My Husband Cheated, I Divorced Loudly

Chapter 4 Bringing Her Home

For three days, the mansion remained calm.

I continued preparing for Ethan's mother's birthday gala with careful precision, leaving nothing to chance, while everyone else saw only what they wanted to see: a harmless rich man's wife who depended entirely on her husband, stayed obedient, and never showed a single sharp edge.

To them, I was the woman who had married Ethan, a rising star in tech, and then happily faded into the background to run his home, support his career, and play the perfect wife.

No one knew I came from the Reed family.

Everyone said Ethan had married the perfect wife, someone graceful, capable, and obedient enough to stay in the background.

Whenever Ethan's mother, Eleanor Vale, spoke of me, her tone sounded approving, but beneath it was the smug condescension of someone who thought I should be grateful for my place.

"She is a little too soft and has no real backbone," she once said. "But she is obedient, and she knows how to run a household. For Ethan, I suppose she is good enough."

The asset transfers had gone so smoothly that Ethan seemed to grow bolder by the day.

He no longer bothered to hide his relationship with Chloe. He took her to exclusive clubs and private wine estates under the pretense of business, and he even introduced her to his friends.

Chloe knew exactly how to play the game. She posted moody, suggestive photos with Ethan on i********:, quietly staking her claim while pretending I did not exist.

She was certain the meek, harmless Mrs. Carter would swallow every humiliation in silence. She was certain I would never dare expose them.

After all, what chance did a forgotten wife have against a popular influencer like her?

Besides, Chloe was carrying Ethan's child. In her mind, she had already won.

She planned to use the birthday gala to outshine everyone and humiliate me until I finally understood that there was no longer a place for me in the marriage.

The afternoon before the gala, Ethan returned to the mansion early with Chloe at his side.

There was a faint smugness in his expression as he walked over to me, while I sat reviewing the guest list.

He said it casually, as if the decision had already been made. "At tomorrow's dinner, Chloe will sit next to my mother."

I looked up at him, then at her. "I am sorry, but she is not family, and she is not an investor. Seating her there would break protocol."

Chloe immediately gave Ethan a wounded look.

Ethan frowned with familiar impatience. "A lot of people in our circle know her. Her presence is entirely appropriate. My mother likes her too. What exactly is the problem?"

His eyes turned cold and dismissive.

"You are just a housewife. What would you know about social etiquette?"

Chloe heard the contempt in his voice and smiled in open triumph.

"Yes. Sophia is just a housewife," she said softly. "What could she possibly understand? Someone like me should be seated beside the guest of honor. Isn't that right, darling?"

"Of course." Ethan tapped her nose affectionately. "That seat suits you perfectly."

I watched them flirt in front of me without a trace of shame. I watched Ethan defend his mistress without a second thought, as if my dignity meant nothing at all.

"It is settled," Ethan said.

He did not even bother pretending this was up for discussion. Then he left with Chloe for the night.

As Chloe turned away, a piece of paper slipped from her hand as if by accident and landed at my feet.

I lowered my eyes and saw that it was a prenatal exam report. The result showed that she was thirteen weeks pregnant, and the patient's name was printed clearly at the top: Chloe Davis.

I watched Ethan leave with her. Then I gave a slow, deliberate clap.

The show was finally about to begin.