My Secret Sugar Daddy is Actually My Father

The ninety-ninth time my husband, Brad, publicly shamed mefor not having King Crab on the New Years Eve table, of coursewhile clutching his wallet like a pearl, I did the only thing a woman in my position could: I found a Sugar Daddy. A real one.

This new benefactor was lavish.

Five thousand dollars just to go shopping, ten thousand to catch a movie.

When we hit the department store, the black card was limitless. He bought me a gold bangle worth fifty grand without a second thought, and he immediately paid for the expensive interest class my daughter had been dreaming of.

This year, I bought my daughter a full set of designer New Years clothes early. Fresh oyster, lobster, and King Crab packed our refrigerator until it groaned.

Brad finally lost it, his voice shrill and hysterical.

I only give you this paltry little allowance! Where the hell did you get all this stuff?

I fought the cold, internal laugh threatening to spill out. So, he does know its just a paltry little allowance.

1.

It was all on sale at the market, I answered vaguely, turning to take the new outfits Id bought for our daughter into the bedroom.

When I came back out, Brads face was ashen. He was holding a crumpled shopping receipt for eighteen hundred and eighty dollarsa smoking gunand he threw it at my face. The sharp edge of the paper nearly drew blood.

Sophia! You spent almost two grand on seafood! That pathetic King Crab alone was over three hundred bucks!

Youre a stay-at-home mom, someone nobody would even hire to pick up trash! Where did you get this kind of money?

I stared at Brad and innocently blinked twice. I saved it. I saved it from the allowance you gave me.

Didnt you give me eight hundred dollars every month?

Other than groceries, cooking, and paying the utilities, I dont have many expenses.

I saved up quite a bit over the year!

Thats bulls---! Brad yanked at his own hair in a fit of rage. I gave you eight hundred, not eighty thousand! Do you think everyone is as stupid as you are?

Watching the spectacle, I almost felt a strange urge to smile.

Brad, who earns two thousand a month, was terrified that my years as a stay-at-home mom would instill bad habits, so he limited my monthly allowance to $800. This money had to cover all of my and our daughters expenses, plus the utility bills.

I had to sneak out every day to work side jobs at the farmers market just to keep the household barely afloat.

Last New Years Eve, I worked for half a month straight at the butchers stall just to save enough for a halfway decent dinner.

But when Brad saw the table, his face instantly darkened.

Honey, in this day and age, what family doesnt have a King Crab on the New Years table? hed said.

I give you such a generous allowance; cant you be a little more frugal?

My parents dont live with us; this one meal is your only chance to show filial piety. Shouldnt you try harder?

Id cried on the spot, grabbing my hair hysterically. You gave me eight hundred dollars, not eighty thousand! You know damn well if I can afford a King Crab!

I never thought that in just one short year, that exact line would be coming out of his mouth.

2.

Brad clearly didnt believe my explanation.

While I was in the kitchen washing cherries for our daughter, he pulled out every single savings book and bank card he owned, calling the banks one by one.

Hello, yes! I need to check all the transactions on this account for the past six months!

Are you sure all deposits and withdrawals were made by me alone?

Theres no chance my wife took our marriage certificate and withdrew any money, is there?

Brad was spitting mad as he spoke into the phone, determined to find evidence that I had stolen from his accounts.

I remember when we first married, Brad handed over his salary every month. At the time, I earned five times what he did, and I managed all the household finances.

But when I was forced to quit my job and stay home because of our daughters congenital respiratory condition, Brad, under the guise of paying for medical expenses, took all the money I had.

From that day on, my savings became his savings. His accounts were walled off from me; I couldnt spend a cent without his permission.

When I was the breadwinner, Brad would hand over a small part of his salary while demanding I buy him five-hundred-dollar leather shoes.

When the tables turned, he claimed I was too extravagant, arguing that a monthly $800 allowance was necessary to keep me in check.

Brad spent over an hour on the phone. After confirming that not a single penny was missing from his accounts, he took a deep breath, his face cold, and stood before me.

