All Chapters of So I'm the Side Chick Now: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I stared intently at that photo on my phone screen.I stared at the photo that had been mosaicked by the original poster to hide the background, leaving just the back of a man in a tailored suit and his hand on a woman's waist.That hand was defined, with a simple platinum band wrapped around the ring finger. Though others might not recognize it, I could never mistake it; after all, I had spent an entire afternoon picking out that ring at the jewelry store last month.I even recalled how the sales assistant told me that they were new matching rings for couples, representing "a promise to be each other's one and only".Michael Hall, my fiance, smiled as he put it on. He then kissed me on the forehead and said, "I must have done something right in my past lives to be lucky enough to marry you in this one, Dakota."Yet, at that moment, the ring that represented "a promise to be each other's one and only" had appeared in another woman's post, where she accused her husband of infidelit

Chapter 2

Michael and I first met at a business gathering.I had just returned from abroad after completing my MBA, and Dad had me start at the entry level to learn the ropes of the company's operations.That day, I went to an industry networking event representing my department. Michael was the project lead at another company. He wasn't exactly handsome, but he had a clean-cut appearance and carried himself well. He was confident without being cocky, and he stood out among all the slick, middle-aged businessmen.He began pursuing me after that. He didn't shower me with expensive gifts or spend money recklessly. He was thoughtful in ways that were subtle and easy to miss.He would be waiting outside the office with a cup of warm hot cocoa in the car whenever I worked late into the night. He waited two hours in line and bought the souffle from the popular dessert shop just because I once mentioned in passing that I wanted to try it. He even brought it to my office while it was warm.He d

Chapter 3

Nora and I started working together in secret from that day onward. We agreed to use a newly registered encrypted social media account for all communication and to only communicate during my one-hour lunch break.Nora continued to play the part of Michael's gentle, attentive wife, making sure he suspected nothing. I, on the other hand, carried on with the wedding preparations with Michael as usual—picking out my wedding dress, reserving the venue, and drawing up the guest list.Michael remained completely oblivious. He was still coasting along, playing both sides with ease. He was my perfect fiance during the weekdays—coming with me to catering tastings, checking out venues, picking favors, and posting our cute photos on social media.He was Nora's model husband during the weekends—taking Ryker to the park, changing the lightbulbs around the house, and sending over an allowance for household living expenses.He even answered Nora's call once while we were eating together.I over

Chapter 4

It wasn't long before the wedding day arrived. Michael and I were holding the ceremony at the most luxurious five-star hotel in the city.Michael invited pretty much everyone he knew. He packed the guest list with his university classmates, colleagues, business partners, and every relative from his hometown.He looked forward to this wedding more than anyone. He didn't view this as just a wedding. He considered this his formal entry into high society. He stood at the entrance to the banquet hall in the custom suit I had spent around 15,000 dollars on. His hair was neatly styled, and he wore a smug, satisfied smile.His groomsmen crowded around him, cracking jokes and laughing merrily. "You'll be set for life after becoming the Lambert family's golden son-in-law, Michael!"Michael chuckled and playfully shoved them, telling them to stop messing around. He couldn't hide the absolute pride beaming in his eyes, though.I sat in the bridal suite as the makeup artist applied my makeup

Chapter 5

In that instant, the gentle, romantic background music filling the banquet hall felt less like a wedding playlist and more like the score to a bizarre, twisted show.Everyone in the banquet hall fell completely silent as hundreds of guests stared at Nora, who had suddenly appeared with Ryker. Ryker was looking around curiously with his big, round eyes.Michael had been maintaining his affectionate smile, but the instant he saw Nora's face, his complexion turned deathly pale. He stood there rigidly, completely frozen."N-Nora?" Michael muttered through trembling lips, the name barely audible. He then whipped around to stare at me, his eyes bloodshot as cold sweat formed across his forehead. He finally realized that this wasn't a gift but a public trial that would strip him of everything."P-Please hear me out, Dakota. I-I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to d-deceive you…" Michael stammered as he reached out for my hand.I recoiled in disgust and stepped out of his reach, looking at h

