My Cheating Husband Is My Employee

Five years later, on a nondescript business trip to a city I barely knew, I found a lost little boy on a rain-slicked street corner.

After I dropped him off at the local precinct, the officer asked the child for a parents contact information. When the phone rang and a familiar, baritone voice answeredsaying, "Daddys almost there"my hand tightened around my paper coffee cup until the cardboard buckled.

Half an hour later, Maxwell, a man who was supposed to be a thousand miles away standing behind a university lectern, came bursting through the station doors, breathless and frantic.

The moment our eyes met, the panic on his face froze into a mask of pure shock.

I stood up slowly from the wooden bench, looking at this man I hadnt seen in five years. A cold, sharp smile curved my lips.

"I have to hand it to you, Professor. In all these years, you didn't just manage to keep your tenureyou managed to keep a secret son, too."

My mind drifted back to that rain-soaked night five years ago. He had been on his knees in front of me, begging me to spare his young teaching assistant, Lydia.

"Don't destroy her future," hed hissed, his eyes bloodshot, willing to sever ties with his prestigious family just to protect that girl.

In the end, I had compromised. My terms were simple: Lydia had to leave the city forever and sign an iron-clad agreement never to return.

For years, people behind my back whispered that Id traded my dignity for a payoutthat Id treated my marriage like a business merger. But looking at the timid little boy clinging to Maxwells leg, I realized that my delayed retribution had finally arrived.

"Now tell me," I asked softly, my voice devoid of emotion. "Do you think youll be keeping that 'Distinguished Professor' title after today?"

...

"Katherine, please... let me explain."

Maxwell pulled the boy behind him, a protective instinct that stung me more than I cared to admit.

"This isn't the place," I interrupted, picking up my designer handbag. "Have that woman come pick up the child. You and I need to talk."

"Lydia isn't... she isn't well..."

"Maxwell." I looked at him with eyes as cold as a morgue. "Do you want me to call your father right now, or should I just have my lawyer send the formal notice?"

Maxwells mouth snapped shut.

The agreement I held in my safe was enough to strip him of his chair at the university, his reputation, and every cent he possessed.

The boyHenrysuddenly poked his head out and shouted at me, "Youre a mean lady! Leave my daddy alone!"

A childs words are often the sharpest weapons.

Maxwell scrambled to cover the boys mouth, looking at me with genuine terror.

"Youve raised him well," I said, the corners of my mouth twitching. "It seems Lydia hasn't learned much over the years, but shes certainly perfected the art of turning people against me."

I turned and walked out of the precinct.

Outside, the snow was beginning to fall in heavy, suffocating flakes. It was biting cold.

I thought about five years ago, the night I caught him. Maxwell had knelt before me, sobbing that Lydia was an orphan, a girl from the sticks with nothing and no one, begging me to give her a chance.

I had just suffered a miscarriage then. I was at my most fragile, my body hollowed out by grief.

I had signed the papers and set two conditions:

First, Lydia would drop out and leave the city, never to return.

Second, Maxwell would sign a post-nuptial agreement: if he ever strayed again, he would leave with nothing but the clothes on his back.

His father, Alistaira titan in the academic and corporate worldhad nearly beaten him with his cane. But to appease my family and quiet the storm, he had allowed it.

Maxwell had sworn to me then: "Katherine, it was a moment of madness. I only love you. My money, my lifeits all yours. Just don't expose this. Ill spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

For five years, he had been the model husband.

No matter how busy he was, we FaceTimed every day.

Gifts arrived for every holiday.

He even skipped a multi-million dollar contract signing just to spend a quiet weekend with me.

I actually believed that time had healed the wound.

But it turned out Maxwell hadn't just kept her in his heart; he had built a secret life with her.

The snow stopped.

Maxwell had his driver take the boy home. He didn't dare leave, and he didn't dare let me go. We sat in a sterile, overpriced coffee shop next to the station.

"Katherine, its not what you think," Maxwell said, his hands clasped against his forehead, his voice a low tremor. "Lydia... she did leave the city back then. Just like you asked."

