I Put My Ex-husband and His Beloved Woman in Jail

I had been married to Landen Patel for three years. He suddenly got down on his knees in front of me one day, and his eyes were filled with tears. "Honey, could you... temporarily divorce me?"

I froze, as if someone had hit me over the head without warning. A chill ran through my body.

"Jaynie is back, and she brought a five-year-old boy. I just found out today... that I am the father. But he has leukemia. The doctors said the only way to save him is if Jaynie and I have another child so that we can use the newborn's embryonic stem cells.

Looking at his pained face, I gave a bitter smile. "So you're saying you want a divorce... to have a child with her?"

He shook his head, crying. "It's only temporary! Once the boy is saved, I'll come back to you. Honey, please... think of it as saving a life..."

Just then, his phone rang.

Jaynie Payne sent him a revealing selfie with a message. "Landen, I'm ready. Has Lydia agreed? The doctor said it is the best time for me to get pregnant tonight."

...

I snatched his phone and stared fixedly at the words on the screen.

In the photo, Jaynie was dressed in a sheer lace nightgown, striking a seductive pose with a confident and provocative gleam in her eyes.

A flicker of panic flashed across Landen's face as he reached out to snatch the phone back.

I could no longer hold back my tears. They burst forth like a flood. "Landen, I can't accept that..."

I collapsed to the floor, and my voice shook uncontrollably. "No woman in the world can accept it. How can I push my husband into another woman's bed?"

Landen hugged me tightly, and his voice was pained and repressed. "Lydia, I'm sorry. I know it is unfair for you, but it's a human life. I can't refuse to save him."

He cupped my face and forced me to look at him. "Let's just divorce for now, okay? Just think of it as... as a temporary separation. "Once the child is saved, and when Jaynie no longer needs me... I swear I'll come running back to you."

His words felt like a lifeline, igniting one last, desperate flicker of hope within me.

I clutched his arms, and my nails nearly dug into his flesh. "No, Landen. Can't we... can't we not get divorced? We can try IVF... or I'll pay and use all my connections to find a bone marrow match for that boy."

Before I could finish, his phone rang again.

The caller ID showed "Jaynie."

Landen instinctively wanted to hang up. But after hesitating for half a second, he picked it up.

As soon as the call connected, Jaynie's voice came through in a wailing tone. "Landen, why haven't you replied to me? Have you talked it over? Has Lydia agreed?"

Landen glanced at me. His gaze shifted uneasily as his voice dropped to a hushed whisper. "I'm still discussing it with Lydia."

On the other end, Jaynie broke down and cried. Her voice suddenly rose, and she shouted at me through the receiver. "Lydia, please. Please let us go through with this. I'll kneel down if you want. I'll do anything you ask as long as my boy can be saved. If you don't trust us, I'm... I'm willing to broadcast the entire conception process live for you to watch. I promise you, there's nothing inappropriate between Landen and me. We're only doing this to save my boy."

Landen's face looked terrible as he immediately hung up the phone.

He looked at me, who was standing frozen and deathly pale. He said in a low voice, "Look, Lydia, I'm telling you, there's absolutely nothing between her and me. "All of this is to save the boy. You should stop being narrow-minded."

Was I narrow-minded?

I kept shaking my head, and tears ran down my face again.

I clung to his sleeve and pleaded humbly, "Landen, please don't leave me... Don't divorce me, okay? Let's think of another way. There must be another way. Please..."

But he just peeled my hand away expressionlessly. The last flicker of warmth in his eyes was completely gone. "Lydia, you've really let me down."

With those words, he left the house resolutely without sparing me another glance.

The door closed with a heavy thud.

I rushed to the window.

Downstairs, Landen's car lights flickered on. Without the slightest pause, he quickly drove out of my sight.

I could no longer hold myself up. I slid down the cold wall to sit on the icy floor, motionless for a long while.

In that moment, my hope shattered completely.

I didn't know how much time had passed before I slowly stood up from the floor.

I took out my phone and called my assistant, Kathy Wheeler.

I said calmly, "Kathy, prepare a divorce agreement for me now, requiring Landen to leave with nothing, on the grounds of his extramarital affair and his conspiracy with another woman to misappropriate jointly owned marital property."

After hanging up, I dialed another number.

It was James Norris, a private detective. I had been cooperating with him for a long time.

"James, investigate a woman for me. Her name is Jaynie Payne, and she has a five-year-old son. I need an urgent paternity test, as fast as possible." And I also want all her background information from the past few years. Get everything for me later."

After making all the calls, I hugged my pillow, wide awake until dawn.

Landen did not return home for the whole night.