Chapter 1

I ran into a lost child at the Westfield Galleria today.

He told me his dad was William Vance, a major real estate tycoon.

Coincidentally, my child’s father was also named William Vance, and he was also a giant in the real estate industry.

Right then and there, I decided to ask for a divorce.

But when I turned our entire house upside down, I couldn’t find our marriage certificate anywhere.

Just as I was about to confront William, a cold, hard truth hit me—we never actually registered our marriage.

I wasn't his wife. I was just his dirty little secret. The kept woman.

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"My dad is William Vance. He works at Apex Developments. Ma'am, can you please take me to him?"

"I'm lost, and I'm really scared."

It was the weekend, and I was just doing some light shopping when a little boy suddenly ran up to me and grabbed the hem of my dress.

He said he had accidentally slipped out of his dad's office building and got lost.

I asked him for his father’s name and the company he worked for.

When he answered, I froze.

Coincidentally, my son's father was also named William Vance. And he also worked at Apex Developments.

Could these two boys... have the exact same father?

The thought made me shiver violently.

If they were the same person, it meant I had been sharing my husband with another woman this whole time.

"Ma'am? Are you okay? Can you please take me back?"

"My dad has a lot of money. If you take me back, he'll give you whatever you want."

The boy's innocent voice pulled me back to reality. I looked down at his face. He looked so much like my own son, Leo.

My hands and feet went completely numb.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a pair of invisible hands, aching so sharply I could barely breathe.

"Do you know what your dad looks like?" I whispered.

The boy smiled brightly and pulled a photo out of his jacket pocket.

It was a family photo. They looked incredibly happy.

"The man on the left is my dad."

With blurry, tear-filled eyes, I pointed at the woman standing on the right side of the photo. "And who is she?"

"That's my mom! Isn't she beautiful? My dad loves my mom so much. For their tenth anniversary last month, he bought her a huge yacht. It was this big!"

The little guy gestured widely with his arms.

My fingernails dug deep into my palms. My heart skipped a beat, then plunged into a cold abyss.

The pain was so intense I could barely stand.

A tenth anniversary?

I had been with William for seven years. Our son was almost four.

Yet, he had been married to another woman for ten years.

This brutal truth struck me like a bolt of lightning, instantly shattering all the love and trust I had built over the years into a million jagged pieces.

I couldn't choke down the rising bile. My stomach turned, and I rushed to a nearby trash can, dry-heaving violently.

The little boy trotted after me, asking softly, "Ma'am? Are you okay?"

He pulled a small handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me.

"Here, you can use this. Please don't cry. It's okay if you can't take me back."

"Can I just borrow your phone? I can call my dad to pick me up."

I stared at the handkerchief in his hand. The monogrammed pattern was incredibly unique. I had seen it before—on FaceTime. My son’s nanny used the exact same handkerchiefs to wipe Leo's hands.

My heart shattered completely. I took the handkerchief, clutching it so tightly my knuckles turned white.

In the end, I personally dropped the boy off at the lobby of Apex Developments.

Then, I sent William a Snapchat message: *See me at home in thirty minutes.*

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