The Secret Vasectomy, Flight to London

My wife and I were in a terrible car accident.

While I was recovering in the hospital, I accidentally overheard her talking to the doctor.

Find a chance to give my husband a secret vasectomy, she whispered. Make sure he stays impotent, too.

She turned and gave a sweet smile to the man holding her.

"Don't worry, Landon," she said. "He won't have any children with me."

"I'm already carrying your baby. Our child will be the sole heir to both the Turner and the Sterling fortunes."

I knew this man. He was her newly hired secretary, Landon.

He looked almost exactly like her late first love, the one who died years ago.

As she was leaving, she gave the doctor one last instruction.

"Also, use the best equipment for the procedure. I don't want his body scarred, and I definitely don't want him to find out."

I stood there frozen, unable to believe that the wife who claimed to love me so deeply could be this cruel.

Without a word, I turned around and booked a one-way flight across the ocean.

1.

I stood outside the patient room like a prisoner waiting for his execution. My hands and feet felt like ice.

Landon frowned, his voice full of feigned concern.

"Cynthia, do you think Quinton will realize we staged the accident?"

Cynthia buried her head in Landon's chest, acting just as cuddly as she usually did with me.

"He won't," she said softly, her voice filled with a chilling certainty.

"I've already had the car crushed. He trusts me so much that if I say it was an accident, he'll never doubt it."

My heart skipped a beat.

That accident had severely damaged the nerves in my fingers.

The doctor said I might never be able to hold a paintbrush for long periods again.

My dreams and my future were being buried by her own hands.

All of this was just because she wanted to strip me of my rights as a man.

I wanted to burst in and scream at her. I wanted to ask why she was doing this to me.

But my feet felt like they were made of lead. I was terrified of hearing an even more brutal truth.

I stumbled back to my own room, bumping into several people on the way.

Our nanny, Mrs. Miller, was there with a thermos, looking worried.

"Sir, where have you been? You're injured, you shouldn't be wandering around. Mrs. Sterling will be so worried."

"You have no idea how long she waited outside the operating room while you were in surgery."

"She only took care of her own scratches after you were safe."

"She even had me make this chicken soup for you first thing this morning. She really loves you to death!"

In the past, these words would have made me feel warm and lucky.

Now, they just felt like a sick, twisted joke.

I forced a smile that felt more like a grimace.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Miller. I just needed some fresh air."

Once she left, I took out my phone and called my mother.

"Mom, I've decided. I'll go to London for treatment."

My mother started crying with joy on the other end of the line.

"That's wonderful, Quinton. I'll buy the ticket right away. When do you want to come?"

"In five days," I said.

I paused, then added, "Don't tell anyone. Especially not Cynthia."

Just as I hung up, the door swung open.

Cynthia walked in and naturally took my hand, looking concerned.

"What's wrong? I thought I heard you mention my name."

2.

I smiled faintly and squeezed her hand back.

My thumb brushed against the smooth skin of her knuckles, but I felt nothing but a cold void inside.

"I was just bragging about you to a friend," I lied. "Telling them how sweet and attentive you are."

There was a bitterness in my voice that I couldn't quite hide.

I looked past her and saw Landon following her into the room.

The smugness and pity in his eyes were like two daggers stabbing into my chest.

Cynthia gave me a playful shove. "Stop being so cheesy!"

I knew Cynthia had been obsessed with my older brother, Xavier, since they were kids. That was the real reason for the marriage alliance between our families.

If Xavier hadn't died in that accident, she would have married him instead of me.

For the past four years, she had been the perfect wife.

She even told me she loved me and wanted us to have a baby.

I thought she had finally moved on from my brother. I was wrong.

Every sweet memory we shared now felt like a blade slowly carving up my heart.

Landon raised an eyebrow, his tone mocking.

"The boss got hurt, so as her private secretary, it's my job to take care of her."

"Don't get the wrong idea, Quinton."

"Watch your mouth," Cynthia snapped at Landon.

She turned back to me with a soft expression. "If he makes you uncomfortable, I'll fire him."

"But for now, you need to take your medicine."

She held out two white pills. I looked at them and remembered her conversation with the doctor.

My stomach churned with a sudden wave of nausea.

"I don't really want to take them right now. Just leave them there."

Cynthia's brow furrowed, and her voice sharpened.

"How are you going to get better if you don't take your meds?"

"Don't you want us to have that baby we talked about?"

"We need to get you healthy so we can try by the end of the year."

She knew how much I wanted a child. She knew I would do anything for that dream.

"Just leave them," I said, my voice firmer than hers this time.

Her expression shifted, and she softened her tone again.

"What's wrong? Do you feel sick?"

She reached out to touch my forehead. "You don't have a fever..."

Her fake concern only proved that the pills were a trap.

I wanted to keep playing her game to buy time, but a heavy wave of sleepiness washed over me.

Before I blacked out, I saw Landon standing by my bed.

He was holding a syringe, pushing a clear liquid into my IV line.

He had a wicked, triumphant smile on his face.

3.

I didn't wake up until the following afternoon.

Cynthia was sitting by the bed, peeling an apple.

When she saw me open my eyes, she looked relieved. "Honey! You're awake! Are you hungry?"

I tried to move, and a sharp, localized pain shot through my lower body.

I pulled back the blanket and saw a small bandage in my groin area.

It felt like a thousand needles were stabbing my heart.

Hearing her plan was one thing, but seeing the physical proof was another.

She really did it. She actually destroyed my ability to ever be a father.

