Chapter 1
I spent five long years scrubbing greasy dishes overseas, and I’d finally paid off every last cent of my husband’s debt.
I was heading home to give him the surprise of a lifetime.
But when I stepped up to our apartment door with my kid in tow, I found the whole place thick with dust, and a heavy padlock hanging on the latch.
A neighbor walking by stopped short, gawking at me like I’d grown a second head. "Wait, didn’t you and Declan break up? What are you doing back in town?"
My heart dropped into my stomach. I spun around and raced straight to the company where my husband worked, only for the receptionist to block my path at the door.
"You’re here for President Declan Scott? He didn’t come in today. He’s hosting his baby’s first month celebration."
Right then, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
A news notification popped up, and the headline burned right into my retinas.
"Declan Scott, CEO of the Scott Group, Spends a Million on his child’s First Birthday Celebration. The Happy Couple Looks More in Love Than Ever!"
Right alongside that notification, a voice note from Declan popped through.
He said, "Honey, I scored a few cheap outfits for our boy online. They only cost a couple dozen bucks. Make sure you pick them up when they arrive, okay?"
And through the background static, a woman’s amused, teasing voice drifted clear as day, saying, "The bet’s done already. How much longer are you going to scam that Eunice Lopez with that fake marriage license? You’ve pretended to be broke for all these years. Don’t you get tired?”
So that was the truth. I was the only one who'd actually been broke this whole time.
After everything I'd been through, all the twists and turns, I'd somehow ended up as the actual other woman.
*****
Declan's brother came sprinting over, panic written all over his face, and dragged me off to the side out of earshot.
"How dare you show your face here, you hidden mistress? Aren't you scared Declan finds out and cuts you and your kid off without a penny?"
He watched me stand there, dead silent, staring at my phone, and suddenly it clicked.
His hand flew slap-bang over his mouth, his voice shaking with shock when he spoke again, "You don't actually… know anything about this, do you?"
The words hung in the air, and he went even paler, his whole body tensing up with panic.
"Wait, no! I just spouted a bunch of nonsense just now. I actually have somewhere to be, I gotta go."
As I watched him hurry away like his pants were on fire, my daughter tugged on the hem of my shirt.
She craned her neck up to look at me, big eyes full of confusion. "Mommy, what's a hidden mistress that can't come out into the open?"
I tugged the corner of my mouth into a hollow, bitter smile, and answered her softly, "I guess that's me, baby."
It was probably the first time I hadn't jumped to reply to Declan right away, so my phone started ringing a second later. It was him calling.
The line was full of loud noise, but I could just make out the sound of people cheering and toasting in the background.
"What's going on? Did you not get my message?" he snapped.
I didn't bother answering his accusation. My voice was soft and steady as I asked, "Declan, where are you right now?"
"Where would I be? At work, of course. Alright, I don't have time to chat. Just remember to get that parcel."
Before I could say another word, the line went dead. He'd hung up on me immediately.
I stared at the blacked-out screen in my hand and tugged that same hollow smile again. It never reached my eyes.
I never knew.
Declan could lie straight to my face without even flinching, like it was second nature.
A memory popped into my head, and I unlocked my phone again, scrolling all the way to that forgotten app hidden in a folder in the corner of my screen.
It was a location-tracking app.
Seven years ago, right before I left the country, Declan had handed me his phone, eyes red and shiny with tears.
"I installed this tracker on both our phones. That way, we'll always know where the other one is, no matter what. Take care of yourself over there. Once we pay off all the debt, we can finally live the good life together."
I'd been too busy working my fingers to the bone to pay off his debt, though. I'd never even opened the app once in all those years.
I tapped it open, pulled up Declan's current location.
It was the fanciest restaurant in the whole of Australia.
I held my daughter's hand and walked right up to the entrance of the restaurant, and there Declan stood, right there, not far away.
He had a tiny baby wrapped in his arms, rocking it gently and cooing, doing every little silly thing to make the little one laugh.
I froze right where I stood, rooted to the spot, when I saw that scene.
Trina was already five years old.
In all my memories, Declan had never once held her.
Right after Trina was born, she spiked a brutal fever and cried nonstop. The doctor said a father's warm embrace would help soothe her faster than anything. By that point, my poor little girl had already cried for three straight days without sleeping.
Even when things got that bad, all Declan did was sit off to the side, staring blankly down at his phone, completely unbothered.
He only tossed off one cold line, "I don't like kids."
Staring at the man before me, his entire face soft with adoration for the baby in his arms, everything clicked into place at last.
He didn't just dislike kids. He just disliked my kid.
A sharp shout from nearby snapped me out of my daze. I glanced down at my side. Trina was gone.
I lifted my head out of pure instinct, and there she was.
My little girl was standing right in front of Declan, craning her small neck to look up at him and calling 'Daddy' over and over, her tiny face glowing with bright, eager hope.
"Daddy, look! I made this gift for you all by myself!"
But the very next second...
Declan stared down at the little girl in front of him, completely confused. He swatted the red braided cord straight out of Trina's small palm.
"What is this, some kind of new scam? I only have one child. I don't know who you are."
