What We Had Was Never Real novel Chapter 1

Seven years into her marriage, Natania Wendell found out her husband, Stephen Fost, had a six-year-old son—and she wasn't the mother.

Natania was hiding behind the kindergarten slide, watching as Stephen leaned over to pick up a young boy.

The young boy complained, "Daddy, it's been so long since you've come to see me."

Stephen patted the boy's head. "Be a good boy, Andy. I've been busy with work, so you have to listen to your mommy, alright?"

Natania stood rooted to the spot in shock, her mind going blank.

Daddy? Mommy?

Stephen and the boy shared several similar features. This told Natania that the man who'd claimed that he would love her for the rest of his life had long since cheated on her!

She and Stephen were childhood sweethearts, and they had been in love with each other for several years.

One time, Natania was stabbed in the abdomen while saving him. This not only resulted in her losing her baby, but she was also rendered infertile.

After that incident, Stephen had knelt beside her with reddened eyes, declaring, "I don't care about having children. All I care about is you. It's enough as long as I have you!"

She thought she could hear his trembling voice from back then still rang in her ears. But in this moment, the sight before her crushed all his promises to dust.

Stumbling back a few steps, Natania felt as though her heart was being sliced into pieces.

She didn't dare look over again, fearing that she would rush over to confront Stephen. That would only make her seem like a joke, and she didn't want to be scorned for crying.

Instead, she spun on her heels and fled.

At the kindergarten entrance, her best friend, Sophia Lark, had been waiting for her for a while now. Upon noticing Natania's pale face, she hurriedly got out of the car. "Tania, what's wrong? Benjamin said you dropped something and went back to retrieve it. What exactly happened?"

Benjamin Truman was Sophia's son. Natania had only come to the kindergarten that day because Sophia had pestered her into attending the parent-teacher conference with her.

With a deathly pale complexion and tears shimmering in her eyes, Natania said, "Sophia, help me look into someone."

"Who?"

"Stephen…" Natania's throat bobbed as she swallowed before continuing in a raspy voice, "He has a son."

…

"Babe, I still have one week before I can return. Do you miss me?"

Natania stared at the message Stephen had sent her, tears spilling down her cheeks relentlessly.

Every year in July, he would have to go on a two-week business trip that he claimed was to inspect the overseas branch company.

For six entire years, she had never once suspected a thing.

Yet now, reality had given her a harsh slap in the face while mocking her for her stupidity.

Stephen wasn't going on business trips. He was going off to spend time with his mistress and illegitimate child!

If it weren't for her accidentally stumbling upon that scene in the kindergarten that day, she would've still been kept in the dark.

In a masochistic move, she continuously flipped through the photos in her phone. Outside the window, a torrential downpour raged, with occasional flashes of lightning illuminating her pallid complexion.

Perhaps she should've guessed this would be her outcome.

After all, the Fost family had always been more traditional and conservative. How could they possibly accept an infertile woman as Mrs. Fost?

Could they have arranged everything from the get-go? But then, what role was Stephen, who had appeared to love her deeply, supposed to play?

Natania's heart felt like it was shattering. She had grown up together with Stephen, and everyone had always said that they should be together forever.

When she was eight, a burst of mischievousness had her climbing a tree, but then she slipped and fell to the ground. Stephen disregarded all danger to cushion her fall. In the end, he broke his arm, yet he still smiled and insisted it didn't hurt one bit.

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