After My Wife Brought Home a Child, I Took Her Fortune

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I can see a death countdown above everyones head.

And my wife, Seraphina White, her death date was today.

For ten years, she had maintained the pretense of being infertile. But today, she brought home a five-year-old child, along with her long-term secret lover, Alaric Sterling.

She laid it all out for me, while the family elders circled, urging me to be magnanimous.

"Cain, Seraphina hasn't had it easy. A woman, you know, always wants children. Just think of it as gaining another son, there's nothing wrong with that."

I looked at the rapidly ticking countdown above her head: [00:01:30].

I said softly, "I will not acknowledge this child of unknown origin."

Seraphina looked at me as if I were a fool she had utterly outmaneuvered. Her eyes gleamed with triumph. She smugly wrapped her arm around Alaric's waist and announced, "Whether you acknowledge them or not, I will never abandon them, father and son. From now on, I'll be with you during the day, and with him at night"

Countdown: [00:00:10].

I calmly stated, "In that case, let's get a divorce."

Her eyes widened in fury, but then she clutched her chest and collapsed.

The countdown hit zero.

The moment Seraphina collapsed, the entire White family living room fell into a dead silence.

Alaric, who a second ago had a triumphant smile, now had all the color drained from his face. His scream ripped through the air.

"Seraphina! Seraphina, what's wrong! Wake up!"

The five-year-old boy stood still, his face utterly bewildered, then burst into loud sobs. I stood rooted, watching the completely extinguished numbers above Seraphina's head. There was nothing there now. She was dead.

"Quick! Call an ambulance!"

"It's you! Cain Stowell! You drove her to her death!"

Alaric suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes glaring at me.

I pulled out my phone, my fingers steadily dialing for emergency services. Then, I dialed the police.

"Hello, officers? My wife suddenly died. I suspect the gentleman with her is involved."

My voice was not loud, but it clearly carried to every corner of the living room. Alaric's sobs ceased abruptly. He stared at me in disbelief, as if I were insane.

"You you're talking nonsense! How could I harm Seraphina!"

I lowered my gaze, no longer looking at him.

The ambulance and patrol car arrived almost simultaneously. The emergency doctor checked her on-site, then regretfully shook his head.

"Time of death approximately ten minutes ago. Preliminary diagnosis is sudden cardiac arrest."

The police began their routine: cordoning off the scene and questioning witnesses. My in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. White, rushed in upon hearing the news. My mother-in-law, seeing Seraphina on the floor, rolled her eyes and fainted, caught clumsily by my father-in-law.

When she slowly came to, her first action was to charge at me, hand raised to strike.

"You good-for-nothing! Did you poison her food? My daughter was perfectly fine! How could she just drop dead?"

Her hand was stopped by an officer. I looked at her face, twisted with rage. The countdown above her head showed [3 years 2 months 11 days]. Not long, but enough for her to suffer.

My unusual calmness became the biggest suspicion in their eyes.

"Mr. Stowell, please come down to the station with us to cooperate with the investigation."

I nodded, took my phone, and followed the officers out. As I passed Alaric, he was holding the child, looking at me with a mix of venomous resentment and triumph. He thought I was finished. I glanced at the brightly lit [52 years 6 months 3 days] above his head, a faint, almost imperceptible curve on my lips.

The interrogation room lights were blindingly white. The officer opposite me asked routine questions, and I answered calmly.

"What was your relationship with your wife like?"

"Ten years of marriage, what do you think?" I retorted.

"She brought her lover and illegitimate child home. How did you react?"

"I didn't want her to bring the child back."

The officer tapped the table, leaning forward, his gaze sharp. "Then why did you suggest divorce?"

"Because he wanted me to share a room with them, father and son. I found it disgusting," I said frankly.

The officer fell silent, seemingly judging the veracity of my words. I added, "Seraphina White has a hereditary heart condition. She never told outsiders about it, not even her parents."

