Reborn: I Ruined My Cheating Wife and Her Secret Family

To support my wife Vivian at the grand opening of her new organic grocery store, I drove hundreds of miles back home.

But I got into a horrific car crash on the highway.

Right in front of me, in the other overturned vehicle, were my wife, my son, and a complete stranger.

I used every ounce of my strength to drag my wife and son out of the wreckage, but the moment they were free, they ignored me and rushed to save the other man.

They even dragged my bleeding body back, leaving me right next to the car that was about to explode.

Through the smoke and the roaring flames, I watched the three of them hug, looking like a perfect, loving family.

It turned out I had been living a lie the entire time.

But God gave me a second chance. I opened my eyes, back to the day before the accident.

"Wake up, buddy!"

The Uber driver woke me up from the back seat. We were almost home.

"Thank God, nothing happened."

I patted my chest, whispering to myself in relief.

"Hey, don't say bad-luck things in my car," the driver muttered, annoyed.

I apologized, but my shirt was already soaked in cold sweat.

The AC was running at the perfect temperature, but I had been terrified by that realistic nightmare.

Still shaken, I pulled out my phone and called my wife, Vivian.

"Are you asleep?"

Her irritated voice came through the speaker.

"Of course I am. Why are you calling so late? Aren't you worried about waking up Leo?"

Her tone stung, but as a workaholic who spent most of his time running the company, I always felt a lingering guilt toward my family. I softened my voice.

"Im almost home. Isn't the grand opening of your new store tomorrow? I came back early to help out."

There was a long silence on the other end. Then, Vivian said impatiently, "I took Leo to my parents' place. His school has a Family Field Day tomorrow, and Im taking him. Just handle the store opening. You don't need to come."

I wanted to tell her that I could rush through the store setup and maybe make it to the school event.

But the line had already gone dead.

In the past, because I was always busy with the business, I rarely made it to Leos school events. I had always tolerated Vivians coldness.

But that vivid nightmare made me doubt everything. What was she actually doing right now?

If I hadn't heard wrong, right before she hung up, I heard a muffled man's chuckle in the background.

And Vivian had let out a soft, breathless gaspa sound I knew all too well.

The thought made my chest tighten with pain.

Vivian was my first love. She was the only woman I had ever loved since I turned twenty-eight.

Back then, our relationship wasn't blessed by our families.

Her parents looked down on me because I was nine years older than her, while my parents despised her family's background.

At the time, the Millers owned a small grocery store that was on the brink of bankruptcy.

My parents suspected Vivian was only with me for my money, so they refused to help her family's failing business.

In the end, I went on a hunger strike to force my parents to step in.

With my familys financial backing, the Millers' store was saved, and Vivian was incredibly grateful.

She publicly proposed to me, promising she would be faithful to me forever.

I was too busy with work and hadn't planned on marrying so soon. But how could any man remain unmoved when a woman did so much for him?

That day, I believed I had made the right bet.

After we got married, Vivian struggled to get pregnant. We went to the hospital, but they couldn't find any issues.

Later, Vivian took me to see one of her doctor friends, Dr. Evans, who claimed my sperm count was extremely low and inactive.

Vivian didn't blame me. She told me that just having each other was enough.

Then one day, she brought home a baby boy, Leo, claiming she had adopted him through a private agency.

Our family of three was incredibly happy. Even though Leo wasn't my biological son, I showered him with all the love a father could give.

I thought we would be happy like this forever.

But that nightmare woke me up.

Was any of this real? Or had I just been blinded by my own desires?

The next morning, I rushed through the new store's ribbon-cutting ceremony and drove straight to Leo's elementary school.

By the time I arrived, the Family Field Day had already begun.

Cheering echoed across the field. They were doing the piggyback relay race.

I saw Vivian carrying Leo, running remarkably fast.

She was wearing a tight, elegant designer dress. Even in high heels, she was leading the pack.

Leo looked at the other kids falling behind and laughed happily.

"Faster, Mom! Let's go to Dad!"

I thought Leo had spotted me in the crowd. But to my horror, he was shouting toward another man standing at the finish line.

Waiting at the end of the track was a man in a well-tailored suit. His shirt was fitted, showing off his athletic build.

Vivian practically threw Leo into the man's arms.

The man caught him, but he didn't run very fast. He looked a bit out of breath, actually.

Honestly, he wasn't even trying to run. He was just posing, trying to look cool for the other moms watching.

Naturally, he ended up in last place.

But Leo didn't mind at all. He lovingly wiped the sweat from the man's forehead.

"It's okay, Dad! You're still the coolest dad ever!"

Watching this, my heart felt like it was being hacked by a dull blade.

My wife, who was usually cold and rarely smiled.

My son, who was usually mischievous and stubborn.

They were showering another man with pure joy and affection.

They looked like a perfect, happy family. And I was left standing there, questioning my own existence.

What was I to them?

Did all my years of hard work and devotion mean nothing?

I walked straight up to them and stopped. I didn't say a word.

The moment Vivian saw me, panic flashed in her eyes.

The man quickly set Leo down.

He stretched out his hand, offering me a polite, easy smile.

"Arthur, I didn't expect you to make it back."

"Vivian told me you were busy, so she asked me to stand in for the father-son race. I hope you don't mind."

I stared at this shameless man.

His name was Simon Cole. He was Vivian's childhood friend and a client she had introduced to my company.

To be precise, Simons company was just a middleman. He bought goods from my company and resold them to make a profit.

I had only given him those lucrative contracts to make Vivian happy.

I never expected that while he was eating from my plate, he was planning to steal my entire kitchen.

He wanted my wife, my son, and my life.

I stood frozen, refusing to take his hand. Vivian immediately lost her patience.

"Arthur, where are your manners?"