Sophia, tell me the truth. Are you cheating on me?

Just as Brad asked this, I got a message from my Sugar Daddy. He told me to rest well over the holiday and that hed spend time with me after he got back from Miami. I immediately sent back a perfectly sweet emoji.

Instantly, another five thousand dollars transferred into my account.

My Sugar Daddy truly was the best; he just throws money at me without asking.

Sophia! Im talking to you! Are you deaf?

I was in a great mood thanks to the five grand. I kept the smile on my face when responding to Brads interrogation.

Honey, dont be ridiculous. Im a useless old housewife. Who would look twice at me?

Why would a rich CEO ignore all the young, beautiful girls and throw money at me?

Brad suddenly thought of something. He rushed into the bedroom and grabbed the entire set of luxury cosmetics from my vanity.

No! This is all wrong! You never used to wear makeup, Sophia!

Look at you now, painted up like a ghost! Do you look like a decent wife or mother at all?

I tilted my head, checking my reflection in the TVs dark screen. Full lips, bright eyes, every strand of hair perfectly styled.

I didnt know if I looked like a decent wife, but I was certainly prettier than I was two years ago, sitting alone and disheveled in the childrens ER while our daughter was on an IV.

Honey, didnt you say that even as a stay-at-home mom, I should keep myself up to please you?

If you dont like it, I wont wear it anymore.

My consistent, lukewarm attitude finally broke Brad. He slammed the pile of expensive cosmetics hed just retrieved onto the floor.

Sophia! You tell me the truth! If you dont explain yourself, Im divorcing you immediately!

3.

Divorce. Thats wonderful.

Id endured months of this, and Id finally gotten Brad to propose divorce.

Honestly, I wanted to divorce Brad the very first day I met my Sugar Daddy. But he advised me that it was best if Brad initiated the divorce. That way, he would have no leverage over me regarding the dissolution of the marriage.

I hadnt even gotten the chance to say yes when my mother-in-laws call came through.

I had no interest in hearing Brads conversation with his mother, so I turned and went into the room to comfort our daughter. Brads tantrum was loud, and I was worried about scaring her, as shed just fallen asleep.

A few moments later, Brad hung up and came in. His face was still sour, but his tone had softened slightly.

Mom said my Aunt and Uncle are coming back from Florida this year, and theyre all coming here for New Years.

You need to prepare properly these next few days. Dont let the New Years dinner be so pathetic.

After years of marriage, I instantly understood the subtext. He meant hed overlook where I got the lobster and King Crab from, as long as I helped his filial son self save face in front of his relatives.

But I had no intention of letting him get his way.

The next day, I hired a professional chef to come over and prepare a luxurious seafood feast just for my daughter and me. After we ate our fill, we gave the leftover crab legs and shrimp to the stray cats in the neighborhood. Not a single shell was left behind.

On New Years Eve morning, Brad was still on the phone, boasting to his mother. He told her Id bought a giant King Crab, a pair of eight-pound Australian lobsters, and fist-sized premium oyster, all waiting to treat his aunt and uncles family.

When Brad and the whole crowd stomped through the door that evening, they found an empty dining table set with only two plates of frozen dumplings and two plates of burnt peanuts.

Brads smile froze on his face. Is this the dinner you prepared? he asked, his voice strained.

I stood there, bare-faced, holding my daughters hand. She was wearing old, slightly dingy clothes. I smiled with complete sincerity.

It is, honey.

That day, you were so angry and asked where the money for the seafood came from.

Well, actually, Id borrowed it from a bunch of sketchy payday loans and credit cards. I borrowed over ten thousand dollars!

I knew I was wrong, so I returned all the seafood and the new clothes! I paid the money back!

I still owe about a thousand dollars in interest, but with the eight hundred dollars you give me every month, I should be able to pay it off in two years!

Brad and his mothers faces cycled from crimson to white. They were speechless for a long time.

From the back of the crowd, Aunt Lydia (Uncle Victors wife) remarked icily:

Sister-in-law, your Brad is so successful. He has to take out loans to host us for dinner on New Years.

