Never Having Love Fall

My wife hid the fact that she was carrying another man’s baby. She told me the truth only after she gave birth. I did not get angry. I even agreed to let her lover move into our home. Then, one day, she found a photograph in my bedroom. The moment she saw it, she fell apart. Chapter 1 After my wife, Selina Drabowski, gave birth to our baby, she told me she had a surprise for me. I opened the door, thrilled to see her, only to find her nestled happily in Roy Sollett’s arms. “Roy and the baby will be living with us from now on. You worship the ground I walk on, so you can do the same for him. You’ll take good care of our baby, won’t you?” Holding Roy’s hand, she looked at me with open contempt. Roy deliberately pulled the newborn baby closer to make sure I saw the ring on his finger. “Don’t misunderstand us, Cameron. This baby was through IVF, too.” I glanced at his ring and offered a flat smile. “Whatever makes you two happy.” Selina threw her glass at me. “What’s with the attitude, Cameron? It’s done. What do you want me to do about it?” I paid them no further attention and turned to walk away. Selina settled back into Roy’s arms. Her voice dripped with contempt as she said, “Ignore him. He just wants more money. That’s why he married into my family in the first place.” Then, my phone pinged with a notification. A million dollars had just been deposited into my account. I heard her mocking voice behind me again. “I’ve sent you the money. Now, go make dinner for Roy and me. He loves your chicken soup, so make sure you get it right.” I turned around and saw her playing with the baby she had just had with Roy. The three of them looked like a happy little family. Roy kept his eyes on me. When he caught me looking, he broke into a smug grin. “If the gentleman of the house would rather I leave, I can go.” Selina scoffed and said, “Gentleman of the house? Please! His mother was a showgirl. You’re kind to call him that. Most people wouldn’t spare him a second glance. “Forget about him! Take a picture of the baby and me. I think he just smiled at me!” Behind them, our nanny, Judith Clay, paced the room with Tommy Lane, the baby Selina and I had together, in her arms. “Ma’am, Tommy’s hungry. Could you…” Selina did not even turn around. “Just feed him then! I told you to keep the formula ready.” Before she even finished speaking, she lifted her shirt and began nursing Roy’s baby herself. She had given birth to both children, but she showed Roy’s baby far more affection than she showed mine. I was not surprised, but it left a dull ache in my chest. Before I could dwell on it, Judith turned to me with a helpless look. “Sir, Tommy won’t take the formula. He’s been hungry and crying since birth. I’m worried about what will happen if he doesn’t get fed soon.” Selina cut in with a sneer, “Why should I nurse him? His father was born out of wedlock. I never wanted his baby. “A certain someone pulled every trick in the book to get me pregnant with his child. If he won’t take formula, let him go hungry.” She shot me a contemptuous look. “Let’s see if he inherited his father’s talent for groveling.” She was talking about me. She accused me of pulling every trick in the book to get her pregnant. I said nothing. I took Tommy into my arms and smiled at him. Chapter 2 I had married Selina and moved into her family home. I had beaten out every other suitor by groveling harder than any of them, earning myself a place in the Drabowski family. Nolan Drabowski, the family patriarch, had promised me that if Selina had a baby within three years and made him a great-grandfather, he would give me the one thing I wanted the most. So, I spent every day at Selina’s beck and call, finding new ways to please her. She thought I was beneath her. I checked every box that mattered to Nolan. Under his pressure, she broke things off with the man she loved and married me instead. That man was Roy. Our eyes met again. I caught the mockery in his expression. He mouthed, “You lost. Badly.” I blinked and smiled. Before I could respond, Selina turned to look at me. “I already paid you. Why are you still standing there? Go make Roy his dinner.” I glanced at Tommy, who was still crying, and called Nolan. “Nolan…” Selina snatched the phone from my hand and glared at me. “Do you have to run to Grandpa and tell on me every time?” “I’m not calling Nolan to tell on you.” I had been about to tell him that our bet was over. The deadline had passed. He had lost. Selina did not need to know that. Even at this time, she held Roy’s baby protectively against her. I stepped around her and walked to the front door with Tommy in my arms. He was so hungry that he kept sucking on his tiny fingers. “There’s nothing I need to take with me. If my things are in your way, have someone throw them out.” She hurried after me. