My Dead Husband's Return

My husband Giovanni and his first love, Christine, died in a car accident, leaving me with a pair of illegitimate sons.

Eighteen years flew by. I painstakingly raised those boys, even sending them to Harvard.

But the day they got into Harvard, Giovanni and Christine, who had supposedly died years ago, returned.

Christine, holding Giovannis arm, smiled sweetly. "Thanks to your careful upbringing, my sons got into Harvard."

"Without you, we couldn't have enjoyed ourselves for so long..." Later, Giovanni asked for a divorce, wanting to marry Christine and reunite their family of four.

I didn't cry or make a scene. I just smiled faintly: "Fine by me!"

"Mom! Mom! We got in! We got in!!"

I was preparing dinner when I heard my two sons shouting loudly from the study. "Mom! Gabriel and I both got into Harvard!"

They ran out of the study and hugged me tightly. I looked at my sons, who were a head taller than me, with pride.

"You two are amazing; you're my pride and joy." Giovanni had died many years ago.

As a single mom, I had raised two children alone for eighteen years. Now, seeing them get into a top-tier university, I couldn't have been happier.

Back then, Giovanni and his first love, Christine, both supposedly died, leaving me with a pair of twins. Against everyone's objections, I insisted on raising Giovanni and Christine's illegitimate sons.

Eighteen years passed in a blink, and the two boys grew into young men. With my painstaking nurturing, they even got into Harvard.

Now that I'd raised them into successful young men, I was overjoyed. "Mom, thank you for all your hard work raising us these past years..."

"Yeah, if it weren't for your careful guidance, we wouldn't be where we are today..."

My sons were always thoughtful, feeling for the struggles I'd endured raising them. They promised that once they graduated and found good jobs, they'd make sure I could live comfortably in my old age.

Watching them, I remembered that their birthday was in two days.

I decided to throw them a grand birthday party, a good excuse for a celebration. I booked a banquet hall at the city's best restaurant.

Meanwhile, I posted the news about my sons getting into Harvard in our family SnapChat group. As soon as the message went out, the group instantly flooded with replies.

"Eric and Gabriel really made us proud..." "If Giovanni knew, he'd be thrilled in heaven."

I quickly scrolled through the messages, then sent the location of the banquet hall to the group. After doing all that, I muted my phone notifications.

I quietly awaited the birthday party...

The birthday party was scheduled for 10 AM two days later. Early that morning, I arrived at the restaurant. I double-checked the menu and the event schedule, making sure nothing was overlooked.

Most of the attendees today were Giovanni's relatives. My own parents hadn't come.

Years ago, I'd gone against their wishes to adopt these illegitimate sons, and my parents had nearly had heart attacks when they found out.

Even after all these years, they still didn't understand why I chose to jump into a burning pit, raising someone else's children, instead of living a normal life.

Ivan and Ruth arrived in the hall, supported by others. They headed straight for the head table and sat down.

Simon, Giovanni's brother, and Julia, his sister, with their families, sat on either side.

They crowded around my sons, leaving no room for me.

"Elliotte, what are you waiting for? Pour drinks for Mom and Dad."

Julia grabbed some nuts from the table and glanced at me. She hadn't married well, not only suffering domestic abuse but also being scorned for not having sons.

Now, at the ripe old age of 40, shed tried for a third child and finally had a son. Of course, she started acting all high and mighty, walking with a newfound confidence.

My two sons, sitting in the middle, tried to stand up and help. But Ivan and Ruth immediately pressed them back down.

"Eric, Gabriel, come on, chat with me."

"Look at these two handsome young men, so much like Giovanni."

"I think they look more like Christine," Simon interjected.

Ivan and Ruth shot him a fierce glare, and he quickly shrank back into his seat, not daring to speak.

I circled the main table, serving tea one moment, pouring drinks the next.

My sons couldn't bear to watch any longer, so they pulled up a chair between them and pressed me into it.

"Mom, our birthday is your day of sacrifice. Please sit down and rest."

At these words, everyone at the table had varied expressions.

Julia even let out a mocking smile.

"If Giovanni knew Elliotte raised his sons so well, he'd be thrilled."

"Ahem, ahem." Ivan cleared his throat twice, and Julia closed her mouth.

"Elliotte, on such a wonderful day, I have something I want to talk to you about," Ruth said, her eyes darting, looking at me with a smile.

"Please tell me."

"You see, Eric and Gabriel are going off to college soon. It must be so empty living in a three-bedroom house all by yourself."

"Once they start school, your dad and I will move in. I'll cook for you while you're at work."

So that was Ruth's plan. My parents had paid for the house I lived in. It was originally supposed to be in Giovanni's name.

But six months into our marriage, he drove off with his first love and got into a car accident.

Both of them died. The next time I saw him, he was just a handful of ashes.

My parents saw how hard it was for me and helped me with the mortgage, so the house was only in my name. Now that the kids were grown, they were eyeing my house.

