Coming Second to That Woman

Vincent Porter and I had been married for six years. Our daughter, Lorelei, was already five years old, and yet he continued to identify as a single man in public.I knew he resented me because I was completely worthless in his eyes. To see him openly spending time with Christine Snow, a mixture of hurt and hollowness gripped my heart.I hugged Lorelei close to me and comforted her. "It's alright. We can celebrate the New Year together."Lorelei held my face knowingly. She then gave me a drawing she had made. "Happy New Year, Mommy!"She had drawn our small family of three, but Vincent was the only one not smiling. That made sense, as he was always annoyed when he had to interact with Lorelei. He certainly wouldn't smile at her.I felt sorry for Lorelei as I gazed at her. She was surprisingly mature despite her young age. We had dinner together before she fell asleep in my arms. I carried her to bed and tucked the blanket securely around her. When Vincent returned, I had ju

I had no idea what to say in response. Lorelei might have been young, but she wasn't a fool. Vincent had ignored her time and time again. He would even discipline her without reason on occasion. No matter how much Lorelei loved him, she knew he would never return that love.I nodded and pulled Lorelei into a tight embrace. This was all my fault. I had overestimated my worth and unknowingly dragged Lorelei into these hardships. That night, I brought Lorelei with me to the Porter residence. When we entered the building, I saw Vincent sitting beside Christine. Victor sat cradling Charlie, a bright smile lighting up his face.But when Victor noticed us approaching, his smile vanished, replaced by an icy stare. I was used to his coldness by now, but I still held Lorelei's hand and led her toward him. "Happy birthday, Victor. Lorelei picked out a present just for you."Timidly, Lorelei offered him the gift box. He barely spared it a glance before telling the maid to take it away and

"Christine and I are innocent!" Vincent exclaimed. "Stop being so petty!"I burst into laughter. Without a word, I turned and walked back into the house, returning moments later with the divorce papers. I signed them right in front of him."It doesn't matter anymore," I said coldly. "Once we're divorced, we'll be strangers again."Lorelei stays with me. I don't care about anything else. I just want you out of my life. If you don't leave quietly, I wouldn't mind letting the Camdonia media know just how close you are to your childhood sweetheart."I had plenty of evidence of their affair saved on my phone. I never needed an investigator to dig up the information for me. Christine had never been shy about sharing their intimate moments with others. A simple search would uncover more than enough proof. Vincent snatched the divorce papers from my hand and tore them to shreds."Keep dreaming!" he snapped."Fine," I said calmly. "If you won't sign, let's make a bet. Stay by my side fo

After returning to Camdonia, I met up with a few friends. It was only then that I found out that Vincent hadn't ended up with Christine after our divorce. The Porters had refused to let a mistress take over as lady of the house. It would have damaged their reputation, and by extension, their business. After all, the Porters had been thrust into the spotlight once news of Vincent's infidelity broke. Everyone had an opinion, but they were all convinced that Vincent had indeed cheated on me. His clumsy attempts to manipulate public perception only field the heated discussions online. As a result, the public openly boycotted Porter Corporation, causing its stock value to plummet. Many of their products were returned, with angry customers demanding refunds.Vincent was eventually forced to issue a public apology. He spent a fortune on PR firms to repair his image, and it took a long time before things settled. But even then, it was impossible for him to make a full comeback.AI tech

Lorelei was even more intelligent than I expected, which put my heart at ease.It had been a month since I returned to Camdonia. Vincent finally couldn't hold himself back any longer and stormed into my office. His sharp, bloodshot eyes pinned me down with their gaze. My assistant gasped in panic. "Ms. Atkinson, I'm sorry!"I waved him off and told him to return to his post before gesturing for Vincent to sit. I poured him a cup of tea and said calmly, "If you have something to say, please go ahead."He lifted his head. Desperation was written all over his face."Can you help me, please?"I couldn't hold back a laugh as I looked at him."Vincent, do you still remember what you used to tell me whenever I asked for help at the Porter residence?"His lips trembled. He clearly remembered."You'd say, 'Grace, why are you so useless? You're nothing but a worthless piece of trash. We let you into our family because we approved of you. You only married me because you make a decent tr