My Husband and His Mistress Killed My Baby

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My husband, Julian Vance, and I had been married for ten years.

After multiple miscarriages and over a dozen grueling rounds of IVF, we finally had our first baby.

But on the exact day our daughter was born, he brought home an 18-year-old high school senior named Crystal Woods.

He claimed she was the orphaned daughter of a distant relative and that she was moving in with us to study for her SATs.

Then, he forced me to give up the master bedroom to her, leaving me to cram into the tiny guest room with our newborn.

At home, Crystal walked around wearing nothing but her underwear.

When I complained, Julian snapped, "She's just a kid! What's wrong with her being comfortable in her own home?"

When they sneaked into bed together in the middle of the night, Julian was completely shameless. "She had a nightmare and needed comfort. She's a child, Vivian! Why is your mind so filthy?"

But after Crystal used sleeping pills to murder my baby girl, I gave them exactly what they wanteda divorce.

And then, I personally dragged them both into a courtroom.

On the day our daughter was born, Julian, who had been missing for a whole month, finally showed up at the hospital.

"Julian... look... look at our... our baby... girl..."

I was trembling with exhaustion and joy as I tried to hand him our daughter. It had taken nine agonizing rounds of IVF to finally carry her to term. But he just pushed her away with a look of pure disgust.

"There's nothing to look at. Just hope she didn't inherit your pathetic stutter."

Then, he stepped aside to reveal a pretty young girl standing behind him.

"This is Crystal Woods. She's the daughter of a distant relative who passed away. She'll be staying with us for the next three months before her college exams so I can tutor her."

"Hi, Vivian. I'm so sorry to put you out," Crystal said. Her voice sounded sweet and polite, but her eyes were dripping with pure provocation.

She was young, radiant, and beautiful. Meanwhile, I had just given birth. I was swollen, weighing 180 pounds, with a pale, exhausted face and greasy hair.

Instinctively, a chill ran down my spine.

Besides, she looked incredibly familiar. I felt like I had seen her somewhere before, but my exhausted brain couldn't place it.

I tried to refuse. "We... we only have two... two bedrooms. My parents are coming to help with the baby. We don't... don't have space..."

"Then tell them not to come. You can handle the baby yourself," Julian said impatiently.

But I had just had a C-section. My abdominal incision was fresh, stitched up, and still bleeding.

My body had already been ravaged by years of failed IVF treatments. I was incredibly weak. There was no way I could handle a newborn alone.

I suggested paying for a hotel room for Crystal instead.

Julian flew into a rage. "I'm already swamped with my university work, and now you want me running back and forth to a hotel?"

"You have a stutter, Vivian, not a physical disability. You can't even handle one baby?"

"Stop being so dramatic!"

He kept berating me until Crystal suddenly pinched her nose.

"Oh my god, Julian, do you smell that? Gross! Vivian wet the bed!" Crystal screamed.

"It's bad enough Vivian stutters, but now she's incontinent? You have to clean up her mess? You poor thing."

I had only leaked because I had just given birth. Embarrassed and desperate, I looked at Julian for help.

He pinched his nose, took several steps back in disgust, and sneered, "I'm not touching that. It's filthy!"

Without even looking at his own daughter, he turned and walked out.

I stayed in the hospital for seven days. He didn't show up once. It was my parents who took care of me and the baby.

When I finally went home, the apartment was a disaster. Crystal's things were everywhere, and her luggage had completely taken over our master bedroom.

All of my belongings had been thrown into the tiny guest room. It was so cramped I could barely turn around.

I protested, saying the small room was too stuffy and hot for a newborn. I refused to swap.

Julian looked at me like I was the unreasonable one. "Exactly. It's too stuffy, which is why Crystal can't sleep there. She needs to focus on her studies. You and the baby can just deal with it. It's not going to kill you!"

With that, he grabbed Crystal's hand and pulled her into the master bedroom, shutting the door to "tutor" her.

That night, the baby cried relentlessly. I was dizzy from pain, trying to change diapers and breastfeed at the same time. I was completely overwhelmed.

I called out to Julian for help over and over, but he ignored me.

Once the baby finally fell asleep, I went to find him. Through the crack in the master bedroom door, I saw Crystal resting her head on his shoulder.

"Julian, you're so smart. You explained that calculus problem in like two seconds. I totally adore you!"

"You're just a smart girl," Julian said, affectionately pinching her cheek.

"By the way, I bought this lingerie for you. See if you like it," Julian said, his eyes darkening with something sinister.

"As long as you like it, that's all that matters," Crystal whispered.

She placed her hand on his thigh, turned her head toward the door, and gave me a smug, triumphant smirk.

I couldn't watch any longer. I called Julian out.

The second he stepped into the hallway, he started complaining that the baby's crying was distracting Crystal.

He actually demanded that I take the baby outside so they could finish their lessoncompletely ignoring the fact that a blizzard was raging outside.

