Part 1Baby Number Two, Wife Number Two

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?

* * *

“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.