Chapter 4

Gabriella's POV

Early the next morning, Alexandra asked to meet me at a cafe. When she saw me again, there wasn't a trace of surprise in her eyes.

"Gabriella, I recognized you the moment I saw you at the office yesterday," she said.

I froze.

The next moment, she explained calmly, "I knew about you before I married William. In our social circle, it's normal for men to have mistresses. William is actually restrained by comparison; he only has you."

"I'm not a mistress!" I shot back immediately.

Alexandra sneered and rested her hand on her belly. "What you are doesn't matter. The Harrington family has an heir on the way, so we never intended to deal with you. But then you ended up on the trending page, so I had to step in."

She slid a non-disclosure agreement and a blank check across the table toward me. "Sign the agreement, record an apology video, and leave Frostmere within two days. Fill in any amount you want."

I pushed the documents back and stood up to leave, but Alexandra stopped me. "Gabriella, you won't last in Frostmere. If you change your mind, come find me anytime."

…

Alexandra was right.

Throughout the morning, I visited several companies to interview for positions. After reviewing my information, the HR managers all shook their heads and turned me away, saying my conduct was unbecoming and a liability to their company's reputation.

Someone even mocked me to my face. "Why is a mistress like you looking for a job? Why don't you just go find yourself another sugar daddy?"

Photos of me attending interviews were posted online. Someone even tagged William in the comment section.

A moment later, William called me. "Gabriella, how long are you going to keep embarrassing yourself? I offered you a job, you turned it down, and now you're out there making a spectacle of yourself. Can you stop this?"

"William, do you see me as your mistress too?" I asked.

The cold wind in Frostmere bit at my skin.

William instantly went quiet. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Gaby, I—"

I didn't want to hear his explanation, so I hung up.

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed again. Mom's voice came through the phone, raw and broken by sobs. "Gabriella! How did I raise a daughter like you? You've been someone's mistress for seven years!"

"Your dad got so upset that he had a heart attack. The surgery will cost 500,000 dollars. Where are we supposed to get that kind of money?"

Just then, a snowball slammed into my head with a thud.

Two kids pointed at me and shouted, "Homewrecker! Hit the homewrecker!"

Snowballs came flying at me one after another. They ran off laughing, then turned back and made faces at me.

I sank to my knees in the snow, tears falling onto my phone screen. With shaking hands, I dialed Alexandra's number.

Alexandra's mocking laughter came through the receiver. "Made up your mind already?"

I replied in a hoarse voice, "I'll do it."