Chapter 3

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 inside. I'll explain everything."

"No. I can't let you face this alone," Matilda replied.

I watched quietly as they looked out for each other. Suddenly, I felt utterly ridiculous.

Before last night's HOA fee notice, I believed we were a happy family of three. And now, the roles were reversed. I was standing outside, watching another couple face everything together.

The pain slowly gave way to numbness until nothing but rage remained.

"Go back where? To that villa of yours? The one with 1,500 dollars a month in HOA fees?" I pressed.

Then, I addressed Matilda, "You live in a place like this, yet you still come over to clean our tiny apartment. You even had to pretend to respect me. I'm sure you cursed me plenty behind my back."

Her head dipped even lower. "I didn't…"

"Beatrice, stop being sarcastic," Liam interrupted with a frown. "If you have something to say, say it to me. Let's go home first. I'll explain everything."

Anger surged through me. Without hesitation, I raised my hand and slapped him.

"Which home? You spent 45 thousand dollars of your salary here. This is your real home!" I spat.

Liam stood there, stunned by the blow.

Meanwhile, Matilda gasped and touched his cheek, her eyes brimming with concern.

A moment later, Liam's eyes went wide as he stared at me. "You know all about it… Look, it's not what you think. I've let Matilda down. That money was supposed to make up for it."

"And what about me? Does that make it right?"

Liam swallowed hard, unable to speak.

"When exactly did you two get together?" I demanded, my chest heaving.

Matilda twisted her fingers and looked at Liam. He seemed to throw caution to the wind and answered, "Before we got married, a relative back home set us up on a blind date…"

"So, you married me while seeing her?"

Liam replied, "No. Matilda and I ended things when we got married. It was later… After she came to the city for work…"

He was too ashamed to finish the sentence.

If I counted back ten months from Alexis' birth, I would have been in my first trimester. Back then, my morning sickness had been so severe that I spent every day bent over the toilet, vomiting nonstop.

But Liam had claimed he was busy with work and that the company had sent him on a six-month business trip. By the time he came back, I was about to give birth.

As it turned out, it hadn't been a business trip. He had found me repulsive and ran off to rekindle things with the woman he had once been set up with.

We had been married for ten years, yet my husband had been cheating on me for nine of them.

Liam fell silent, and Matilda finally gathered the courage to speak. "Beatrice, please don't blame him. I was the one who insisted on having the baby. He only helped me because he felt sorry for me."

That made it even more absurd. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to laugh.

"What exactly is pitiful about you?" I questioned. "My husband makes 50 thousand dollars a month, but he gives me five thousand dollars and 20 thousand dollars to you.

"Another 15 thousand dollars goes to buying jewelry for you and your daughter. He even sets aside ten thousand dollars to spend on your makeup and her toys."

I went on, "On top of that, he bought you a villa, sent your daughter to a private school that costs 100 thousand dollars a year, and moved his parents in to help you raise her.

"And me? I raised my child alone. I scraped by on five thousand dollars to support a family of three. Even most of my salary went to you. I kept just enough to send my son to public school.

"And yet, I was stupid enough to invite the mistress into my home as a household helper. Now, you're telling me you're the one who's pitiful?

"Matilda, who do you really think deserves pity? You, or me?"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stepped forward and grabbed my wrist. "I'm sorry, Beatrice… This is all my fault."

I felt sickened and tried to pull away. But Matilda stumbled backward, nearly falling.

Seeing that, Liam panicked. He rushed forward and caught her.

"Watch yourself!" he snapped, anger flashing in his eyes. "Matilda is pregnant!"