Their Secret Child, My Sterile Husband Chapter 03
Chapter 3 “Don’t Tell Me You’re Jealous of the Kid”
I kept my mouth shut, and that seemed to unsettle him more than any accusation could have. Jayden’s eyes sharpened as he studied my face. “Don’t tell me you’re even jealous of the kid?” he said lightly, but there was an edge beneath the teasing tone.
Ariella tugged on his sleeve, one hand resting dramatically over her abdomen. “Jayden, I think my wound hurts again…” she murmured, her voice soft and fragile.
Without hesitation, he bent down and scooped her into his arms. As he carried her toward the ward, he tossed the words over his shoulder as if they weighed nothing. “Rebecca, head home first. Your sister needs someone to look after her.”
My heart sank like a stone dropped into the deepest sea. The heart that had once raced wildly at the sound of his footsteps now felt cold, heavy, and eerily still. Somewhere between yesterday and today, it had, stopped expecting anything at all.
Years ago, during a brutal winter, I had found Ariella curled beside a trash can in the snow, digging through scraps just to survive. I had felt a sharp ache of pity and begged my parents to take her in. I thought I was rescuing her from a cruel world.
After she came into our home, everything shifted in ways I refused to acknowledge. Jayden-who had grown up beside me, who once swore I was irreplaceable-began taking her side in every small disagreement. My parents’ favoritism slowly became routine, so subtle at first that I convinced myself it was in my head.
Now that I had finally woken up, I could see it clearly. Every kindness I thought belonged to me had quietly become hers. Everything I once held had slipped from my fingers without a sound.
Rain poured down in sheets on my way home, blurring the city into gray streaks. I changed in the bedroom, peeling off damp clothes that clung to my skin like the remnants of a bad dream. Just as I finished, someone knocked at the door.
The housekeeper stood outside holding a paper bag. The logo printed on it was from my favorite bakery, the one where lines wrapped around the block for hours. Back then, whenever I craved it, Jayden would stand in the cold just to bring me a slice, claiming he liked the excuse to see me smile.
“The young master said this is for you,” she said politely.
For a moment, something fragile stirred in my chest. I took the bag, but it felt strangely light, and unease crawled up my spine. When I opened it, a sour, intimate smell hit me so sharply I almost dropped it.
There was no cake inside. Only Ariella’s underwear, carelessly stuffed in, stained with the unmistakable evidence of their intimacy. My stomach twisted violently.
The downstairs front door opened. Jayden’s footsteps echoed up the hall. “Rebecca, did you get the package?”
I walked toward him and hurled the bag at his chest. “What is this?”
For once, his expression faltered. “Your niece was at the hospital earlier,” he said quickly. “Kids don’t have self-control. She saw the cake and ate some. Don’t stoop to a child’s level. If you want more, we’ll buy it again. As for the clothes… maybe Arielle changed and they got mixed up.”
The words I wanted to scream tangled in my throat. This wasn’t about cake. It wasnt about laundry it was about the simple, brutal truth that I had never once come first.
Take those and hand-wash them,” he added calmly. “She’s your sister, and she’s not feeling well. Give her a little extra care. One piece or two, you’re washing anyway.”
A hollow laugh escaped me. She hadn’t even officially moved in, and I was already being positioned as the help.
His phone chimed, that familiar tone softening his features instantly. He stepped onto the balcony, and watched his eyes warm, watched his lips curve in a smile I hadn’t seen directed at me in years. The tenderness in that expression felt like another quiet betrayal.
I tossed the clothes into the washing machine and returned to the bedroom. When he came back inside and saw me, he blinked in surprise. “That quick? You finished already? That set’s Arielle’s favorite.”
“By the way,” he continued casually, “good news. Your sister and her daughter, Lily Lee, are moving in with us. She’s been pregnant before, so she can help take care of you. You won’t feel lonely.”
It wasn’t a discussion. It was a decision already made.
All that talk about helping me, keeping me company-it was laughable. He simply wanted her under this roof without hiding anymore. I stared at him, stunned by how natural he made it sound.
I have never liked being near Ariella, but Jayden had already chosen her place in this house. I would not humiliate myself by begging for scraps of dignity. Some battles aren’t worth fighting when you’ve already lost the war.
Hay on the bed staring at the ceiling, tears sliding silently into my hair. Years ago, I had passed a luxury venue and found Edward collapsed on the ground, his heart failing and no medical staff in sight. I had knelt in the snow and performed CPR until my arms trembled, refusing to let him die.
By some miracle, he survived. Not long after, the Richardsons were searching for a suitable bride for Jayden, and Edward insisted on choosing me. He called it gratitude, destiny, repayment.
Who could have known that this so-called blessing would become the beginning of a love story that never belonged to me?
When I opened my eyes again, it was morning.
I stepped into the dining room and saw the three of them eating breakfast together, sunlight falling warmly over their quiet domestic scene. Ariella looked up first, her smile gentle and perfectly rehearsed. “Rebecca. you’re up? Oh no, I don’t think I bought enough breakfast. Come sit-1 can share mine with you?”
“No need,” I replied evenly. “I’ll just go buy more.”
