Pregnant with a Dead Man’s Child

My coworker, Sienna, saw me pull up in a luxury car and asked, her voice laced with envy, Roxanne, did you buy this car yourself?

Remembering my dad's advice to keep a low profile, I answered casually, It's my husband's.

Three months later, she showed up with a group of people and sued me.

I was completely bewildered, but she was crying like she was the most wronged person in the world.

"It was Roxanne's husband who assaulted me. I went to her house to drop off a file, but she wasn't home. Her husband saw me, got ideas, and forced himself on me."

"I'm pregnant with his child! I demand they take responsibility! Otherwise, I'm suing them both for marriage fraud!"

She demanded five million dollars in compensation and half of my assets.

A tidal wave of condemnation washed over me, but I remained calm, a smirk playing on my lips as I watched her performance.

She had no idea that I'd been single for five years. I did have a husband once.

But he died five years ago.

"You just said you're pregnant with my husband's child. Are you sure about that?"

In the courtroom, I looked calmly at Sienna, a woman I had worked with for three years.

She had always been overly friendly, fawning over my clothes and accessories. She'd complimented a bracelet I was wearing, so I gave it to her. She was always trying to get me to buy her coffee, and I never made a big deal out of it.

But I never could have imagined that she would show up three months pregnant, her belly slightly rounded, and accuse my husband of assaulting her in front of a judge.

Sienna lifted her chin, her voice firm. "Of course, I'm sure!"

"Roxanne, out of respect for our time as colleagues, I wanted to handle this privately, but you refuse to admit it."

"I had no choice but to take legal action. Now, in front of the judge, you might as well tell the truth."

Sienna's mother glared at me, her face contorted with rage.

"You're Roxanne, right?"

"Your monster of a husband committed this crime, but he doesn't even have the guts to show his face in court?"

"If he hadn't defiled my daughter, she would still be an innocent young woman! How could she possibly be pregnant?"

"I suggest you bring him here right now. It doesn't matter where you hide him; a scumbag like that deserves the death penalty!"

The mother-daughter duo put on a dramatic performance, their voices loud and accusatory.

I could barely watch. I shook my head in exasperation.

"I think you've got the wrong person. Instead of wasting your time with me, you should be out looking for the real perpetrator."

"I'll say it again: my husband would never do something like that."

My words were like a lit match to gasoline. Sienna's mother exploded.

"How can you be so sure he wouldn't? My daughter is young and beautiful; men can't take their eyes off her. I bet your husband is no saint."

"If she hadn't gone to your house to deliver that file, she wouldn't have been subjected to such a brutal attack!"

"The way you're defending him... maybe you two planned this together, to lure an innocent young girl into a trap!"

Sienna's mother started to dab at her eyes, her gaze falling on her daughter's swollen belly as she wailed to the heavens.

"My poor daughter! You just graduated a few years ago. You had your whole life ahead of you, and now it's been ruined by that monster!"

Her cries were so heart-wrenching that the jury and the coworkers who had come to watch started to look at me with disdain.

"The victim is on the verge of a breakdown, and you're just sitting there, unmoved."

"Rich women are all heartless bitches."

"I bet she's covering for her husband. Maybe they even planned the whole thing together!"

Seeing the tide of sympathy turn in her favor, Sienna played her part to perfection. Her eyes were red and swollen as she looked at me with a pitiful expression.

"Roxanne, it was your husband. Why won't you admit it?"

"Because of his selfish desires, my life is ruined. I can't get married, and now I'm pregnant. The doctor said if I have an abortion, I might never be able to have children!"

"My demands aren't unreasonable. Just five million dollars for emotional distress and a share of your assets. After all, I'm carrying your husband's child."

"Your family is well-off. Can't you spare that much?"

A smirk played on my lips. "There it is. The real you is finally showing."

"This has always been about money, hasn't it? Just pin a crime on me that's impossible to disprove."