I wanted to scream at her, but she beat me to it.

"Quinton, you gave me such a scare when you passed out yesterday!"

"The doctor said there were internal complications from the car accident."

"They had to perform a quick emergency procedure..."

She picked up an ultrasound report from the nightstand and handed it to me.

"See? This is the scan they took."

I didn't take it. I just stared at the ceiling with empty eyes.

She had even forged a medical report. Nothing she said mattered anymore.

Seeing my silence, she leaned in to hug me.

"It's okay, honey. The doctor said we can still have kids later. It was just a minor fix."

"And even if we can't, we can always adopt, right?"

I turned my head away from her embrace, my voice cold as ice.

"I want to rest. Please leave."

She looked awkward for a moment, then stood up. "Okay. I'll go get you some dinner."

The moment the door clicked shut, I let the tears fall.

They soaked into my pillow in silence.

I wondered how many of our years together were built on lies.

When exactly did the first lie start?

4.

Cynthia had barely left when my phone buzzed with a message.

It was from Landon. "I saw you outside the room earlier. I didn't realize you were such a coward."

"How does it feel to know you'll never be a father?"

"By the way, your wife tastes amazing."

He attached a video.

In the video, Cynthia and Landon were tangled together in our bed, completely naked.

Cynthia's usually cold, professional face was filled with pure ecstasy.

I stared at the screen until I felt like I was going to throw up.

Landon sent another text: "We don't just use your bed. Sometimes we use your clothes as a blanket."

I started gagging, my whole body shaking with rage.

No wonder my ironed shirts always seemed wrinkled when I went to grab them.

They weren't just cheating; they were mocking my entire existence.

Dinner time came, but Cynthia didn't show up.

Mrs. Miller came instead.

She spent the whole time rambling about how great Cynthia was and how much work she had at the office.

I couldn't eat a single bite. Everything tasted like ash.

Mrs. Miller had been with my family for twenty years; she was like a second mother to me.

She had watched me grow up and watched me marry Cynthia.

She used to make me midnight snacks when I stayed up painting.

She used to tell me to be patient with Cynthia when we argued.

I thought she was the only person besides my parents who truly cared for me.

But she lived in our house. There was no way she didn't know about the affair.

She watched me get betrayed every day and said nothing.

"You know, don't you, Mrs. Miller?"

Her hand froze for a split second before she continued setting the table.

"I don't know what you're talking about, sir."

My voice trembled. "You really don't? About Cynthia and Landon?"

Mrs. Miller sighed and set the bowl down, looking at me with pity.

"Cynthia has had a hard life. She just misses Mr. Xavier."

"Don't worry. She knows what she's doing. She'll never divorce you."

I laughed bitterly. I had forgotten that she always loved my brother more than me.

I didn't argue. There was no point in humiliating myself further.

I had three days left before my flight.

Cynthia and Landon visited me together, both looking exhausted with dark circles under their eyes.

It was obvious what they had been doing all night.

"I'm so sorry," Cynthia said. "The accident put me behind on so much work."

"I've been buried in meetings. I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you last night."

I looked at her calmly. "I know we didn't marry for love."

"I told you once that if you ever fell for someone else, you could tell me."

"I'd let you go. That offer still stands."

Her face went pale, and her voice turned icy.

"What are you talking about? I only love you! I always have!"

"You must have heard some rumors!"

She turned to the doctor and Landon, her voice sharp.

"Which one of you has been talking trash to my husband?"

The doctor panicked. "Not me, Mrs. Sterling! It was just routine check-ups!"

Landon looked relaxed, a hint of a smirk on his face.

"I came to visit Quinton yesterday with you, remember?"

"Quinton, stop overthinking. Our boss only has eyes for you."

Cynthia leaned in and acted cute. "See? You're just being paranoid!"

"I love you the most!"

I nodded numbly. I didn't say another word, and I saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes.

"I want to stay until you're discharged, but the company is a mess."

"I have to go out of town for a few days starting tomorrow."

"Next year, we'll adopt a baby to take over the business so we can spend more time together."

She talked about the future with such fake passion.

If I hadn't seen the digital invitation Landon sent me for their engagement party in two days, I might have believed her.

"I understand. Go do what you have to do."

She seemed annoyed by my lack of reaction. "Are you still mad? I'm really just going for work..."

"No. I trust you."

I didn't want any drama before I got on that plane.

Two days until I leave.

Landon sent me a video of Cynthia supervising workers setting up a venue.

The decorations looked exactly like the "Dream Wedding" sketches my brother had drawn before he died.

When we got married, she wouldn't even pick out the flowers. She left it all to an assistant.

Landon's message was pure bragging: "I told her I wanted a ceremony, so she's throwing me an engagement party."

"You poor loser. Feel free to stop by the day after tomorrow."

I didn't reply. I just screenshotted everything.

These were my bargaining chips for the divorce. Our families were too intertwined for a simple split.

I needed to make sure my family came out on top.

One day until I leave.

I checked myself out of the hospital.

I sent Mrs. Miller away and hired a cleaning crew to pack my things.

I instructed my lawyer to deliver a very special "engagement gift" to Cynthia the next day.

Landon kept sending photos of the rings.

I recognized them immediately. They were vintage diamond bands from my family's jewelry boutique.

I made sure to tell the store manager not to put them on a tab.

I told him to go directly to Cynthia the next day to collect the full payment.

I wanted her to pay for every bit of her betrayal.

The next morning, I boarded my flight to London without looking back.

Goodbye, Cynthia.