Chapter 1 After living in a different state from my husband for an entire year, I ran into one of his female coworkers at the mall. She smiled brightly and greeted me, "Congratulations! I heard the amazing news about your new baby girl." I froze, struck by lightning. Without noticing the color draining from my face, she continued, "I'll definitely be at the baby's welcome party this weekend!" As she spoke, she waved an elegant, gold-embossed invitation in her hand. "The design on this is absolutely stunning. So thoughtful." I forced a stiff smile, pretending to be calm as I took the invitation from her hand to get a closer look. Under Father, I saw my husband's name: Mark Sterling. Under Mother, a name I didn't recognize: Chloe Bennett. I silently memorized the hotel address on the card and handed it back. "Thank you. See you this weekend." When the weekend arrived, I drove to the upscale hotel listed on the invitation. The venue was bustling with people. A beautiful, well-dressed woman stood by the entrance, holding a one-month-old baby girl as she greeted guests. She smiled warmly as I approached. "You must be one of my husband's coworkers! He always says his office has so many beautiful women. Please, come on in and take a seat." ... A violent storm raged in my chest. I glanced at the baby girl in her arms. She had fair skin and features that undeniably mirrored Mark's. I kept my face entirely expressionless. "Where's Mark?" He was nowhere to be seen in the hall. However, I did spot several familiar faces—Mark’s relatives. I had only met his extended family once at our own wedding seven years ago, but I have a sharp memory and recognized a few of the older aunts and uncles. I couldn't believe Mark had the audacity to publicly parade his illegitimate daughter in front of his entire family. "Mark went to pick up my in-laws. He should be back any minute," Chloe answered cheerfully. Another gaping hole tore through my heart, the pain so sharp it was suffocating. Just two days ago, my parents-in-law told me they had booked a senior bus tour to Florida. They said they would be traveling for two weeks. Worried their social security wouldn't cover all their expenses, I had transferred them an extra $1,500 as a vacation fund. They had been in poor health for years, constantly relying on medication, and had never traveled. When they said they wanted to get away and relax, I fully supported them. For the past seven years, I had treated them like my own flesh and blood. To my face, and to everyone else, they always praised me for being a rare, devoted, and filial daughter-in-law. I never imagined they were treating me like a complete fool, helping Mark deceive me. Chloe didn't notice the turbulent emotions swirling in my eyes. She guided me over to the section reserved for Mark's colleagues. As soon as we approached, a middle-aged man looked at Chloe with envy. "I'm so jealous of Mark. Not only does he have a gorgeous wife, but an even more beautiful daughter." The men and women at the table chimed in, one after another. "Chloe, you really won the lottery. When you quit your job to be a stay-at-home mom, I was a little worried for you. But it’s been over six years, and you and Mark are still so happy. Now you have this beautiful symbol of your love. I'm so thrilled for you." My hands clenched into tight fists, my nails digging deep into my palms. I had only been married to Mark for seven years. He had been cheating on me with Chloe for over six. What was even more laughable was that during those agonizingly long seven years, I suspected absolutely nothing. Even this morning, he had sent me his usual good morning text with a kissing emoji, saying: Morning honey, I miss you so much. For seven years, I thought we had a wonderful marriage. He never lost his temper. He told me his salary was $10,000 a month, and he always gave $9,000 to me, keeping only $1,000 for his own expenses. Every year with his holiday bonus, he would buy me a piece of gold jewelry. Just from those pieces alone, I had saved up quite a bit. A year ago, he sat me down and told me he had a chance to be transferred to a branch a few states away. The promotion would increase his salary by $5,000 a month. “We have to plan for Leo’s future,” he had said. “College, a house... everything costs money. I want to earn more to secure our son’s future.” After careful consideration, I agreed to let him take the out-of-state transfer. Only now did I realize that he was like the dark of night—I had never been able to see him clearly at all. "Mark is amazing. He's been the top sales rep for years now. His base is $10k, sure, but he rakes in massive commissions every single month." "He’s a great provider and treats his wife like a queen. Such a rare, good man." Commissions. I finally understood. He had told me his base salary, but all those massive commission checks went straight to funding his second family. Chloe’s face beamed with happiness. "We are very blessed." Another coworker sighed enviously, "Time flies! We were just at your wedding six years ago, and now you have a baby." They even had a lavish, public wedding. When Mark and I got married, we just had a small, modest reception in his rural hometown. He