I was changing my younger son, Leo, when he suddenly asked, “Mom, are you the other woman?” My brows furrowed instantly, my hands freezing mid-button. “Sweetheart, who told you your mom is the other woman?” “Before preschool ended this afternoon, the teacher said it. She said I’m the other woman’s son. But I’m your child, Mom, so… are you?” “Does my little man know what ‘the other woman’ means?” Pure, innocent eyes stared back at me. “No.” I composed myself, forcing a smile for Leo. “Of course not, darling. You’re also Daddy’s child. How about we ask Daddy about it when he gets home for dinner?” “Okay!” Watching the innocent smile spread across Leo’s face, my heart sank. It seemed someone couldn’t keep her composure after returning to the country. I placed Leo on the carpet in his playroom and asked Maria, our nanny, to keep an eye on him. I went back to the living room, sat on the sofa, and started texting the preschool director while waiting for Adrian Knight to come home. I had just finished drafting a message when I heard the front door open. It was Ryder, my elder son, back from school. I put my phone down and walked to the door, reaching out to take the tote bag from his hand. “Ryder, you’re back? What did you buy?” My hand grasped the strap of the tote bag, but his hand didn’t let go. We stood there, frozen in the entryway. He opened his mouth, as if unsure how to speak. I probably understood. I let go of the bag and broke the deadlock myself. “Was it from… your mom? I wasn’t thinking. You keep it.” He looked down, muttering, “She’s not…” I didn’t quite catch what he said, so I questioned, “Huh? What did you say?” “I said, she’s not my mom. You are my mom.” I froze in place. He then shoved the bag into my hands. “Mom, can you get rid of this for me? She forced it on me. I didn’t want it.” With that, he hurried upstairs, leaving me stunned in the entryway. Was that child just shy?
Watching his retreating back, I fell into a flashback… The Knight family and the Vance family had a multi-billion dollar project to collaborate on. Though the two families were very close, to be safe, each needed to provide one person for a marriage alliance. In the main branch of the Vance family, I was the only girl. My older brothers were already married, so I was the sole candidate. The Knights were also ready, choosing Adrian Knight, the third son. I was only a sophomore in college at the time. I proposed finishing my studies before getting married, so we only had an engagement ceremony. Later, I went abroad to complete my degree, paying little attention to news back home. Adrian, on the other hand, diligently fulfilled his duties as a fiancé. He bought me gifts for holidays, and when I came home for breaks, he’d make time to travel with me around the world. Gradually, I started to develop feelings for him. He was handsome, knowledgeable, gentle, and considerate, always thinking of me and respecting women. He seemed like a great husband. Even my best friend, Chloe, said, “Selena Vance, you hit the jackpot! Such a good match for an alliance. Not like me, stuck marrying a complete dud.” Afterward, she sweetly left a voice message to routinely check on her fiancé, reminding him to drive safely. That’s how it always was in our circle: only alliances of interest, no love.
That New Year’s Eve, Adrian said he had company business and couldn’t be with me. I ate a two-person steak alone in my apartment. I’d specifically learned to cook it, carefully preparing it just for him. Now, I was eating it alone. Lying in bed that night, my phone suddenly rang. It was Adrian. The intimate sounds of their passion on the other end of the line blocked all my words. I quietly hit record. “Adrian, you’ll marry me, right?” “Of course, I only love you.” “Then when will you break off your engagement with her?” “Tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll tell my family I’m breaking off the engagement.” The rest were the unmistakable sounds of their intimacy, so I hung up. A moment later, a photo was sent via SnapChat. I first started a screen recording, then took a screenshot, determined not to miss any evidence. I opened the message; it was a photo of him and that woman. I slowly sat up, saved the photo, zoomed in, and carefully examined every detail. Adrian’s hand was wrapped around the woman’s waist; they were embracing. He was asleep, but the smile on his face was one I had never seen when he was with me. Does being with this woman make you that happy? Just then, another message alert. The sender withdrew the photo. I knew then that it was a good thing I’d saved the evidence. Then another message came: “He loves me. I advise you to break off the engagement sooner rather than later.” Then she withdrew that one too, and sent another: “The one who isn’t truly loved is the real outsider.” I simply replied, “Understood.” I spent half an hour composing myself, then booked a flight back home. Some things are better clarified face-to-face.
