Chapter 1

I discovered my wife was having an affair.

Instead of confronting her, I played it cool. I didn't expose her. In fact, I became even more doting and attentive, and far more generous with her parents.

It was only later that she finally realized just how terrifying I could be.

My name is Alex, and I'm a web novelist.

Two years ago, I found out my wife was cheating on me.

That day, I was supposed to go to New York for a web novel platform's annual author conference. Charlotte was packing my suitcase in the bedroom, and I was in the living room when I happened to see a text message pop up on her phone: "See you tonight, babe. Room booked."

So, I secretly canceled my trip. That night, I quietly followed her and watched with my own eyes as a man put his arm around her and led her into a hotel.

But I didn't do what most men would, rushing in to fight the guy or staging a dramatic confrontation in the hotel room.

All I felt was a bitter irony: my seemingly gentle and virtuous wife was also out looking for some other man.

After a few days of wallowing in a motel, I pretended to return from New York. The moment I got home, I gave Charlotte a big hug.

Charlotte and I had been married for six years and had a five-year-old son. My in-laws usually helped take care of him. Our life seemed perfect and harmonious. People always told me I was lucky to have such a wonderful wife.

But this enviable family was about to face a massive storm.

After discovering Charlotte's infidelity, the more I looked at Leo, the less he seemed like me. Without realizing it, a terrible thought began to form in my mind. Yet, I didn't take Leo for a DNA test. Instead, I showered him with affection.

I bought him all the toys he liked, frequently took him to amusement parks, cooked him delicious meals every day, picked him up from preschool, and played games with him until we were both covered in sweat.

My reasons and goals for doing all this were simple.

If he was my son, he'd soon face a broken home, and my actions were just a small compensation.

If he wasn't my son, then my kindness to him was a crucial part of my revenge plan.

My wife, Charlotte, wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she was pretty and elegant with a good figure.

She used to be one of my book fans, often sending me generous gifts on the novel platform. Over time, we added each other on SnapChat, and eventually, we started living together.

I really liked her. She wasn't just attractive and classy; she was also gentle and virtuous. My friends all said I must have done something truly amazing in a past life to marry her.

I was secretly thrilled at first, until I discovered she'd betrayed me.

What drove me crazy was that her betrayal was incredibly consistent. For the past two years, she'd been exclusively involved with one man – her direct supervisor, Daniel Sterling.

If she'd been with different men, I could have called her promiscuous or sleazy.

But her "loyalty" to him made me think she'd actually fallen for the guy.

That morning, Charlotte reminded me it was Arthur’s birthday and asked me to buy some specialty coffee and prepare some ingredients to cook dinner at their place. I nodded in agreement.

Eleanor used to run a small diner, making a living through hard work, and hadn't saved much for retirement. Arthur had retired from a manufacturing plant; he was a factory worker, so his pension wasn't huge, but it was enough for the two of them.

That would have been fine, but as Arthur got older, he suddenly started clamoring for another son, saying that raising one grandson was the same as raising another child.

Naturally, Eleanor and Charlotte strongly objected. Their reasons were the usual: societal norms, age, physical and mental energy, and financial security.

Actually, I didn't mind. After all, I was making a good income from my writing, and I wanted to help Arthur.

But the problem was, his daughter was cheating on me.

"Alex, have you seen this news? A woman in her sixties had IVF and gave birth to twins," Arthur said, pointing to a news page on his computer as soon as I walked into their house.

"Dad, I know about that news. I actually support you. If you want another child, go for it. I'll always be your strong supporter."

Right then, I transferred Arthur $5,000. "Here's some money for you to start the IVF process at the clinic. If it's not enough later, I'll give you more."

Ever since Charlotte's affair, I'd been increasingly kind to Arthur and Eleanor, arguably even more so than their own daughter.

Because they were indispensable pawns in my revenge plan.