Chapter 2

Chapter 2

WINTER

The mansion felt like a mausoleum when I finally dragged myself through the back entrance as I did not want to run into the happy family.

My body was protesting every movement that I made, but I forced myself to continue. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, and I could hear laughter echoing from the living room—Stiles, Thomas, and Annalise enjoying their perfect morning together while I had spent the entire night unconscious on a hospital floor like discarded trash.

I caught a glimpse of them as I passed the doorway. Thomas was curled up between Stiles and Annalise on the sofa, a picture book spread across their laps. Annalise's engagement ring—my ring—caught the morning light as she turned the pages, and Thomas giggled at whatever she was reading to him.

They looked so complete, so happy. Like they'd never needed me at all.

The kitchen was a welcomed space for me, filled with the chaos as I took a minute to ready ,myself before preparing the meals for the upcoming picnic event.

 The picnic basket sat empty on the counter alongside Stiles' handwritten list of demands that he attached to it,giving me an idea of what they wanted: sandwiches, fruit salad, homemade cookies, lemonade, and also all of Thomas's favorites. Even in my exile, I was still expected to cater to their happiness. How ironic.

My injured hands were aching me as I worked as all the bandages that I had hastily wrapped ;ast night were beginning to turn red with fresh blood.

But I pushed through, muscle memory guiding me through recipes I'd perfected over years of being the perfect wife and mother.

Two hours later, the food was packed and ready. I set the basket on the dining room table and turned toward the stairs, my heart hammering with desperate determination as I decided to take the opportunity that had been granted. This was my chance to escape while they were distracted.

In my bedroom, I pulled out the small suitcase I'd hidden in the back of my closet weeks ago. I'd been planning this moment, stockpiling cash from the household allowance Stiles still gave me, gathering important documents. I just hadn't expected it to happen like this, with divorce papers already signed and my life in shambles.

I was folding my last sweater when the bedroom door slammed open.

"Going somewhere?" Stiles leaned against the doorframe, his 

voice sounding  casual but holding all his disdain and contempt for me as usual.

My blood turned to ice aas I immediately stiffened on the spot, then forced myself to swallow down the lump that was in my throat as I spoke.

 "I thought... the divorce papers are signed. There's nothing keeping me here now."

"Oh, but there is." He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click that sounded like a death knell that sent goosebumps down my spine. 

"Thomas still needs stability in his life. Annalise and I both work demanding jobs. We need someone to look after him."

"Hire a nanny."

"We have one. You." His smile was cold, calculating. "You'll stay here, in the staff quarters. You'll take care of Thomas, maintain the house, and stay out of our way. In return, you'll have a roof over your head and food to eat. It's more than you deserve after what you did to Annalise."

Rage flared in my chest, as I glared at him saying.

"I won't be your live-in servant, Stiles. I won't watch you play happy family with my son while I'm relegated to—"

"You'll do exactly what I tell you to do." He grabbed my wrist, his grip crushing the fresh bandages. I cried out in pain, and his smile widened at that and he kept putting more pressure on it, until my eyes turned watery. 

"You signed those papers, Winter. You have no legal claim to Thomas anymore, you and I both know that. But I'm generous enough to let you stay near him, for his sake. Don't test my patience."

The fight drained out of me like water through a broken dam as my shoulders slumped in defeat. 

He was right—I had no claim to anything anymore. No money, no home, no legal standing. And Thomas... at least if I stayed, I could still see him, even if he hated me.

"Fine," I whispered.

"Good girl." He released my wrist, and I clutched it against my chest. "Now get the picnic basket and come to the car. We're late for the park."

The drive to Riverside Park was torture. I sat in the back seat like an unwanted passenger while Stiles, Annalise, and Thomas chatted excitedly about their day ahead. Thomas kept turning around to glare at me, as if my mere presence was offensive.

"Why does she have to come?" he whined. "Anna, can't we just send her home?"

"Thomas, sweetheart, someone needs to set up our picnic," Annalise replied sweetly. "Think of Winter as... our helper for the day."

Helper. Not mother. Not family. Just the help.

Riverside Park was crowded with families enjoying the beautiful Saturday afternoon. Children ran between the trees while parents spread blankets on the grass and unpacked elaborate picnics. It was the kind of scene I'd once imagined sharing with my own family—back when I'd believed in happy endings.

I found a shady spot beneath an old oak tree and began spreading out the blankets, arranging the food for them, quickly.

 Stiles and Thomas had run off to explore the playground equipment while Annalise stepped aside to take a phone call, though she stayed close enough to keep watch.

"Excuse me, dear."

I looked up to find an elderly couple approaching, both wearing friendly smiles on their faces s they looked at me with nods of approval.

"We just wanted to say how lovely your family is," the woman continued speaking as I felt my heart skip a beat at her words. "Your husband and son seem absolutely devoted to you."

My throat closed up. They must have seen Stiles and Thomas earlier, assumed we were together. "Oh, we're not—"

"Such a beautiful family," the man agreed, nodding toward where Thomas was climbing on the monkey bars. "You're very blessed."

"They're not my—" I started again, but Thomas had spotted the conversation and came running over, his face twisted with fury.

"She's NOT my mother!" he screamed loud enough for half the park to hear him as my stomach clenched with dread.Before I could even reach towards him to stop him from spewing more lies, he continued speaking. 

