My Cheating Husband Didn't Know I Was an Heiress

Just because I gave birth to a daughter, my mother-in-law's whole family looked down on me. Not only did they hand over the house I'd paid for in full with my own family's money as a wedding suite for my brother-in-law, they also pressured me to cough up a hundred and eighty-eight thousand in bridal money so he could get married.

My husband's "adopted sister" deliberately picked a fight, and instead of taking my side, he called me difficult and told me to stop making trouble.

My husband's whole family treated me like a soft persimmon they could squeeze however they liked. They had no idea who I really was.

I dialed the number of a CEO's mother. "Mom, I want a divorce. And I want to ruin this whole nest of them."

The day I was discharged after my C-section, Homer Fox held me up the whole way, all gentle care and concern.

It warmed something in me. My mother-in-law might favor sons over daughters and be sharp-tongued and overbearing, but at least my husband was steady. We'd get by.

Then I pushed open the front door and froze.

Cardboard boxes covered the living room floor. My vanity had been shoved into a corner, and two thousand-dollar bottles of designer serum lay smashed to bits.

The words came out before I could think. "What happened here?"

Homer's eyes darted away. He said nothing.

Just then, a man and a woman's voices drifted out from the master bedroom.

"Adrian Fox, look at this leather bed. It's a hundred times better than our rental!"

"Of course. This is my brother's place. It'll be our wedding suite. Once we're married, we'll swap everything out for stuff we like."

Adrian?

That freeloading brother-in-law, mid-twenties and still lazing around off his family?

I pushed through the pain in my incision and hurried to the master bedroom. The second I opened the door, my vision went black and I nearly fell.

There was a bleached-blond woman sitting on my marriage bed, and Adrian was crouched on the floor pulling apart my closet, my clothes flung all over the place.

The room was wrecked, like it had just been robbed.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

The woman glanced at me and said, offhand, "So you're the wife, huh?"

"Didn't Mom tell you? Adrian and I are getting married next week. We're moving in early to get settled."

I clutched my stomach. The anger made the incision throb harder. "This is my house!"

Adrian looked completely unbothered. "Once you marry into the Fox family, you're one of us. Your house is the family's house."

"My wedding's a big deal. What's the problem with the woman marrying my brother giving up a place?"

The blond woman curled her lip. "You wouldn't want us getting married without a proper home, would you?"

"Besides, you only had a girl. Sooner or later it'll be up to Adrian and me to carry on the Fox line."

I whipped around to face Homer, jaw clenched. "Homer, what is going on here?"

He tried to soothe me. "My little brother's getting married next week. The bride's family wants a house. Mom really had no other choice."

"Just let them stay a few days. After the wedding they'll move out"

I pointed at the mess covering the floor, my voice shaking with fury. "They threw out all my things and tore apart my closet. This is staying a few days?"

Adrian's face soured. "Now that's harsh coming from you."

"We're all family here. Besides, you just gave birth, the spare room's easier for you anyway. The master faces the sun, which is better for my girl."

"She's pregnant. We have to be careful with her."

I laughed, furious. "Better for her? What about me?"

"I just got out of the hospital after a C-section and I don't need to rest? My newborn doesn't need a sunny room?"

Just then my mother-in-law, Patricia Chavez, walked in and pointed the blame at me. "You're a woman who's already had a baby. Since when are you so fussy?"

"Adrian's wedding is the most important thing this family has going on. You're the sister-in-law here you should make allowances."

"What does it matter where you sleep? Just make do."

I drew a slow breath and forced the anger down. "This house was bought outright by my mother. It's my premarital gift, and the deed is in my name!"

Patricia's face twisted with contempt. "So it's a gift. Once it comes over here, it belongs to the Fox family."

"What does a woman need all that property for? In the end it all goes to the sons anyway."

"Adrian is the Fox line. Giving him this house is only right, and as the woman who married into it, you should be gracious about it."

"Whether you agree or not doesn't matter. In this house, my word is law."

Homer sighed. "Rosie, why don't we... just let Adrian stay a few days?"

"They'll go looking for a place and move out once the wedding's over. We're all family. Don't make this ugly."

I stared at him, unable to believe it.

This was the man I'd married against my parents' wishes?

I was about to say something when my heart lurched.

The baby.

Nancy Lambert had been carrying her when we were discharged, but I hadn't seen her since we walked in. Not even a cry.

"Where's Nancy? Where's my baby?" Panic tore through me.

Patricia said it like it was nothing. "She took her out to the balcony for some sun!"

The midday July sun was brutal enough to peel skin. And they'd taken a newborn out onto the balcony to bake in it?

I spun and ran for the balcony, past caring about the pain in my incision.

Out there, Nancy had her hand clamped tight over the baby's mouth.

"What are you doing?" I screamed and slapped her hand away.

Nancy pulled her hand back, offhand about it. "The missus told me to build up her lung capacity. You can't pick a baby up every time she cries. Spoil her and she'll be impossible to handle."

"Too much crying wears on people anyway. Cover her mouth a little and she quiets right down."