Remembering the way Crystal had just looked at him, I felt sick.

"She's... she's not a child... Having her live here and spending so much time alone with her... it's... it's not right..."

Julian's eyes flared with anger. "Are you accusing us of something?! Crystal is only eighteen! How can your mind be so disgusting?"

"Vivian, you honestly make me sick!"

His harsh words left me completely speechless.

"Crystal is probably anxious on her first night here. I'm going to go keep her company."

"She has school at seven tomorrow morning. Get up at six and make her breakfast!"

"But... but I have to watch the baby..."

Julian didn't care. He slammed the door in my face.

The loud slam startled the baby, and she burst into tears again.

I had to carry her and pace around the room. My back was throbbing, my arms felt like they were breaking, and my C-section scar was oozing blood.

When Julian finally came back to the room later, he saw the blood but didn't ask how I was. Instead, he yelled at me for ruining the bedsheets.

He grabbed a spare blanket, stuffed a pillow over his ears, and went to sleep.

The baby cried until five in the morning. The moment I finished dressing my wound and lay down, Julian kicked me awake, ordering me to make breakfast for Crystal.

At the breakfast table, they sat incredibly close, laughing and chatting.

In our ten years of marriage, he had never smiled at me like that.

My throat tightened, and a heavy lump formed in my chest.

"Vivian, I heard you majored in English. Can you help me study?" Crystal asked mockingly.

Julian let out a cold laugh. "What could a stutterer teach you? Besides, she's been a housewife for ten years. She probably can't even recite the alphabet anymore."

Crystal smirked. "I'm never going to end up as useless as Vivian. I'm going to be a top-tier translator."

"Of course you are. I'll make sure your path is cleared," Julian said, caressing Crystal's face, completely ignoring the agony in my eyes.

Over the next few days, I had to take care of the baby and act as their maid. I lost five pounds in a single week.

Crystal seemed to be doing it on purpose. She left the expensive designer items Julian bought her scattered all over the place, forcing me to clean up after her.

Finally, I snapped.

"This... this is not your house... I am not... your maid."

"If you... if you don't like it, why don't you go... go tell Julian? Why are you yelling at me!" Crystal mocked, mimicking my stutter perfectly.

What was worse was that she constantly walked around the house in just her bra and underwear.

When I confronted her, she sneered and told me I was just jealous of her youth and her body.

"Look at yourself. You're a 180-pound whale covered in stretch marks. You think you can compete with me?"

"Julian obviously prefers someone with curves like mine," she boasted, puffing out her chest.

The way she talked about Julian... My face went pale.

"He is... he is fourteen years older than you..."

"So what? I like older men."

"You're just a stuttering, ugly old woman. You think you're worthy of fighting me for him?"

Crystal shoved me hard.

But the second she heard Julian's footsteps, she immediately threw herself into his arms, sobbing.

"Julian! Vivian said I'm trying to seduce you just because of what I'm wearing. She called me shameless and tried to kick me out..."

Julian whirled on me, furious. "Crystal is just a kid! What's wrong with her wearing what she wants?"

"If you have the energy to be jealous of her, go lose some weight."

"You look like a pig. Looking at you makes me want to throw up!"

The humiliation was too much to bear. When I called my mom later, I couldn't stop myself from sobbing.

My mom immediately knew something was wrong. She rushed over to our apartment and started lecturing Crystal about boundaries.

But Crystal just shoved my mother violently.

"Get out of my face! You're so annoying!"

She gave us a venomous glare. "Just you wait!"

She packed her suitcase and stormed out.

When Julian came home and saw she was gone, he panicked. He searched for her all night, finally bringing her back the next morning.

Crystal was soaking wet from the snow, looking like a pitiful stray.

But the look she shot me when Julian wasn't looking was pure evil.

"Mom, Crystal is just a kid! If anything had happened to her out there, could you have lived with the guilt?" Julian yelled at my mother.

"What about Vivian? Do you even care about her feelings? Do you know how much she suffered to give you this child?" my mom shot back.

"She's the one who insisted on having a baby, I didn't force her. Besides, she would have had to get pregnant for any man she married. Don't act like she did it for me!" Julian said coldly.

When my mom tried to defend me, Julian accused her of using her age to bully an innocent young girl.

He said both of our minds were toxic and warped.

My mom had been a respected schoolteacher for decades. She had never been insulted like this. Her blood pressure spiked, and she clutched her chest, begging me to get a divorce.

I froze.

During our ten years of marriage, even though Julian looked down on my stutter and treated me coldly, I had never thought about divorce.

But after everything that had happened over the past few days, my resolve was shaking.

Still, I didn't want my daughter to grow up without a father. I swallowed my pride and stayed.

I tried to have a serious talk with Julian, but he told me he didn't have the patience to listen to my stuttering.

He said the baby's crying was giving him a headache and demanded we sleep in separate rooms.

