Six Secret Kids And No Mercy

On my wedding day, the company was hit with a massive tax evasion scandal.

To save our futureto save himI stepped forward. I confessed to crimes I didnt commit and took the fall for Bennett Sterling. I went to prison so he could stay free.

Ten years later, I walked out of those gates a free woman, only to find that Bennett had built a life without me. He had a home, a wife, and a brood of children.

When I confronted him, trembling with a decades worth of suppressed rage, asking him how he could betray me so completely, he didn't even have the grace to look ashamed.

"I needed an heir," he said, as if he were discussing a business merger. "I needed to carry on the family name."

The world blurred. My eyes burned with hot, stinging tears as the shouting match began. But I wasn't just fighting him; I was fighting a wall of indifference.

My in-laws tried to "soothe" me with poison. "Even if Bennett had children with someone else, youre still the mistress of the Sterling estate. Just be graceful about it. A comfortable life is better than pride, isn't it?"

Even my own parents, the people who were supposed to be my sanctuary, turned their backs. "Nora, Bennett took care of us while you were behind bars. The Sterling line is old and prestigious; he couldn't just let the bloodline end while waiting for you."

"Besides," my mother added, her voice dropping to a cold, clinical whisper, "youre a felon now. You have a record. You should be grateful Bennett isn't divorcing you outright."

I clenched my fists so hard my nails drew blood, biting my lip to keep from sobbing. "And how exactly do you see this working, Bennett? What is our 'relationship' supposed to be?"

Bennett took a slow, nonchalant sip of his tea. "As long as you stay in your lane and don't cause a scene, I won't divorce you. But the Sterling empire? That goes to Hunter and his five siblings. Theyll take care of you when you're old. Consider them your own."

The last flicker of hope in my chest died then. A single tear escaped, tracing a cold path down my cheek. I was done.

"I don't need them," I said, my voice finally finding a terrifying, quiet clarity.

"Bennett, I want a divorce."

I turned on my heel and left. The first call I made was to the woman Id met in the yardthe woman who ran the cell block and, as it turned out, half the city's underground.

...

"Divorce?! Absolutely not!"

My father was the one who erupted first. Before I could react, his hand lashed out, catching me across the face. The sting was sharp, but the shock was deeper. "How did I raise such a petty, selfish brat?"

"Bennett is a man of status," he sneered. "In another era, hed have a dozen wives and no one would blink. Hes offering to keep you, despite your shame, and youre throwing a tantrum over a few kids?"

My brother, Tyler, jumped up from the sofa, his face flushed with greed. "Nora, what the hell is wrong with you? My house, my car, the down payment for my weddingit all came from Bennett. So what if there are kids? Its not a big deal!"

"If it bothers you so much, just have one of your own with him. It's not like he can't afford another mouth to feed."

Blood is thicker than water, they say. But in the face of a direct deposit, my family was more than happy to let mine spill.

Bennett, who hadn't looked me in the eye since Id been processed out, finally looked up. A flicker of somethingmaybe panic, maybe just annoyancecrossed his face. "Nora, don't be dramatic. Youre my wife. That hasn't changed."

A chill settled into my bones. I let out a dry, hollow laugh. "Do you even remember what you said to me? Right before I walked into that courtroom to lie for you?"

Bennett froze. He looked at me for a long beat, his expression shifting from confusion to a defensive, ugly scowl.

"Are you really going to hold that over me now?" he snapped. "I spent ten years taking care of your family, playing the dutiful son-in-law. I don't expect a 'thank you,' but my parents are getting old. They wanted grandkids. I wanted to give them that. So... Hunter and the others happened. Cant you show a little compassion? A little understanding?"

He spoke of his "sacrifices" as if he were the one who had spent a decade staring at a grey concrete ceiling. He listed my faults as if I were the one who had broken a vow.

I tilted my head back, forcing the tears back into their ducts.

I grew up in a house where I was always second-best to my brother. Bennett had been my escape. Hed pursued me with a frantic, desperate passion, telling me I was the only thing that mattered. Id fallen for it. Id walked away from a high-paying career to build his dream from the dirt up.

He told me he hated the "fake" corporate world, so I became the face of the company. I did the dirty work, the late-night networking, the high-stakes negotiations. I drank until my stomach bled to land contracts. I miscarried twice because I couldn't afford to stop moving.

Three years of blood and sweat, and the company finally hit the big leagues. We got married. And then, on the day we were supposed to start our lives, the IRS came knocking.

His parents had knelt at my feet. "Nora, Bennett can't go to prison. Hes the only son. A felony would destroy the family legacy. You helped build the companyjust say the decisions were yours. You're a woman; people will be more lenient. We won't judge you. Just save him. Please."

Bennett had grabbed my hands, his eyes wet with tears as he shouted at his parents. "Don't pressure her! Shes my everything! Ill respect whatever she chooses!"

