My Husband Had a Baby, But I'm Still Pregnant

While I was having my prenatal checkup, my husband suddenly posted a photo of a delivery room wristband on Instagram.

The caption read: Welcome to the world, little guy.

I tapped on the photo and realized the hospital name on the wristband was exactly the same private clinic where I was.

Just as I was about to text him, a comment from my best friend, Harper, popped up at the bottom of the post.

"Congrats on becoming a dad!"

My hands shook as I called her. She stammered before finally letting the truth slip.

"He's been with that girl for five years, Chloe. We all knew."

"We just didn't want to stress you out while you were pregnant."

I leaned against the freezing hospital wall and slowly slid down to the floor.

It turned out my seven-year marriage was nothing but a performance, and everyone around me had been playing their parts perfectly.

And the baby in my belly? From the very beginning, he was nothing but an unplanned accident in Julian's perfect plan.

"Chloe, don't blame me for keeping this from you. I did it for your own good."

My best friend Harper's voice came through the receiver.

"Sienna has been with Julian for five years. She didn't want a title, she didn't want his money. She just wanted her baby to have a father."

"You're still Julian's legal wife. You're the one carrying his baby."

"Julian promised me he wouldn't divorce you. If you just pretend you don't know, you can still keep your perfect life."

I squeezed the crumpled prenatal report in my hand, my fingernails digging deep into my palm.

"Pretend I don't know?"

"Come on, Chloe. He's a rich, successful man. Which man in his circle doesn't have a little fun on the side?"

Her tone became incredibly dismissive.

"Your belly is so big right now. Making a scene will only hurt your baby."

"Julian's sister, Lauren, and the rest of the family have already met Sienna. Everyone agrees that as long as your position as his wife isn't threatened, you should just let it go."

I hung up.

My stomach churned, and acid burned the back of my throat.

I opened Julian's Instagram again. I zoomed in on the photo of the hospital wristband a hundred times.

The building number on the band was the seventeenth floor of this very hospital.

The format of the newborn's foot tag was identical to this high-end private clinic.

The comment section was buzzing.

Julian's childhood friend, Carter: "Hidden for five years, finally out in the open. Congrats, man!"

Julian's sister, Lauren: "Thank you for your hard work, Sienna. You've given our family our beautiful firstborn boy!"

Harper replied below: "Don't tag the one who shouldn't see this. She's pregnant and can't take the drama right now."

I scrolled down, line by line. Every single username was someone I knew.

Just then, my screen lit up.

It was Julian.

I pressed answer.

"Hey, sweetie. Are you done with your checkup?"

His voice was deep, gentle, and carried a perfectly calculated touch of exhaustion.

"What did the OB-GYN say? Is our baby healthy?"

I stared at the bustling lobby of the hospital.

"Where are you, Julian?"

"I just landed. There's an emergency project out of town that I need to supervise personally."

His tone was filled with fake regret.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be there with you today. Did you eat a good lunch?"

"Is your morning sickness still bad? I had my assistant buy some peppermint tea and cookies you like."

"I'll be back in a few days to take you to the anatomy scan, okay?"

I listened to his steady, calm breathing.

His Instagram post went up at 9:43 AM today.

At that exact moment, I couldn't reach him, and I was crying alone in the corner of the hallway.

"Julian."

"Yeah? What's wrong, babe? You sound off."

"Are you really out of town?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end.

"Of course I am. The clients here are pretty demanding, so I might have to stay a couple more days. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

"Go home and rest, okay? I asked the housekeeper to warm up some milk for you. Be good, wait for me to get back."

The line went dead.

I stood up. My legs were so weak my knees buckled before I could steady myself.

I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prenatal vitamins. As I passed the reception desk, a nurse's voice suddenly rose.

"Family of Sienna Brooks! Is the family of Sienna Brooks here?"

My feet froze.

Sienna Brooks.

The "demanding fifty-year-old female client" Julian had saved in his contacts.

He had told me she was a nightmare business partner.

"The birth registration form is wrong! The father's middle name is missing a letter!"

The nurse crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the recycling bin outside the counter.

"Fill out a new one and bring it back! Don't hold up the line!"

I walked over, bent down, and retrieved the paper ball from the bin.

I smoothed it out slowly.

Mother: Sienna Brooks.

Father: Julian Vance.

The timestamp was 10:00 AM today.

Right when I was on the fourth floor getting a fetal heart rate monitor, trembling with fear because of abnormal fetal movement.

The handwriting on the paper was firm and confident. It was Julian's.

I folded the paper and slipped it into my bag.

The elevator numbers ticked up.

Seventeenth floor. VIP Maternity Ward.

The hallway outside the private suite was filled with luxury flower arrangements. I walked closer and read the cards.

"Wishing Sienna and the baby a speedy recovery." Carter.

"Welcome to parenthood." Harper.

"My brother is finally a dad." Lauren.

The door to the suite was slightly ajar. Soft, happy laughter echoed from inside.

I pushed the door open.

Julian was sitting by the bedside, holding a cup of warm water, carefully feeding Sienna with a spoon. She leaned against the pillows, pale but glowing with a smug happiness. The maternity band was wrapped around her wrist.

The bassinet was right beside them.

Lauren was holding the swaddled newborn, smiling from ear to ear.

"Oh, look at this nose, these eyes. He looks exactly like Julian."

Julian set the spoon down and reached out to gently tickle the baby's cheek.

"Yeah. He takes after me."

I stood at the doorway.

Lauren turned first. Her smile froze instantly.

