He Let His First Love Steal Our Son, Then I Married a Better Man

Janice Shannon had been by Leopold Vargas' side back when he had nothing but ambition and a future no one else could see. In those hardest years, they could barely afford contraception, and there were times they were too afraid of an unplanned pregnancy to make love at all. But in the very year Leopold's career took off, he betrayed Janice and married Delilah Leblanc, the heiress of the Leblanc family in Los Angeles. She was young, spoiled, and fiercely possessive, treating Janice like an enemy from the moment they met. The first time Delilah saw her, she raised her hand and sneered. "Nobody takes what's mine!" But before the slap could land, Leopold caught Delilah's wrist, his expression turning cold, and shoved her back. "I married you because of your father. But I never agreed to let you touch my wife." That was when Janice learned the truth. Asher Leblanc had used his control over the company to force Leopold's hand, demanding that Delilah be recognized publicly as Mrs. Vargas. Janice had never considered divorce, but she gave in to Leopold's promises. "Janice, you are my only wife. I promise she will never come before you, and I will never lie to you again!" From that moment on, Janice was forced to share her husband with another woman. Delilah handled everything outside the home and wore the title of Mrs. Vargas in public. Janice stayed in that marriage like a queen in a gilded cage, and Leopold showered her with affection, letting her rule the household as she pleased. But Delilah was never satisfied with that. She leaked Janice's private photos all over Los Angeles, then shoved her down a staircase, causing her to miscarry. Leopold had been furious afterward. He made Delilah kneel outside the newspaper office, begging for forgiveness, and even had her uterus removed as punishment for what Janice had endured. Only after the Leblanc family collapsed and Delilah lost the power that protected her did Janice finally feel at ease again. Then, just as life seemed ready to settle, Janice found out she was pregnant again. She told no one. Quietly, she went to the hospital to start prenatal care, planning to surprise Leopold with the news. But the moment she finished listing him as the father, something the doctor said made her freeze on the spot. "Are you Mr. Vargas' assistant? We already have Mrs. Vargas on file today with their son. If there's been a mistake, you'll need to speak with her." It took Janice several long seconds to understand what the doctor meant. Then she followed the doctor's gesture and looked at the screen. In the medical record, Delilah was holding a small child in her arms, and the boy looked unmistakably like Leopold! Janice's hand shook as she reached for the computer screen! The truth hit her like a physical blow! Leopold had promised her, years ago, that his marriage to Delilah was nothing but a business deal and that he would never touch her. He had even gone so far as to have Delilah's uterus removed just to avenge Janice. So how could a woman who had no uterus have a child with him? Janice stumbled out of the hospital and went straight to Leopold's company, desperate to demand an answer. But before she could push the office door open, voices inside stopped her cold. "Leopold, good for you. The second the news got out that you and Delilah have a son together, the stock price stabilized overnight! You really do have it all, don't you? The wife at home and the mistress you married for power. So tell me, which one's better in bed?" Janice stopped dead, her hand still wrapped around the doorknob. Inside the office, Leopold lit a cigarette and answered in the most casual tone imaginable. "Delilah, obviously. She's younger than Janice, and she knows exactly what she's doing in bed." He sounded almost amused, almost nostalgic, and then his voice shifted. "But the boy isn't hers. She gave up a lot to marry me, and she never wanted to go through pregnancy herself, so when Janice delivered early, I told Janice the baby died and gave him to Delilah to raise." One of the men inside sounded startled. "You're not worried Janice will find out and divorce you? She built this life with you from the ground up. If she learns what you did, she'll tear the place apart." Leopold's reply came smooth and certain through the c***k in the door, and every word drove straight into Janice's chest. "She'll never know. After everything we've been through together, I'll take care of her for the rest of her life. That should be enough for her. Delilah is different. She's young, insecure, and she needs something to hold on to. I'll let Janice's child inherit everything I own and raise him at Delilah's side. That's my way of making it up to her." Janice took a step back, her face drained of all color, while pain ripped so hard through her chest that her hands and feet went numb. When she miscarried at seven months, the shock had destroyed her so completely that she had spiraled into depression and tried more than once to take her own life. And all that time, Leopold had watched her drown in grief while hiding her child away and building a perfect little family with Delilah. The secretary came rushing down the hallway and turned pale the second she saw Janice standing there. She dropped her gaze and reached for her phone. Janice wiped away her tears in one violent motion, strode forward, pulled a small pistol from her purse, and pressed it against the secretary's forehead. "When did Leopold start cheating on me?" she asked through clenched teeth. The secretary was so terrified she lost all sense. "The miscarriage wasn't my idea. Mr. Vargas planned the whole thing! He said that the child had to be born so Ms. Leblanc could raise him, so he staged the fall and made you think the baby died. He said it was the only way to keep Ms. Leblanc from having to deal with you!" The gun slipped from