With tears in my eyes, I grabbed his arm. "You... you think she's loud? Do you think... I don't get tired?"

"She was born... and you haven't... held her once! She isn't just... my baby..."

"You're the one who wanted her, so deal with it!"

"Unlike you, who sits at home all day doing nothing, I have a real job!"

"Exactly, Vivian. You're so selfish. You don't care about Julian's career at all," Crystal chimed in, adding fuel to the fire.

"You're a middle-aged woman, yet you're not even half as mature as Crystal. Aren't you embarrassed?"

Julian shoved my hand off and walked away.

In the middle of the night, I got up to get a glass of water. Julian wasn't on the living room couch.

I walked over to the master bedroom and opened the door. He was in bed, holding Crystal in his arms.

Furious, I demanded to know what he was doing.

Julian sat up, completely unbothered. "So what if we're sharing a bed? We didn't do anything!"

"You're constantly paranoid over a child. I am so sick of your drama!"

"Yeah, Vivian. I had a nightmare, and Julian was just comforting me..."

Crystal snuggled deeper into Julian's chest, her hand resting on his bare collarbone.

She smiled at me with pure triumph.

Losing my mind, I raised my hand to slap her.

But before my hand could land, Julian grabbed my wrist and threw me hard onto the floor.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

"If you harm a single hair on her head, I will make your life a living hell!"

Julian dragged me out of the room and slammed the door, locking it from the inside.

Tears streamed down my face. I held my crying daughter close, trying to find some comfort, only to realize her body was burning hot.

"Julian! Julian, open the door! Our daughter has a fever! We need to go to the hospital!"

"Julian! Open the door! Please!" I banged on the door, sobbing hysterically.

But no matter how much I begged, the door stayed locked.

It was the dead of winter. I had to walk through the freezing snow in my slippers for twenty minutes before I could finally hail a cab.

By the time we reached the emergency room, my baby's temperature had hit 104 degrees. The doctor said if I had arrived any later, she wouldn't have made it.

Seeing me in my pajamas and slippers, shivering with blue lips, the nurse kindly wrapped a warm jacket around my shoulders.

"Where is your husband? Why are you alone?"

My tears spilled over.

During the three days my daughter was hospitalized, Julian never picked up my calls. He eventually blocked my number entirely.

Exhausted, I finally brought my baby back home.

Before entering the apartment, I moved quietly, opening the door without making a sound.

Inside, Julian was sitting on the couch with Crystal on his lap.

Her arms were wrapped around his neck.

They weren't kissing, but their bodies were pressed tightly together.

"Julian, your daughter has been in the hospital for days. Aren't you going to visit her? Aren't you worried at all?" Crystal asked in a sweet, mocking voice.

"Why would I be? I never wanted that kid anyway. Vivian forced it."

"Running to the fertility clinic with her for years almost killed me!" Julian complained.

It almost killed *him*?

What about me? I was the one who lay on those cold operating tables, undergoing egg retrievals, uterine scrapes, and enduring the agonizing pain of medical instruments over and over again.

I was the one who went to every prenatal exam alone, terrified of another miscarriage.

What was my physical and mental trauma compared to his minor inconvenience?

A bitter pain sliced through my heart.

"If you didn't want her, why did you marry her in the first place?"

"Because her dad is the Dean of the University! I had to kiss his ass. Otherwise, why would I have ever pursued a stuttering freak like her?"

"I've swallowed my pride for ten years just to get to where I am. Once I get promoted to Tenured Full Professor the day after tomorrow, I'm divorcing her."

"By the time you start college, we can finally be together legally," Julian said, his voice full of anticipation.

"Are you sure you actually love me? Or am I just a replacement for my mother?" Crystal asked, her voice dripping with jealousy.

A replacement?!

Suddenly, it all clicked. Crystal looked exactly like Elena, the female university professor Julian had been obsessed with years ago.

No wonder she looked so familiar.

A month ago, Elena and her husband had died in a tragic plane crash, leaving behind an only daughter.

So, Julian's sudden disappearance right before my due date... he had gone to find Crystal.

Back then, after Elena rejected him, Julian had threatened to commit suicide, creating a massive scandal that ultimately forced her to resign.

And now, he was grooming her daughter...

A wave of intense nausea washed over me.

Julian spoke shamelessly, "Of course I love you. Why else would I bring you into my home just so I could see you every day?"

"You have no idea how hard it is to control myself when you walk around in your underwear," he said, his voice husky.

"Well, you could always use Vivian..." Crystal teased.

"Don't ruin my mood by mentioning that fat pig. Just wait until you graduate high school. I'm going to devour you."

Julian gave her hip a hard slap.

"Ow, gentle..."

Watching them flirt, my blood ran ice cold.

I tried to slip back out of the apartment quietly, but the baby in my arms suddenly let out a soft cry, alerting them.