Chapter 1At 3 AM, my husband's sleep talking woke me up: "...baby, daddy's buying you and mommy a new house tomorrow."
Hold up—WE DON'T HAVE KIDS.
I shook him awake: "What did you just say?"
He just rolled over: "Just a nightmare, go back to sleep."
Something was OFF. Like, majorly off.
But I didn't push it. Instead, I quietly grabbed his phone—
Clue #1: His Venmo showed a fifty-thousand-dollar transfer from three months ago, with a note: "Down payment." Recipient: Rain Sullivan.
Clue #2: I searched that name on Instagram. Same day as the transfer, she'd posted an ultrasound photo with the caption: [Little angel is already three months along! Daddy says we'll live in a big house.]
I immediately screenshot everything and sent it to my dad: [Dad, your precious son-in-law didn't just cheat—he's got a bastard kid on the way. I'm gonna make him leave with NOTHING!]
Dad texted back almost instantly:
[That son of a bitch! Don't you worry, sweetheart. I'm calling our attorney right now. Nobody crosses the Hartwell family and lives to tell about it!]
Fighting back nausea, I kept scrolling through Rain Sullivan's feed.
One month ago: [Picked out our love nest today! The location is chef's kiss! Thank you babe for giving me and our little one such a perfect home.]
The photo showed her arm-in-arm with Marcus at some fancy real estate office in Westchester. She was wearing a form-fitting dress that showed off her bump, beaming at the camera.
Marcus had his arm around her waist, looking at her with a tenderness I'd never seen before.
Two months ago: [Babe says me and baby are his whole world, and he's gonna give us everything. This steak is divine!]
The picture was from some upscale steakhouse—the kind of place that serves Wagyu beef I could never justify buying.
I remembered that exact night. I'd suggested we celebrate my promotion at that same restaurant, but Marcus had grimaced and said it was too pricey. We ended up ordering DoorDash instead.
Three months ago: [Two pink lines! Baby, your timing is absolutely perfect—Mommy and Daddy are so ready for you!]
The photo showed her and Marcus's hands intertwined over her still-flat belly.
Every single image felt like a knife twisting in my chest.
I cried silently in the dark, tears soaking into my pillowcase.
Next to me, Marcus slept peacefully with a slight smile, probably dreaming about his perfect little family again.
Looking at his lying face, every ounce of love I'd felt transformed into pure hatred.
Marcus, you really thought you could pull this off?
I'm not some pushover you can just screw over.
I slipped out of bed and padded to the home office, firing up my laptop.
As heir to Hartwell Industries, I had resources he couldn't even imagine!
First, I needed to know everything about Rain Sullivan.
Through a private investigation firm, I got her complete background within hours.
Rain Sullivan, 23, recent graduate from some no-name state school in Ohio, working as a receptionist at Marcus's company.
Lower-middle-class family from Cleveland—both parents work blue-collar jobs.
Classic gold-digger trying to social climb her way out of mediocrity.
What really pissed me off was her start date at Marcus's firm: exactly six months after our wedding.
So she'd targeted a married man from day one.
That conniving bitch!
Chapter 2
The next morning, Marcus woke me up with his usual sweetness.
"Morning, gorgeous. Made you breakfast." He kissed my forehead. "Got a huge client meeting today, so I'll probably be home late."
I forced a smile. "No worries, work comes first."
Something flickered in his eyes—probably surprised I wasn't giving him grief.
"Actually, babe, I might be swamped all week. Don't read into it or anything."
"Of course not." I nodded like the dutiful wife, thinking: Yeah, busy playing house with your side piece.
After Marcus left, I drove straight to his Midtown office.
As a business partner, I had every reason to be there.
Sure enough, there was a young woman at the front desk—Rain Sullivan in the flesh.
She was even more striking in person than in her photos. Long blonde hair, bright eyes, that whole innocent girl-next-door thing going strong.
Who would've guessed this sweet-looking college grad was a husband-stealing bitch?
"Hi there! Who can I help you find?" she chirped, all sunshine and rainbows.
"I'm here for Marcus." I studied her carefully.
She was wearing loose business attire, but I could still make out the small bump. Definitely showing.
"He's in meetings right now. And you are?"
"Vivian Hartwell." I dropped my name like a bomb and watched her face go white.
Of course she knew exactly who I was—Marcus's legal wife.
"Oh! Mrs. Hartwell! Let me buzz him right away." She fumbled for the phone.
I caught her whispering, "Marcus, your wife is here."
Seconds later, Marcus came rushing out, looking like he'd seen a ghost.
"Viv! What brings you by?" His eyes darted nervously toward Rain.
"Thought I'd check out your workspace, maybe grab lunch together." I linked my arm through his.
"Absolutely, let's hit the restaurant upstairs." He practically dragged me toward the elevators.
In the elevator, I played dumb: "That receptionist seems nice. How old is she?"
"No clue, some intern who just started. I don't really pay attention to that stuff." His answer came way too fast.
"Ah." I nodded, filing away yet another lie.
Over lunch, I played the concerned wife perfectly, asking about his stress levels and health.
He ate up every bite I fed him, gushing about how lucky he was. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Viv."
Watching his Oscar-worthy performance made me sick.
"Oh, that reminds me," I said casually, "my friend mentioned this amazing new development in Greenwich. Maybe we should start house hunting?"
Marcus's fork froze midway to his mouth. "House hunting? Our place is pretty solid as is, right?"
