His Uncle's Wife: A Second Chance at Love

Sarah Prescott, once left heartbroken at the altar, finally found peace. She lived a serene life on the sprawling Prescott estate, a beloved wife to Arthur Prescott Sr., and a devoted mother to their two-year-old son, Cody.

Then, like a ghost from a past she' d buried, Ethan Prescott Jr. swaggered back. Her ex-fiancé, the man who' d vanished hours before their wedding, stood there with a heavily pregnant woman, ready to reclaim his perceived territory.

He expected tears, or pathetic pining. He smirked, announcing his new wife, Ronnie, and their coming "heir," then condescendingly offered Sarah a pittance to remain. But his arrogance quickly dissolved as Sarah introduced Cody, her son, who bore the undeniable Prescott eyes.

Ethan' s smug face contorted in disbelief. "Whose child is that?" he stammered, demanding answers. How could she have moved on, let alone with Artie? The commanding patriarch now stood declaring with steely resolve: "Sarah is my wife. And Cody is our son."

The revelation shattered Ethan's world. The woman he'd discarded was now the lady of the house, his uncle's wife, and mother to his heir's half-brother. Stripped of everything, Ethan faces a brutal new reality, setting off a dangerous chain of events he never saw coming.

The old iron gate creaked open.

Sarah Jenkins, now Sarah Prescott, looked up from the roses she was tending.

Three years.

Three years since she' d last seen that gate open without knowing who was coming.

Ethan Prescott Jr. stood there.

He wasn' t alone.

A woman clung to his arm, her belly round under a tight dress. Veronica "Ronnie" Hayes.

Sarah' s heart didn' t leap, didn' t ache. It just noted them, like a change in the weather.

Ethan swaggered in, a smirk playing on his lips. The same smirk he' d worn when he told her he was leaving for a "humanitarian mission" hours before their wedding.

"Sarah, darling," he began, his voice too loud in the quiet garden.

Ronnie eyed Sarah, a mix of triumph and nervousness in her gaze.

"Still here, I see," Ethan continued, gesturing vaguely at the guest cottage Sarah occupied on the vast Prescott estate. It was a comfortable place, but separate from the main house where she now truly belonged. Ethan didn't know that.

"I'm back," he announced, as if conferring a great favor.

"Ronnie and I, well, we're going to be married. She's expecting, as you can see."

He paused, waiting for a reaction. Tears? Anger?

Sarah simply straightened, dusting soil from her hands.

"Congratulations," she said, her voice even.

Ethan frowned, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. This wasn't the script he'd imagined.

"Look, Sarah," he said, dropping the pretense of charm. "I know things were...abrupt. But I' m a man of honor. I' m back to make things right."

Ronnie preened a little at "man of honor."

"Ronnie is my future," Ethan declared. "She' ll be the mother of my heir."

He looked at Sarah then, a calculating glint in his eyes.

"But I haven' t forgotten you. You were my first love, after all."

His arrogance was astounding.

"I' m prepared to be generous. You can stay on here, if you like. A quiet arrangement. Or, if you prefer to leave, I' ll see you' re well compensated. For your...trouble."

Ronnie' s smile tightened. She clearly didn't like the "stay on here" part.

Sarah almost laughed. He truly had no idea.

"You expect me to accept that?" Sarah asked, her tone dangerously mild. "To be your...secondary figure?"

Ethan puffed out his chest.

"It' s a fair offer, Sarah. More than fair. What else could you expect?"

He thought she was still the heartbroken girl he' d abandoned, pining away in a cottage, waiting for his scraps of attention.

He was about to learn how much the world had changed.

Sarah' s world, anyway.

And his.

"Your offer," Sarah said, her voice calm, "is irrelevant."

Ethan scoffed. "Irrelevant? Don't be difficult, Sarah. I'm trying to be reasonable."

Just then, the cottage door opened.

A small boy, barely two years old, toddled out, his blond hair catching the sunlight. He made a beeline for Sarah, babbling happily.

"Mama!"

Sarah bent down and scooped him into her arms. Cody. Her son.

Ethan stared, his jaw slack.

Ronnie' s eyes widened, then narrowed with suspicion.

"Who...whose child is that?" Ethan stammered.

Sarah met his gaze, a cool smile on her lips.

"This is Cody, Ethan. My son."

"Your son?" Ethan repeated, dumbfounded. "But...with who? You didn' t... you couldn' t have..."

He looked wildly from Sarah to the child, then back to Sarah.

"He looks... he has the Prescott eyes," Ethan muttered, confused.

"Yes, he does," Sarah agreed smoothly.

"He is a Prescott."

Ronnie clutched Ethan' s arm tighter. "Ethan, what is she saying?"

Ethan ignored her, his focus entirely on Sarah. "What game are you playing, Sarah? Did you have a secret affair after I left? Is that it?"

His voice rose, accusation lacing his tone.

"You were pining for me, and then you just found someone else to have a child with?"

Sarah' s smile faded. "I wasn' t pining, Ethan. I was living my life."

"And who is the father?" he demanded. "Some nobody you picked up?"

"Hardly a nobody," a deep voice interjected from behind them.

They all turned.

Arthur "Artie" Prescott Sr. stood at the entrance to the main garden path, his presence commanding, his eyes sharp.

He walked towards them, his gaze fixed on Ethan.

Ethan paled. "Uncle Artie... I... I didn't know you were here."

Artie didn't smile. "Clearly."

He came to stand beside Sarah, placing a hand gently on her shoulder, then on Cody' s head.

"Ethan," Artie said, his voice like chilled steel. "You seem to be under a grave misapprehension."

He looked at Sarah, then back at his nephew.

"Sarah is not playing any games. And Cody is indeed a Prescott."

Artie paused, letting the silence stretch.

"Because Sarah is my wife. And Cody is our son."

Ethan' s face went from shock to disbelief, then to a mask of pure, unadulterated fury.

"Wife? Your wife?" he choked out, pointing a trembling finger at Sarah. "Her? You married her?"

"Yes," Artie said, his voice unwavering. "I did."

Ethan turned on Sarah, his face contorted. "You... you opportunist! You gold-digger! You planned this! You seduced my uncle!"

Ronnie looked faint. This was far beyond any scenario she had prepared for.

"And that... that brat!" Ethan spat, glaring at Cody, who whimpered and hid his face in Sarah' s neck. "He' s no Prescott! He' s probably yours with some stable boy!"