As soon as I landed, I received a text: “He and I truly love each other. You’re the one who’s in the way. He’s only with you because of family pressure.” I scoffed, watching her clamor like a clown. The more she tried to deny it, the more I wanted to expose her lies. Sitting in the car on the way home, I called my elder brother, Julian. “Julian, I remember you’ve always been in charge of the project with Knight Industries. How’s the project coming along?” “It’s wrapping up. We’re already discussing the next big project, and I’m overseeing that too. Why the sudden interest?” “Adrian cheated on me. He even promised that woman he’d break off our engagement.” “How dare he? So now what are you…” “I’m on my way home, Julian. This is a rare opportunity, isn’t it? Get ready.” “Have you told Dad?” I softly replied, “This will benefit the Vance family. Dad won’t object. Besides, Adrian is dead set on breaking the engagement. If he won’t marry me, forcing him will only lead to a lose-lose situation. It’s better to secure some real benefits for the Vance family, and for me, without completely burning bridges. After all, both families still need to collaborate.” “Alright.” Next, I called Dad. “Dad, I’m back. I have something to discuss tonight. Please gather everyone. We’ll have dinner with the Knight family. I’ll invite the Knights myself.” Then it was time to invite the Knight family. “Mr. Knight, it’s Selena. I’m back. School’s out, so I’d like to invite you and Mrs. Knight out for dinner. My parents will be there. Yes, I’ll inform Adrian. Okay, mm-hmm.” The final step: text Adrian. “Darling Adrian, dinner tonight at seven, with both our parents, in the penthouse suite at The Crescent.” “Okay, I actually have something I want to say too.” The mere thought of calling him ‘darling’ made my stomach churn, but thinking about the benefits it would bring our family, and the clothes and jewelry my parents and Adrian’s would compensate me with out of guilt, I endured it. 6. Dinner was exceptionally enjoyable. Top-tier ingredients, harmonious relations, a collaboration on the verge of being sealed. At the dinner table, Mrs. Knight kept trying to get Adrian to offer me more food. He was unmoved, but secretly, I wished he wouldn’t. Still, I had to act understanding, to pave the way for my performance. “It’s fine, Mrs. Knight. Darling Adrian is probably just tired.” Oh, the irony! I was making excuses for him. What a considerate fiancée I was. After dinner, Mrs. Knight pulled me along to the restroom to touch up her makeup. On the way back, I saw someone who shouldn’t have been there — Blair Adams, Adrian’s mistress. This was getting interesting. I watched her glancing around, knowing she was looking for us. A members-only restaurant wouldn’t let a stranger in, which meant Adrian must have brought her here before. I should thank her; another piece of evidence for Adrian’s infidelity. I deliberately pretended not to see her, loudly praising Mrs. Knight’s new necklace. “Mrs. Knight, your necklace is absolutely gorgeous. When did you get it?” “Isn’t it? When we go home, I’ll have someone custom-make one for you too.” “Oh, Mrs. Knight, I couldn’t possibly accept!” “Why ever not? You’re going to be our Knight family daughter-in-law. It’s what you deserve.” 7. As we turned the corner, I quietly looked back. Blair had indeed followed us. When I entered the private dining suite, I deliberately left the door ajar. The show was about to begin. As soon as I sat down, I heard Mr. Knight suggest that Adrian and I finalize our wedding plans soon, quickly circling back to the families’ collaborative project. Dad, holding a wine glass, chuckled, “Let the young ones decide their own affairs. I’ve already handed this project over to Julian.” Then, he raised a hand to my elder brother. “Julian, come, have a chat with Mr. Knight about the project…” Julian deliberately replied loudly, “I don’t think that’s necessary. Whether these two families will even collaborate is still up in the air, wouldn’t you say, Adrian?” The harmonious atmosphere at the table shattered. Everyone looked at Adrian, trying to get a reasonable explanation from him. Adrian opened his mouth, then closed it. I could sense his struggle; his hands beneath the table must have been clenched so tight they were bleeding. Julian pressed on, “What? Not going to introduce us to your new girlfriend?” I quickly played the understanding fiancée, “Julian, what are you saying? Don’t tease Adrian. I’m his girlfriend. We’re doing great. We’ll get married after I graduate…” Sarah Knight, Adrian’s sister-in-law, chimed in, “That’s right, what could be wrong with these two lovebirds? Just recently I saw Adrian ordering a ring from a luxury jeweler. The diamond was so dazzling, I was jealous. Adrian, quickly show it to Selena!” Hmm? He and Blair had already reached the proposal stage? That was fast. I decided to add more fuel to the fire. “Really, Adrian? Selena is so excited to see it.” I sat there, looking at him with hopeful eyes, while mentally cursing him: You dog, you can’t produce it, can you? I glimpsed it earlier, sparkling on Blair’s hand. The dinner table fell silent for two minutes as Adrian failed to produce the gift. I glanced at Dad’s face; he was visibly angry, but still within control. Was he truly angry because he felt sorry for me? I think that was only part of it. The other part was Adrian’s disrespect towards me, which was a disrespect towards my family. Dad felt humiliated by a junior. Julian scoffed, “Adrian, that ring wasn’t for your little mistress, was it?” “No, I… I didn’t bring it with me.” Everyone at the table was sharp; they understood what that really meant. The Knights’ faces changed. Our family had always been the leading force in our collaborations. Without the Knights, there were still the Sterling family, the Thompson family. So, compared to us, the Knights needed this marriage alliance more. 8. Still not catching fire? I’ll push harder. I pretended to change the subject, but in fact, I cut straight to the chase: “Darling Adrian, you mentioned on the phone that you had something to announce. What was it? Is it about our wedding?”
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