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it, so I asked Simon to help. Don't be so petty."

I chuckled, but she was the one getting defensive.

Just because I gave Simon the cold shoulder, she jumped to his defense.

Between her husband and her childhood friend, she chose the latter without a second thought.

"Arthur, Simon is really nice, and he's just as cool as you!" Leo said, tugging my hand.

But I wondered who he was really calling "Dad" in his head.

My sweet little son had just called another man "Dad" so naturally.

I patted Leo's head and smiled. "Alright, whatever you say, buddy. Let's go home later, and I'll make your favorite ribs."

He jumped up and down, cheering.

But as I pulled my hand back, a few strands of his hair remained in my palm.

The intimate way the three of them had interacted forced me to face a dark suspicion.

The DNA results came back quickly.

I had tested the maternity relationship between Vivian and Leo.

Getting Vivians DNA wasn't hard since we lived together.

Although Leo was supposed to be an adopted child, Vivian had handled the entire process herself.

She was the one who brought him home, and she had always been incredibly close to him.

At first, I thought she just had a big heart. But now, it seemed Leos identity was far more complicated.

My hands shook as I opened the lab report. The results were exactly what I feared.

Vivian was Leos biological mother.

Now, my only question was: who was the father?

Simon. That was the first name that popped into my head.

It made perfect sense. He had appeared in our lives right after Vivian brought Leo home.

He constantly bought Leo expensive gifts and frequented our family gatherings.

I had always assumed he just loved kids and was grateful for the business I gave him.

But looking back, the way he looked at Leo was never just "friendly."

It was the look of a biological father.

To confirm my theory, I invited Simon over for dinner.

Vivian and Leo were thrilled.

During the dinner, I easily obtained Simons DNA.

A few days later, the second DNA report arrived.

When I saw the paper, I let out a cold laugh.

Sure enough, Simon was Leos biological father.

All this time, I thought Simon was the third wheel in our family.

Now I realized that out of the four of us, I was the only outsider.

I had given Vivian everything, saving her family's grocery business.

I had raised Leo as my own, shielding him from every hardship, loving him unconditionally.

And yet, after all these years of sacrifice, I was just a fool raising another man's child.

I could only imagine how they laughed at me behind my back.

As Leo grew older, he rarely showed affection toward me.

I thought he was just going through a phase, but now I realized he probably knew the truth all along.

He happily enjoyed the life my wealth provided while calling another man his real father.

To Leo, I was probably the villain who broke up his real parents.

I hired a private investigator to dig into Vivian and Simons past.

The truth was far worse than just "childhood friends."

They had dated seriously and were even planning to get married.

But Simon suddenly broke it off, claiming his parents didn't approve of her.

Vivian refused to let go at first, but then her familys store faced bankruptcy.

Feeling she was no longer good enough for Simon, she walked away.

Then, she swallowed her pride and came to me.

With my help, her family rose from the ashes.

Yet, in her eyes, marrying me was probably the biggest sacrifice of her life.

But if it weren't for me, how could she have ever crawled out of that financial grave?

I was the one who stood by her during her darkest times, yet I was the one she betrayed.

When Vivian first applied for a job at my company, she was at her absolute lowest.

It was freezing outside, and she showed up for the interview in a painfully thin coat.

She was shivering so hard her nose was red.

She actually didn't perform well in the interview, but I hired her anyway.

Maybe it was because she opened up about her familys financial ruin, and how she was working to support her parents.

It made me believe she was a kind, filial woman.

Once she started, I advanced her a month's salary so she could buy a proper winter coat.

She didn't just buy a coat, though. She also bought a small succulent for my desk.

I kept that plant on my desk, watering it and watching it grow.

And Vivian became warmer and more attentive toward me every day.

Even though we had a nine-year age gap, and even though my friends warned me, I was blinded by love.

When you're in love, every obstacle just feels like a romantic challenge.

"Us against the world" sounded incredibly romantic.

In truth, my parents strongly opposed the match.

I told Vivian about their disapproval.

One rainy night, Vivian stood outside my apartment building without an umbrella, holding a handmade sign.

It read: *Arthur, I love you.*

Seeing her shivering in the downpour, my heart melted.

Ignoring my parents' warnings, I ran down and held her tight in the rain. At that moment, I was so sure of our love.

But now, I had to wonder. Was her grand gesture back then out of love, or was it just a desperate play to secure her financial future?

After we married, she worked hard, even suggesting that I should retire early and let her run the company.

I actually considered it.

But while she had ambition, her business decisions were too idealistic.

She was snobbish with clients and struggled to maintain long-term professional relationships.

So, after letting her try for a while, I took back the reins.

She was deeply unhappy about it and gave me the silent treatment for weeks.

To make it up to her, I bought her an apartment right next to the office.

We lived in my house, which my parents had bought for us, so Vivians name wasn't on the deed.

After that fight, I bought the apartment solely in her name.

She claimed she stayed there on nights she had to work late.

I used to visit her there, but she told me she was worried about office gossip, so she asked me to stop coming.

The next time I went, the locks had been changed.

Her excuse was that she lost her keys and had to replace the lock.

But she never offered to give me a copy of the new key.

Now I knew why. That apartment was her and Simons secret love nest.

To think that while I was pulling all-nighters at the office to secure our future, she was in that bed with Simon. It made me shake with pure rage.

I will not accept this betrayal.

I will make sure she understands that every action has its consequences.

I hired a locksmith to discreetly make me a key to the apartment.

I unlocked the door, and sure enough, it looked like a second home.

There were matching couples' toothbrushes, male underwear, and in the closet hung the elegant designer dress Vivian had worn to the school field day.

This was their secret sanctuary.

Putting on shoe covers and gloves, I carefully installed a tiny, hidden camera inside the bedroom ceiling smoke detector.