Cheryl's POV
Vince’s expression turned cold the moment I spoke.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Darlene just went to visit them at the zoo yesterday. They were perfectly fine. Stop cursing them.”
I held the urns tightly in my arms, my gaze locked on the woman standing behind him—Darlene.
Her again.
Because she was in a bad mood, my children were thrown into that wildlife park. Because of her, they were bitten and killed by venomous snakes.
They’d been dead for three days.
By the time I was told, the cremation had already been arranged. So how could Darlene stand there and lie, pretending she had just seen them?
She must’ve felt my hatred because she shrank back in fear, burying herself in Vince’s arms.
“Vince… she’s staring at me. She’s scaring me.”
As such, Vince shoved me hard and protectively wrapped his arm around her waist.
“You're scaring my baby,” he said, glaring at me. Then, putting on his gentle face, she faced her and coaxed, “Once I get you that necklace you liked, we’ll head home and I’ll make it up to you, alright?”
The girl beamed and tiptoed to kiss his cheek. “You’re the sweetest, always spoiling me.”
Witnessing that sweet scene, the crowd around us started cheering and teasing.
“Mr. Fraley really knows how to treat his woman!”
“She’s so lucky. If I could marry someone like Mr. Fraley, I’d die happy!”
“Women like her and women like her...” one sneered, nodding toward me, “it’s like the difference between a person and a stray dog. Just look at that crazy mess. And then look at Fraley’s lady. Literally heaven and earth.”
I gave a cold, mocking smile and turned to him.
“Funny,” I said calmly. “Because I’m the real Mrs. Fraley. And the woman you’re all praising? She’s just some homewrecker who climbed into my husband’s bed after he helped her out of charity.”
Vince froze. For a split second, I saw panic flicker in his eyes.
“You’re insane! You’re just the maid in my house! Go home and wash some clothes!”
He motioned to the bodyguards behind him, signaling them to throw me out.
But I only laughed and pulled out my marriage certificate, holding it up for everyone to see.
“You all keep calling me a lunatic,” I said, eyes sweeping over the crowd, “but I’m Vince’s legal wife. Still think I’m the joke?”
Gasps echoed around the room.
“That can’t be real…”
“I thought Mr. Fraley’s wife was young and gorgeous, and they were madly in love!”
“Turns out all those posts were just PR for his mistress? He even spent millions on a job order for her? That’s disgusting.”
Someone pointed at Darlene, and the whisper grew sharper. Her face paled, and tears welled up as she started to cry.
Because of that, Vince’s gaze turned murderous.
“Cheryl,” he snapped, “you want to never see your children again?”
“Keep this up, and I’ll have Shawn and Cedric shipped overseas tonight. You’ll never lay eyes on them again,” he threatened in a low voice.
He grabbed me by the waist, fingers digging in.
But I simply gave him a bitter smile.
All these years, he looked down on me—said I was old, plain, an embarrassment. Refused to take me to any social event. Eventually, he even denied I was his wife at all.
But I never cared about that.
Not after he brought that girl into our home and slept with her in our bed. After that, I had nothing left for him.
The only reason I stayed married was for the kids.
He knew they were my weakness. So he kept them in a separate villa for two years, refusing to let me see them.
Then, once Darlene got pregnant, he brought her into our home—and made me take care of her through her pregnancy.
I washed her underwear by hand every day.
When they were in the mood, I handed them condoms.
And when Darlene complained about dog hair, before I could rehome my dog, she slammed the poor thing against the door and killed it.
I broke down. But I swallowed it all.
Because all I wanted was a divorce and to take my children far, far away from him.
