My Husband Has A Secret Family Of Two

It was our wedding anniversary when my husband dropped the bomb.

Actually, I have another family out there.

My hand froze, mid-air, as I gripped my wine glass.

He looked as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

The child is two years old. She looks just like me.

Last month, when you were in the hospital after losing our baby... I wasn't there because the little girl was crying for her daddy.

"And when your mother was hospitalized? I was with them, too."

In an instant, my blood turned to ice.

Right then, his phone buzzed on the table.

I caught a glimpse of the screen and felt like I'd been struck by lightning.

The name he always whispered in his sleepDStellDwasn't a pet name for his Starley.

It was for Estelle.

01

The expression on Lucius Thorne's face turned incredibly tender the moment he picked up the phone.

I felt a wave of vertigo.

It was as if the cold man sitting across from me was a complete stranger compared to the one speaking now.

He got up and paced toward the balcony, leaving the living room in a tomb-like silence.

Watching him laugh and chat on the phone, my heart withered completely.

Why?

Why did he choose to tell me now?

Just when I thought I was at my happiest.

Lucius finished the call and walked back. Seeing my ghost-white face, a flicker of habitual concern crossed his eyes.

Then, he remembered something and his expression hardened back into a mask of ice.

"This is all my fault. Don't go looking for trouble with her."

"She's been begging me to keep this a secret, but I don't want her and the child living in the shadows anymore."

"I don't want her to feel guilty every time she thinks of you."

"Starley, I've given you enough over the years. I can't keep doing her wrong."

I was stunned.

So, our entire marriage had been nothing but a shackle to him.

Yet, just yesterday, he had looked into my eyes with such devotion.

"Having you in my life is the greatest blessing I've ever received," he had said.

I couldn't take it anymore. I swung my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

"Lucius Thorne, you're a goddamn monster!"

Lucius flinched for a second, but he recovered quickly.

"If hitting me makes you feel better, fine. Just stay away from her."

I let out a jagged laugh.

To him, Estelle was that precious!

Five years ago, when everyone was against me, he was the only one who stood up to protect me.

Now, he was the one leading the charge to destroy me.

I began to hit him, my fists raining down on his chest like a madwoman.

"Why? Why would you do this to me?"

He didn't move. He didn't even try to stop me.

There wasn't a trace of guilt on his face.

Only the relief of finally being caught.

The front door suddenly swung open. My mother-in-law, Beatrice, walked in with a smile that instantly vanished.

She rushed forward and shoved me away from her son.

"Starley Vance! What do you think you're doing? How dare you lay a hand on him!"

I stumbled back, nearly losing my footing.

I stood my ground, my eyes burning red.

"Lucius is cheating on me. He has another woman and a kid."

Beatrice's face went pale for a split second, but she regained her composure almost instantly.

"Starley, there must be a misunderstanding. You two need to sit down and talk it out."

I screamed, the sound tearing through my throat. "There is no misunderstanding! He admitted it himself!"

Beatrice looked at Lucius, searching for a denial.

When Lucius met her gaze with a firm nod, her body stiffened.

She seemingly couldn't believe the son she raised was a cheater.

But after only a few seconds, her expression shifted again.

"In a situation like this, it takes two to tango. You can't put all the blame on one person."

A cold sneer formed in my heart.

Of course. No matter how many times she called me the daughter she never had, blood was thicker than water.

When the stakes were high, she would always protect her own.

But what did I do wrong?

Lucius finally spoke, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Whether this marriage continues or not is up to you."

02

I don't even remember how I left that house.

I felt hollowed out, like a ghost wandering the streets.

I ended up at the old cottage my parents had left me.

The moment I opened the door, I froze.

Estelle?

What was she doing here?

But then it clicked. Why wouldn't she be here?

She was the charity case my mother had sponsored.

When her family fell apart, my mother had taken her in.

My mother treated her exactly like me, like her own flesh and blood.

There was always a spare key hidden for her.

Estelle looked startled when she saw me.

"Starley? Why are you back? Isn't today your anniversary?"

"You look terrible. Did something happen?"

She reached out to steady me, her face full of false concern.

I jerked my shoulder away, dodging her touch.

She looked bewildered. "Starley, what's wrong?"

I let out a harsh laugh and looked her dead in the eye.

"Lucius told me everything, dear 'sister.'"

"Aren't you tired of acting after all these years?"

Estelle's face turned ashen.

"He... he told you?"

"No... it's not what you think."

"Starley, let me explain"

Explain what?

Explain how Lucius knows her favorite things better than mine?

Explain why every time I needed help, neither she nor Lucius could be reached?

Or explain how they've been playing me for a fool for years?

I laughed. I should have seen it coming.

Years ago, she was transferred abroad for a year.

That same year, Lucius was constantly traveling for business.

That's when they had the child.

It was so obvious, yet I never doubted them for a second.

I used to text her every day, telling her about my life.

I even complained to her that neither she nor Lucius was around when I felt lonely.

How pathetic!

Estelle suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me.

She grabbed the hem of my pants, tears streaming down her face.

"Starley, I can explain, I swear"

I kicked her hand away, sending her reeling.

At that exact moment, Lucius burst through the door.

He rushed over and gathered Estelle into his arms.

His shoulder slammed into me as he passed, sending me crashing against the sharp corner of the table.

A white-hot pain flared in my side, but all I could hear was Lucius's furious voice.

"Starley Vance, what is wrong with you?"

"Estelle has sacrificed so much for you! How can you be so cruel?"

"I'm the one who wronged you. If you want to hit someone, hit me!"

He scooped Estelle up, his eyes filled with agonizing tenderness.

"You don't need to kneel to her."

Estelle's eyes were blurry with tears. "It's all my fault. I've failed my sister."

Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead from the pain. I couldn't even breathe, let alone speak.