Then he looked at me, his voice a broken whisper. "Honey, if you do this for me, I swear on my life, I will never betray you. If I ever break this vow, may I lose everything I hold dear."

I believed the performance. I took the fall.

For ten years, the thought of our "happily ever after" was the only thing that kept me from breaking. And now, the promise was just a ghost, and bringing it up was treated like a crime.

I had walked through fire for love, only to realize I was the only one burning.

"Pay them off," I said, my voice cold. "Get them out of our lives, or Im filing for divorce."

The room went dead silent. My in-laws' faces twisted with sudden, sharp malice. "Absolutely not!" my mother-in-law shrieked. "We finally have our grandsons! Why should a barren woman like you get to kick them out?"

I kept my eyes on Bennett. This was ten years of obsession speaking. I wanted to give him one last chance to be the man he promised he wasand give myself one last reason to stay.

He looked miserable, his brow furrowed in a tight knot of frustration. "Nora, does it have to be like this? On the day were finally back together, youre really going to tear this marriage apart with your own hands?"

When I didn't flinch, his tone shifted to something patronizing. "You just got out. You're overwhelmed. You aren't thinking straight."

"Im going to pretend I didn't hear that nonsense. Ill give you time to adjust, but Nora, my patience isn't infinite."

A laugh bubbled up in my throat, sharp and hysterical. He was the one who cheated. He was the one asking me to pay for his sins. And yet, he was the one "granting" me a chance?

I didn't bother arguing. I turned and walked out the door. If this wasn't a home anymore, I wasn't going to haunt it like a ghost.

As I reached the curb, a black Rolls-Royce pulled up. The window rolled down to reveal Roxy. Wed met in the yard; she was a powerhouse whod ended up inside after "protecting her interests" a little too aggressively. Shed been released the day before me.

"Hey, girl! I went to the gate to pick you up, but youd already vanished!" Roxy hopped out, her eyes scanning my face and seeing the wreckage underneath.

"I figured youd be here at the Sterling place. Listen, I did some digging. That husband of yours? Hes not the pining widower you thought he was. While you were doing time, he was busy playing house with some gold-digger. Six kids, Nora. Theyve been busier than a farm in spring."

Roxy, who had been stabbed in the back by her own ex-husband, was vibrating with indignant fury. She pulled a thick manila folder from the backseat. "This prick? If we were back in the day, hed be at the bottom of a lake."

I took the file. My heart hammered against my ribs.

Inside were records of Bennett accompanying a woman named Melanie to prenatal checkups. Six kids in ten years. The oldest was eleven.

I did the math, and the world tilted. Hed been with her before we even got married.

There were insurance policies worth millions for each of them. Seven villas. Transfer records that could fund a small country. And at the back, a photo of a weddingBennett and Melanie, looking radiant. A family of eight, with my parents and his parents in the background, all of them smiling.

I had traded my freedom for a lie. I had carried his shame so they could play house.

I closed the folder. The fire in my heart went out, replaced by a cold, hard stone.

"Roxy," I said, my voice steady. "Help me get my case reopened. Im going to clear my name."

"And after that... Im coming with you. Lets see what we can build in the private sector."

Roxy was a shark whod been trying to recruit me since my third year inside. She grinned, a predatory, beautiful thing. "About damn time. Menespecially the trashy onesare just overhead we don't need."

The day of my brothers wedding arrived. To no ones surprise, Melanie and her six children were the guests of honor.

She was wearing a sleek, crimson designer gown that hugged a figure that showed no signs of six pregnancies. The kids were dressed in miniature tuxedos and matching silk dresses. The boys were clones of Bennett; the girls had Melanies sharp, hungry eyes.

Bennett was in a deep navy suit that perfectly complemented Melanies dress. I felt a bitter pang of irony. Bennett used to tell me he hated matching outfitssaid they were tacky.

It turns out he just didn't want to match with me.

My in-laws were hovering over the children, doting and frantic. They were sweating through their clothes, chasing toddlers, but they looked happier than Id ever seen them.

Melanie handed my brother an envelope. "A little something for the honeymoon. A hundred thousand to get you started."

My mothers eyes practically turned into dollar signs as she snatched it. "So generous! Its no wonder the Sterlings are so blessed with children!"

She threw a sideways glance at me. "Unlike some people. Family, my foot. A 'felons discount' gift of eight hundred bucks? Talk about a cheapskate."

Tyler took my red envelope, pulled out the cash, and dropped the paper on the floor, grinding it into the carpet with his heel. "Pocket change. Who does she think shes impressing?"

I watched them, a profound sense of nausea rising. That money was all I had. Id earned it cents at a time, working the laundry and the kitchen in prison, saving every scrap for years. I had less than a hundred dollars left to my name.

I said nothing.

The oldest boy, Hunter, walked up to me. He stared at me for a long minute before letting out a sharp, practiced sneer. "Are you the woman from jail?"