"Mom, it's not that I won't let you stay. Eric and Gabriel will be studying abroad in the future. So I've already sold the house and plan to move into a one-bedroom apartment, using the remaining money to fund their education."

Ivan's face turned ashen, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"You're Giovanni's daughter-in-law! Why didn't you discuss such a big matter with the family?"

I looked surprised. "Isn't everything I'm doing for Giovanni's children?"

"What about the money from the sale? Put it with me; I'll save it for you. I don't trust you with money; you're too careless," Ruth said.

Normally, if I framed everything as being for the children's good, they usually wouldn't object. But today, Ivan and Ruth were acting unusually, as if now that their sons were in college, I was no longer needed.

Thinking about this, I calmly said, "I've entrusted the money to a lawyer and put it into a growth fund. Every month, Eric and Gabriel will receive 0-00,000 until they turn 40."

When Ivan heard this, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed. "At least you have some foresight, knowing to save the money for my grandsons. And don't buy another house; just rent one. Don't waste money."

Just as they were still going on and on, the restaurant manager walked over and handed me a microphone.

"Today is a birthday party and a celebration of their college acceptance. As their mother, please say a few words and share some parenting wisdom." I took the microphone.

"Thank you all for attending the college acceptance celebration for my sons, Gabriel and Eric. Today..."

"Today, my two sons got into Harvard. On such a wonderful day, what kind of celebration is it without their biological parents here..."

I was halfway through my speech when I was interrupted.

A man and a woman, holding hands, walked in. I looked up.

Even after eighteen years, I still recognized them:

One was Giovanni, supposedly dead for many years, and the other was Christine, Giovanni's first love.

The hall immediately erupted in gasps, followed by murmurs of discussion.

Ivan and Ruth, seated at the head table, didn't seem excited to see their son, supposedly returned from the dead; instead, they were unsettlingly calm. They even pulled Christine to their side and had her sit down.

Giovanni, who had been dead for 18 years, came over to me.

"Elliotte, you might not have been a great wife, but you were a damn good mother."

At this point, my two sons finally snapped out of their daze, watching the scene unfold.

"What's going on?"

Giovanni pointed at Christine. "She's your real mother. This woman is nothing but a barren old hen."

"If she hadn't threatened to die if I left her, our family wouldn't have been separated for eighteen years!"

Before I could say anything, Giovanni's family members started talking over each other to my two sons:

"That's right, Elliotte dragged her feet and refused to divorce Giovanni back then, which is why you were separated from your biological parents for eighteen years..."

"Don't let Elliotte fool you; she might have raised you well, but she's got a wicked heart."

"Now it's all good. You two are grown and got into Harvard, and our family can finally be reunited."

My sons were confused, standing there bewildered, unsure what to do. Christine pulled her sons' hands, crying softly, and then pulled out her phone:

"I'm your biological mother! I'd send you gifts every year. I even secretly watched you after school."

As she spoke, she turned to me. "Elliotte, thank you for raising my two sons so well."

Giovanni put his arm around her shoulders, and his eyes held a flicker of mockery as he looked at me.

"Come with me to file for divorce. It's been eighteen years. I'm going to marry Christine and give her what she deserves."

Everyone expected me to disagree, even to throw a fit. But facing the dozens of Giovanni's relatives gossiping and the onlookers' staring eyes, I just smiled faintly.

"Fine! I agree. We'll go get divorced tomorrow, so your family of four can be reunited."

My words stunned everyone in the hall. All eyes were on me, dumbfounded. Would I really just hand over the sons I'd painstakingly raised for 18 years?

Even Giovanni and Christine stared at me in disbelief. They thought I'd rant and rave, crying dramatically, but they never expected me to agree so readily.

Giovanni looked at me incredulously, asking, "What the hell is wrong with your head?"

Facing his accusation, I simply said, "What? Not happy about it?"

Christine immediately tugged Giovanni's arm. Giovanni understood. He quickly pulled out an agreement from his bag, afraid I'd change my mind.

"Then sign the divorce agreement. From now on, the two sons have nothing to do with you, and you are not to see them again." I didn't even read the agreement, simply signing my name at the bottom.

"Mom? Mom, you don't want us anymore?"

My sons looked at me sadly, not understanding why I'd signed so easily. Christine carefully put away the agreement.

"Elliotte, thank you for making us complete." "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to live it up so freely all this time."

Looking at my two sons, Christine grinned, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Alright, you're done here. You can leave now," Ivan said impatiently, waving his hand to dismiss me.

"Wait," I began. "Now that the agreement is signed, it's time for you all to know the truth."

"What do you mean?" Christine asked, confused.

I sighed in relief. I had waited eighteen years for this moment. It was time for it all to end.

Then I clapped my hands and spoke towards the main entrance:

"Come in."

A few seconds later, two figures appeared in the hall...