never invited any of his coworkers. I stood silently in the crowd, listening to the hidden, sickening secrets of my husband’s double life. A female colleague linked arms with Chloe, asking for advice. "Chloe, you really know how to manage a husband. Teach me! How do you get Mark to be so obedient and treat you so perfectly?" I, too, was curious. I cast a discreet glance at Chloe. Her smile radiated the carefree bliss of a woman who had never worried about paying a single bill. "Mark is just a genuinely good person. It’s my blessing to have met him," Chloe said. "But marriage is about understanding. If you're ever worried about a man's loyalty, you have to control the finances. Mark hands over his entire paycheck to me; he only keeps a few hundred bucks a month for cigars and golf." "And every year, he uses his massive year-end bonus to buy me genuine Cartier diamond bracelets. A man's heart is wherever his money goes!" My already shattered heart took another brutal hit. His bonuses went to buying her Cartier diamonds? What had he been giving me all these years? Cheap gold-plated trinkets. Emotions surged up my throat like a tidal wave. They were chatting so enthusiastically, completely oblivious to the fact that I was standing there like an iceberg—silent, entirely out of place. Chloe’s phone rang. She smiled. "Mark is calling me." She casually handed the baby over to me. "Could you hold her for a second?" I froze. The baby girl, soft as cotton, lay quietly in my arms. She stared up at me with bright, shiny eyes, not crying or fusing at all. I looked down at her with a heavy, complicated heart. Even though I was on the verge of a total breakdown, looking at this fragile little creature, I forced my emotions back down. Chloe was standing right next to me, and Mark’s voice drifted clearly through the phone speaker. "Honey, you just finished recovering from childbirth, please don't overwork yourself today." "I picked up my parents. Traffic is a little heavy, so don't stress, we're on our way." Chloe replied with gentle understanding. "I'm not tired at all. Drive safe, don't rush." As soon as she hung up, the crowd swooned. "You two are so in love! Even at work, he texts you every hour." "You've been together for so long, and the spark hasn't faded at all. If anything, he's more obsessed with you!" "Mark acts like he's terrified you'll run away. Chloe, you really found a unicorn. Even if every other man in the world cheated, Mark absolutely never would!" I used to think Mark was deeply devoted to me, too. He called me once a day, sent me a text every morning. Though the calls were never long—usually under a minute—I never suspected he had ulterior motives. Between my job, managing the household, and raising our son, my time was entirely consumed. He said work was demanding, so I understood the brief calls. I never expected that he was sharing the intimate, meticulous details of his daily life with another woman. I carried the baby to an empty seat and sat down. Suddenly, I noticed a piece of custom gold jewelry clasped around the baby’s tiny wrist. The charm was shaped like an intricate guardian angel. I recognized it instantly. Seven years ago, when I first found out I was pregnant with boy-girl twins, my mother went to a famous jeweler to custom-design a pair of matching gold angel pendants. She even traveled across the state to have them blessed by a bishop at our hometown cathedral. But fate was cruel. There were complications during delivery. Only my son survived. I was completely devastated. The physical trauma ruined my body, making it impossible for me to ever have a second child. My son, Leo, had worn the boy's angel pendant on his wrist since the day he was born. The girl's pendant had been carefully locked away in our home safe. Every time I thought of the daughter I lost, I would hold that little gold angel and cry until I couldn't breathe. My hand trembled as I touched the lifelike wings of the charm on this baby's wrist. I gently turned it over. Engraved clearly on the back was a single name: Joy. That was the name I had spent months picking out for my unborn daughter. I wanted her life to be filled with nothing but joy. "My daughter's name is Joy. Mark picked it out," Chloe smiled, walking over to sit beside me. "That jewelry was custom-made by Mark, too. You have no idea how much he loves having a daughter." My heart cracked into tiny, jagged pieces, but I kept my composure. "He treats you very well." Chloe smiled, treating me like an old friend. "You must be relatively new to the company, right? I used to know all the senior staff before I left. Mark told me they had a lot of new hires recently." I forced a hollow "Yeah" past my lips. "The company has great benefits, but the travel is awful. Thankfully, Mark hasn't had to travel for work for the past year." "He used to be on business trips constantly—sometimes we wouldn't see each other for half the month. But we finally made it through the hard part!" A bitter, cynical smile touched the corners of my mouth. "Yeah, you did." Before Mark was "relocated" a year ago, he used to go on business trips for about two weeks out of every month. I used to feel so bad for him, constantly flying from city to