The day before my wedding, my fiancé got drunk. On the drive home, he mistook me for my best friend. “Claire, don’t bring the kid to the wedding tomorrow. We can’t let Rowena find out about our child yet.” I slammed on the brakes. Damian crashed against the seat, sobering up considerably. When he realized it was me, he froze for a moment before slowly speaking: “Since you heard that, the wedding’s temporarily canceled. But don’t worry—Claire doesn’t want to get married, but the child is mine and I have to take responsibility. Once the kid grows up, I’ll come back and marry you.” I stared at him, dumbfounded by his shameless demand. When I didn’t respond, he grabbed his suitcase and left as soon as we got home. I sat on the bed in a daze. My phone rang at that moment. My childhood friend’s hoarse voice came through: “Rowena, please don’t marry him.” I fell silent for a moment. “Alright.” Looking at the carefully decorated bridal suite, I found it glaring. In college, I pursued him for two years. We dated for three years. Tomorrow we were finally supposed to enter the halls of matrimony. Only to discover he’d been sleeping with my best friend Claire three years ago. Their son was already two years old. The double betrayal of my friend and boyfriend shattered my heart like a sledgehammer. I forced back the tears threatening to fall, wanting to escape this suffocating place. My phone suddenly rang. “Rowena, Claire’s been busy with the kid and hasn’t eaten yet. I haven’t eaten either. Make some food and bring it over.” The man issued his command like an order, then hung up without giving me a chance to respond. I forced a bitter smile, my heart aching. For three years, Claire’s unexpected pregnancy hadn’t been easy. I’d cared for her from early pregnancy until her son turned two. As her best friend and the child’s godmother, I’d done right by everyone. Every time she refused to mention the father, my heart broke for her. I never imagined the man who abandoned my friend was the one sharing my bed. The irony was that I always thought Claire was foolish. Turns out I was the fool all along! Only now did I realize the signs were always there. Whenever we went out, Claire dressed provocatively, “accidentally” making physical contact with Damian, flirting and playing around. It was all premeditated, right under my nose. Sometimes I’d get jealous and hint that Damian should maintain better boundaries. He thought I was making a mountain out of a molehill. “Claire’s your best friend, and I’m your man. If you can’t trust us, who can you trust?” A few dismissive words and I’d back down, even thinking he had a point. Looking back now, I was too stupid. I laughed bitterly at myself. I opened a food delivery app and deliberately chose the lowest-rated restaurant, ordering some dishes. When they arrived, I carelessly transferred them to bowls and plates, then headed out. I wanted to see how this man who never did housework would manage caring for a child. Standing outside Claire’s door, I pressed the doorbell and suddenly felt disoriented. Claire answered. She wore a tight skirt, her face flushed. In an instant I understood what she’d been doing, and my expression turned cold. Claire acted as if nothing was wrong, smiling sweetly as she pulled me inside. Seeing my silence, she spoke first: “Have a seat. Damian’s helping our son wash his face. You should’ve seen how happy father and son were playing together!” Our son. Damian. How intimate. How did I never notice before? Father and son! Not even pretending anymore! I sat down stiffly. Soon Damian emerged carrying their son. I instinctively smiled at my godson. But today the little boy didn’t rush into my arms as usual. Instead, he pointed at me and said:”Mistress.”