"Sienna, you're more cunning than I gave you credit for."

My words hit their mark. A flicker of panic crossed her face, but she quickly masked it.

"I am the victim here! Am I not allowed to seek justice for myself?"

"Roxanne, how can you be so cruel? Do you have any conscience at all?"

"If you're just going to slander me like this, I might as well just end it all right here"

Sienna made a show of trying to run headfirst into a wall, thrashing about until her mother and a few jurors managed to restrain her.

Everyone rushed to comfort her.

"Miss Vance, please, don't be rash. Now that you're in court, we will ensure that justice is served."

Then, they shot me a cold glare.

"People like her, who enable monsters, will get what they deserve."

Just then, the judge banged the gavel.

"Order! Since the two parties cannot reach an agreement, you will each present your evidence."

Sienna wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and began her story.

"That night, I saw that Roxanne had left a file at her desk. It was urgent for the next day. I somehow found her address and went to deliver it. As I was getting into the elevator, I saw her husband coming out of apartment 302. He looked me over and asked if I was Roxanne's colleague. I said yes."

"He nodded and said that Roxanne wasn't home, and that I should wait for her in the car. But then"

Sienna started to sob again.

"The moment I got in the car, he locked the doors. Then he started touching me, tearing my clothes... I struggled, but after he was done, he just patted my shoulder and said he would be seeing me often. He even asked if I wanted to be his mistress."

"And then?" someone from the gallery asked, completely engrossed.

"Of course I said no! I pushed him away and ran."

"But after that, he started stalking me."

"He cornered me downstairs from the office and forced me to go to a hotel with him several times. He threatened to post my pictures and videos in the company group chat if I didn't comply, so I had to agree."

"I've been trying to break it off with him, but then... I found out I was pregnant."

"I went to him to take responsibility, but he blocked me and pretended he didn't know me. Who else am I supposed to turn to?"

All eyes were on me, filled with a mixture of anger and disgust, as if they wanted to tear me apart.

"Roxanne, do you have anything to say?"

I shook my head, a cold smile on my face.

"This is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous."

"If that man was really my husband, why would he ask a colleague to wait in the car instead of inviting them inside?"

Sienna's face paled slightly. "How should I know? Maybe your husband had sinister intentions from the start!"

"He locked the car doors. I couldn't escape."

Something still felt off.

"You're just spinning a tale with no proof. Where's your evidence?"

Sienna's voice was defiant. "I have it!"

She produced a surveillance video.

It showed her arriving at the entrance to my apartment complex. It's an upscale building, so she loitered outside for a while.

Then, a man with his back to the camera emerged from my building.

Sienna approached him, and they started talking. The video cut off there.

"See? He was right outside your building. It was obviously your husband!"

My expression turned serious.

Apartment 302, Brighton Towers. I had randomly put down that address when the company was collecting employee information. But I live in a villa and rarely go to that apartment.

I never thought she would dig that up.

And the man... his back did look vaguely familiar.

Still, I shook my head.

"Impossible. I almost never stay at that apartment. How could a husband of mine just suddenly appear there? I suggest you tell the truth in front of the judge. Otherwise, I will be suing you for defamation."

Sienna's face contorted with a mixture of anger and fear. She was clearly shaken.

Her lawyer whispered something to her, and her confidence seemed to return.

"Don't try to turn this around on me!"

"Your husband assaulted me and got me pregnant! I have proof!"

"I even heard him take a phone call. It was your voice on the other end. He called you 'honey.' Don't deny it!"

I was completely baffled. Could there really be someone out there impersonating my husband and deceiving Sienna?

"That's impossible. Describe the man to me. What were his distinguishing features?"

Sienna sneered. "Stop pretending, Roxanne."

"I know your husband. His name is Peter Hayes!"

The name dropped like a stone, and a wave of amusement washed over me.

"Say his name again?"

Suddenly, this whole situation had become very interesting.