"She relied on medication to manage it, but I suspect she was too emotional today and forgot to take her medicine."

The officer immediately called to verify. I sat calmly in the chair, awaiting the results. My countdown ability had been with me since I could remember; it never made mistakes. Seraphina's death was predetermined, and had nothing to do with me.

But they wouldn't believe it.

Two hours later, the preliminary autopsy report came in. Cause of death: acute massive myocardial infarction. No toxic substances were found in the deceased's blood or stomach contents. Combined with my testimony, and the medical records and medication found in her study safe, everything was perfectly logical. My name was cleared.

As I walked out of the police station, dawn was just breaking. The White family's car was parked at the entrance. My mother-in-law and Alaric were both there. Seeing me emerge, my mother-in-law immediately rushed towards me.

"You scumbag! My daughter was perfectly healthy! How could she have a heart condition? It's you! It must be you, you good-for-nothing, who killed her!"

She was like a madwoman, held back tightly by my father-in-law. Alaric, clutching the child, was crying, his eyes bloodshot.

"Mom, please don't Seraphina she must have been too happy, finally having her own child It's all my fault. If we hadn't come back and agitated Cain, Seraphina wouldn't have"

His words, seemingly conciliatory, subtly shifted all blame onto me. See, what masterful manipulation. I watched their family drama unfold with cold indifference, my heart utterly unmoved.

I walked up to Alaric. "Seraphina is dead. What do you plan to do with your child?"

Alaric's sobbing paused. He instinctively shielded the five-year-old boy. "This is Seraphina's flesh and blood! Of course, I'll protect him and make him happy!"

"Oh." I nodded. "Then good luck."

I walked past them, hailed a taxi, and drove straight away. Behind me, my mother-in-law's curses grew sharper. I returned to the villa, which no longer felt like a home. Seraphina's body had been taken away, but the cold scent of death still lingered in the air. I started packing; I didn't want to stay in this place for another second.

Seraphina White's funeral was exceptionally grand. Business elites, relatives, and friendseveryone came. As her husband, I stood there in a black Chanel suit, my face calm, accepting various looks of sympathy or scrutiny.

Alaric also came, leading the boy named Julian White, dressed in white, weeping uncontrollably, as if he were the true Mr. White. My mother-in-law, leaning heavily on my father-in-law, shot me hateful glances throughout.

During the eulogy, my mother-in-law suddenly attacked. In front of all the guests, she pointed a finger at me and cursed.

"You useless man! You killed my daughter, and now you want to come and claim our White family fortune? I'm telling you, as long as I live, you won't get a single penny!"

She lunged at me, trying to tear at me, but was pulled away by a nearby relative. I stood still, not moving an inch, not even raising an eyebrow.

"Mom, please calm down. Seraphina, in the afterlife, wouldn't want to see you like this."

My address of "Mom" only stoked her fury further.

"Who's your mother! Don't call me that! I don't have a son-in-law as malicious as you!"

Alaric chose that moment to "faint" into her arms, causing a chaotic scene.

"Alaric, Alaric, what's wrong?!"

"Quick! To the hospital! He's practically half a son to the White family now!"

A solemn funeral had completely devolved into a farce of fighting over inheritance. I watched with cold eyes, finding it utterly ridiculous.

After the funeral, it was time for the will reading. The White family's exclusive lawyer, Mr. Davies, opened the file. Everyone held their breath, especially Alaric and my in-laws; they were certain Seraphina would leave her fortune to her "son."

Mr. Davies cleared his throat and began to read. "I, Seraphina White, hereby make this will All property under my name, including but not limited to fifty-one percent of the White Group's shares, three properties, and all bank deposits, securities"

He paused, looking at me. "Shall all be inherited solely by my legal husband, Mr. Cain Stowell."

The air was deadly silent. Everyone's gaze focused on meshock, confusion, anger. Alaric's face instantly drained of color, and he swayed precariously. My mother-in-law was the first to react, letting out a shriek.

