Chapter one

Laura

I had waited three years for this night. As I sat beside my husband, my fingers tightened around my clutch, my heart racing with excitement I could hardly contain. Tonight, he would finally say it. He would tell everyone the truth that I was the mind behind the innovations that built his company, and that he would announce our partnership at last.

For three years of marriage, I had been more than just a wife. I was the one who stayed up late, turning half-formed ideas into real innovations. I worked quietly while he took the spotlight, watching his company grow from the shadows. I celebrated his success in silence because I trusted him every time he looked at me and said, “Just be patient.”

Tonight, I believed my patience would finally be rewarded. But even as I tried to hold onto my excitement, my eyes were drawn to the corner of the room. His mother sat there beside Megan, his mistress and childhood love. She was the woman his family had always wanted him to marry, the woman he still spent most of his nights with while I waited alone.

And Megan wasn’t just his mistress. She was my enemy, five  years ago, her father destroyed my family’s business and drove us into bankruptcy. That was the reason I was trapped in this marriage to Lucien in the first place, bound by debts and desperation I never chose.

I tore my gaze away from them and focused on my husband as he rose from his seat and headed toward the stage. This was it, if he announced me tonight, my father’s company would finally rise from the ashes. That was the promise Lucien made three years ago, on the night he begged me to help him when he swore my ideas would never remain in the shadows.

I remembered the countless nights I spent working beside him, shaping concepts, fixing flaws, and breathing life into his vision. All of it led to this moment.

When Lucien stepped onto the stage, I clapped with pride, my hands trembling slightly. He thanked everyone for their support and spoke confidently about the billion-dollar partnership his company had just secured. Each word made my chest swell with hope as I waited for him to finally say my name.

Then, without warning, his mother stood up. The room shifted as she climbed onto the stage, and a cold unease settled deep in my stomach.

The room fell into silence as she smiled and smoothly took over his speech. She spoke about vision, growth, and legacy, her voice calm and confident. The audience nodded along, clapping at all the right moments. I barely heard her words. All I could focus on was the fact that my husband stood off to the side, saying nothing.

Then she said it. “Tonight, we are proud to announce a new partnership.” My breath caught in my throat. “We will be partnering with the Sterling Group.”

I froze in my seat. Slowly, I turned to look at Lucien. He refused to meet my eyes, his gaze fixed somewhere else. Instead, he smiled at Megan as she stepped forward to join them on the stage. The applause erupted, loud and overwhelming, drowning out everything else as my world fell apart.

My ears rang as I stood there, frozen in place, my hands trembling at my sides. Megan stepped onto the stage and stood beside Lucien, then began to speak, confidently telling the room to expect even greater things from them. I watched as my husband looked at her with soft, loving eyes, and my heart shattered. He had never once looked at me that way.

A voice drifted from behind me. “Lucien and Megan look so good together. I am  so happy they found their way back to each other.” I knew that voice, it belonged to Fiona his best friend’s wife.

Everyone in Lucien’s life seemed to believe I was undeserving of his love. We had married three years ago, not out of choice, but because of his grandfather’s request before he passed, that we got married. His grandfather had been a family friend, though his status had always towered far above ours.

I watched as the room celebrated them, the smiles, the applause, the excitement and I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat making it difficult to breathe. Slowly, I stood and walked toward Lucien, who had refused to return to our table after the announcement. My heart pounded as I neared the stage.

There he was, his hands wrapped firmly around Megan’s waist, leaning close as he spoke with one of the investors, completely oblivious to me.

“We need to talk,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper, fighting desperately to keep myself from breaking down right there in front of everyone. The betrayal burned in my chest like fire.

Megan’s smile widened, smug and triumphant, as she tightened her hand around Lucien’s. My stomach twisted.

He frowned, glancing around as if I were an inconvenient distraction. “Not now, I  am busy. We will  talk when I get home,” he said dismissively, his tone cold, almost ashamed of me.

Typical Lucien, he never acknowledged me as his wife in public. The only time he did was when it suited him, when it benefited him and I had given him three years of loyalty, trust, and love.

He had turned me into a public joke. His friends, his family, even the media everyone seemed to delight in tearing me down. My pictures were everywhere, labeled as the desperate “pick-me” wife, the overly understanding, manipulative woman who had  stolen another woman’s man. I had seen countless posts accusing me of scheming to trap Lucien into marriage, and every time I asked him to help me set the record straight, he dismissed me. “ Ignore

it”, he would say, as if my reputation didn’t matter.

“Fine. We can do it right here,” I said, my throat burning, my voice tight with anger. “You promised  after I helped with the last—”

He cut me off sharply. “You are  making me uncomfortable. We will talk later. Go home!”

The words hit me like a slap. The same man I had trusted, who I had given everything to, was now standing there, cold and dismissive, leaving me humiliated and powerless.

“You heard him, Laura. Leave. You shouldn’t even be here,” Megan snapped, finally letting go of Lucien’s hands. She turned to him sharply. “You promised you weren’t bringing her. If she causes a scene that makes me look bad, I won’t forgive you.”

Lucien’s eyes flickered with a hint of pleading. “I,  I’m sorry. I will handle this.” But just like that, his expression hardened as he turned back toward me. “Go home.”

Before I could respond, his mother appeared, walking toward us with Aria in her arms. The little girl ran into Lucien’s arms.

“Daddy, congratulations! I am  so happy for you and Mummy,” she exclaimed, her innocent smile lighting up the room.

Lucien and Megan both kissed her cheeks lovingly, their smiles warm and full of affection. And I stood frozen, invisible, my chest tightening with the unbearable weight of betrayal.

“Thanks, honey. Mom and Dad love you so much,” Lucien and Megan said together, their voices warm and affectionate.

“What a bright and healthy child,” Jenna, Lucien’s mother added, her smile beaming.

And in that moment, my heart shattered. I stood there, feeling like a fool, invisible and humiliated. The ache in my chest became unbearable, and I couldn’t stay another second. I turned and walked out of the room, my head bowed in shame.

I  realized there was no way to get home, Lucien had driven me here. I pulled my phone from my purse and saw nearly ten missed calls from the hospital. My heart jumped. I was about to call back when the line rang, and the doctor’s voice came through.

“Mrs. Wilson, come right away if you want your son to live.”