I could have killed her. "You call smothering her building lung capacity? Do you have any idea you could suffocate her?"

Patricia came over and frowned at me. "What's a little girl being so precious about? Toughen her up young and she'll be easy to raise later."

"Besides, a girl who cries too much has no manners. All that fussing and noise is grating."

My daughter's tiny body was frighteningly hot, her lips gone purple, her breathing so faint it seemed ready to stop at any second.

I hurried to peel back the little blanket to let her cool, and found the insides of her thighs covered in pinch marks, purple and blue overlapping.

I fixed my eyes on Nancy. "Did you do this?"

Nancy dug in. "A baby's skin is delicate. A couple of touches and it goes red. That's not from pinching. Don't go blaming an honest person!"

"Then how do you explain all these marks on my daughter's legs?" I snapped. "Touch one and show me!"

Before Nancy could speak, Patricia frowned in irritation and rounded on me. "Rosemary, what are you shouting about? Nancy is a distant relative of mine. She's raised more than a dozen babies. She has far more experience than you."

"If she says it's fine, it's fine. You just gave birth, don't work yourself up. Watch out or your milk will dry up, and then the baby will suffer worse!"

Homer sounded impatient too. "Rosie, Mom just wants what's good for the baby!"

"Nancy has experience. Stop being so tense. It's better for a girl to be tough."

I held that soft little life in my arms, looked at these people in front of me, and felt something in me go cold.

I carried my daughter back to the spare room, furious, wanting to lock the door and have a moment's peace. But the lock had been removed.

When I demanded an answer, Homer shrugged it off. "Mom said she took it off for convenience."

"You've got the baby at night. Mom's afraid she won't hear her crying, this way she can come in if something's wrong."

"Besides, Adrian's fiance wants to come look around anytime. A locked door doesn't look good. Makes you seem petty."

I was nearly out of my mind. "Look around at what? At how I breastfeed?"

"Homer, your mother tears the lock off the door and you don't say a word? You just let her run wild?"

He frowned, impatient. "It's just a lock. What's the big deal?"

"You just had a baby, can't you stop making trouble over everything? We're all family. What does it look like, keeping the door locked?"

Before I could answer, a sugary voice drifted in from the doorway. "Homer, I'm here."

Then Ellie Fox walked in carrying a bag of fruit, hooking her arm through Homer's like it was the most natural thing in the world, pressing close enough that her body nearly molded to his.

This was Ellie, Homer's adopted sister.

Back when I was pregnant, he'd mentioned her. Said Ellie was a neighbor girl from his hometown, that it wasn't easy for her, coming to the city to work, so he tried to look out for her when he could.

I hadn't thought much of it then. I just took it as kindness.

Now, watching the two of them so cozy together, something jabbed at me like a needle.

Ellie beamed at me. "Rosie, I heard you had a girl, so I made a point of coming to see her."

"Congratulations, Rosie. She's only a girl, but she's still Fox blood."

"I'll come by often to help you with the baby, so you're not run ragged all on your own."

"Homer's busy at work, so I'll keep you company. That way you won't be bored out of your mind."

I said flatly, "No need. I have a nanny."

She didn't treat herself as an outsider at all. She smiled. "Nancy's fine with the baby, sure, but nobody's as attentive as family."

"Besides, Nancy's getting on in years. She can't be as quick on her feet as someone young."

As she spoke, she reached out to touch the baby's face. I turned my body and pulled the baby away.

Her hand froze in midair. She looked over at Homer, flustered, and her eyes reddened on the spot, as if she'd just suffered some terrible wrong.

Homer's brow snapped into a frown, his voice full of blame. "Rosemary, what are you doing? Ellie came out of kindness to see the baby, and this is how you act?"

I said coldly, "The perfume on her is too strong. It's not good for the baby."

Homer was clearly unhappy now. He barked at me, "I think this confinement's just gone to your head. Now nobody can do anything right in your eyes."

"Ellie, don't stoop to her level. She's just in a bad mood."

Ellie nodded meekly, right on cue. "It's fine, Homer. Rosie just gave birth, of course she's out of sorts. I understand."

"If it were me, my temper might be even worse!"

That perfectly understanding act made me look like a shrew throwing a fit over nothing.

Watching Homer shield another woman, I suddenly found the whole thing absurd.

This was the man I'd loved for three years. This was the man I'd insisted on marrying against my parents' wishes.

Back then my mother had said his family was complicated, his mother hard to get along with, and that he himself seemed unsteady. She told me to think it over.

I'd sworn up and down to her that Homer was good to me, that he had character, that he was dependable and driven, and that we were sure to be happy.

Looking back now, I'd been so stupid, so naive.

Holding my daughter, I felt the incision start to ache again, hot and stinging, but next to the ache in my chest, it hardly seemed worth mentioning.

Homer soothed Ellie with a couple of words, then turned and saw the look on my face. His tone softened a little. "Rose, don't read into it. Ellie and I are just like brother and sister."