city. I never let him worry about anything at home. When his parents got sick, when they were hospitalized, when they needed 24/7 care—I handled all of it. Even as our physical intimacy dwindled over the years, I never complained. Now I realized he was never on business trips. He was just taking turns living in a completely different house. Chloe made no move to take the baby back, occasionally standing up to greet passing friends. She looked down at the baby resting peacefully in my arms and looked surprised. "My daughter really likes you! Usually, when my friends try to hold her, she screams." "You've been holding her for a while now and she hasn't made a peep. It’s like magic." "Probably because I have a child of my own," I said flatly. "I have experience." She was thrilled and didn't hesitate to take advantage of it. "Could you watch her for just a little bit longer? I need to go greet some guests arriving at the front." I gave a slight nod. She walked away, completely at ease. I stared at the massive banner hanging in the center of the banquet hall. Congratulations to Mark and Chloe on the One-Month Celebration of their beloved daughter, Joy! My veins felt like they were pumping crushed glass. My son, Leo, never had a one-month celebration. At the time, our whole family was drowning in the grief of losing his twin sister. Mark had suggested we skip the party. My parents disagreed, arguing that celebrating the surviving baby was important, but Mark adamantly refused. He claimed the pain of losing his daughter was just too much to bear. But now he finally had a daughter, and he could throw a joyous, lavish party for her! I was the only one still mourning the daughter who never got to live. Suddenly, my mother-in-law called my cell phone. I didn't hesitate. I pressed answer. "Clara, did you not see my text?" her voice sounded completely normal. "No," I replied, my voice as cold as ice. "Are you at the grocery store? It sounds noisy over there." "Check your messages. I can't hear you clearly, just text me back." She hung up. I opened my messages and saw a text from twenty minutes ago. Clara, a relative back home just had a baby, and I need to send a gift. I don't have enough cash on me. Wire me $3,000. It's proper etiquette, we can't afford to be rude. The pads of my fingers turned white as I gripped the phone. My blood boiled. This entire family wasn't just treating me like an idiot—they wanted me to play the ultimate sucker, bankrolling the cash gift for my husband's bastard child! I laughed out loud, purely from rage. I didn't reply. She texted again, rushing me: Hurry up and transfer it! We have to maintain our manners. The Sterling family cannot lose face. I still didn't reply. I would wait for her to show her face at the venue. Soon enough, another message popped up. I always thought you were a reasonable woman. I never expected you to be this stingy. Forget it. If you won't give it to me, I'll figure it out myself. A mocking sneer formed on my lips. I treat you like my own daughter. You're the best daughter-in-law in the world. Our family must have done something incredibly right in a past life to get you. All of it was a disgusting, manipulative joke. When Chloe walked back over, she was on the phone. I could hear Mark's voice loud and clear through her receiver: "Honey, my mom got another piece of gold jewelry for our princess." "I told her she didn't have to, the baby has enough jewelry, but Mom insisted." Mark added specifically: "This piece is different, though. It’s got an angel design and was blessed by the Bishop. It's highly symbolic, not just some standard jewelry store piece." My blood pressure spiked so hard my vision blurred. Two days ago, my son left for a summer camp. Before he got on the bus, my mother-in-law told him to take off his gold angel bracelet so he wouldn't lose it. My son took it off and handed it to her for safekeeping. I never imagined this old woman would steal my son's protective charm and give it to her son's illegitimate daughter! Chloe smiled sweetly. "Aww, please thank Mom for me. That is so incredibly thoughtful." My mother-in-law’s voice chimed in through the phone: "No need to thank me! It’s my duty as a grandmother. You gave me a beautiful, precious granddaughter, I'm the one who should be thanking you. We'll be there in just a minute, thanks for holding down the fort with the guests." Hanging up, Chloe reached out to take the baby, but caught sight of new guests arriving in the distance. She quickly hurried off to greet them again. I continued holding the illegitimate child. She was still remarkably quiet in my arms. I looked down at her and whispered self-deprecatingly: "Don't worry. Your welcome party is going to be something everyone remembers for the rest of their lives." Finally, I heard the commotion of Mark and his family making their grand, belated entrance into the hall. Carrying his child, I walked straight up onto the venue's center stage. Just as I heard Mark ask Chloe, "Honey, where's our baby?" I raised the microphone to my lips. My voice echoed like cracking ice through the venue speakers: "Husband, your bastard child is right here in my arms."
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