Chapter 1N
Ten years ago, my husband Billy Dawes convinced me to get a hysterectomy so we could live a child–free life together. I gave up my ability to have children for him–and I never looked back.M
Not until the day he came home with a pair of adopted twins and asked me to raise them as my own.”
Lagreed. And from that moment on, I devoted myself to those kids like they were my flesh and blood. I changed every diaper, packed every lunch, stayed up all night through every fever. Eighteen years later, they got accepted into Princeton and Yale. I was so proud I could’ve burst.N
At their college send–off party, Billy handed me a document–an asset transfer agreement. He wanted me to sign everything over to the twins.
I agreed without hesitation. Just as I reached for the pen, my mom pulled me aside, worry etched all over her face. “Crystal, you don’t even know where those kids came from. Are you really going to sign everything over to them? Keep something for yourself, at least.”
“Don’t worry, mom. Everything’s going to be okay,” I said softly.N
But she broke down, dropping to her knees and begging me not to be so naive. When my father saw her crying and realized I still planned to go through with it, he stormed in, slapped me across the face and shouted that I was a disgrace to the family.”
Still, I signed.
Billy’s face lit up with satisfaction. Then, without a shred of shame, he turned and wrapped his arm around another woman’s waist. She stepped forward, eyes smug and tossed a divorce agreement in my face.
“Thank you for taking care of Billy and the kids all these years,” she said. “But now it’s time for you to step aside. It’s time for our family to be whole again.“N
looked at her, my expression calm, my voice steady.N
“Fine.“N
N-
Eighteen years ago, Billy Dawes looked me in the eye and promised we’d be child–free forever. I believed him so much, I went under the knife. I let them take out my uterus so I wouldn’t be tempted later. No kids. No regrets. All for him.
Then, one day, he came home with a pair of brown–skinned, giggling twins–a boy and a girl–wrapped in bright, mismatched blankets and beaming at me like I was the sun. They were adorable. Couldn’t have been more than a few months old.
“I adopted them,” Billy said. “From a children’s shelter. They need a mom, Crystal. Will you take care of them?”
I didn’t even hesitate.N
From that moment on, I became their mother in every way that mattered. I was there for the late–night fevers, the broken bones, the report cards, the nightmares. I packed their lunches every single day and celebrated every scraped knee like it was a rite of passage. I kissed their foreheads goodnight more times than I could count.
And I loved them. Fiercely.N
Now, they’ve grown up. One got into Princeton. The other’s headed to Yale, I was so proud I felt like my chest might explode.
At their college send–off party, Billy handed me a document. “Crystal,” he said, “it’s time to transfer everything to the kids. Let’s make sure they have a solid start.“W
I didn’t even read it. I picked up the pen without thinking.
But before I could sign, my mom grabbed my arm, her eyes full of panic. “Honey,” she whispered, “do you even know where these kids came from? You’re giving them everything. Can’t you keep something for yourself?
I smiled. “It’s okay, Mom. I trust my judgment. Nothing would happen,” I said softly.
She started crying. Dropped to her knees in front of me. “Please, Crystal. Don’t do this.“@
My dad came storming in when he saw her like that. One look at the document in my hand and the tears in my morn’s eyes and he lost it. He slapped me across the face. “You’re a disgrace to the Oldford!” he yelled.
Even then–1 signed.
Billy’s grin stretched across his face. And right there, at that party, in front of everyone, ho walked across the room and wrapped his arm around another woman.
She was young, polished, with sharp eyes and a smile that said she thought she’d already won. She tossed a divorce agreement in my face like it was a party favor.”
“Thanks for taking care of Billy and the kids all these years,” she said. “But it’s time for you to go. It’s time for our family to be whole again”
I stared at her, dead calm.
“Okay,” I said.
But inside, my world shattered.S
This woman–Denise Boyle–was an employee at my company. Smart. Ambitious. Always knew how to play the game. A total bitch in disguise. Turns out, she wasn’t just playing games at work–she was playing house with my husband.
My voice broke through the silence like a gunshot. “So, you’ve been screwing around with Denise this whole time?!”
Denise smiled like I’d just complimented her. “Oh come on, Crystal. Don’t be mad. If you really loved Billy, you’d want what’s best for him pren’t you? Even if that means stepping aside”
4:27 PM
Billy scoffed. “Hurry up and sign the papers already. Stop dragging this out.“}
I looked at him–and suddenly I wasn’t seeing the confident man he’d become. I saw the boy he used to be in college. The poor farm kid from the sticks, too ashamed to ask for help. He used to sit in the dorm eating stale white bread because he couldn’t afford anything else. His hair was dry and brittle, his face pale, his shoulders hunched from hunger and shame.}
I remembered the day he passed out on the soccer field. I was the one who carried him to the infirmary. That’s when I found out how bad things were. I paid for his meals from then on. And eventually, we fell in love–or at least, I thought we did.
And Denise? She wasn’t some stranger. She was Billy’s childhood sweetheart–his high school flame. They’d supposedly broken up long before I entered the picture. But I guess old sparks die hard.”
The crowd at the party started buzzing with whispers.}
“God, poor Crystal… She just gave everything to those kids and now he pulls this?“>
“Didn’t they agree not to have kids at all? And then he goes and adopts two behind her back? Unbelievable.“}
Someone else added, “And now that the kids are off to the Ivy League, he doesn’t even bother pretending anymore.“}