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I looked back and caught the panic in her eyes. I smiled and said, “You’re getting what you want. I’m divorcing you.” She said, “I never said I wanted a divorce.” Her words did not change my mind. I turned away and kept walking. Roy knocked on my door that night. “Surprised to see me, Cameron? Rose never loved you, and Selina couldn’t care less about you. You’re going to spend your whole life in my shadow.” I knew that look of contempt. Selina looked at me the same way. They were both so sure of the fact that they could treat me however they pleased. I caught a brief flash of jealousy in Roy’s eyes but gave nothing away. I calmly refilled his cup. “So?” “So?” He broke into a grin. “Just watch. I’ll make Selina leave you in the same way I won Rose over. You’ll never even get the women I toss aside.” Selina called just then. “Honey, where are you? I’ll come to you.” I told her the truth. “I’m with Roy.” The moment she heard his name, her tone changed. “If you hurt Roy, I swear you’ll regret it!” I had not hurt Roy, but that had never stopped her from hurting me. Roy said loudly, “Don’t worry! He can’t do anything to me!” Less than half an hour later, Selina showed up at my place. She slapped me twice. Her eyes blazed in anger. “How many times do I have to tell you? Roy is the one person you can’t mess with!” I gave her a flat smile. “Did you even ask if I invited Roy over, or if he came here on his own?” She froze, then looked at Roy. Roy blinked at her innocently. “I did come here on my own.” For a moment, Selina had no answer. Her expression shifted. Then, she drew herself up again. “So? What does it matter if Roy came to see you? You still need to keep your distance and know your place.” “Where exactly is my place?” I asked. She scoffed. “Treat Roy the way you’ve always treated me.” “The way I treated you?” I smiled slightly. “I see.” Chapter 3 The next day, I sent Nolan everything I had on Roy. “This is the man who caused Rose to lose control and plunge into the sea.” Nolan did not reply. I left it at that. I turned to Selina, who had shown up at my door again. Only one night had passed, but her attitude had softened considerably. “All I did was have a baby with Roy. I’m his child’s biological mother, that’s all. You know how picky Roy is. He didn’t want anyone else to have his baby, and I was the only woman he’d consider. How could I say no?” She watched my face as she tried to reason with me. She looked sincere. “Anyway, enough about Roy. Let’s talk about us. After all these years, I can’t imagine my life without you. What I feel for you is different from what I feel for Roy. You don’t need to compare yourself to him.” I laughed. She acted as though there had ever been any love between us. She looked almost desperate. I shook my head. “I’ll have the divorce papers ready in three days.” She threw herself into my arms and held on tight. “I love you, Cameron. I’ve had feelings for you, just like I have for Roy. Please don’t make me choose.” For the first time, she leaned in to kiss me. Her dark lashes fluttered as she drew closer. I made no move to stop her. Then, just before our lips touched, I pushed her away. “Selina, you really are awful sometimes.” She dropped the vulnerable act. Her expression was icy and calm. “Admit it, Cameron. You still want to be my lapdog.” I nodded. “I do. But I’m not going to be one anymore.” No matter how much she looked like Rose, she was not Rose. My Rose would never have tried to have it both ways. Selina saw my attention drift. She shifted onto my lap and straddled me. Then, she leaned in. This time, I did not pull away. We both knew I could never resist her when she did that. Rose used to do the same thing before she fell into a coma. When I woke up, it was the early hours of the morning. The spot where Selina had curled up beside me was cold. I got up to check on Tommy and found her standing in the nursery. She was on the phone with Roy. “Relax! Nothing happened between us. If I could’ve slept with him, why would I have needed IVF to have his baby?” I could not hear Roy’s response, but Selina laughed. “You know he’ll do anything for me. I don’t have to sleep with him to get what I want. Just wait. He’ll hand over his son’s liver for our boy.” I sneered. So that was why she had come to see me. When I had begged her to go through IVF, I had said, “Once we have a baby, I’ll agree to whatever you want.” She hesitated, then frowned. “Do you want a baby that badly?” I nodded without hesitation. Her expression had turned serious. “All right. I promise I’ll help you protect the baby too.” She had promised me she would never hurt our child. Yet at Roy’s request, she decided his fate as though it meant nothing. She had forgotten her promise to me. I refused to accept it. I would never let it happen. As I backed away and returned to the bedroom, I sent the nursery’s camera footage and Tommy’s photo to Nolan. [Tommy looks a lot like Rose.] The next day, Nolan took Selina and me to Rose’s hospital room. Roy was there too. “Grandpa, what’s going on?” When Selina saw Rose’s face, she was shocked. “Who is she? Why does she look so much like me?” At Nolan’s prompting glance, I said, “She’s your older half-sister. You have the same father. She’s the woman Roy and I both fell in love with.”