Chapter 3

Desperate, I dialed Julian's personal line. When it connected, a woman's voice answered.

"Who is this? Why is my husband's work phone saving your number as 'Wife'?"

"Hello? Speak up! Who the hell are you?"

He had been using a burner phone to contact me this whole time.

My throat tightened, completely choked up.

My chest felt like it was being pulverized. I sank down onto the curb.

A mistress? What about the fifteen years of my youth? What about my child?

What did any of that mean to him?

I was an orphan. I grew up in foster homes, made it through college on charity grants.

When I met Julian, I thought I had finally found my happily ever after.

I had given everything to build this family, only to live a fifteen-year lie.

I regretted it. I regretted ever laying eyes on Julian Cross.

"Elena Vance! His actual wife is trashing the principal's office right now! Get back here immediately!"

A call from my colleague snapped me out of my trance. Serena had tracked down my school, accusing me of seducing a student's father and wrecking her home.

"The board is apologizing to her! They're threatening to fire you! What is going on?!"

Wrecking her home?

The words buzzed in my ears, drowning under the shouting from the other end of the line.

"I... I didn't know he was married."

The line went dead silent. "Wait... but he has an eight-year-old kid! Just get here, fast!"

I dragged myself up, got into my car, and sped toward the school.

The moment I stepped into the administration office, Serena charged at me. A sharp slap sent my head spinning, and my cheek instantly swelled.

"You shameless whore! And to think I was going to let Leo into your class! You're nothing but a home-wrecking gold digger!"

"Does it turn you on, breaking up families? Answer me!"

Her screeching echoed down the hall. Teachers and staff peeked through the glass partitions.

*I knew it. She claimed she was married, but nobody ever saw her husband.*

*Right? Look at those designer clothes. How could a preschool teacher afford that on her salary?*

*Disgusting. Sleeping with married men is as low as it gets.*

The venomous whispers cut deep, but I forced myself to stay calm.

I knew she was a victim, too. I kept my voice low. "Mrs. Cross, let's take this outside."

We were both played. I didn't want a public circus.

Instead, that only fueled her rage. She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked hard.

"Outside?! You had the guts to sleep with my husband, but you don't have the guts to face the music?! I'm going to make sure everyone sees who you really are!"

In front of the entire staff, she grabbed a broom handle and slammed it across my shoulders.

A terrified coworker finally called the police. Only when the officers arrived did Serena back off.

"Ma'am, that's assault! You can't hit people!"

Serena sneered, unapologetic.

"She's a mistress who ruined my marriage! Why shouldn't I beat her?"

"She had it coming!"

I looked at the officer, my voice trembling. "I'm not a mistress. I had no idea he was legally married."

"We've been together for fifteen years. We have a ten-year-old daughter."

The entire room gasped. The officer blinked in disbelief. "Wait... where's your marriage certificate?"

My stomach dropped. I fumbled with my phone, pulling up files.

"He told me we would file the paperwork later for privacy reasons, but we held a ceremony! Look, here are our photos... here's our daughter's birth certificate..."

"Serena, I'm truly sorry for what you're going through, but we were both lied to."

Dead silence fell over the station.

Just as Serena was about to speak, the door flew open. Julian rushed in.