Chapter 1

On the third day after leaving the Donaldsons, I returned with a set of printed divorce papers, ready to get Wayne Donaldson sign them.

Once I stepped through the front door, a baby's laughter drifted through the air.

My in-laws were huddled around a newborn, beaming with affection. Meanwhile, Wayne wore a doting smile as he carefully cradled the baby in his arms. But when they finally spotted me standing at the door, all their smiles instantly vanished.

Wayne's expression stiffened when he looked up and saw me. His lips parted to say, "Shelby… you're back."

I didn't respond.

My mother-in-law, Maria Duncan, followed his gaze and looked up before her expression soured.

"As a barren wife, you've got a lot of nerve to throw a tantrum, Shelby. Try it again, and I'll make sure Wayne kicks you out of the Donaldsons for good."

Toying with the baby's tiny fingers, my father-in-law, Harold Donaldson, snorted. "As long as you behave, we'll make sure you keep your title as Mrs. Donaldson."

I almost laughed.

This was the man I had loved for five years, and the Donaldson family that rose into prominence and everything they were today, under the quiet support of my dad and me.

That was when Wayne's mistress, Valeria Meadows, approached me while holding the baby.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked at me timidly. "This is all my fault, Mrs. Donaldson. If I hadn't given birth to the baby, you and Mr. Donaldson wouldn't be fighting all day.

"Hit me, scold me; do whatever you need to get it out of your system. I just hope you'll stop fighting him."

I smiled and replied, "Oh, can I? Did you think I had no idea you slipped the drugs back then?"

Valeria's face flushed bright red at my words, as if she hadn't expected me to drag the ugly truth into the light.

For a split second, pure malice and jealousy flickered in her eyes before she suddenly pinched the baby hard. His piercing cries tore through the air.

Wayne rushed over at the noise and violently shoved me aside.

Stumbling back, I crashed into a vase. Porcelain shards cut into my palm, and blood trickled down my fingers, pooling onto the floor.

Valeria's eyes brimmed with tears as she pitifully wept. "I just wanted to show Mrs. Donaldson the baby, and I never thought she'd…"

When Wayne's cold gaze snapped to me, rage burned in his eyes. "Can't you even stand the sight of an innocent baby?"

Without another word, he grabbed my wrist and shoved me out the door. "Stay out there and think about what you've done, Shelby Moyers. Don't bother coming back until you've come to your senses!"

He had no idea that I was back to get a divorce, so several minutes of delay wouldn't change anything.

After being shut out, I sat on the steps and ran my fingers over the marble tiles of the villa, feeling utterly overwhelmed with emotions.

The Donaldsons might have forgotten that without me, they would never have reached the heights they enjoy today.