All Chapters of The Other Mrs. Hayes: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1 The House I Thought Was Ours

I parted my lips, but no words came out. It felt as if something had lodged itself in my throat.She had said Hunter was her husband, but the man in that photo was my husband of five years.The Hayes family was one of the most powerful families in Havenbrook, with influence reaching into every corner of the city. That was why we had kept our marriage a secret.Hunter had told me it was to protect me. He said he was too busy with work, and once the media found out, they would never leave me alone.I believed him. I believed him for five whole years. I never imagined that, in the end, I would turn out to be the biggest fool of all.The young woman's face flushed with anger."I've seen women like you before. The moment you spot a rich man, you throw yourselves at him without a shred of shame, trying to ruin someone else's marriage. And you work at City Hall? I'm filing a complaint. I'll make sure you lose your job."My coworker hurried to smooth things over. "Ms. Summers, please ca

Chapter 2 The Name He Chose

Chloe searched for a while, then came back empty-handed. "That's weird. The IDs aren't here."She picked up her phone. "I'll ask my husband."The call connected, and she put it on speaker. "Honey, where did you put our IDs? I'm trying to get a copy of our marriage certificate, and I can't find them."Hunter's voice came through the phone, warm with affection. "You tore it up again? Honestly, you're a mother now, and you're still such a child."She pouted playfully. "Then, where did you put them?""I have them. I took them with me because I was out looking at houses for you today. I'll bring them home when I get back.""Then, hurry. I'll be waiting.""I will. Did you buy the baby's formula?""I did. The brand you recommended.""Good girl. I'll see you soon."The call ended, and Chloe smiled so brightly it almost hurt to look at. "My husband's on his way home now. Sorry to keep you waiting. Oh, let me show you my son."She took my hand and led me toward the bedroom. "He's six

Chapter 3 The Home He Gave Her

I stood in the nursery for a while, and little by little, my mind cleared. "I didn't see any photos of his late wife."Chloe gave a faint smile. "I asked him about that once. He said when someone's gone, they're gone. As long as they live in your heart, that's enough. He didn't see the point of keeping up appearances."I lowered my eyes. 'As long as they live in your heart.'What a beautiful thing to say. But my baby, the child I lost at seven months, where did that child live now?I slowly unclenched my fist. Deep crescent marks covered my palm. "There's something else I wanted to ask.""Hmm?""Your family's so wealthy. Why do you live in such an ordinary apartment?"Chloe smiled. "Because I wanted to. My husband's so rich that his life barely felt real anymore. I asked him to buy a place in a regular neighborhood because I wanted to live like an ordinary person."She pointed at the decorations on the walls. "See? I decorated everything myself. He wasn't used to it at first, b

Chapter 4 Face to Face

Lost in thought, I was startled when the baby in the crib suddenly began to cry.Chloe hurried over, scooped him up, and gently patted his back as she soothed him.I stepped closer for a look. The moment I saw him, a chill shot through my body. Behind his right ear was a tiny skin tag. My eyes widened in disbelief.Six months ago, when I was seven months pregnant, the ultrasound had shown that my baby had the same tiny skin tag behind his right ear.The doctor had told me it was a harmless congenital defect that could be removed with a simple procedure after birth. How could this be possible?"How old is he?" I asked, unable to stop myself."Six months. He just turned six months old."Still rocking the baby, Chloe sighed. "He's just so frail. He's always getting sick. The doctor said it's because he was born premature."My hands began to shake. "Premature?""Yeah. I was terrified of giving birth, so I told my husband I didn't want to go through it myself. He couldn't bear to s

Chapter 5 Get Out of My House

The color drained from Hunter's face as he stared at me in horror.Holding the baby, Chloe looked from me to him. "Honey, who is she? What dead wife? I thought you said…"Hunter snapped back to his senses and stepped in front of Chloe protectively. "Have you lost your mind? Who told you to come here?"I laughed until tears streamed down my face. "I'm the one who's lost my mind? Hunter, you treated me like I was dead, took my child from me, and now you're asking why I've gone crazy?"Chloe let out a shrill scream. "What are you talking about? This is my baby. Honey, get this crazy woman out of here."She tightened her grip on the baby.I looked straight at her. "Your baby? Chloe, did you carry him for nine months? Did you go through the pain of giving birth?"Her face turned ghostly white, and her lips trembled. "I… I had IVF. What do you know? Am I not allowed to be afraid of labor?"Hunter stepped in front of me and shoved me toward the door. "Rose, I'm warning you. Leave righ

