Slum Wife, Villa Nanny

Liam Moore snatched the phone back and locked the screen in one swift motion. I watched his every move, my voice turning cold as I questioned, "Cloudridge Villa is under Matilda's name, and yet the Homeowners Association sent the bills to you. So, which one are you planning to explain first?"He set the phone face down on the table, took a sip of water, and only then spoke. "A relative of mine wanted to qualify for a first-time homebuyer program. It was tied to residency, so he used Matilda's ID. He went overseas recently and asked me to handle things while he was gone.""Which relative?" I demanded."You wouldn't know him. An uncle from back home."Liam was lying. In ten years of marriage, I had met every member of his family. There was no such uncle. I was about to press further when helplessness flickered across his face."You don't seriously think I bought Matilda a villa, do you?" he asked, his face giving nothing away. "You know what I make. If I had that kind of money

Liam's body went rigid, and the color drained from his face as he said, "You're my wife. That child isn't—""You're really going to say she isn't your daughter?" I cut him off. "You had the nerve to lie to me, but not enough sense to hide the birth certificate?"Having said that, I raised my phone and showed him the photo. Liam's breathing faltered at once. On the birth certificate, the newborn was listed as Alexis Moore, with Matilda as the mother and Liam as the father.The night before, I had gone through his phone and tablet while he slept. When I saw the birth certificate, I bit down so hard on my lip that it split. It was the only thing that stopped me from grabbing a knife and killing him.Behind me, Matilda heard the commotion, told my in-laws to take Alexis inside, then walked over. She lowered her head, her voice barely audible as she said, "Beatrice… please don't be angry with him."Liam immediately stepped in front of her, as if afraid I might hurt her. "Go back in

Liam's face went pale, and his eyes went completely blank. But before he could speak, Shirley wrenched her hand free and stomped over, jabbing a finger at my face. "Of course you're getting a divorce! But who gave you the right to make demands?" she bellowed. "Ezra's our grandson, and Liam earned every penny! You'll never get the money!"At that moment, I felt somewhat relieved. I was glad Liam had made excuses to keep his parents from moving to the city, all so Matilda could be our household helper. Otherwise, the past ten years would have been sheer chaos with Shirley. But now, with divorce on the table, I didn't have to worry about conflicts anymore.I tightened my grip on my phone, then glanced at the glowing recorder in my pocket. A beat later, I lifted my head to meet Shirley's gaze. "If you truly cared about your grandson, you would have seen him more than twice in all these years. Also, why don't you ask your son how they split everything when a couple gets divorced?"

"Should I even tell you?" Ezra asked. "But when Ms. Shaw called someone, she said Mommy only gave her four thousand dollars, and that's hardly enough for anything. "She said it's already a lot that she was able to make dinner, and she added that Daddy said it was okay."At that point, Ezra blinked. "Daddy, is four thousand dollars really so little?"Liam nearly fled in panic. He couldn't even bring himself to lift his head as he muttered, "I have something to take care of."Just like that, he bolted out the door. Confused, Ezra looked at me blankly. "Mommy, is Daddy working late again? Are we still going to the amusement park?"My heart ached as I pulled him into my arms, regret washing over me. Matilda had played her part too well in front of me. She was friendly and down-to-earth, always in a ponytail and worn-out clothes. Everything she said, in one way or another, was about how difficult it was to raise her daughter alone. On top of that, she cooked a full spread every

Liam's features contorted with rage, and he glared at me. Yet, a smile played on my lips as I motioned for him to keep listening.My lawyer went on, "In addition, we have chat records showing that he sent 15 thousand dollars a month to his mother, supposedly to support her. "However, the money was used to purchase jewelry for the third party. That, too, counts as a deliberate misuse of marital assets, and it must be recovered."All at once, Liam lost it. He jumped to his feet, pointing at me and shouting, "Beatrice Langley! Are you trying to push me over the edge?"Behind him, Matilda panicked as well. "No, Liam! We still have to pay Lexi's school fees. You can't give her the money!"The judge rapped the gavel. Liam's lawyer pressed him back into his seat and whispered in his ear. He bit down on his lip with all his strength until it bled, just like I had that night when I discovered the truth. Soon, the divorce proceedings came to an end. I got full custody of Ezra and n