"Looks like the mistress isn't even as pretty as the wife. What was that man thinking?"
Louise's face twisted. She lunged at me, fingers clawing into my hair. "I'm the mistress?!"
"I've been married to my husband for three years! I just gave birth to his son! My mother-in-law even named him herself!"
"Don't let her fool you!"
We struggled, bodies locked together—and that's when I saw it.
The gold necklace around her throat.
One of the pieces from my daughter's stolen jewelry. Denise's favorite.
Rage detonated in my chest. I ripped the chain from her neck. "You dare wear my daughter's things?!"
"You're not worthy!"
She wasn't ready for the force of it. Louise crashed to the ground, a thin line of blood welling where the chain had scraped her skin.
I hadn't planned to make a scene.
But seeing my daughter's belongings flaunted so brazenly—I couldn't swallow that down.
I held up the necklace, voice cutting through the crowd. "There's an engraving on this. My daughter Denise's initials!"
"You and Patrick can expect to hear from my lawyer!"
The words had barely left my mouth when something slammed into me from behind.
I lost my balance. The necklace was wrenched from my grip.
Patrick's voice exploded above me: "Who the hell said those are your daughter's initials?!"
I was on the ground. My knees had landed on broken glass—pain shot through me, sharp enough to steal my breath.
I looked up.
Patrick had Louise cradled protectively against his chest. And behind him stood Evelyn, his mother, holding an infant in her arms.
So that was Patrick's illegitimate son.
When I'd given birth to Denise, Evelyn had claimed she wasn't experienced enough to help. Said she'd rather hire an expensive nanny than risk hurting my daughter.
Now I understood. She just preferred grandsons.
Before I could process any of it, Patrick turned. The disgust in his eyes hit me like a physical blow.
"Ava!" His lip curled. "Are you done with your little breakdown? Then get out. Stop harassing my wife!"
Wife?
Patrick was publicly acknowledging his affair?
He didn't wait for my reaction. He turned back to Louise, gently refastening the necklace around her throat, his gaze soft with concern. "Sweetheart, are you hurt anywhere?"
"You just gave birth—you can't get upset like this. Does your stomach hurt?"
Louise melted against him, pointing at me through theatrical sobs. "Honey, she said the shops you gave me are hers. She even tried to steal the necklace you bought me!"
"Who... who is she?"
Patrick glanced at me, expression flat. "I told you before. There's a woman at the company who won't stop throwing herself at me. That's her."
"I'll handle this. Don't worry about it."
The crowd's murmuring shifted. Understanding dawned on their faces—followed by contempt. They looked at me and laughed.
"Oh, so she's the delusional side piece. I was wondering why any man would cheat with someone uglier than his wife."
"Trying to seduce someone's husband and then trashing his wife's store? What's wrong with you?"
"Why are you so obsessed with other people's things? Screaming about it won't make it yours."
I laughed—a hollow, disbelieving sound.
I looked straight at Patrick, each word precise. "Patrick. That necklace has my daughter Denise's initials engraved on it. You had it done. What exactly are you trying to say?"
His jaw tightened. "Who told you that?"
"The initials are obviously my wife's and my surnames. S and L."
What?
My mind went blank. S and L? For... their names?
But Patrick had told me himself—our daughter would be called Denise, Denise Delgado, because she was the proof of our bond.
Which meant...
When my daughter was born, they were already together.
