Chapter 2 The Other Mrs. Whitmore

Their cruel remarks reached my ears, but I felt strangely apathetic to it all.

Instead, I calmly pushed away the uniform Vanessa was holding out to me. "You don't need to worry about finding me a job."

I met her gaze without flinching. "I came tonight to celebrate your son's birthday, and nothing you've said has hurt me. All you've done is show everyone exactly how shallow and cruel you really are."

Vanessa's smile froze.

Clearly, she had never expected me to challenge her so openly after five years.

Her face flushed with rage.

"Who do you think you are, Gianna?" she snapped. "You're nothing but a housekeeper's daughter. How dare someone with your background lecture me!"

Her friends immediately crowded around her.

"Do you even know who Vanessa's husband is? He's Alexander Whitmore, the sole heir to Whitmore Holdings!"

My mind went blank. 'Alexander Whitmore? The heir to Whitmore Holdings? That's my husband.'

When they saw the color drain from my face, they assumed they had finally frightened me.

One of them smirked at me. "Scared yet? One word from Alexander could bring half of Crownmere to its knees."

Another woman scoffed in derision. "Vanessa is Mrs. Whitmore, the future lady of the Whitmore family. Who do you think you are to challenge her?

"If she asked her husband to find you a job cleaning bathrooms or working security, you should be thanking her on your knees. Yet, you still have the nerve to insult her?"

Another woman folded her arms. "You'd better apologize to Vanessa right now, Gianna. Otherwise, you'll regret it."

Just then, a commotion broke out near the ballroom entrance.

I looked up and saw my husband walking in with a baby boy in his arms.

Alexander wore a gentle smile as he cradled the child against his chest.

The sight nearly knocked the air from my lungs.

My husband had built a family with another woman during the five years I had spent fighting for my own survival.

The truth was staring me right in the face, and I couldn't deny it anymore. Suddenly, the ballroom felt as if it was tilting under my feet.

Alexander approached Vanessa and carefully placed the baby in her arms. "Easy. Don't tire yourself out."

The moment Vanessa saw him, tears filled her eyes. "Thank God, you're here."

She leaned into him, her voice trembling with practiced hurt. "I invited my old classmate to our son's first birthday party out of kindness. I even arranged a job as a server so she could earn some money.

"Instead of thanking me, she caused a scene. She accused me of being jealous and claimed I humiliated her for being a housekeeper's daughter."

Alexander wrapped an arm around her and gently rubbed her back. "You're too kind. Someone like her never belonged at an event like this in the first place.

"Next time, don't invite just anyone. What if some nobody frightens our son?"

His words turned my blood to ice.

I stared at the man I had loved for years.

"Alexander," I said, my voice carrying across the ballroom. "Why don't you tell them who I really am?"

He spun around.

The moment our eyes met, a look of pure panic flashed across his face.