Janice's hand. She collapsed to the floor in a heap. After the miscarriage, every time she called Leopold in the depths of her depression, she had heard a baby crying somewhere in the background. She had wondered. She had even asked him once. But Leopold had told her she was hallucinating because she missed the baby too much, and then he hired the best psychiatrist money could find. She had believed that if she took her medication and worked hard in therapy, she would eventually heal. What she never imagined was that the source of all her pain had never been fate! It had been the man she loved most! In that moment, she felt like the cruelest joke in the world! The elevator doors opened with a soft ding. Delilah stepped out in a couture outfit, holding the hand of a little boy. When Delilah saw Janice sitting on the floor, a flash of mockery crossed her face. "Well, Ms. Shannon. I told you a long time ago to leave Leopold, but you wouldn't listen. Now the three of us are one happy family, and you're all alone. That must hurt, doesn't it?" Janice looked up slowly, and her eyes landed on the quiet boy standing beside Delilah. Her vision blurred at once. 'One happy family?' 'No. That is wrong.' That child was hers. He was the baby she had carried for ten months! The ache of missing him crashed over her so hard she could not fight it anymore, and she walked straight toward him. She was taking her child back! Delilah reacted instantly, dragging the boy behind her. "Janice, what do you think you're doing?" "Give me my son!" Janice said, her eyes blazing as she kept moving toward him. But just as she was about to touch him, the boy's eyes widened in fear, and then his body jerked violently before he collapsed. "Landon!" Delilah screamed, and Leopold ran out of the office in a panic. He dropped to the child's side like a man possessed. Delilah threw herself into his arms and sobbed. "Ms. Shannon couldn't stand seeing Landon and me together, so she tried to strangle him. She scared Landon so badly that his asthma came back!" 'Landon?' They had named her child Landon. They had turned her son into the living proof of Leopold and Delilah's love! Janice thought she might lose her mind! Leopold was too busy comforting Delilah and calling for a doctor to look at Landon. Only after everything was arranged did he finally turn and notice Janice. She looked shattered, and something like pain flickered across his face before he could stop it. But more and more people were gathering now to watch, and as the crowd grew, his expression hardened. In public, the only wife he was willing to protect was Delilah. Leopold set his jaw and said in a cold voice, "You marched in here and hurt my family. I won't let you get away with it!" Then he turned slightly, and though his tone softened a fraction, the cruelty beneath it remained. "Delilah, it's your call what happens to her." Delilah leaned weakly against Leopold, and delight lit her face. "Really?" she asked sweetly. "My research team happens to be short one test subject right now. Why don't we let Ms. Shannon test the drugs for me?" Leopold did not even blink. "Do it." Janice stared at him in disbelief. She was pregnant. How could he send her to a lab? But before she could say a word, someone gagged her and dragged her away. The lab door slammed shut behind her. A researcher approached with a syringe in hand. "Hold her still. Ms. Leblanc wants her uterus removed. Sedate her first." Pure terror swept through Janice. She fought as hard as she could, but they pinned her down so completely she could not move a single finger. Just as the needle was about to pierce her skin, the researcher was shoved aside. Leopold lunged in front of her, and the tip of the needle sliced a long line across his cheek. "I said let her take part in the trial. Who the hell gave you the right to tie my wife up?" He started unfastening her restraints at once, asking if she was hurt, his voice tight with urgency, and for a moment, he looked genuinely frightened for her. But Janice only stared at him in silence. Then suddenly a wave of nausea surged up from her stomach, and she turned aside and retched. Leopold froze. Something passed across his face. Janice had always suffered badly during pregnancy, and he knew that. A thought flashed through his mind. 'Could it be...' But before he could ask, the secretary came running in, breathless and pale. "Mrs. Vargas cut her finger while slicing an apple for Landon. The bleeding won't stop!" Leopold's expression shifted in an instant. He shot to his feet and turned to leave. Then he paused and looked back at Janice, awkwardness flickering in his eyes. "We had a deal from the start. You take care of the home, Delilah handles everything outside it. If anything happens to her, I have no choice but to go... I already had them swap the drug for vitamins. Finish this and go home. I'll explain everything when I get back." Janice watched his back disappear down the hallway, and she scrambled to her feet to follow. But before she could take more than a step, the researcher caught her by the jaw and forced the liquid down her throat. A violent pain tore through her abdomen almost immediately. Blood ran down her legs in a hot rush and stained her skirt crimson. Right before she lost consciousness, Janice understood the truth. Delilah had set her up again! When she woke the next time, she was lying in a hospital bed, and a nurse was gently telling her that the baby could not be saved. Janice sat there with a bloodless face and could not say a word for a very long time. She had been so careful. And still she had lost this child too! Then, out of nowhere, her phone rang. Janice answered blankly. When she saw who the caller was, she seemed to come back to herself for the first time. A bitter smile touched her lips, and she picked up. "You win. I lost the bet. I'll have the divorce papers drawn up in three days and marry you."