"Fiona's gorgeous—second only to Athena Barnes, the campus beauty queen. Now that you've got one foot in the door of high society, Athena can't even compare to you anymore."
Fiona preened, her face glowing with smug satisfaction.
"Look, we're women. Why wouldn't we use the resources we have? Men marry wives, not housekeepers. Rich or poor, they all want someone young and beautiful." Her gaze swept over me. "Athena, I can already see the wrinkles forming. I bet your husband can't stand looking at that face anymore."
The mirror behind her caught my reflection—puffy, haggard, drained.
The contrast between us was brutal.
"My husband—"
He's not like that. The words lodged in my throat, refusing to come out.
Fiona giggled. "Men always trade up for something newer. Never believe their promises of forever."
"Take my benefactor, for example. He swore he'd give his wife the world. But once he actually had money? Every time they were in bed together, all he could think about was how she used to haul cargo like a man, drenched in sweat, haggling over vegetables like some market fishwife." She wrinkled her nose. "Killed the mood completely."
"So every night he claimed he was 'working late'? He was with me, getting what she couldn't give him. Really, I'm doing her a favor. Spending a little of her money seems only fair."
Her shamelessness—the way she wore it like a badge of honor—hit a nerve.
I smiled, but there was nothing behind it.
"If you know he's heartless, why are you trying to become his official wife?"
She touched her stomach, her smile turning soft.
"I don't have a choice anymore. I'm pregnant. This is his first child."
"His wife has bad genes—she's got a brother who's mentally disabled. He was terrified of having a defective baby, so he arranged for their first pregnancy to end in a miscarriage."
Thunder roared in my ears.
In my second year of marriage to Wilfred, I'd been pregnant too.
I'd been so happy—buying tiny clothes, little toys. Then during a routine warehouse inspection, a stack of cargo collapsed and struck my lower back.
The baby was gone.
I'd been consumed with guilt, sobbing until I couldn't breathe. "Wilfred, I'm so sorry. I was careless. It's my fault—"
He'd held me close. "Don't blame yourself, Athena. We're still young. Once the company stabilizes, once you've recovered, we'll have another."
That was five years ago.
Just a few months back, I'd brought it up again—told him I wanted a baby.
He'd said the company was at a critical growth phase. He didn't have the energy. Maybe in a few more years.
So those were all just excuses.
But my brother wasn't born disabled. He'd fallen and hit his head as a child. His reactions were a little slow—that was all. It wasn't genetic.
A sharp, twisting pain spread through my chest, like a blade lodged sideways between my ribs.
Around me, my former classmates chattered on without restraint.
"Congratulations! Push out the old hag and you'll be the real lady of the house."
"Your benefactor's ruthless, though. Taking care of a 'problem' before it even became one? That was his own flesh and blood."
"Honestly, I wouldn't let the first wife have kids either. What if the baby really was defective? Can't abandon it, can't raise it—nightmare. He made the smart call."
"Exactly. Everyone wants a healthy, beautiful child. With Fiona's genes? If I were him, I'd want her to be the mother too."
Fiona basked in the flattery, her posture growing more regal by the minute, like a woman already crowned.
The door opened. A server approached Fiona with exaggerated courtesy.
"Ms. Lawson, Mr. Rivera has already covered the bill for this table. He also asked me to deliver this jade bracelet to you."
The moment I saw it, my pupils contracted sharply.
My entire body went rigid.
That was Wilfred's family heirloom—the jade bracelet.
The same one I'd shattered just yesterday.
Why was it here?