"But she realized she was pregnant after she left. I couldn't just abandon her. I was terrified of you finding out... and the boy, Henry... he has asthma and a heart condition. The medical bills were astronomical. She couldn't handle it alone."

"So you brought them back?" I stirred my latte, the metal spoon clinking rhythmically against the porcelain. "And not just backyou put them in a luxury apartment and played house once a week."

"Maxwell, is this charity, or are you keeping a mistress?"

"I was only seeing the child!" he argued desperately. "Katherine, the boy is innocent. Henry is sick. Every time he has an attack, he screams for his father. What was I supposed to do? Let him die?"

"So you let me live like a fool instead?" I countered. "Did you think that as long as you kept them out of my sight, it didn't count as a betrayal? What were your vows worth, Maxwell?"

Maxwell fell silent.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and ignored it.

A moment later, my phone rang. An unknown number.

I answered, and the soft, frail voice of Lydia drifted through the line. "Katherine... its Lydia."

"I know youre with Maxwell right now. Can I... can I just say a few words?"

I put the phone on speaker and set it on the table.

"Katherine, everything is my fault. All of it," Lydia said, her voice trembling with a sob that sounded practiced yet devastatingly effective. "I was too weak. I couldn't support Henry on my own, so I crawled back to Maxwell like a coward. Hes a good man. Hes just being kind to a sick child... please don't blame him."

"If you can't have us here, Ill take Henry and leave right now. Even if we end up on the street, I won't cause you any more trouble..."

Suddenly, the sound of a childs hacking cough erupted from the phone, followed by Lydias panicked shushing.

Maxwells face drained of color. He lunged across the table, grabbing my phone. "Lydia? Is he having an attack? Don't movethe inhaler is in the cabinet! Im coming!"

He hung up and looked at me, his eyes wide with a frantic, pleading light.

"Katherine, its his asthma. It could be fatal. I have to go... well talk at home, okay? Please."

I looked at this man. One second he was begging for my forgiveness, and the next, his soul had already flown to her side at the first sign of trouble.

I understood her game. Lydia didn't need to scream or fight me. She just needed to be fragile. She knew that Maxwells hero complex was her strongest leash.

"Go ahead," I said, leaning back against the leather booth, my expression unreadable. "But Maxwell, if you walk out that door, we are truly done."

Maxwell hesitated for a fraction of a second. He looked at me, torn, but then he gritted his teeth.

"Katherine, a life is at stake. I can't ignore that."

He turned and ran out without looking back.

I watched his silhouette disappear into the night. I picked up my cold coffee and swallowed the bitter dregs. It tasted like ash.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Alistairs private line.

"Alistair, Im in the city. Im coming to see you."

I drove straight to the research center where the family patriarch was overseeing a summit. Alistair was in his office, his presence as looming and intimidating as ever. He didn't look surprised to see me.

"Katherine," he said, setting down his tea. "You look terrible."

"You already knew, didn't you?" I didn't waste time with pleasantries. "Lydia had the child. Shes living in a company-owned apartment on your dime. Your network is everywhere, Alistair. Theres no way you didn't know."

Alistair paused, his sharp eyes measuring me. He sighed. "Maxwell is soft-hearted. Hes a fool."

He put the cup down. "Im aware of the boy. Hes a bastard, yes, but he carries our blood. Hes sickly, and Maxwell taking care of him... well, thats just human nature."

"Human nature?" I let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Then what was that agreement Maxwell and I signed? A scrap of waste paper?"

"Katherine!" Alistairs voice took on a warning edge. "You are the mistress of this house. You need to think about the long game. As long as that woman stays in the shadows and doesn't threaten your position, what does it matter if you let Maxwell save face?"

He paused, his gaze dropping to my flat stomach.

"Its been five years, and your womb has remained empty. This empire needs an heir. Maxwell securing a backup... its for the good of the family."

A chill washed over me that had nothing to do with the winter outside. To them, my inability to conceive was a sin. Maxwells infidelity was "soft-heartedness," the mistress was a "backup," and my anger was simply "small-mindedness."

"What if I told you I want a divorce?" I stared him down.

