I was seven months pregnant when I went to book a suite at a luxury postpartum recovery center. As the staff member entered my information to finalize the contract, she gave me a strange look. “Ms. Vance, our system shows your husband registered with us six months ago.” “But the spouse on file… it’s not you.” I was completely baffled. I pulled out my wedding photo with Alex, holding it up as proof. The staffer rolled her eyes and turned her monitor toward me. “Mr. Thorne has been married for five years. They’re already on their second child. Here’s their marriage certificate and the photos from their last stay with us.” In the photo, my husband, Alex, was holding a baby, beaming at a woman I had never seen before. They were close, their body language intimate and affectionate, looking for all the world like a couple deeply in love. And the man on the marriage certificate was, without a doubt, my husband. If they were husband and wife, then who was I? 1 “Mr. Thorne’s wife is one of our premium members. The audacity of some people, trying to latch onto a wealthy family like this!” “Get out! We don’t serve shameless, pregnant homewreckers here.” The receptionist’s face was a mask of haughty disdain. She looked me up and down, and before I could even begin to explain, she had security escort me out. By the time the shock wore off, the heavy glass doors of the recovery center had swung shut behind me. My mind was reeling. I kept replaying the image of that marriage certificate, those photos. It was Alex’s face, his name, his information. But the woman in the picture was a complete stranger. Why would Alex hide the fact that he was already married? The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. I immediately called him, desperate for an explanation. But the call went straight to voicemail. I sent a barrage of texts, but they all went unanswered. Then I remembered. He was on a business trip overseas. He was probably busy with work. His company was expanding its international operations, preparing for an IPO. This trip was for a crucial deal; if he landed it, the company would reach a whole new level. Unable to reach him, I had no choice but to bottle up my emotions and wait for his explanation. But if what I saw was true, I would make him pay. Just then, a video call came through. It was Alex. “Honey, I’m so sorry. I was tied up in a meeting and just saw your messages.” His familiar face filled the screen. He was in his office, dressed in a sharp suit. Several half-empty teacups, still steaming, sat on the table beside him. He looked exhausted, and a pang of sympathy shot through me. I was about to ask if he was okay, but the memory of the past hour snapped me back to reality. I stared at him, my voice tight with fury. “Alex, are you hiding something from me? Is there someone else?” The smile on his face vanished, replaced by a look of sheer panic. He looked like he was about to fall to his knees right there on camera. “Honey, no! I swear! I only love you!” “There’s no one else! There never has been!” Frantic to prove his innocence, he spun his camera around, showing me every corner of his office, pointing out the complete lack of any feminine items. “Who’s been telling you these things?!” “Is it some media rumor? I swear, when I get back, I’ll sue them into oblivion!” “Honey, you have to believe me. I’ll only ever love you.” Seeing his pale, panicked face, his frantic gestures, I started to relax. Alex and I had met in college. He’d had a crush on me for two years before finally working up the courage to ask me out. He showed up with a massive bouquet of roses, stumbling over his words, a complete nervous wreck. He had this cool, aristocratic air about him, but he was incredibly shy. The contrast was intriguing. After six months of him courting me, I found myself falling for him, and we started our life together. To give me a better life, he started his own company after graduation. In just two years, he had built it from the ground up, never once complaining about the hardship. When he finally found success, he presented me with all his company shares as a dowry. I remember his proposal vividly. He stood under the moonlight, his voice filled with a sacred reverence as he made his vow: “You are the only one for me, for the rest of my life. Everything I have is yours. If I ever betray you, I want you to take everything and leave me with nothing, to never recover.” He laid his entire world at my feet as proof of his devotion. In that moment, I knew he was the man I could entrust my entire life to. After we were married, he was endlessly attentive. He handled everything, big and small. All our friends knew him as the doting husband who was always home by seven. How could a man who loved me this much have another family? The thought began to soothe my doubts. “Fine,” I said. “I’ll believe you this time. But if I find out you’ve been playing me, you’re dead.” He swore his loyalty again and again, and I finally ended the call, satisfied. The weight in my chest lifted. I was about to start looking for another recovery center when my assistant called. The person in charge of our new product launch had been in an accident on the way to the office. The company was in chaos. My assistant couldn’t reach Alex, so she had called me as a last resort. This launch was a critical turning point for the company. It couldn’t fail. After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to go to the office myself and handle the crisis. 