Chapter 2: The Other Woman’s Husband

ISABELLA’S POV

I had barely stepped through the front door when Alexander’s voice stopped me from taking another step.

“Before you start asking questions, I want you to understand something, Isabella. You have no right to interfere in my marriage.”

I stared at him, wondering how a man who had spent six years pretending to love me could look me in the eyes and speak about another woman’s marriage as though I were the stranger.

He stood beside the living room sofa, his expensive watch catching the light from the chandelier. His expression was cold, nothing like the gentle smile that used to greet me whenever I returned home.

“Your marriage?” I repeated quietly. “Are you talking about the marriage you have with Vanessa Reed?”

His jaw tightened.

“Keep your voice down.”

I almost laughed.

“You are worried about your voice being too loud? Alexander, you have another wife!”

He walked toward me, rubbing his forehead as though I were giving him an unnecessary headache.

“I was going to explain everything when the time was right.”

“When was that supposed to be? After another ten years?”

“Don’t be dramatic.”

I looked at him in disbelief.

“Did you marry her before or after you proposed to me?”

He didn’t answer immediately, and that silence told me more than any explanation could.

“Five years ago,” I continued, my voice shaking. “You married her five years ago, and you proposed to me a year later. What exactly was I to you?”

Alexander looked away.

“Things were complicated back then.”

“Complicated?” I repeated. “You were married to another woman while courting me, and you still went ahead and gave me a fake marriage certificate. What part of that is complicated?”

He finally faced me.

“Vanessa and I had problems. Our relationship wasn’t working, and I didn’t love her the way I loved you.”

The words struck me harder than I expected.

He was actually trying to make his betrayal sound romantic.

“So you decided to deceive me instead?”

“I wanted you in my life, Isabella. I didn’t want to lose you.”

“Then you should have told me the truth and allowed me to decide whether I wanted to stay.”

He sighed impatiently.

“Look, I know you’re upset, but nothing about our relationship has changed. You still have everything you had before.”

“Everything?” I asked, looking around the house. “I don’t even have a legal marriage.”

“You have this home, my support, and a comfortable life. What more do you want?”

I felt something inside me break.

“I wanted a husband, Alexander. Not a man who gave me the illusion of being married while secretly belonging to someone else.”

He rubbed his jaw before speaking again.

“Vanessa and I have a daughter. You knew that.”

My eyes burned.

“Of course I knew Sophia was your daughter. What I didn’t know was that her mother was your wife.”

“Vanessa and I agreed that Sophia would spend time with us. You loved taking care of her, and she became attached to you.”

I stared at him.

“Did you ever intend to tell me?”

He remained silent.

I remembered the nights Sophia cried for her mother, and how Alexander would tell me Vanessa was an irresponsible woman who rarely visited her child. I remembered preparing Sophia’s meals, taking her shopping, and staying awake whenever she had a fever.

All those moments now felt like pieces of a cruel joke.

“Did Vanessa know about me?” I asked.

Alexander’s eyes shifted.

“She knew.”

The room seemed to tilt.

“So both of you knew?”

“Isabella, don’t turn this into something bigger than it is.”

I stepped back, struggling to control my breathing.

“Did she know you were pretending to be my husband?”

“Yes.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

For six years, I had protected Alexander’s reputation, defended him whenever people questioned our relationship, and believed that the little family we were building was worth every sacrifice.

Meanwhile, his real wife had known everything.

“Where is she?” I asked.

“Who?”

“Vanessa. Where is your wife?”

Alexander glanced toward the staircase.

Before he could answer, a familiar voice came from behind me.

“Alexander, darling, why is Isabella making so much noise?”

I turned slowly.

Vanessa stood at the bottom of the staircase wearing a silk robe, her blonde hair falling neatly over her shoulders. She looked perfectly comfortable, as though she had every right to be in the house.

Her eyes met mine, and a small smile appeared on her lips.

“Hello, Isabella.”

I couldn’t speak.

She walked closer, stopping beside Alexander before slipping her hand into his.

“You’re still here?” she asked casually.

Alexander looked uncomfortable.

“Vanessa, this isn’t the right time.”

She ignored him.

“I suppose you have discovered everything now. I always wondered how long it would take.”

My fingers curled into my palms.

“You knew?”

She tilted her head.

“Of course I knew. Did you honestly believe Alexander would introduce another woman into his life without telling his wife?”

I looked at Alexander, hoping against all reason that he would deny it.

He didn’t.

Vanessa smiled again.

“You were useful to him, Isabella. You kept him company, took care of Sophia, and made sure he had a comfortable home to return to. I never really had a reason to complain.”

My throat tightened.

“Get out of my house,” I whispered.

Her smile disappeared.

Alexander immediately stepped forward.

“Watch your mouth, Isabella. This house belongs to me.”

I looked at him, then at the woman holding his hand.

For the first time, I understood that I had never truly belonged here.

I turned toward the staircase and headed for our bedroom, but Alexander’s voice followed me.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To pack my things.”

He laughed.

“You’re leaving over this?”

I stopped at the foot of the stairs.

“Yes.”

His expression hardened.

“Then remember that everything you have is because of me. Don’t expect to take anything from this house.”

I looked at him for a long moment before continuing upstairs.

He had no idea that my grandmother had left me something long before I met him, something I had never bothered to claim because I thought I had already found everything I needed.

Inside the bedroom, I opened the wooden box containing my marriage certificate and placed it inside my handbag.

Then I picked up my phone and called Michael Hayes, my grandmother’s lawyer.

He answered after the second ring.

“Isabella? Is everything alright?”

“No, Michael. I need your help.”

His voice immediately became serious.

“What happened?”

I swallowed, glancing at the wedding photograph on my bedside table.

“I want to activate my grandmother’s inheritance.”

There was a pause.

Then he asked a question that made my heart stop.

“Is this because of Alexander?”

I frowned.

“How do you know?”

Michael exhaled slowly.

“Your grandmother instructed me to contact you if your marriage ever ended, but there is something she wanted you to know first.”

My grip tightened around the phone.

“What is it?”

“Isabella, the inheritance isn’t just money and property. Your grandmother left you controlling ownership of Laurent Holdings.”

I sat down on the edge of the bed.

Laurent Holdings?

I had heard the name countless times, but I had never imagined it belonged to me.

Michael continued, his voice dropping.

“And there is another condition. Before I can transfer control to you, you must meet the man your grandmother named as the company’s second trustee.”

“Who is he?”

A brief silence followed.

“Dominic Sterling.”