"She's just the mistress who tried to steal my daddy away from my real mommy!"

The elderly couple stepped back in shock as Thomas continued his tirade, getting more people to listen in,as they edged closer , clearly interested in what was happening.        

"My daddy finally got rid of her because she's mean and stupid and she tried to poison my real mommy! She's just here to carry our stuff because she's the help!"

A crowd had begun to gather, drawn by the commotion. I could see phones appearing, people recording what they assumed was delicious drama. The whispers started immediately.

"Mistress?"

"She tried to poison someone?"

"How shameful."

"I can't believe she has the nerve to show her face in public."

"Please," I tried to explain, standing up from the blanket. "You don't understand. I'm his mother. I was married to—"

"Liar!" Thomas shrieked. "You're nothing! Anna is my real mommy now, and I wish you would just disappear!"

The crowd's murmurs grew louder, uglier. Someone called me a homewrecker. Another person suggested I should be ashamed of myself. I tried to speak, to defend myself, but the voices rose like a tide of condemnation.

"Thomas, please," I begged, reaching toward my son. "You know I love you. You know I'm your—"

He shoved me with both hands, catching me off balance. I stumbled backward, my foot catching on the edge of the blanket. The world tilted, and then I was falling, landing hard in the muddy depression where the park's irrigation system had created a small pond after yesterday's rain.

Cold, thick mud soaked through my clothes instantly. The crowd erupted in laughter and applause, as if my humiliation was entertainment. Through the muck covering my face, I could see Thomas, Stiles, and Annalise watching from a distance, all three wearing identical smirks of satisfaction.

This was their plan. Public humiliation to put me in my place once and for all.

"Mummy! Mummy!"

Two young voices cut through the laughter like bells. The crowd parted as two identical boys, maybe eight years old with dark hair and bright green eyes, came running toward me at full speed.

"Oh, Mummy!" The first boy launched himself into the mud beside me without hesitation, his arms wrapping around my muddy shoulders. "Are we playing in the mud already? The games haven't even started yet!"

"Jamal, wait for me!" The second boy dove in as well, rolling dramatically in the muck. "Oh no, Mummy, the mud monster is trying to capture us! We have to fight back!"

The laughter died abruptly. Confused murmurs rippled through the crowd as they watched these two beautiful children treat me like I was their beloved mother, covering themselves in mud just to be close to me.

"Who are these kids?" Thomas demanded, his voice shrill with outrage.

The boy who had spoken first—Jamal—looked up at him with innocent confusion. "I'm Jamal, and this is my twin brother Andre. This is our mummy."

"You're lying!" Thomas screamed. "She's not anybody's mummy! She's just the maid!"

Andre tilted his head thoughtfully. "Are you trying to say this beautiful lady is your mummy too?"

Thomas's face went red. "NO! I would never want her as my mummy! She's gross and mean and—"

"Then why are you being so rude to someone else's mummy?" Jamal asked with the devastating logic only children possessed. "That's not very nice."

The crowd's attention shifted completely. Where moments before they'd been condemning me, now they were looking at Thomas with disapproval. A spoiled child publicly disrespecting someone's mother, and not even their own—their own social code couldn't tolerate that.

"Boys, what are you doing?" Stiles had appeared at the edge of our muddy circle, with Annalise close behind, looking furious that my disgrace had been cut short. 

"Winter, tell them to leave you alone."

"Our daddy is coming," Andre announced cheerfully, still cuddled against my side,his hands wrapped tightly against mine as he was scared they would take him from me.. 

"He went to get the car because he knew Mummy would want to change clothes after we played in the mud. He's going to be so excited that the games started early!"

"Jamal! Andre!"

A deep, commanding voice cut across the park. The crowd turned as one to see a tall man striding toward us with purposeful intent. He was strikingly handsome, with the same dark hair as the boys and an aura of controlled power that made people step aside without being asked.

"Right here, Daddy!" Jamal called back. "We're with Mummy!"

The man reached our little group and surveyed the scene, slowly taking in everything at once. His gaze lingered on my muddy state, the hostile crowd, and Stiles' aggressive posture before he smiled and waded directly into the mud.

"Darling," he said, pulling me gently to my feet and pressing a soft kiss to my forehead as if we'd been married for years. "I should have known you three couldn't wait for me to start the fun."

I stared at him in shock, but he gave me a subtle wink that somehow conveyed both reassurance and warning.

"Were you getting too excited about the mud games before I could set up the proper play area?" he asked the boys with mock sternness.

"The mud monster attacked Mummy first!" Andre explained solemnly. "We had to defend her!"

Derek's eyes hardened as they fixed on Stiles. "I see. Well, we should get you all cleaned up and head home. Come on, love."

He offered me his arm like a gentleman, treating me with more respect and care than my own husband ever had.

"Now wait just a minute," Stiles stepped forward, his face flushed with anger. "I don't know who you think you are, but—"

Derek's fist connected with Stiles' jaw before he could finish the sentence. Stiles went down hard, and Annalise screamed.

"I'm the man whose wife you were just watching get humiliated for your entertainment," Derek said calmly, flexing his knuckles. "And I suggest you stop coveting what doesn't belong to you before I decide to make this a real problem."

He turned back to me with a gentle smile that transformed his entire face. "Shall we go home, darling?"