The Substitute Wife: My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

"Is there a cure?" Johanna asked with urgency.

"Just tell me, no matter the cost, as long as it can heal my daughter." The doctor heaved another heavy sigh.

"The probability of successfully treating this condition is relatively low, and it necessitates a lengthy course of treatment.

You should brace yourselves for this."

Upon hearing the doctor’s words, a buzzing filled Janet’s ears and her mind went blank.

For a moment, she felt as though she had lost her ability to hear. A congenital abnormality in uterine development? Complicating her ability to conceive? Why did these words, individually familiar, sound so foreign when strung together? So ridiculous? Why had this happened to her? Clutching tightly to the test report that felt akin to a death sentence, Janet’s face held a vacant expression.

It was as though all her energy had been sucked away, leaving her to lean heavily on the armrest of her chair to prevent herself from collapsing.

Johanna, too, was deeply afflicted, but as a mother, she knew she had to muster strength for her daughter, to stand by her. She firmly grasped Janet’s hand and calmly inquired, "What’s the recommended treatment for my daughter’s condition? What are the success rates for pregnancy post-treatment? Most importantly, will the treatment inflict much pain on her?" Johanna was nearing fifty when she was reunited with her sole biological daughter.

During the two decades of their separation, Johanna never ceased thinking about the child they had lost. When she finally located her daughter, Janet, and discovered the hardships she’d endured, she was heartbroken. She felt a profound sense of guilt and wished she could bestow upon Janet all the good in the world. Just as she dared to dream that everything was falling into place, this diagnosis swooped in. The prospect of a long, drawn-out treatment was one thing, but the possibility of it causing her daughter constant pain and suffering was unbearable. Having spent years in elite social circles, Johanna had witnessed many affluent wives endure great sacrifices to bear children.

IVF attempts, leaving their bodies ravaged. The fortunate ones would ultimately rejoice at the birth of their child, but the unlucky ones would spend years undergoing treatment without any results, only to be callously abandoned by their husbands. She would never subject her daughter to

the Whites had the means to support their daughter and grandchild comfortably. Janet perceived the intent behind her mother’s words, gripping Johanna’s hand in response, deeply touched by

Janet, asserting gently yet firmly, "Fear

you, I won’t let the prospect of having a child cause you

tread lightly

need to know

prepared to face whatever news

in despair upon receiving unfavorable test results, the

promising, there still exists a glimmer of hope

still anxious, interjected,

matters is whether my daughter will have to endure pain throughout

sense of resignation, "I can’t promise that, I’m

slight frown creased

voice her concerns further, but Janet gently squeezed her hand and shook her head, signaling her

daughter’s steadfast independence, her dislike of others meddling in her life