I had been on a business trip overseas for less than six months when I suddenly received a call from the hospital.

"Mr. Jones, your wife is having a difficult labor. Should we proceed with a C-section or try to continue with a natural delivery?"

The words hit me like a bolt of lightning. I stood there, frozen. When I left, my wife had not shown any sign of pregnancy. How could she be giving birth less than six months later?

I quickly dialed her number. The moment the call connected, I heard her cries of pain.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

From the other end of the line, I could hear a nurse urging her to push harder. However, my wife forced her voice to sound calm.

"Sweetheart, I just slipped and fell a moment ago. It's nothing serious. You should keep focusing on your business trip. Don't worry about me."

As I listened, the faint sound of a baby crying filtered through the phone. My grip tightened so hard around the phone that it nearly cracked.

"Is that so? Then, get some rest," I said calmly.

After hanging up, I immediately called my father, the richest man in the country.

"Dad, Rebecca's cheating on me. She's in the delivery room right now, having another man's child. Stop all investments in the Harris family immediately. I want her thrown out with nothing to her name."

Following the GPS directions, I raced to the hospital, but the receptionist at the clinic blocked my path.

"Who are you here to see?"

I spoke calmly, giving my wife's name.

"I'm here for Rebecca Harris. I'm her husband."

The receptionist gave me a suspicious look, then scoffed.

"You've got the wrong person! Miss Rebecca's husband is our hospital dean. He's in the room with their baby right now. And just so you know, we don't disclose other patients' private information."

I slammed my hand down on the counter, my voice rising as I said, "Cut the crap. If I say to check, you check. My dad's a major investor in this place; I'm practically the head. Don't I have that right? And as for a husband catching his wife cheating, that's his prerogative, so save your breath!"

The nurse gave me a look like I was out of my mind, then snorted.

"Mister, you must be dreaming! Our dean's got money and power, and he's not the type to have an affair. You, on the other hand, have either lost your mind, or..."

She did not get to finish. A commotion erupted from down the hall.

"Miss Rebecca is so lucky to have a husband like you. You're not just making her soup and taking care of her after the birth, but you're even carrying her to the bathroom. That's just so sweet."

"Yeah! And the way you mix the baby's formula and change diapers, it's rare to find a man as tender and attentive as you."

I shoved past the receptionist and bolted into the hallway, where a nurse was speaking with a look of pure envy.

"Even though Miss Rebecca can't have any more kids after this tough delivery, with a devoted husband like you and a healthy eight-pound son, she's set for a lifetime of happiness."

At those words, I felt a surge of anger.

I never imagined that my wife would bear another man's child, wrecking her health so badly she would never carry another, and I was the last to know.

I shoved past the onlookers. There he was, cradling the baby.

Seeing his face, I was rooted to the spot, my voice barely a whisper as I said, "Marvin?"

It was Rebecca's brother-in-law, Marvin Hughes. His wife, Rebecca's sister, had passed away young, and he had stayed single, honoring her memory.

He had kept up with the Harris family out of respect for his late wife, and Rebecca's folks had practically adopted him.

However, he had a child with his sister-in-law, Rebecca. From a nobody, he had climbed to the top, running that hospital. It did not take a genius to figure out who had pulled the strings.

I was blindsided. I had put Rebecca on a pedestal, secretly funneled investments from my family and my dad into the Harris Group, and busted my hump overseas for their deals.

For what? Rebecca cheated on me and handed everything I had worked for to Marvin.

Marvin's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw me.

"Daniel, you... What are you doing back? Aren't you locked in some deal abroad for another year?"

'I better get back soon, or they'll walk all over me,' I thought.

I gave Marvin an icy look.

"Marvin, you've really outdone yourself! A dean and a dad, all at once. However, let's be real, you've got to be squirming inside, knowing that kid came from another man's wife!"

My words hit a nerve, and the room went tense.

Yet, Marvin kept his cool, his voice dripping with false compassion as he said, "Daniel, I get it, you're upset. However, hey, what can you do when Rebecca's heart's set on me?

"Relax, the kid's mine, but she's still your wife, right?"

That smug reply set me off, and I let loose a string of expletives.

"Marvin, you're so shameless! How low can you go, messing around with your own sister-in-law? And your poor wife, looking down from heaven. How would you square that with her?"

Marvin's brow creased ever so slightly, but his eyes were gleaming.

"Come on, Daniel, no need to get hot. If you'd been up to the task, maybe Rebecca would be carrying your baby. However, no, I had to step in and give the Harris family a future. Imagine Dad and Mom without a grandkid. That's just sad."

Was it really my fault that Rebecca could not get pregnant?

She never wanted to; that much was clear to me.

Five years of marriage, and I had lost count of how many times I had brought up having kids. However, she always brushed it off, saying we were too young, not ready. I backed off to respect her wishes.

Then, I was the bad guy.

Marvin was not done yet.

"The baby's here, but it's going to be rough for you. Rebecca was scared that a C-section would dumb down the baby, so she went all in for a natural birth. She ended up with a pretty bad tear."

I balled my fists, my anger boiling over into a bitter chuckle, and then I grabbed my phone and punched in a number.

"Get me the lawyer on the line. I want a thorough review of every asset owned by the Harris Group. They've let someone without even a college diploma run the show. Who knows what else is going on here that I'm clueless about?

"And draft me a divorce settlement. Rebecca's affair with Marvin is going to cost her. She'll leave with nothing, and I'll make sure the whole world knows about her betrayal."

