But then the little boy in the video opened his mouth and called Gerald "Dad."
And he called Stella "Mom."
My mother-in-law put twenty million worth necklace around Stella's neck, addressing her affectionately as her daughter-in-law.
My brother-in-law laughed as he called her "Sister-in-law."
I felt as if I'd fallen straight into an ice cellar.
My blood froze.
Every nerve in my body tightened with a sharp, suffocating pain.
So everyone knew.
Everyone accepted and supported Gerald's cheating.
Everyone—except me.
I was the only one they lied to.
The only fool in their eyes.
And when everything finally came to light, Gerald wasn't scared, wasn't ashamed—not afraid of hurting me.
He was only worried I might hurt her.
Never—not once—did I imagine that the man who had always been gentle and obedient with me could betray me like this.
It felt like falling from the clouds straight onto concrete—no buffer, nothing but the raw, tearing pain of impact.
Stella put away the video, completely confident as she stared at me.
"So? Still planning to cling to him?"
I blinked back my tears and forced a laugh. "No. I won't."
"But I do want to show you something."
I held up my phone and showed her the messages Gerald had just sent me.
[Stella has a strong sense of morality. If she finds out she's actually the other woman, she won't be able to bear it.]
[I'll compensate you. For now, just play along with her.]
Her face twisted again.
Her eyes reddened, and she burst into angry tears.
She immediately dialed Gerald.
"Tell me, who's the mistress here?! Gerald, you scumbag! Get over here right now and clean up your mess!"
Before he could say a word, she hung up.
The arrogance in her voice made it obvious—Gerald spoiled her regularly.
I had been his childhood sweetheart.
Ten years of love, five years of marriage.
Even at my angriest, I had never spoken to him like that.
"Sorry... I didn't know my husband lied to you," she said, wiping her tears with a silk scarf. "My attitude earlier was a little harsh."
Heat rushed through me—anger, disbelief, grief blending into something nearly uncontrollable.
I stared at the silk scarf in her hand.
My mother's scarf.
Her final design before she passed away.
Someone had once offered fifty million for the design rights, and I still refused.
I always treated that scarf like a priceless treasure, placing it in the safest, most precious spot in my dressing room.
It was the last thing I had of her.
Whenever I missed her, I would hold it close and inhale the faint scent that reminded me of her.
My hands shook violently as I snatched the scarf away from Stella.
My eyes stung as I glared at her.
"This belonged to my mother. Why do you have it?!"
She flinched, startled. Confusion spread across her face.
"Gerald bought it for me. He said he paid twenty million for it."
Then her gaze suddenly shifted behind me. Her face twisted with rage.
"Gerald! You are going to explain this Right now!"
The private room was filled with tension.
When Gerald walked in and saw the two marriage certificates on the table, he didn't spare me a single look.
Instead, he immediately pulled Stella into his arms, trying to calm her.
"I'm sorry, wife. I... I lost my mind for a moment."
Wife.
He called her wife.
I stood there like a joke—a pathetic joke stabbed through the heart—watching my husband, who once held me so tenderly, whispering endearments to another woman.
"She's your wife? Then what about me? What am I?" I choked out.
I laughed, and then the laughter dissolved into tears. I wiped them away roughly.
When Stella shoved him aside, I used all my strength and slapped him across the face.
Gerald looked at me, silently begging—asking me to give him a way out, to save his dignity.
"Aliyah," he said quietly, "I'm sorry. I lied to you. You are the mistress."
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Then, right in front of him, I pulled out my phone.
"Hello, is this 911? Someone is involved in—"
Before I could finish, he snatched the phone and ended the call.
He frowned, annoyed. "Stop making a scene. I told you I'll compensate you."
Hearing his words, Stella softened instantly. Worried the situation might damage his reputation, she turned to me and spoke gently.
