Chapter 1 The Other Woman

I had just placed the fake marriage certificate on the living room table after arriving home when William Clark, my "husband," pushed the door open and entered. "Honey, I'm home. Did the baby give you any trouble today?"

He opened his arms, wanting to hug me.

However, he instantly froze when he caught sight of the marriage certificate on the table. "Why did you take the marriage certificate out?" he asked.

I forced a smile and replied, "I'm thinking of finding some time to apply for Emmy's birth certificate."

William immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "You don't need to worry about it. Just stay home, rest well, and take good care of Emmy."

After that, he picked up the marriage certificate and hastily scurried to the room to take a shower.

…

Meanwhile, I sat on the couch, quietly recalling the memories we'd made throughout our marriage. My heart ached so much that it felt like it was being squeezed tightly by a merciless hand.

Suddenly, William's phone, which he had placed on the table, vibrated. I opened his WhatsApp and saw an unread message in a pinned chat. I immediately went to the privacy settings and disabled the Read Receipts option before reading.

'William, Ethan is making a fuss about wanting you to keep him company.' The latest one read.

There was no doubt that the other party was Sophia.

As if I wasn't devastated enough by the news of the fake marriage certificate, I further tortured myself by swiping the screen and reading their chat history.

'I'll drop by your place tonight. You and Heather both had babies, but your body still looks great even after giving birth. Heather has so many stretch marks on her stomach that I really can't muster any interest in her,' said William.

'Then, stay a little longer. Ethan misses you, too,' answered Sophia.

…

The more I scrolled upward, the more my hands trembled. My heart twisted further and further as I kept reading.

'William, thanks for helping Ethan enroll in the best private elementary school. I didn't want to bother you, but Ethan needs his father. We won't disturb your life with Ms. Johnson,' Sophia stated.

'Don't overthink it. She'll never find out. Besides, you're my legal wife, not her. I'll take care of you and Ethan,' William replied.

I felt like my world was falling apart after reading that sentence. We had been in love for many years, but never once did it cross my mind that I was the other woman.

I was well aware that most wealthy couples in Imperia's elite circle had their own agendas, but I always thought William was an exception.

What impressed me most was the time I lost a game of Truth or Dare with my friends and texted William to break up with him. He had called me the very next second, and his voice trembled like it was about to crack as he asked, "W-Where are you?"

Before I could delete the message, the door to the private dining room was flung open. William stumbled in with his suit stained with dust.

He held me tightly and pressed my hand against his pounding heart. "This belongs to you. I have nothing left if you abandon me."

When he later realized that the whole thing turned out to be just a game of Truth or Dare, he reacted completely unlike the decisive man he was in the business world by getting on his knees before me and crying like a baby.

"You scared the hell out of me, Heather! Don't joke about this anymore, or I'll die!" he cried out.

I'd spent hours trying to figure out where it all went wrong. Yet, I couldn't fathom why the man who once loved me so much had changed when we'd been together for so long.