I watched them leave my house together, leaving me broken on the floor.

03

It took a long time before I could move. I crawled to the small altar where my mother's photo sat.

"Mom, I'm divorcing Lucius."

"If you were still here, you'd support me, wouldn't you?"

Memories began to flash through my mind like a horror movie.

When my mother was on her deathbed, I called Lucius.

I called him a dozen times. No answer.

When he finally called back, he said he was in a meeting.

Estelle, who I also couldn't reach, called back later too.

She claimed her phone was on silent.

I believed them. I believed every single lie.

That day, Lucius held my hand and promised I'd never be alone again.

Estelle wailed at the funeral louder than I did.

I even ended up comforting them.

"It's okay. Mom went peacefully. Don't blame yourselves."

Looking back, it's sickening.

Last month, when I lost the baby, Lucius dropped me at the ER and vanished.

He said there was an emergency at the office.

I lay in that hospital bed, watching other husbands fuss over their wives.

I cried until my pillow was soaked.

The nurse gave me a look of pure pity when she changed my IV.

She probably thought I was some abandoned woman.

I told myself he was just busy.

Now I know his daughter was just having a tantrum for her daddy.

He left his wife, who had just lost his child, to go play house with them.

But I still couldn't wrap my head around it. Why them?

Five years ago, they acted like they hated each other.

They used to compete to see who could treat me better.

If Lucius bought me a designer necklace, Estelle would stay up for weeks knitting me a scarf.

If I was upset, Lucius would defend me, and Estelle would be the quiet shoulder to cry on.

They fought every time they met, claiming they cared about me more than the other.

Everyone envied me for having two people so devoted to me.

I thought their rivalry was because they both loved me.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

As dawn broke, Lucius showed up at the cottage.

He was carrying a thermal bag.

"Your stomach has been bothering you. Estelle was worried you hadn't eaten."

"She made this chicken soup specially for you."

"Starley, Estelle has done enough for you."

"Over the years, she's stepped back and let you have everything."

"She's had it hard. Can't you just let her have this one thing?"

04

"CRASH!"

I swiped the thermal bag off the table.

The scalding soup splattered everywhere, soaking the rug.

"Lucius? What about me? Do you think this has been easy for me?"

"I've been with you since I was eighteen years old!"

Seeing Estelle's hard work ruined, Lucius knitted his brows in anger.

"That's why I gave you a choice!"

"Whether you want to stay married is up to you!"

"If you don't want a divorce, we can go back to how things were."

"Except Estelle and the kid won't have to hide in the shadows anymore."

"If you want out, name your price."

I stood up slowly, a cold laugh bubbling in my throat.

"Let her have this one thing?"

"Lucius, tell me, since we were kids, haven't I given her enough?"

"When she came to my house, I gave her my bedroom. When she liked my dresses, I gave them to her. My jewelry? Hers."

"And now, you expect me to just hand over my husband?"

Lucius looked away. "You can't quantify feelings like that."

I stepped closer, forcing him to look at me. "Then how do we count it?"

"With my mother's life? With the life of my lost baby?"

Lucius's face drained of color.

I didn't stop. "What do you even see in her?"

"Are you that desperate that you had to go after the person closest to me?"

"Was she that thirsty that she had to hunt you down?"

"When you were tangled up in bed together, did you ever think of me?"

"You're both pathetic tramps!"

The door creaked open. Estelle stood there, her eyes red and her lips trembling.

"Starley... how could you say that about me?"

"What happened between us was an accident!"

In her hand, she held a small laminated card.

It was our old "Pinky Promise Card."

Years ago, she said sisters would always have fights.

She made me promise that if she ever showed this card, we had to make up, no matter what.

I had agreed, touched by how much she seemed to value our bond.

"Sisters for life," I had said back then.

Looking at it now, it was all part of the long game.

Liars! All of them!

I lost control and grabbed the nearest heavy object, hurling it at her.

There was a loud thud.

She instinctively blocked it with her arm, barely saving her head from being split open.

Lucius snapped. He lunged forward and slapped me across the face.

"Starley Vance, how dare you?"

"She is your sister!"

The blow was so hard my lip split, and I tasted copper.

He paused, a flicker of regret passing through his eyes.

"I... I'm sorry... I..."

But before he could finish, Estelle let out a sob.

"Blood... my arm..."

Lucius spun around, his attention completely diverted.

Fresh blood was dripping from Estelle's elbow. She looked like she was about to faint.

Yet, she still played the martyr.

"Don't blame Starley. It was my own fault"

Lucius's eyes turned red with heartache.

When he looked back at me, there was nothing left but pure disgust.

"Starley, if anything happens to her, I will make you pay!"

I clutched my burning cheek and watched their retreating backs.

I knelt down and picked up that stupid card.

Our fingerprints from years ago were still visible on it.

I used to keep it in my wallet like a sacred treasure.

Estelle must have been desperate for a final blow, because she came back, clutching her bleeding arm.

"Starley, our bond is deeper than any man. We can't let this end."

"Please, just forgive me."

She made a move to kneel again, but Lucius hauled her up.

He kissed her hard, right in front of me, his eyes wild.

"Estelle, why? Why can't you just think about yourself for once?"

"I love you. Only you. Stop pushing me away!"

Estelle weakly tried to shove him back.

"But I can't lose my sister. She's everything to me."

Lucius's voice cracked with desperation.

"And what about me? Don't you feel anything for me?"

Estelle froze, her shoulders shaking violently.

"No, I love you, but I can't"

Lucius silenced her with another kiss.

"That's enough. Everyone has to look out for themselves eventually."

I looked at the two of them and felt my stomach turn.

I turned my back on them and walked straight toward the airport.

Lucius, Estelle... I hope you both burn in the hell you've built.