"Impossible! This will is fake! How could my daughter leave all her money to this scumbag? This will must be fake!"

Mr. Davies calmly presented the notarized documents and date of the will.

"Mrs. White, this will was drafted ten years ago and holds full legal validity. Ms. White did not execute a new will afterward."

Ten years ago. That was when we were most in love. She feared that if anything happened to her, I would be left alone, so she took me to get it notarized together. She had probably never imagined she would die so soon, without even having the chance to revise her will for her secret lover and illegitimate child. Truly, man proposes, God disposes.

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" My mother-in-law lunged to snatch the will, but was stopped by security. My father-in-law's face was ashen, his eyes glaring at me.

"Cain Stowell, you knew about this will all along, didn't you?"

I didn't answer, simply stood up and adjusted my cuffs. "Mr. Davies, please expedite the property transfer procedures."

With that, I turned and walked away, no longer paying attention to the chaos behind me. What was mine, I wouldn't give up a single cent. I underestimated their shamelessness.

That same evening, as soon as I returned home, I found the digital lock had been changed. I rang the doorbell, and the housekeeper opened the door. She looked at me with a troubled expression.

"Sir the elder Mrs. and Mr. White"

I pushed past her and walked in. In the living room, my in-laws, Alaric, and the boy Julian White, sat on the sofa like they owned the place. My suitcase was thrown by the door, its contents scattered on the floor. My mother-in-law sat with one leg crossed over the other, cracking sunflower seeds, barely lifting an eyelid when she saw me.

"Oh, still remembered to come back? I thought you'd run off with my daughter's money."

I walked up to her, looking down at her. "This is my home. Why are you here?"

"Your home?" My mother-in-law sounded as if she'd heard the funniest joke. "This house was bought by my daughter; her name is on the deed! She's dead, so this belongs to the White family! What right do you, an outsider, have to live here?"

Alaric spoke softly, "Cain, please let us stay. Julian and I need a place to live Auntie also missed her grandson, that's why she moved in." His words reminded me. Seraphina was dead. According to inheritance law, her parents and children are first-line heirs. But in the presence of a will, the will takes precedence. This house was now mine.

"Whose name is on the deed doesn't matter. What matters is, the will states this house belongs to me."

I took out my phone, ready to call the police. My father-in-law suddenly stood up. He was an educated man, more concerned with appearances than my mother-in-law.

"Cain, we're not here to fight you for the house. It's just that Seraphina just passed, and we're heartbroken. We want to stay a few more days in the place where she lived, to be with her." He played the emotional card. "And Julian is Seraphina's only bloodline; we want to get closer to him. Don't worry, once we've stabilized emotionally, we'll move out naturally."

I looked at his "sincere" face, then at the countdown above his head: [8 years 1 month 20 days]. I smirked internally. They weren't trying to mourn the dead; they were clearly trying to squat here, forcing me to hand over the property. I put my phone away and nodded.

"Alright, in that case, you can stay." I wanted to see what tricks they would pull. My concession, in their eyes, was weakness.

The next day, I found my master bedroom had been taken. Alaric and Julian White had moved in. My clothes, my accessories, my belongingsall were thrown out, piled on the guest room floor. My mother-in-law stood with hands on her hips at the master bedroom door, like a victorious general.

"This is my grandson's room! You, a good-for-nothing who's been relying on my daughter for ten years, what right do you have to the master bedroom? Go sleep in the maid's quarters over there!"

Alaric, wearing my silk pajamas, leaned against the doorframe, giving me a provocative smile. "Cain, I'm sorry. Julian gets restless at night and will only sleep here. Your things I was going to help you tidy them, but Auntie said they were bad luck and told me not to touch them." He finished, stroking Julian White's head, his face full of contentment. "The doctor said Julian is a smart child. The White family will rely on this little man, Julian, in the future."