Chapter 6 The Truth Comes Crashing Down

"What did you just say?" Chloe was the first to explode. "This is my home. What gives you the right to throw me out? You shameless bitch. First you stole my husband, and now you want to steal my house too."She lunged at me, trying to hit me.Hunter grabbed her arm before she could. Keeping his voice low, he said, "Rose, don't push this too far. Even if the house is in your name, I've been the one paying the mortgage. If this ends up in court, you won't come out ahead."I let out a cold laugh. "Perfect. Then I'll see you in court. We'll let the judge decide what to make of your affair, your bigamy, and the fact that you stole my child. Mr. Hayes, how much do you think Hayes Group's stock will plummet?"The word bigamy struck Hunter and Chloe like a bolt of lightning.Chloe whipped around to face Hunter. "Honey… We got married, didn't we?"Hunter's eyes darted away. "Of course we did."He patted her reassuringly. "Don't listen to her. She's lost her mind. She's just after my mone

Chapter 7 Justice at Last

"Call the police," I said calmly, holding my son in my arms.Hunter looked at me. "Rose, do you really have to do this? What good will it do you if you destroy all of us?"I laughed. "What good? Getting my son back is all the good I need. Hunter, you already ruined my life. And now you think you're in a position to negotiate with me? What makes you think you've earned that?"I took out my phone and dialed 911. "Hello. I'd like to report a crime. I've been held against my will, and my child was abducted. The address is…"I gave them the address.Hunter's face drained of color. He lunged for my phone, but I dodged him."Rose! Don't you dare."I met his eyes without flinching. "Watch me. Hunter, the game's over."Chloe collapsed onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. "Liars… You're all liars… My baby… Where's the baby I was supposed to have through IVF…"I looked at her. "Chloe, wake up. That so-called IVF was a lie from beginning to end. Hunter only needed an excuse to turn the

Chapter 8 The Price They Paid

Everything that followed happened just as I had expected. The DNA results came back quickly.The child was mine without a doubt. Hunter was confirmed as his biological father, while Chloe had no biological relationship to him whatsoever.The truth was finally out.Hunter was formally charged with multiple offenses, including attempted bigamy resulting in a de facto second marriage, unlawful imprisonment, forging government documents, and several other crimes.The Hayes family pulled every string they could to get him released, but nothing worked.I worked at City Hall. I knew the law, and I knew how to use it to protect myself.Hayes Group's stock plummeted. In just a few days, the company lost tens of billions in market value.Longtime business partners pulled their investments, and competitors seized the opportunity to strike.I visited Hunter once at the detention center. He wore a prison uniform, his hair cropped short, looking exhausted and haggard.He stared at me throug

Chapter 9 A New Beginning

I liquidated everything Hunter owned—his house, stocks, and mutual funds. As his legal wife, I was entitled to my share of it all.I renovated the house that rightfully belonged to me. Everything that was not mine was thrown away.In its place, I hung a framed photo of Ross and me on the wall. In the picture, I was holding him in my arms, smiling from the bottom of my heart.Ross had grown, too. He would babble and grin at me.As for the tiny bump behind his ear, I had it removed through a minor procedure. There wasn't a trace of it anymore. He was a healthy, adorable little boy.My coworkers all learned what had happened.Emily said, "Rose, you're incredible."I just smiled. I was nothing more than a mother who had fought with everything she had to take her life back.I never quit my job at City Hall. I loved the work. Every day, I watched people come and go, getting married and getting divorced.I witnessed so much happiness and heartbreak. More than anything, it taught me o

Chapter 10 A New Life

I picked up the letter. The handwriting was Hunter's.In it, he wrote that he had fallen in love with me at first sight during our freshman year of college. For four years, he had quietly watched me from afar.After graduation, he engineered a chance encounter and finally won my heart.He said he had truly loved me. But as his business grew, so did the temptations around him. Little by little, he changed. He started looking down on me for being ordinary, for not being able to help advance his career.Then, Chloe came along. She fed every bit of his vanity. She was young, beautiful, obedient, and even reminded him a little of me. Before long, he lost himself completely.When I got pregnant, he struggled. He even considered returning to our family.But after my forced induction, when the doctor said I might never be able to have children again, his obsession with carrying on the family name outweighed everything else. So he devised that monstrous lie.At the end of the letter, he

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