the news, my mother-in-law was grabbing my hand, her face streaked with tears. “Sophia, that baby is all we have left of our son. I’m begging you, you have to have this child.” “You just focus on giving birth,” she pleaded. “We’ll raise the baby for you. Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter, they’ll be the light of our lives. Please, Sophia. This is your mother asking you.” A storm of joy and sorrow washed over me. This was the last gift Marcus had left me. In a rush of emotion, I agreed. But raising a child alone is expensive. A week later, I was discharged. The first thing I did when I got home was check our bank accounts. My husband had earned a good salary for years; there should have been more than enough to raise our child. But when I saw the balance, I had to rub my eyes in disbelief. “How is there only three thousand dollars?” My hand trembled as I scoured Marcus’s phone, checking every app, every account. All told, it was less than five thousand. I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. I had no idea what had happened, when suddenly, I heard Marcus’s sly voice in my head. Heh. She’ll never guess I transferred the cash and the house to Claire! My body went rigid. Claire was with me for six years, never asking for money or a title. I couldn’t let her down. Thank god I got all my affairs in order. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to rest in peace. The condo at The Crestwood is prime real estate. After buying it for her, there was just enough left over to give her a nice little nest egg. I slowly lowered my head, my gaze falling to my own stomach. The voice was coming from inside me. Could it be? Had he been reincarnated… in my womb? To test this insane theory, I spoke aloud, my words a deliberate probe. “Marcus made fifteen thousand a month, and I make ten. We should have had at least three hundred thousand in savings. For there to be this little… did he cheat on me?” ! How did she guess so fast? I was so careful! She never suspected a thing! My heart sank into a pit of ice. I had to accept the horrifying truth. My husband of six years had been cheating on me. Based on what he said, the affair started almost as soon as we were married. And I was actually planning on carrying his child to term. What a fool I’d been. Once I calmed down, it didn’t take long to find the digital breadcrumbs on his phone. The woman, Claire, was his mentee at work. She had even been to our house for dinner more than once. They had been carrying on right under my nose. And now, the bastard had been reborn inside me. The thought was so revolting I had to run to the bathroom and empty my stomach into the toilet. Ugh, morning sickness. But it doesn’t matter how sick she gets. She’ll have me. She’s always been so devoted to me. Rage and grief churned inside me. I grabbed my coat, my keys, and drove straight to The Crestwood. On the way, I called my lawyer and had him pull every single one of Marcus’s bank statements. He thought he had everything arranged for his little mistress? Whatever he arranged, I was going to tear it all down.

2 The closer I got to The Crestwood, the more agitated Marcus’s voice became. She’s broke. What is she doing here? Did she find out something? But I hid it so well! Stay calm, stay calm. Sophia’s not smart enough to figure this out. She can’t do anything. I slapped my stomach, hard, and slammed my foot on the gas. At the complex, I went straight to Claire Han’s apartment. When she opened the door and saw me, a flicker of panic crossed her face before being quickly suppressed. “Mrs. Kane? What… what are you doing here?” I ignored her, walking past her and taking in the apartment. It was easy to see she wasn’t spending her own money. From the expensive flooring to the designer furniture, everything was top-of-the-line. The sofa in the living room was the exact model I had wanted when we got married, the one Marcus had refused to buy, saying it was too extravagant. And here it was. In his mistress’s home. I started toward the master bedroom, but Claire grabbed my arm and steered me back to the living room. “Mrs. Kane…” she said, cautiously pouring me a glass of water. “I know you’re grieving. Maybe we could go for a walk? Get some fresh air?” Damn it, this is all my fault. If I could have just given Claire the status she deserved, she wouldn’t have to be so timid in front of this bitch. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I decided to cut the crap. “Claire, as I recall, your salary is about three thousand dollars a month. A place here costs a fortune.” “Did you buy this apartment yourself?” “Yes!” She was clearly lying through her teeth, so desperate to quell my suspicions that she rushed to get the deed before I could say another word. “See? It’s my house. My name is on the deed, Mrs. Kane.” I let out a cold laugh and slapped the document down on the coffee table. “Your name on the deed doesn’t mean you paid for it.” She froze, staring at me for a moment before a smirk spread across her face. “What’s this? Coming here to pick a fight? You’re a little late, aren’t you? Your husband is a pile of ash. Dead men tell no tales.” I watched her, my expression unreadable. “Claire, I remember the first time we met. You were just a girl from some small town in the mountains, so clueless you didn’t even know how to use an automatic faucet.” “Marcus took good care of you these past six years, didn’t he? Better than your own parents, I’d bet.” Sophia! You sharp-tongued bitch, what are you saying! Claire is just an innocent kid! Why does a bitter widow like you have to bully a young girl? My gaze grew colder, and Claire’s face flushed with anger. But she stuck to her story. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Stop making baseless accusations.” “Coming all the way here to harass me… don’t think I won’t call the police and have you arrested!” That’s right! Stick to that story! I’m dead now. She has no proof! I smiled. Those two traitors really were on the same wavelength. I pulled out the bank statements my lawyer had prepared, a detailed record of Marcus’s finances for the past six years. “You think I have no recourse just because you deny it? You keep saying this is your house. Then maybe you can explain this transfer of five hundred thousand dollars from Marcus’s account to the property developer?” Seeing the evidence in my hands, Claire finally broke. “Mrs. Kane, Marcus just felt sorry for me and my daughter! We had nowhere to live! He let us stay here, he said the house was ours! It was his dying wish! You can’t kick us out!” “And besides,” she added, “his parents know all about this.” What? Marcus’s parents knew he was cheating and approved of him buying a house for his mistress? “I’ll… I’ll call them right now! You have no right to make this decision!”

