He Cheated With My Stepsister

As the sharp scent of disinfectant pierced my nostrils, I was feeding Sunny Lincoln warm water. She had been paralyzed in her wheelchair for six years, barely able to lift her eyelids. The nurse suddenly knocked on the door, her tone hesitant: "Miss Sunny Lincoln's test result..." I took the paper; the words "eight weeks pregnant" stabbed at my fingertips like a red-hot needle, leaving them numb. Sunny Lincoln is my stepsister by the same father; since her paralysis, she has been unable to manage even the most basic self-care. Whose child is this? My first reaction was to call the police, suspecting someone had taken advantage of her vulnerability. Just as my hand touched the phone, my father's call came through—Yale Lincoln. "Wendy, calm down." His voice was weary, with a faint hint of barely concealed panic. "Dad, Sunny, she..." I clenched my teeth, barely able to form a complete sentence. "I know." Yale Lincoln cut me off, "The child is Sam Luke's." Sam Luke, my husband. Those words stabbed like an ice pick, driving deep into my heart. My hand holding the phone trembled uncontrollably; a buzzing roar filled my ears. How could that be possible? One is my lover, with whom I have shared the same bed for seven years; the other is my stepsister, whom I have cared for diligently for six years. When I arrived at the Lincoln family old residence, Sam Luke was sitting on the living room sofa, smoking. The ashtray was full of cigarette butts, and his eyes betrayed a deep-seated irritation. "Why?" I stood in the doorway, my voice dry and rough like sandpaper scraping. Sam Luke looked up at me, his gaze evasive. "Wendy, it's not what you think." "Then what is it?" I took a step closer, "You and her, cheating right under my nose?" Yale Lincoln came out of the study and stood in front of Sam Luke. "Wendy, there's no use in asking this now." "What?" I laughed, but tears fell uncontrollably. "Dad, she's paralyzed! How could they do such a shameless thing?" "What about me?" I stared at him. Sam Luke stood up, reaching for my hand. "Wendy, I know I've wronged you, but Sunny is carrying my child. We can't let her face this alone." "So you expect me to raise her child?" I shook off his hand; my fingertips went ice cold. "Your dad has already discussed it with me," Sam Luke lowered his voice, "When the child is born, it will be registered under your name." "What?" I stared at them in utter disbelief. "We will say this is our child," Yale Lincoln added. "That way, you remain Mrs. Luke, and everything in the Luke family stays with you." It turns out that in their eyes, my marriage and my dignity mean less than the title of "Mrs. Luke." I stared at the two people closest to me and suddenly felt unbearably estranged. They tacitly accepted this ridiculous betrayal and still expect me to accept it with a smile. "Is this for my own good?" I repeated softly, my heart gripped as if by an invisible hand, "So I must bear the shame of betrayal and raise a child of my husband and my stepsister?" Yale Lincoln frowned. "Wendy, don't be stubborn. You and Sam have been married for seven years; you must still have feelings for him, right?" Still have feelings for him? I remember every bit of these seven years, all that I have given to this family. It was all a cruel joke. I turned and walked away, without once glancing back. As I reached the doorway, Yale Lincoln's voice called out: "Wendy, think carefully! Without the Luke family, you are nothing!" My steps faltered, a sneer tugging at the corner of my lips. Is that so? Then let me see if I can live better without them. Back in the empty villa, I sat on the sofa, unable to sleep all night.