"You're ugly. And you're trying to steal my daddy. You have no shame."

He turned to the other kids, waving them over. "Look, guys! Its the bad lady who makes everyone say were 'illegitimate'!"

Melanie rushed over, putting a hand over Hunters mouth with a dramatic sigh. "Hunter! Thats enough! Tell the lady youre sorry."

She scolded him, but her eyes were dancing with triumph. It was a performance designed to trigger my in-laws' protective instinctsand it worked. They immediately began coddling the boy and glaring at me.

Bennett heard the commotion and walked over. He ruffled Hunters hair, his face softening with a fatherly concern Id never seen.

"Its okay, buddy. Its Daddys fault for letting people whisper."

Then he looked at me, his voice firm. "But from now on, legally, Nora will be your mother. No one will ever call you that word again."

The next oldest boy, Parker, burst into tears.

My mother-in-law immediately scooped him up. "Whats wrong, my angel? Whats hurting you?"

Parker pointed a trembling finger at me, his face red and blotchy. "My teacher said people in jail are bad! I don't want a bad lady to be my mommy! I want my real mommy!"

That set off a chain reaction. Within seconds, the room was filled with the wails of six children. It was a symphony of chaos.

"Don't cry, sweetheart! The bad lady isn't going to be your mommy, Grandpa and Grandma promise!"

Hunter, the eldest, shot me a look of pure, calculated malice before squeezing out a few crocodile tears. "Grandma, you can't promise that. I heard people say Mom can't be the real Mrs. Sterling because Daddy won't let her."

My in-laws spun around to face Bennett. "Bennett! Say something! If my grandson cries himself hoarse, Ill never forgive you!"

Bennett looked at me, then at the crying children. He looked caught, performative, and finally, resolute.

"Stop crying," he said, his voice carrying over the din. "Ill give you the result you want. A man doesn't cry; he takes care of his family. You have to be a role model for your siblings."

The crying stopped instantly. Melanies eyes welled up with "emotional" tears. "Bennett... do you mean it? Is this real?"

Bennett remained silent, but he wouldn't look at me.

Suddenly, Parkerwho was barely nine but easily weighed a solid 150 poundscharged at me. "Get away from my daddy! Die, you bad lady! Die!"

He was a heavy kid, and he was coming at me like a freight train. Instinct took over. I stepped to the side.

He overbalanced, missing me entirely, and slammed face-first into the wainscoting of the wall. His nose erupted in blood, and a second later, a scream ripped through the room that sounded like a siren.

"My baby!"

Melanie shrieked, rushing to him. Then she turned on me, her face a mask of fury. "Ms. Shen, I know its been hard for you, watching me take your place all these years. If you have a problem, take it out on me! Parker is a child! How could you be so cruel?"

I was speechless at the sheer audacity.

Before I could get a word outCRACK.

Bennetts hand moved faster than I could see. My head snapped to the side, the world spinning as the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth.

"I thought you just needed time to adjust," Bennett hissed, his eyes cold and murderous. "But youre actually laying hands on a child?"

He had hit me with everything he had. My cheek felt like it was on fire.

"I told you," he snarled, "these children are the future of the Sterling name. They are the masters of this house. And you? You're a leech. Youre a convicted felon whose parents live off my charity. Who the hell do you think you are?"

Three-year-old Mia toddled over, hugging Bennetts leg. "Don't be sad, Daddy. Ill help you hit the bad lady."

She balled up her tiny fist and shook it at me.

Bennett picked her up, kissing her cheek. "My little angel. A princess shouldn't have to do dirty work like that."

He gestured for Melanie to take the kids, and the eight of them began to walk toward the exit. My in-laws followed like obedient dogs, pausing only to spit toward me. "Pathetic, ungrateful bitch!"

Once they were gone, my parents' faces turned black with rage.

"You ruined the wedding!" my father yelled. "You should have stayed in that cell for the rest of your life!"

Tyler was even worse. The "humiliation" of his ruined day had pushed him over the edge. He rolled up his sleeves and lunged at me, his fists raining down on my head and shoulders. "You bitch! Why won't you just die?"

He grabbed me by the hair and began dragging me toward the door. The strength difference was too much; the more I fought, the more he tore at me.

Bennett and the others stopped to watch.

The kids clapped their hands, cheering. "Look, Daddy! The bad lady is losing!"

"Uncle Tyler is a superhero!"

My in-laws nodded approvingly. "See, babies? Thats what happens to bad people."

My head was ringing. My body was a map of blooming bruises. Everyone was watching the show, and Bennetts cold, detached gaze was the sharpest blade of all.

As Tyler raised his hand for another blow, I curled into a ball, closing my eyes and waiting for the end. Hate, hot and thick as tar, began to flood my heart.

And then, the heavy oak doors of the ballroom swung open.

A familiar, raspy voice boomed through the hall.

"Who the hell gave you permission to touch her?"