"Sure, but it's kind of cramped. If we ever have kids, we'll need more space."
His face went completely pale. "Kids aren't really on the table right now. Money's tight, you know?"
Right. Too tight for your legal wife, but plenty loose for your pregnant mistress.
"You're totally right. Let's table that." I smiled sweetly while mentally cataloging his bullshit.
That afternoon, I excused myself to use the restroom but took a detour past the reception desk.
Rain was chatting with a coworker, and I caught her saying, "The doctor says the baby's super healthy. Due date's around Christmas."
"Rain, you're literally living in a fairy tale! Your man is like total husband material—buying you a house, taking such good care of you."
"I know, right? He promised we'll get married as soon as the baby comes." Rain's face lit up with pure joy.
Married?
He's still married to me, but already planning wedding number two?
Rain spotted me and went ghost-white.
"Mrs... Mrs. Hartwell," she stammered, jumping to her feet.
I walked over with my sweetest smile. "Rain, right? Congratulations on the baby."
She instinctively covered her bump. "Thank you."
"The father must be over the moon. He's treating you well, I hope?"
"Very well," she whispered, avoiding my eyes.
"Good. You're young—don't let some deadbeat take advantage of you." I gave her a meaningful look before walking away.
Outside the building, I took a deep breath of fresh air.
Rain Sullivan, you think hiding in plain sight makes you untouchable?
Time to show you what happens when you mess with the wrong wife.
Chapter 3
That evening, Marcus came home late as expected, reeking of women's perfume.
"Client dinner, had a few drinks." He hiccupped, "Babe, I'm gonna grab a shower first."
While he was in the bathroom, I went through his phone.
Rain: [Babe, checkup went perfect! Doctor says we can tell the gender now—it's a boy!]
Marcus replied: [That's amazing! I have a son! I'll take you baby shopping tomorrow.]
Rain: [You're the best, I love you so much!]
Marcus: [Love you and our little guy too. Once he's born, we'll finally be a real family.]
Reading their disgusting lovey-dovey messages made me want to puke.
They had it all planned out—just waiting for the legal wife to disappear.
Not happening.
I put his phone back exactly where I found it and plastered on an innocent smile.
When Marcus came out of the shower, I went up to massage his shoulders.
"You work so hard, honey. All these client dinners must be exhausting."
He enjoyed my attention, a smug look flashing in his eyes. "It's all for our future."
"Oh, by the way," I said casually, "I noticed that receptionist at your office today—she looked pretty pregnant. So young to already have a baby."
Marcus's body went rigid. "Really? I hadn't noticed."
"Looked like she was pretty far along too, maybe three or four months."
"Kids these days, don't know how to protect themselves." He scrambled for something to say.
I smirked internally while keeping up my concerned act. "Yeah, I hope her boyfriend's the responsible type. Would be awful if he just left her hanging."
"I'm sure he'll do right by her." Marcus was starting to sweat.
The next day, I had my PI continue tracking them.
Sure enough, Marcus took Rain to some high-end baby boutique, the two of them cozying up while picking out nursery stuff.
In the photos, Marcus had one arm around Rain's waist, the other hand on her belly, looking at her with the same tenderness he used to show me when we were newlyweds.
Even worse—they hit up a jewelry store afterward, where he bought Rain a twenty-thousand-dollar diamond ring.
I remembered when we got married, I told him not to spend too much on my ring. He nearly cried from gratitude.
Now he's dropping twenty grand on his side piece?
I saved every single photo as divorce evidence.
That afternoon, I headed to the shopping district where Rain liked to hang out, using clothes shopping as my excuse.
I spotted her quickly at a coffee shop, chatting with her friend.
I grabbed a corner table within earshot and listened in.
"Rain, are you sure about this? He's married," her friend said worriedly.
"So what? He doesn't even love his wife—he only stays with her because her family's loaded." Rain's voice was full of disdain. "He said once I have his son, he'll find an excuse to divorce her."
"But what if he's just playing you?"
"He's not. Look how good he treats me." Rain flashed her hand smugly. "This ring cost twenty thousand, plus he bought me a house. You think he'd spend all that if he wasn't serious?"
Her friend still looked worried. "But if his wife finds out..."
"So what if she does?" Rain rubbed her belly triumphantly. "I've got his son—that's my ace in the hole. Men always want their own bloodline. He won't abandon us."
"Besides, that old hag's been married to him for three years and hasn't popped out a single kid. I got pregnant right away with his son—who do you think he's gonna choose?"
Hearing "old hag," I nearly lost it right there.
Twenty-eight makes me an old hag?
I bit back my rage and kept listening.
"He promised me that once the baby's born, he'll go public with our relationship and make me the real Mrs. Zenith." Rain's eyes were dreamy. "Then I'll be a proper rich wife—never have to kiss ass again."
"Does that Vivian Hartwell woman know about you yet?"
"Probably not. Marcus is such a good actor at home—never slips up." Rain smirked. "But even if she knew, so what? I've got the son, she doesn't. I'm the winner here."
Enough!
I couldn't take another second of this crap. I got up and walked out.
Outside, I called my dad.
"Dad, it's time to move."
"They've pushed me too far. Time to show them what happens when you cross the Hartwells!"
"Alright, you've got my full support. We start tomorrow."
I hung up and stared at the sunset, revenge burning hot in my chest.
