Rejected by my Husband novel Chapter 18

(Karline’s Point of View)

Ethan’s little chest rose and fell as he slept in my arms. His lips parted, a tiny sigh leaving him, and my heart melted just like it always did.

I bent down and pressed a kiss on his forehead. “You’re my whole world, Ethan,” I whispered. “And you'll be your father's world too baby. I promise.”

The sound of footsteps made me look up. The door pushed open.

Reid.

But not alone.

Natalie trailed behind him, her expression calm, almost smug, like she already knew something I didn’t.

Reid’s face was stone. Cold, unreadable, yet so sharp it cut me in half. He didn’t even glance at Ethan, straight at me.

“Karline,” his voice was low, clipped, full of ice, “we’re meeting at the court.”

I blinked, confused, shifting Ethan gently into his crib. “Co–court? What are you talking about? Reid, what’s going on?”

He tossed a white envelope onto the table near me. It slid across the wood, stopping right at my fingertips. My stomach dropped.

Another report. Another test.

My hands trembled as I picked it up, already knowing what it was before my eyes confirmed it. The letters blurred through my tears.

Not the biological father.

The paper slipped from my hand. I froze, my breath shallow. “No… no, Reid, this...this isn’t true. It can’t be.”

Reid’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as he folded his arms across his chest. “It’s the second time, Karline. Two different hospitals. Same result.” His voice hardened with each word. “The child is not mine.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks. I shook my head violently. “No! Reid, you have to believe me. Ethan is yours. I’ve never been with anyone else. Never!”

Natalie’s voice cut through like poison silk. “Then how do you explain the results, Karline? Science doesn’t lie.”

I turned to her, my throat burning. “Stay out of this, Natalie. This is between me and my husband.”

She raised her brows, smirking faintly. “If you can even still call yourself that.”

“We’ll let the court decide. I already have a lawyer in this case. He’s been prepared for months.” Reid’s voice cracked like thunder, silencing us both. His eyes snapped back to me, colder than I’d ever seen.

My knees buckled slightly at his words. “Months…?” I whispered, almost choking on the realization. He had doubted me this long, this deeply.

“You… you’ve been planning this?” My voice broke. “Even while I carried our child? While I prayed every night you’d come back to me?”

Reid’s eyes flickered, something passed through them, regret or pain maybe, but it was gone in a second, hidden beneath steel. “I gave you every chance to tell me the truth, Karline. Instead, I got lies. I got betrayal, pain. For all the years, the years of love I gave you.”

Natalie stepped closer, almost too close, her voice dripping with false pity. “It’s better this way, Karline. For everyone. Especially for Ethan. He deserves to know who his real father is, don’t you think?”

Her words twisted the knife already lodged in my chest. My tears fell faster as I clutched my stomach, feeling the ache travel into my very bones.

“I swear to God, Reid,” I said, my voice raw, broken but fierce, “I never betrayed you. Ethan is your son. No matter what those papers say, no matter what anyone says… I know the truth.”

Reid’s lips pressed into a thin line. He looked at me for a long moment, eyes unreadable, before turning away. “The lawyer will contact you tomorrow. Be ready.”

And just like that, he walked out, Natalie following at his side.

The room fell silent again, except for the soft breathing of Ethan in his crib.

I sank onto the bed, my hands trembling as I reached for him. My tears dripped onto his blanket, my chest heaving with silent sobs.

I kissed his tiny fingers and whispered through my tears, “Baby you know right? Mumma's not lying you know right?" As I said more tears started to flow from my eyes.

***

The courtroom smelled faintly of polished wood and paper, but to me it felt suffocating, like the air itself had turned heavy with judgment. I sat quietly on the bench, my palms damp, Ethan’s face flashing in my mind again and again. His little smile. His innocent eyes.

Across from me, Reid sat like stone. A dark suit. Broad shoulders. Cold eyes that refused to meet mine. His presence still made my heart twist, but now the twist came with pain sharp enough to bleed me dry.

The judge cleared his throat. “We are here today for the divorce proceedings between Mr. Reid Carter and Mrs. Karline Carter. Let’s begin.”

The lawyer Reid had hired stood tall, flipping through papers with precision. His voice rang across the silence.

“Your Honor, we have already presented the DNA test reports from two different hospitals. Both state that the child in question, Ethan Carter, is not biologically Mr. Carter’s. Based on these results, my client wishes to finalize the divorce.”

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