My smile froze on my face. A two-year-old who could barely speak clearly could now clearly point at me and say “mistress.” Claire glanced at me and pretended to scold the boy. “Lucas! How dare you talk like that! She’s your godmother! She loves you the most.” Damian quickly covered the child’s ears. “Claire, don’t yell at him. Kids say the darndest things.” “Rowena’s my wife. She won’t hold it against a child.” I smiled bitterly, sitting there like a criminal disrupting a happy family of three. How could I possibly claim to be Damian’s wife? I’d never seen a two-year-old with “innocent” words call someone a mistress. Lucas. Yearning. Only now did I understand the meaning behind the child’s name. Damian didn’t find anything wrong with the situation. He even tried to hand the child to me. I dodged smoothly. “I should go.” The man grabbed my wrist with his free hand. “Rowena, you’re free right now. Perfect time to practice caring for a kid.” I laughed coldly. “Damian, I’m naive but I’m not insane. Why would I care for you and your mistress’s child? If you three don’t find me an eyesore, I certainly find you disgusting.” Seeing the tension, Claire smiled and tried to smooth things over. “Rowena, you know I never want to get married. The baby was just an accident. If you mind, I can legally transfer him to you. It won’t affect your marriage to Damian.” As she spoke, she deliberately pushed against Damian, her chest “accidentally” brushing his shoulder. “Go home with your wife. I’ve been raising the child alone for two years anyway—I’m used to it. When Rowena wants to raise him, she can come handle the transfer paperwork anytime.” The boy in Damian’s arms seemed to sense something and suddenly burst into tears. The man instantly panicked, anxiously patting the child, coaxing him and wiping his tears with tissues. When the child finally stopped crying, he handed him to Claire before finally turning to glare at me. “Rowena, that’s enough! Because of you, our son never had a father. Now you want to separate mother and child?” “Besides, you often babysit anyway and he’s used to your care. You’d better take good care of him, or forget about marrying me.” My breath caught. I turned and quickly left. What did he mean “because of me” the child had no father? I rushed downstairs, not wanting to stay another second. I opened my car door, preparing to drive away. As I closed the door, Damian blocked it. The man frowned, preventing me from shutting the door. “Rowena, I wanted to tell you when Claire first got pregnant. I never meant to hide it.” “But she’s your best friend. I figured since she didn’t want to get married anyway, when she had the baby and didn’t want to raise it, we’d just transfer custody to you.” I stared at him in disbelief, my eyes red. “Too bad you let it slip. I might raise her child, but I’d never raise a mistress and your child.” Seeing my reddened eyes, Damian responded with mockery: “You’re the heir to Anderson Enterprises, from such a prominent family, yet you can’t accept this small thing. You’re not as strong as Claire—a girl from the slums has more backbone than you.” My nose stung. I fought to hold back tears. “I can’t argue with you, and I don’t want to anymore.” Damian pulled me from the driver’s seat and held me forcefully. “Stop crying. I promised I’d make it up to you, just not now.” I laughed miserably and struggled out of his embrace. I looked away for a long moment before speaking flatly. “Forget it. Let’s break up.”
Tears finally rolled down my cheeks. I sobbed uncontrollably. Damian froze, then cupped my face and forced me to look at him. He spoke as if granting me a favor: “I’ll come back every few days to be with you, then go take care of the child. How’s that?” Seeing my continued lack of response, the man sighed deeply. “Rowena, this is the best solution I can think of. Can you stop being unreasonable?” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stop sobbing and calm down. “That’s too troublesome. Just thinking about it exhausts me. Anyway, we’ve already broken up. You just need to stay with her and the child. How I’m doing is none of your business anymore.” He roughly grabbed my shoulder, thinking I was just throwing a tantrum. “Rowena, are you serious?” I stopped arguing and turned to get in the car. He suddenly shoved me hard. “So you’ve finally dropped the act! Now you’re throwing rich girl tantrums at me!” My head struck the car roof directly. Losing my balance, I fell heavily to the ground. Damian’s eyes filled with malice as he turned and walked away. Claire appeared from somewhere. She reproached Damian. “Rowena’s always been a pampered princess from a wealthy family. Having a little temper is normal, isn’t it? Can’t you, as a grown man, be more