Uncle Victors daughter, Cousin Madison, who had just returned from overseas, glanced at the table with blatant disdain.

Cousin Brad, you only give your wife eight hundred dollars a month? Tsk, tsk, no wonder foreign women look down on men from around here.

Brad clenched his fists, veins throbbing on his forehead. He looked ready to punch me.

His mother stepped in and stopped him, rolling her eyes fiercely at me before trying to smooth things over.

Oh, hush, these two are having a little fight again!

Women these days, theyre not as sensible as we were back then!

They get a little upset and throw a fit just to humiliate their husband!

Tonight, my treat! Were going out for dinner! Let the person who caused all this trouble reflect on herself at home!

4.

Brad stumbled back in right as the New Years fireworks were cracking at midnight.

Drunk and bleary-eyed, he shoved a divorce agreement into my hand.

Sophia! I know you did that on purpose today!

We dont have to torment each other anymore. Lets get divorced after the holiday!

I quickly scanned the terms. The child went to me, the house split fifty-fifty, all savings to him, and he wouldnt pay any child support. I thought about it. It seemed fair enough. I had no intention of splitting the savings my Sugar Daddy had given me anyway.

So, with a flourish, I signed the divorce agreement.

That night, I moved into my daughters room.

The next morning, Brad held up the signed agreement and immediately started grilling me.

Sophia! I was only suspicious before, but now I know for a fact you have someone else!

Otherwise, where would an orphan who doesnt even have her parents around get the nerve to divorce me?

Sophia! Tell me clearly! When did this start? Who is he? If you dont explain, neither of us is going to have a peaceful holiday!

Brad was hysterical, grasping at straws. He was a mirror image of how I had been one year ago, desperately asking him whose long hair was on his pillow and whose lipstick stained his collar. Back then, Brad just played on his phone, not even sparing me a glance.

I turned off the flame under the millet porridge I was making for my daughter, sighed slowly, and imitated his former nonchalance.

Honestly, living with you is exhausting. Believe whatever you want.

From that day on, Brad went crazy. He contacted all my old friends and former colleagues, trying to dig up any shred of evidence.

Unfortunately, my Sugar Daddy and I had been careful from the start. He was old-school; he paid me mostly in cash. The few times hed wired money, Id handled the paper trail meticulously, leaving no trace. Brad spent days searching, but found nothing.

Then, one afternoon, right after Presidents Day, my Sugar Daddy finally returned from Miami.

As soon as I got the message, I rushed to put on my best makeup. I took my daughters small hand, and we walked to the fancy caf where we often met.

My Sugar Daddy pulled out two gold bangles, a large one and a small one, and put them on my and my daughters wrists.

Before I could even say how lovely they were, Brad, his mother, and his entire extended family suddenly appeared from nowhere.

My mother-in-law immediately threw a cup of coffee at my face. You little tramp! I knew you were cheating on my son!

My Sugar Daddy instantly pulled me behind him, tenderly wiping my face with a handkerchief. Who are you? What do you want?

Brad, like a blind cat who finally caught a rat, stuck out his chest triumphantly.

Who am I? Im her husband! Look at you, all dressed up! You seduced my wife!

Youre paying! Dont even think about getting away with less than five hundred thousand dollars!

Uncle Victor scrutinized my Sugar Daddy from head to toe, his eyes lighting up with recognition.

Youre Robert Sinclair, arent you? The CEO of Sinclair Industries! Yes, its you! He pulled out his phone and snapped several pictures of my Sugar Daddy.

I cant believe a big shot like you plays such dirty games!

Listen, you have to pay our family ten million dollars for this! And our company needs to get the exclusive agency contract for your Sinclair Group!

Otherwise, Ill release these photos to the public! Ill ruin your company and you right along with it!

My Sugar Daddys face was calm as water. He surveyed the greedy faces before him, his voice commanding and quietly powerful.

Yes, thats right.

I am Robert Sinclair of Sinclair Industries, and I am Sophias biological father.