3 Less than half an hour later, Marcus’s parents arrived. They exchanged a look, and then, as if they’d planned it, they each grabbed one of my arms and started pulling me toward the door. “Sophia, we knew about this. Just drop it,” my father-in-law said. “Your only job right now is to take care of yourself and give our family a grandson. Don’t worry about anything else, you hear me?” my mother-in-law added. The absurdity of it all made me laugh. This family of self-righteous hypocrites was disgusting. “Let go of me, or I’m getting rid of this baby.” That made them release me. My mother-in-law adopted a patronizing tone. “Sophia, dear, we paid for this house. We just saw how hard it was for them, a mother and daughter all alone. Don’t overthink it.” “Marcus was Claire’s mentor. Isn’t it natural for him to help his mentee with her living situation?” I turned to Claire and gave her my ultimatum. “You have three days to return the five hundred thousand dollars for the house, plus the other eighty thousand he transferred to you over the years. Or I’ll see you in court.” His parents immediately jumped to her defense. “Sophia, you come back here! Our son gave her that house, it has nothing to do with you! What right do you have to take it back?” “Just because our son is dead, you think you can call the shots? Don’t think that baby in your belly makes you the queen!” My voice was calm as I delivered the final blow. “I have proof that Marcus was having an affair with Claire Han.” “Every penny Marcus spent on her was marital property. Do you think I can’t get it back?” “Claire,” I said, my eyes locking onto hers, “surely you know the basics. The law doesn’t protect mistresses.” Claire’s face was pale as she bit her lip, unable to say a word. I turned and walked away, leaving Marcus screaming in my head. I really underestimated this bitch! God damn it, just wait until I’m born! I’ll make you pay! Vile whore! I make good money, what’s wrong with supporting another woman? Every man cheats! You take back the house and make Claire and our daughter sleep on the street? You’re a monster! I ignored him and kept walking. As I got in my car, Marcus suddenly let out a sigh of relief. Good thing I already got that DNA test done with Claire’s kid. All she has to do is open my safe deposit box. The test will prove the kid is mine and entitle her to half my estate. Even if she takes the house and the money, Claire and our daughter will be fine. My hand froze on the ignition. The tears I had been holding back finally fell. No wonder his parents defended her. Her daughter was Marcus’s. And the cruelest joke of all? I’m a senior obstetrician at the local hospital. I was the one who delivered Claire’s daughter. Those two bastards deserved to burn in hell.

4 See? She’s crying. Still heartbroken over me. I knew she was just putting on a brave face. All this drama is just because she loves me too much. But it can’t be helped. The only person I’ll ever love is Claire. The way she looks at me with those innocent, adoring eyes… I can’t resist it. It’s a look Sophia could never learn. I wiped my tears away, my face twisting in disgust. Marcus’s nauseating monologue snapped me out of my grief. I drove home and immediately found our marriage certificate. Then, I said aloud, “Marcus was always so sneaky. I wonder what he might have hidden in a bank…” AHHHH! How did she guess again?! I left so little for Claire! Is she going to take it all? How can Sophia be so conniving? Claire, forget the house! Just go to the bank, get the DNA test from the safe deposit box! At least you can get half the estate for our daughter! I’ll find a way to get the rest back for you after I’m born! Hearing the panic in his voice, like an ant on a hot pan, lifted my spirits considerably. At the bank, I used Marcus’s death certificate and our marriage certificate to open his safe deposit box. I had prepared myself, but the sight of that DNA test result still stung. Sophia! You destroy that test and I swear to god I will kill you! The creature inside me was throwing a powerless tantrum. I deliberately held the paper near my belly… “If I tear this up, there will be no one left in the world who can prove the connection between Claire’s daughter and Marcus, right?” Nooo, that’s the only proof! Don’t tear it! I’ll kick you to death! I swear I’ll break your ribs! How pathetic. A fetus was threatening me? Right in front of him, I slowly tore the paper into tiny pieces. Then I took out a lighter and burned them to ash. “Don’t worry, Marcus,” I said calmly. “I won’t let your mistress get a single penny.” “And another thing. Why should a mistress and an illegitimate child get to live their lives out in the open?” What… what is she planning to do? Using Marcus’s work account, I forwarded proof of his affair with Claire to every single one of his colleagues. Then I went to the parent group for Claire’s daughter’s school and exposed her mother as a homewrecker. Soon, my phone was blowing up with calls from Claire. “Sophia, I know you hate me! Take it out on me, but my daughter is innocent! What kind of person hurts a child?” “You push me too far, and I swear I will drag you down with me!” My reply was ice-cold. “Your daughter’s private kindergarten costs over twenty thousand a year. My husband’s salary paid for that. You still think she’s innocent?” Claire treated her daughter like the most precious thing in the world. But did she know that when she was pregnant, I was pregnant too? Marcus had claimed to be child-free, that he hated kids. He threatened to divorce me unless I terminated the pregnancy. It turned out he just hated my child. Claire was screaming on the other end of the line. “Marcus gave me that money! It’s your own damn fault you couldn’t keep your man!” “How is my daughter supposed to show her face at school now?!” I scoffed. “You should have thought of that when you were sleeping with another woman’s husband.” “Claire, if you don’t return the money in three days, your daughter won’t just have trouble showing her face. Her only remaining legal guardian will be in jail.” Claire was hysterical, but Marcus had suddenly gone quiet. It’s fine. I pretended to be a loving husband to Sophia for years. She’ll definitely give birth to me. All I have to do is make sure she dies in childbirth, and all the assets will come back to me, the sole heir! Then I’ll arrange for Claire to adopt me, and our family can finally be together again! He must be out of options now. A small smile played on my lips as I drove to the hospital. I walked to the registration desk, my smile widening, and said the one sentence that would drive Marcus insane. “I’m here for an abortion.”