His face darkened instantly. He slammed his teacup onto the mahogany desk. "Don't be ridiculous!"

"You think divorce is a game? Our stock prices cant handle that kind of scandal right now. That post-nup you holdits your security, but its also a tether. You think you can just strip him bare, ruin his reputation, and walk away? Not that easily."

Alistair narrowed his eyes. I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms. In this family, there was no warmthonly the cold calculus of interest.

There was a knock at the door. An assistant stepped in, looking awkward. "Sir, Professor Maxwell is here... and he brought the boy."

Maxwell walked in, holding Henry in his arms, with a trembling Lydia following behind him.

"Father." Maxwell didn't even look at me. He brought the child straight to Alistair. "Henry heard his grandfather was here and insisted on seeing you."

Henry, despite his pale face, managed a small, rehearsed smile. "Hello, Grandpa."

Alistairs stern expression softened instantly. "Good boy. Very polite." He reached out and patted the childs head.

Lydia stood in the corner, stealing a glance at me. It wasn't the look of a victim; it was a flash of triumph. If Alistair accepted the grandson, she was no longer an interlopershe was a hero of the bloodline. And I was the one on borrowed time.

Maxwell looked at me, his confidence returning. "Katherine, even Father agrees. Just think of the family..."

The nausea Id been suppressing all day suddenly surged. I bolted for the private restroom in the office and retched until my throat burned.

When I came out, Lydia was suddenly on her knees in front of me, tears streaming down her face.

"Katherine, I know I shouldn't have come back. But Henry needs surgery for his heart. The best specialist is here in this city. I did it to save my son!"

She looked up, her face a mask of tragic beauty. "Once the surgery is over, Ill take him away. Youll never see us again. Katherine, youre a woman... youve lost a child before. Please, have mercy on a mothers heart."

Yes, I had lost a child. And because of that, I felt absolutely zero sympathy for her. She was, and would always be, the woman who chose to build her life on the wreckage of mine.

"Katherine... the surgery is next week," Maxwell said, his voice tight. "But the costs and the follow-up care are... substantial."

I looked at him. "And?"

"I need to pause the funding on your current research project. I need to liquidate those assets to pay for Henrys treatment."

I felt the world tilt. "Maxwell, do you have any idea what pausing that project means? Three years of my life and millions in grantsgone."

"Money can be replaced! My sons life cannot!" Maxwell roared.

"Enough!"

My vision blurred. A weight like a mountain pressed down on my chest. The nausea returned, more violent than before, followed by a dizzying blackness. I clutched my stomach and collapsed.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. Maxwell was sitting by my side, staring at a piece of paper in his hand, looking stunned.

He jumped up when he saw me open my eyes. "Katherine! Youre awake?"

He leaned in close. "How do you feel? Does your... does your stomach hurt?"

I frowned and pushed his hand away. "What are you doing, Maxwell?"

He didn't speak. He just handed me the paper.

Intrauterine pregnancy. Six weeks.

I froze.

"The doctor said... your body was already weak from the last time," Maxwell whispered, his eyes red. "This pregnancy is a miracle, but youre at high risk. The stress almost caused a miscarriage. You have to stay in bed. No excitement. No stress."

"Its a miracle, Katherine. Its a sign from God."

He tried to hug me, then pulled back, afraid to touch me. "Wait until Father hears! Hell be overjoyed!"

Watching his jubilation, I felt nothing but a profound, sickening irony.

"Youre happy, Maxwell?" I asked coldly.

"Of course I am! Its our baby!"

"Well, Im not." I touched my belly, my gaze icy. "I don't want it."

I pointed toward the door. "I won't bring a child into a world where they have a father who plays favorites and a half-brother waiting to steal their inheritance. Id rather end it now."

"No!" Maxwell screamed, his eyes bloodshot. "Thats my child! You have no rightI won't allow it!"

"You won't allow it?" I laughed. "Its in my body, Maxwell. I decide if it stays or goes."

I sat up straight, my eyes piercing. "Ill give you a choice."

"Either you send Lydia and that boy out of the country todayno contact, no money, never to returnor I walk into that OR right now and terminate this pregnancy."