2 Two hours later, I arrived at the company headquarters. The media was already set up, but with no one to lead the press conference, the atmosphere was tense. My assistant looked at me as if I were a savior. I told him to go to the hospital first, to make sure our colleague was okay before coming back. After he left, I took a deep breath, composed myself, and walked into the conference hall. As I entered, several of the senior executives saw me and began whispering to each other. I assumed they just didn’t recognize me and smiled, offering a greeting. To my surprise, they shied away from me as if I were carrying a disease. I brushed it off, introduced myself, and was about to announce the start of the press conference when a voice cut through the room. A woman stood up. She held up a marriage certificate, waving it at the cameras. “Miss, you claim to be the CEO’s wife. Then who am I?” I froze. It was the woman from the recovery center, the one from the photo with Alex. What was she doing at a Thorne Industries press conference? I didn’t know her, but as I looked closer, I realized her clothes, her jewelry—it was all in my style. And the limited-edition handbag she was carrying… Alex had stood in line for hours to buy that for me. A hot rage surged through me. “Security! What is the meaning of this?” The conference hall instantly filled with gawkers, and the livestream chat exploded with insults aimed at me. 【Everyone knows @WanderlustWendy! Her husband adores her! I can’t believe some homewrecker is trying to move in on her man.】 【So when Wendy posted an hour ago that she was going to confront a mistress, she was serious? And her husband is the CEO of Thorne Industries?!】 Wendy smirked, a look of pure contempt on her face. She held the marriage certificate up to the camera. “My husband and I have been married for five years. We’re inseparable. I had no idea he had someone on the side.” Her fans descended on me like a pack of rabid dogs. 【She probably got pregnant by some random guy and is trying to trap a rich man! The nerve!】 【If you’re Mr. Thorne’s wife, show us your marriage certificate!】 【Has she looked in a mirror? Does she really think Mr. Thorne would fall for someone like her? I’m going to be sick!】 It was ridiculous. My marriage to Alex was legally recognized. The child in my belly was his. “Please stop spreading these lies,” I said, my voice shaking. “Alex and I are the legally married couple. We built this company together.” I opened my phone, searching for a photo of our marriage certificate, but I couldn’t find one. I remembered then, in a fit of youthful passion, we had torn it up right after the ceremony. We were in the process of getting a replacement for the baby’s birth registration. Wendy let out a soft, mocking laugh. “I knew she couldn’t produce one. Because I am Alex Thorne’s wife.” The online sentiment was unanimous. 【Yeah, we’ve watched Wendy’s channel grow from the beginning. Mr. Thorne has always been so good to her. Why would he want some cheap trash like this?】 I was confused. Alex was always so busy with work. Any free time he had, he spent with me. How could he possibly be having an affair with this Wendy, let alone co-running a "couples" social media account with her? Seeing her smug expression, I snapped. “Your marriage certificate is a fake. Forging official documents is a crime.” Wendy, seeing that I was still refusing to back down, threw a stack of photos at my face. They were pictures of her and Alex, from childhood to adulthood, growing up together, the very picture of childhood sweethearts. The doors to the conference hall opened, and a little boy walked in. His features were a miniature version of Alex’s, right down to his confident demeanor. “Mommy, who’s making trouble at Daddy’s company?” He walked through the room as if he owned the place, completely unfazed by the crowd. The internet exploded. 【That kid looks exactly like Mr. Thorne! It’s undeniable! Can this mistress just stop trying to ruin their family?】 Wendy tilted her chin up, looking at me as if I were garbage. “Stop dreaming. I am Alex Thorne’s wife. You need to accept reality. Not everyone gets to marry into wealth and live a fairytale.” How could this be? How could that child look so much like Alex? My mind was screaming, but then I thought of how attentive Alex always was, how much he loved me… I was so confused. I frantically called Alex a dozen times, but every call went unanswered. “You coward! You’re letting someone bully your wife? Do you have a death wish? You’d better clear this up right now, or you’ll regret it.” My blood was boiling, but I forced myself to stay calm. Alex had looked exhausted a few hours ago. He was probably sleeping. He always silenced his phone when he rested. It was possible he just wasn’t getting my calls. So, I called Leo. He was Alex’s best friend; they had been inseparable since they were kids. He answered immediately. I put him on speaker, my voice hoarse. “Leo, tell me the truth. Is Alex seeing someone else?” Leo sounded like he had just woken up. He was instantly alert. “Stella! Who told you Alex was cheating?! Who’s spreading these lies?!” “I swear on my life, Stella, Alex is not cheating on you. You are his only wife.” Hearing his words, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I played the call for everyone to hear. Leo was a famous actor. He would never help me lie. For a moment, the online opinion was split. 【That’s Leo Vance! Why would he lie? Maybe this woman really is Mr. Thorne’s wife.】 【No way. Wendy’s kid looks exactly like Mr. Thorne. They have to be father and son.】 