Rebecca thought she had climbed to the top as CEO on her own smarts and grit, but it had all been my doing behind the scenes.

Without my help, how could she have risen from her humble clinic to helm such an empire?

She had betrayed me, and I would make sure she felt the sting of losing everything.

A flicker of doubt crossed Marvin's smug face when he heard my call.

"Daniel, is this necessary? You know how hard Rebecca worked for her success. You're going to ruin her completely!"

I nodded, resolute. "That's right. I'm going to ruin her and you. Neither of you will have an easy time after this."

Marvin's confidence shattered, his earlier bravado gone.

"Daniel, let's talk this through. There's no need for extremes. You've lived well thanks to Rebecca. If you take her down, you're just hurting yourself too."

He stepped closer, the child in his arms.

"Look at how cute this baby is; he's got Rebecca's smile. Can you really stand to see him suffer?"

I tried to step back, to put distance between us.

However, he yanked my arm, let out a shout, and then toppled backward, the child tumbling from his grasp.

The baby's wails captured everyone's attention.

"My son..."

Marvin scrambled across the floor, his face etched with worry, and scooped his child back into his arms. His voice broke as he turned to me, his words laced with accusation.

"Daniel, I know you're jealous of me, but how could you do this to my son? He's just a baby. If he's hurt, how are Rebecca and I supposed to go on?"

The nurses and doctors, already loyal to Marvin, witnessed the scene and rounded on me with harsh words.

"What's wrong with you? Have you lost all sense of decency? Not only do you slander our dean, but now you've gone and deliberately dropped his son on the floor."

"Call security, quickly! We've got a madman on the loose, attacking even a newborn."

Security arrived in a rush.

I tried to explain, to tell them I had not laid a finger on Marvin.

However, they would not listen. In a flash, I felt the sting of electric batons and the weight of iron rods as they struck me, sending me into darkness as I hit the floor with a heavy thud.

At that moment, a familiar voice echoed down the hallway.

"Stop! All of you."

I looked up, relief flooding through me as I saw my in-laws, Patrick Harris and Nancy Cobb, striding toward us.

I was about to speak when Marvin beat me to it, his voice soaked in tears.

"Mom, Dad, thank goodness you're here. If you'd been any later, your grandson might have been killed."

Patrick and Nancy hurried over to Marvin, checking on the wailing baby in his arms. Nancy, frantic with worry, rounded on me, her words sharp as knives.

"Daniel, how could you be so cruel? To drop Marvin's child? Don't you realize he's our family's only heir? Are you heartless?

"If you don't apologize to Marvin and your nephew today, I'm going to make sure Rebecca leaves you!"

Their words sent a chill through my heart.

"You know about Rebecca having a child with him, don't you?"

Nancy looked away, a flicker of guilt in her eyes, before she boldly continued, saying, "For years, Marvin's been the picture of loyalty for our late daughter, and he's been nothing but devoted to us, his elders. He's got more sense in his little finger than you do in your whole body.

"And now, he's getting on in years without a child of his own. What's so wrong with asking Rebecca to give him a legacy? Can't you see past your own nose?"

'Wasn't I just as devoted?' I wondered.

After marrying Rebecca, I spared no expense to ensure her parents were comfortable, buying them a spacious apartment and hiring a full-time caretaker.

Marvin? He had been all talk, showing up empty-handed every time he visited.

They thought he was the more devoted one?

That was a joke. I seethed inwardly.

My fists balled up as I spat out my words.

"So, he's the devoted one, and I'm not? What's it to me if he's childless? Why should my wife have to bear his child?"

Before I could take another breath, Patrick was on me, his slap knocking me to the floor.

"Daniel, you dare to sass me? You've got no class. I'm going to teach you a lesson for your folks today!"

He barked an order, and a security guard joined in, their blows raining down on me.

I could not hold back my cries of pain.

Nancy watched, arms crossed, her voice dripping with disdain.

"Daniel, you insolent fool! Not only did you sass us, but you also had the nerve to get physical with Marvin and your own nephew. You'd better apologize to Marvin, or brace yourself for a beating!"

Marvin, who had been taunting me with such smugness, then put on a show of concern. "Daniel, I get that you're hurting, but Rebecca's sister died young, and I can't forget her. I don't want to marry anyone else, so I had to ask her sister to give me a child... Just swallow your pride and apologize, man! If this fight keeps up, you're not going to last."

I glared at him, biting back the pain that threatened to overwhelm me, and kept my mouth shut.

It was not until someone cracked me over the head with an iron rod, sending my world spinning and blood trickling down my face, that I wobbled and collapsed.

Marvin's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Then, he feigned worry once more. "Daniel, stop being so stubborn. You nearly killed my son today, but if you just say you're sorry, I'll let it slide."

I was shaking with rage, but I spat back at him, saying, "You know damn well whether I pushed you or not. Why keep up this charade? And you think I'd apologize to you, the one who tore apart a family? In your dreams!"

He had done the unthinkable, breaking up a home, and yet they bristled at my accusation.

Nancy grabbed a flowerpot from the windowsill and hurled it at my head, cursing me out. "You're a complete failure! Can't even get my daughter pregnant, just mooching off her all day, and you have the gall to call Marvin a homewrecker? If it weren't for Marvin, we wouldn't even have a grandchild to hold."

The impact sent me sprawling to the ground, my head wound gushing more blood than before.

Just then, Rebecca's silhouette burst into my blurry vision.

"Dad! Mom! How could you do this to my husband? This is way out of line."