Chapter 6

Nora walked onto the stage with Ryker in her arms. She looked down at Michael, who was kneeling on the floor and crying bitterly. Her red eyes were brimming with a mix of years of built-up hurt, heartache, and sheer disappointment.I walked over and handed her the microphone. I gently encouraged her, saying, "Go ahead and tell them everything."Nora took a deep breath and took the microphone. Though her hand trembled slightly, her back remained perfectly straight. "Hello, everyone. I'm Nora Zimmerman, Michael's lawful wife…"She sounded slightly tense at first, but she quickly gained her composure. "You can see on the screen that I'm the lawful wife of the man kneeling on the floor before us. We met back in university, when he was struggling financially and depended on loans to pay his tuition."I felt bad for him, so during all four years of university, I worked three jobs—not just to keep myself afloat, but to cover his expenses, too."Then, after we graduated, he said he wanted

Chapter 7

Just then, I walked over to a flower stand near the edge of the stage and pulled out a phone that had been hidden among the thick cluster of lilies, broadcasting the whole scene on a tripod. The comment section of the live stream was bombarded with countless comments."Do you see this, Michael?" I asked as I turned the screen toward Michael. "I've been live streaming since the wedding ceremony started. Your breakdown, your confession, and your sheer selfishness were seen not only by everyone here but by tens of thousands of viewers online."Michael stared blankly at the endless stream of comments on the screen. He noticed that the live stream viewer count had already hit 100,000—and it was still climbing rapidly.The backlash in the comment section was a million times more brutal than anything being said in the banquet hall."Holy shit! It's the ultimate scandal of the year—the wife and mistress teamed up to tear apart the cheating bastard!" "He's using his rich fiancee's money

Chapter 8

Michael's case wrapped up sooner than anyone thought it would, with a sentence heavier than anyone anticipated.Dad was enraged once he learned the truth. He not only deployed the company's best legal team, but also stepped in himself, making sure Michael was completely blacklisted throughout the industry.In court, facing the mountain of evidence Nora and I brought—marriage certificates, bank transfers, message screenshots, and travel records—Michael's lawyer barely managed a word the entire time.Michael was convicted of bigamy, fraud involving a huge amount of money, and embezzlement, with the sentences served together.On the day Michael was sentenced, the judge's gavel echoed through the courtroom. He received an eight-year prison sentence and was ordered to repay all the money he had obtained through fraud.Michael's divorce proceedings with Nora were pretty much a done deal. Michael was clearly at fault and heading to prison for years, so the court gave Nora sole custody of

Chapter 9

That afternoon, after our trip to the prison, Nora came to my apartment with Ryker.Ryker could walk everywhere on his own now. He was holding onto the limited-edition building blocks set I bought him as he stumbled his way over to me. He wrapped his arms around my leg, looked up with his two little dimples showing, and called out sweetly. "Kota!"I melted instantly. I bent over, picked him up, and planted a kiss on his soft cheek. "What a good boy!"Nora watched us from the side, tears welling up in her eyes even as she smiled. She walked over, took my hand, and said, "Thank you so much, Dakota. "If it weren't for you, I might still be kept in the dark for the rest of my life, living out my days as an unpaid nanny. You're the reason I got a second chance at life, Dakota."I gently patted the back of her hand and said, "You shouldn't say that, Nora. Michael was in the wrong, plain and simple, and we were both caught in the crossfire. That scumbag is finally facing the consequence

Chapter 10

It turned out that I had been right about Nora.Nora had incredible talent in fashion design, which was only heightened by the real-life experiences she had gained over the years. Her designs managed to capture both the sharp, capable edge of an independent woman and the gentle, welcoming nature of a mother.When our first spring collection launched, we released a short promotional video online. We didn't use any glamorous models in the video. We featured Nora herself instead.She wore a sharply tailored trench coat of her own design. She stepped out of the kitchen, took off her apron, slipped into a pair of heels, and walked toward a bright, sunlit office building.The caption read, "I used to think love was a sanctuary, only to learn that the only shelter you can rely on is the one you build yourself. Nora Nova—dedicated to everyone who has broken free and found a new version of themselves."The promotional video's realistic feel, along with the huge amount of attention we had a

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