"Ch... Chloe? What are you doing here?"

Julian whipped his head around.

The spoon clattered into the bowl, splashing a few drops of water onto the table.

He stood up, instinctively taking a step forward to block the bed from my sight.

"Chloe, let me explain."

I didn't even look at him.

"So, you're Sienna?"

Sienna's face turned white. She clutched her stomach and pulled the blanket up, shrinking back into the bed.

Julian immediately turned to comfort her, then looked back at me, his brow furrowed.

"Chloe, she just gave birth. She can't handle any stress. You're pregnant too, don't make a scene here."

"Let's talk outside."

I stared at this man who had slept beside me for seven years.

"A scene? As your legal wife, coming to visit your newborn bastard, how is this making a scene?"

I pulled the crumpled birth registration form and my prenatal report from my bag.

"I have our marriage certificate on my phone. And my checkup record is from today too."

"Julian, when you told me this morning that you were out of town on business, you were actually in this exact building, holding her hand while she gave birth?"

Silence fell over the room.

Lauren put the baby back into the bassinet and cleared her throat.

"Chloe, it's already happened. Don't be so aggressive."

"Sienna has been with Julian for five years without any recognition. Now she's finally given our family an heir."

"We can't just pretend the child doesn't exist, can we?"

I turned to her.

"So, the whole family knew. I was the only fool kept in the dark?"

Sienna's tears began to pour.

"Chloe, please don't blame Julian. It's all my fault."

"I don't want a title. I just wanted my baby to have a father."

She sobbed, glancing at the bassinet.

"Chloe, the baby in your belly is still small, but my baby is already here... Please, don't ruin his home on the very day he came into this world."

How hilarious.

I was the one whose home was destroyed, yet now I was the villain trying to ruin theirs.

Footsteps echoed outside.

Harper pushed the door open. When she saw me, her expression changed.

She rushed over and grabbed my arm.

"Chloe, let's go home first. Don't do this here..."

"It's not a bad thing for a man to have two kids. It's not like Julian can't afford to raise them both."

Carter followed her in, chiming in.

"Yeah, Chloe. It's not like Julian is leaving you."

I looked at these people.

Just yesterday, they were commenting on my Instagram posts, telling me how lucky I was.

I yanked my arm out of Harper's grip, pulled my wedding ring off my ring finger, and threw it.

Clang.

The diamond ring hit the metal bar of the bassinet and bounced onto the hardwood floor.

"Since you three make such a perfect family, I'll let you have him."

I turned to leave.

But my wrist was suddenly grabbed in a vice grip.

Julian stared at me, his eyes bloodshot.

"I will never divorce you. The child in your womb is also mine."

Julian's grip was so tight my knuckles turned white.

Ignoring my struggles, he dragged me out of the hospital and shoved me into his car.

The doors locked with a heavy click.

The ride home was completely silent.

The moment I stepped inside our house, I felt like I couldn't breathe.

In the corner of the living room stood the baby bassinet I had assembled with my own hands.

On the sofa was the hospital bag I had packed weeks ago.

Julian took off his coat and stepped forward to hug me, but I dodged him.

His arms hung in the air, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Chloe, today was my fault."

"But I had no choice. Sienna's baby was breech. The delivery was highly risky. I couldn't just not be there."

His voice was incredibly calm, showing no remorse for being caught red-handed.

"She just gave birth. She can't handle any shock. And a newborn needs his father."

"You are in your third trimester now. Your pregnancy is high-risk. Getting a divorce right now will only hurt your body."

"Let's talk about the future after you safely deliver our baby, okay?"

I stared at his self-righteous face.

"Julian, do you think that as long as you're willing to sweet-talk me, I have to accept this disgusting situation?"

He frowned.

"Chloe, I will give you and our baby the best medical care. Private nurses, a newborn specialist. I have already arranged everything."

"All you need to do is focus on your pregnancy. Don't worry about anything else."

He packaged his stalling tactics as responsibility.

He wanted to keep both women and both children under his thumb.

I didn't argue. I turned and walked into the bedroom.

I pulled open the drawer and dug out our thick, old photo album.

Five years ago, he said he was on a business trip to Miami. But in the background of one photo, there was a corner of a pink dress.

Three years ago, on his Amazon account, he had purchased two identical pregnancy pillows.

One was shipped three days earlier than mine.

During my first trimester, he sent me a playlist of prenatal music. In the memo section, there was a tiny letter "S".

I had thought it was a work note.

Every page I turned brought a fresh wave of nausea.

Julian walked in with a glass of warm milk and set it on the nightstand.

"Chloe, stop overthinking."

"You have signs of threatened miscarriage. The medical bills for keeping this baby safe are going to be astronomical. You can't afford that on your own."

"For the sake of the baby, stop making a scene."

He was absolutely sure I couldn't leave him.

He was sure that reality and the baby would trap me forever.

I looked at him and said nothing.

That night, Julian went to sleep in the study.

I lay in bed, and my phone vibrated.

It was a video from an unknown number.

I tapped it.

In the video, Julian was cradling the newborn, whispering softly.

"Be good, sweetie. Daddy's here."

From behind the camera, Sienna's voice drifted in.

"Chloe, your baby isn't even born yet, but Julian is already calling himself Daddy to my son."

"When your baby finally comes, how much time and energy do you think Julian will have left for him?"

The video cut off.

My hands gripped the bedsheets.

A sharp, stabbing pain suddenly bloomed in my lower abdomen.

I clutched my stomach, cold sweat pouring down my back, soaking my pajamas.