Stronger Than My Mistakes

Richard Pascall's black Bentley rolled to a stop at the school gates.

He stepped out first, his suit sharp, his face glowing with that too-polished smile. My heart stupidly leapt for a second—I thought maybe he'd come to support me and Tristan Pascall.

Then the passenger door opened.

Iris Poole slid out, swinging her hips as if she were walking a runway. She was the heiress of Poole Corporation and Richard's long-time "business partner".

The moment her heels hit the pavement, she hooked her arm through Richard's, as if she owned him. She had her chin tilted, her eyes locked on me; it felt as if she was showing who was boss.

Before I could even breathe, Tristan's little hand slipped out of mine. His whole face lit up as he shouted, "Mama Iris! Did you bring my special-edition Transformer?"

Iris's smile was instant and sweet as candy. She reached into her Hermès bag and pulled out a shiny gift box.

"Of course I did, sweetheart. I never forget a promise I made to you. Anything you want, I'll get it for you."

"Thanks, Mama Iris! You're way better than that bossy mom at home!"

He clutched the box tightly and ran to her side without even glancing back at me.

I froze, my chest hollowing out. Tristan glanced at me once, rolled his eyes, and then wrapped his arms around Iris's leg.

Right then, Richard walked over, looking annoyed instead of ashamed. "Who told you to come here on your own? Didn't I say I'd handle this?"

His eyes skimmed my outfit, and he sneered, "Seriously, look at you. You can't show up to something this important dressed like that. You're embarrassing me."

I looked down at my clothes. I was wearing a custom-tailored dress. Sure, it didn't have any flashy logos, but it was elegant all the same.

I lifted my eyes back to him, my voice shaking with anger. "Richard, what is going on? Why is she even here?"

Richard opened his mouth, but Iris spoke first. She let out a little laugh, as if she'd been waiting for her cue.

"Ms. Willis, I guess you don't understand how business works since you spend all your time playing house, cooking and cleaning. Pascall International went public today. Richard needed a proper partner by his side for the IPO ceremony, so of course, I went with him. That's why we were late. Hope you don't mind."

Every word was dripping with fake sweetness, but she didn't once call me Mrs. Pascall. Just Ms. Willis, over and over again. It was obvious she had no respect for me.

Heat rose in my throat, but I forced myself to breathe. So, Pascall International went public today. Funny, no one had told me.

Before I could press him, a teacher in a navy blazer walked over, all polite smiles. "Mr. and Mrs. Pascall, the interviews are almost over. Please hand in your documents right away."

Richard gave a sharp nod but looked straight at Iris when he did.

That was it for me. My patience snapped.

This was my son's future. I'd planned and worked for this all year long. I wasn't about to let Richard hand it over to Iris like a gift.

I stepped forward quickly, pulling our marriage certificate from my bag and placing it firmly in the teacher's hands.

"Here you go. Everything else has already been submitted."

The teacher smiled politely, nodded, and walked off toward the admissions office.

Richard's face twisted with anger.

Iris folded her arms, smirking as if she was watching the best show of her life.

And in that moment, staring at the two of them, I realized—something about this was way bigger than just today.