I raised an eyebrow. “There are many people in this world who look alike. And people can be deceitful. Who’s to say this child hasn’t had plastic surgery? You can’t judge by looks alone.” Seeing that I was still stubbornly refusing to give up, Wendy’s lips curled into a sneer. She took out her phone and made a video call. Alex answered instantly. She projected the call onto the large screen. A moment later, Alex’s face appeared before me. The face that was by my side every day. A face I knew better than my own. He wouldn’t answer my calls, but he answered hers instantly. A wave of dizziness washed over me. He had better clear this up, and fast, or I would make his return very unpleasant. But his next words left me frozen in place. His voice was incredibly gentle. “Honey, what are you doing?” The little boy ran over to the screen, calling out sweetly, “Daddy!” Alex’s lips curved into a smile. “Have you been a good boy for Mommy?” The boy nodded, then his little face scrunched up. “Yes, but someone is making Mommy sad. A woman came today and said Mommy was a mistress, and she embarrassed her in front of everyone.” A flash of surprise crossed Alex’s face, quickly replaced by anger. “Who is this nobody, causing trouble at Thorne Industries? My only wife is Wendy.” “Wendy, hit her back. Your husband will support you.” As he spoke, Wendy rushed toward me. She raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face. “I have tolerated you again and again, but you just get worse. I’ve proven who I am. You should accept it now.” I stood there, stunned, my face pale. “How is this possible? That’s not Alex. Alex would never do this to me.” “Give me the phone! I need to ask him what’s going on!” I reached for the phone, wanting to confront him myself. But Wendy wouldn’t let me. Seeing me approach, a flicker of panic crossed her face. She quickly stepped back and yelled, “What are you doing?! This is my husband! So when you can’t win an argument, you resort to violence?” “Security! Is there any security here?! Get this bitch out of here!” The scene descended into chaos. Security guards moved toward me. I clutched my stomach, looking at them. “I’m pregnant. If you touch me and something happens, can you take responsibility for that?” Seeing my condition, the guards hesitated, looking at me with uncertainty. “Miss, this is a press conference. You should probably leave.” I was furious. “Are you blind? Can’t you see who’s causing the trouble here?” I didn’t know what Wendy’s game was. The face on the screen was Alex’s, but with today’s technology, it could easily be a deepfake. Unless I saw him in person, I wouldn't believe it. As I was thinking, I remembered someone who could prove my identity. “Yes! His mother! She can prove who I am.” I frantically pulled out my phone, about to call my mother-in-law. But when I saw Wendy’s smug expression, I put it away. “You say you’re Alex’s wife. Then you must have his mother’s number. Alex isn’t in the country right now. You could have faked all this other evidence. It proves nothing. If you’re so confident, call his mother. Let’s see if she recognizes you as her daughter-in-law.” My mother-in-law was a world-renowned painter, often seen at international events. Wendy wouldn’t dare to fake someone so famous. Besides, my mother-in-law adored me. The day I married into the family, she gave me their ancestral jade bracelet. Whenever Alex and I argued, she always took my side, scolding him for his faults. She treated me like her own daughter. When I got pregnant, she sent me a huge sum of money for nutritional supplements. Wendy’s lips curled into a sneer. “You just won’t give up until you hit a wall, will you? I bet you don’t have her number.” With that, she dialed a number and put it on speaker, her voice full of grievance. “Mom, someone is causing trouble at the company. She’s claiming to be Alex’s wife and calling me a mistress. You have to come and set things right.” A very familiar voice came from the other end of the line. “Who dares to bully my darling daughter-in-law? I’m on my way to sort them out.” The livestream chat erupted. 【Okay, it’s settled. Wendy is the real wife. No mother-in-law would be that affectionate to a fake.】 【That Stella woman is such a bitch, just trying to marry into money.】 【She’s been slapped in the face with the truth so many times and she’s still insisting. The nerve of this woman.】 I stared at Wendy in disbelief. She just smiled and waggled her phone at me. “My mother-in-law recognizes me as Alex’s wife. Why won’t you believe it?” My fists clenched, my chest heaving, my shoulders trembling uncontrollably. “Mom, it’s me, Stella! I’m your daughter-in-law! How can you take the side of this… this stranger?” Before I could finish, Wendy snatched the phone back and slapped me again. “Who do you think you’re talking to? Who gave you permission to claim my mother as your own?” Her voice was full of manufactured grievance as she cooed into the phone, “Mom, you have to come to the office and prove who I am. Otherwise, some bitch will keep trying to claw her way into our family.” The person on the other end had to be an imposter. I took out my own phone and sent a text to my mother-in-law, briefly explaining what was happening and asking her to come and verify my identity. She replied immediately, saying she was on her way. Knowing her fiery temper, I was sure that when she arrived, Wendy would be thrown out on her ear. I just had to wait for her to get here, and the truth would be revealed. Not long after, her car pulled up to the main entrance. She got out, leaning on her signature cane, walking a little slowly. Seeing that it was really her, the knot in my stomach loosened. I rushed forward to help her. “Mom, you’re finally here! You have to explain to them that I’m your daughter-in-law!” “Some woman showed up out of nowhere with a child, claiming to be the lady of the house. They’ve all been bullying me! You can’t let them get away with this!”
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