"You rest up. I'll go see if Mom needs a hand out there."

Ellie went out after him, and just before she left, she shot me a smug little smile, her eyes full of challenge.

The door was left wide open. Their laughter carried in from outside, along with my mother-in-law's over-the-top praise. The place was positively lively.

As if I, the woman who'd just given birth, were the one who didn't belong in this house.

I drew a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

Not long after, my mother-in-law came in with a sheet of paper in her hand, slapped it down on the table in front of me, and announced loudly, "This is Adrian's wedding list. Take a look."

I glanced down. Wedding money of a hundred and eighty-eight thousand, sixty thousand for the reception, thirty thousand for the honeymoon, plus this and that adding up to over two hundred thousand, every item spelled out in full.

My brow furrowed slightly. "What is this supposed to mean?"

She said it like she was owed. "You're the older sister-in-law. You won't chip in for Adrian's wedding? Nobody gets to hold that title for free."

I laughed, furious. "Why should I pay for his wedding?"

My mother-in-law shot me a glare and snapped, "Because you're a Fox wife, that's why!"

"We've fed and housed you all this time. You've eaten our food and drunk our water. What's wrong with you chipping in a little?"

"Besides, you already handed your premarital house over to Adrian. Covering a bit of the wedding costs is only right."

"When did I ever say I'd give my house to Adrian?" I said, my voice cold.

Her face twisted with displeasure and she raised her voice. "Once you married into this family, that house became ours!"

"What does a woman need with all these houses? It'll go to a son in the end anyway."

"You popped out a girl. The family property's going to Adrian to inherit no matter what. Sooner or later, what's the difference?"

I looked at that face, so certain it was in the right, and suddenly it struck me as ridiculous.

How could there be someone this unreasonable in the world?

"That house was paid for in full by my mother. It's premarital property," I said coldly. "It has nothing to do with the Fox family. Not a cent."

"You're squatting in my house, and now you want me to pay for your younger son's wedding? Where do you get the nerve?"

She shrieked, past all reason. "Before the marriage, after the marriage, what does it matter? The second you married in, you belonged to the Fox family!"

"You yourself belong to us. Never mind a house!"

"Then I'll divorce Homer," I said calmly.

She froze for a beat, then screeched. "What did you say? You want a divorce?"

"You give birth to a girl and you've got the gall to bring up divorce?"

"Let me tell you something, Rosemary. Fine, divorce. But the house stays, the baby stays, and you walk away with nothing!"

"Want a slice of the Fox family's money? Not a chance!"

She was working herself into a fury now, jabbing her voice at me. "And don't think a divorce comes that easy!"

"Adrian isn't married yet. You divorce now, and what will people say about the Fox family? Where does that leave our face?"

"Even if you want to divorce Homer, you'll wait until after Adrian's wedding!"

Homer walked in just then. He caught the word "divorce" and his face changed in an instant. He rushed over.

"Rosemary, haven't you made enough of a scene?" he shouted.

"Everything's fine and you start talking divorce? Can't you act like an adult?"

I looked at him, my whole face full of scorn. "Homer. Your mother's taken my house, the nanny you hired abuses my child, and there's something going on between you and your so-called sister. And you call that fine?"

His eyes darted away. He dug in stubbornly. "Ellie and I are just ordinary friends!"

"Can you stop making trouble over nothing? Suspicious and paranoid all day. Is it fun?"

"I'm making trouble over nothing?" I said quietly.

"Fine. Say I am. Then I'll see you in court."

My mother-in-law spoke without a shred of worry. "Court it is!"

"You just gave birth, you don't have a job, you can't even support yourself. Custody's going to the Fox family for sure!"

Homer's face darkened and he threatened, "Rosemary, I'm warning you to think this through."

"If this really goes to court, the odds are the baby goes to me. Weigh that for yourself."

He thought that was enough to threaten me.

He thought I, Rosemary, was just an ordinary housewife who couldn't survive without him, with no income of her own, someone he could bend however he liked.

Watching that look on his face, so sure he had me, I found it laughable.

Three years together, and it turned out that in his eyes I was nothing but a soft, easy thing he could squeeze whenever he pleased.

I didn't answer, and Homer took it for surrender.

His tone eased. "Rosie, can't we just live our lives in peace?"

"Apologize to Mom and we can put this behind us."

"She's getting old. What's the harm in giving in to her a little? Isn't honoring your elders the right thing to do?"

"And Adrian's wedding is a big deal. You're marrying into this family as his brother's wife, so putting in some effort is only right. We're family. Don't split hairs over everything."

I didn't want to hear any more of it. "Get out," I said flatly. "I want to rest."

He wanted to say something more, but seeing the look on my face, he swallowed it in the end, sighing and shaking his head as he left, as if I were the one being impossible.

The moment the door shut, I couldn't hold it anymore. The tears fell without a sound.

I picked up my phone. This time, without a moment's hesitation, I dialed my mother's number.

The instant the call connected and I heard her voice, I broke down. "Mom, I want a divorce!"