accommodating?” Damian laughed coldly, casually draping his arm around Claire’s waist. “I’m human too. Why should I accommodate her? She was the one who pursued me in the first place. Now she dares throw tantrums.” He glanced coldly at my disheveled state, then looked tenderly at Claire. “You’re so much better—understanding and considerate. If it had been Rowena having a baby, with that temper she’d have made a huge scene! Just thinking about it annoys me.” Their lovey-dovey display disgusted me. I didn’t want to deal with them anymore and simply drove away. The scenes from moments ago replayed in my mind. A sharp pain in my chest made breathing difficult. My phone rang at the worst moment. The caller ID showed Damian’s mother. “Rowena dear, I’ve heard everything. Damian canceled your wedding. He was wrong to keep this from all of us—having a two-year-old grandson before telling anyone.” “Here’s what I’m thinking—the child was an accident and can be legally transferred to you. As long as Damian’s heart is with you, it won’t affect your marriage.” “Besides, Claire agreed. She won’t compete with you. You’re still Damian’s choice for a wife. Worst case, I’ll raise the grandson myself. He won’t be in your way.” My throat tightened. After a moment, I spoke hoarsely: “Ma’am, Damian and I have completely broken up.” Her tone suddenly turned vicious. “Rowena, I knew you rich people would be difficult. I was already reluctant when you two got together, afraid my son would have no dignity around you. Now he only made a mistake any man might make. He’s been honest about it, and you still can’t forgive him?” My grip on the steering wheel tightened until my knuckles turned white. “Ma’am, it’s fine. Your son has his dignity now. He and Claire are perfect together. I’ve already stepped aside voluntarily. I won’t disturb them anymore.” I hung up and slammed on the brakes at the roadside. I gasped for air. For the sake of his so-called dignity, I’d gone from luxury to frugality. When Damian finally agreed to date me, he’d make snide remarks from time to time. Each time, I just smiled and nodded. I thought if I willingly became an ordinary, caring girlfriend by his side, he’d truly accept me. But at family gatherings, he was embarrassed by how plain I looked. “Didn’t you say Damian was dating a rich girl? Where is she? It can’t be that girl next to him, can it?” “That girl looks poorer than us. How could she be a rich girl? Damian probably made it up to save face.” His relatives laughed uproariously. Damian looked at me with even more disgust… I sat in the car in a daze for a while before driving home.
Not long after, Damian called. “Want to hang out? Claire’s already putting the kid to bed.” All these years he never took me shopping or spent time with me. What a generous offer today—did he finally feel guilty and want to compensate me? I had no patience for his nonsense. Just as I was about to hang up, I heard Claire’s coquettish voice. “Still coaxing your princess at this hour? Aren’t you tired? But I’m exhausted. Come give me a massage. It’s all your fault—I have to care for the child and serve you too.” Damian hastily said, “Fine, I’ll take you out another time.” The call ended abruptly. A deep bitterness welled up inside me. If only I’d firmly prevented those two from spending time together, I wouldn’t have ended up so miserable. The next day, the wedding was canceled. Damian organized a class reunion. I went, thinking of it as a final goodbye to this failed relationship. Classmates exchanged pleasantries. Seeing Claire holding her son, someone deliberately said: “Claire already has a son? When did you get married? How come we classmates didn’t know?” “Claire, who’s your son’s father? Why didn’t you bring him today for us to meet?” The crowd was malicious. Claire looked uncomfortable. Damian simply glanced coldly at me, then took their son from Claire’s arms. “I’m the child’s father.” In an instant, everyone’s eyes turned to me. People around me began whispering. “I heard Claire and Damian were together back then, but something happened and he ended up with Rowena instead. Counting the time, Claire’s son really is two years old.” “So Rowena’s the mistress?” I trembled with rage, suppressing my fury. I stood to get some water, but Claire deliberately stepped on my dress hem. Caught off guard, I fell to my knees. The room filled with malicious laughter. My knees instantly bruised. The pain prevented me from standing. “Is Rowena kneeling to confess her sins as a mistress?” Damian just glanced at me with disgust, letting everyone gossip about me. I glared at Claire through clenched teeth. Anyone paying attention would have noticed Claire stepping on my dress. My long-suppressed anger erupted. I raised my hand to slap Claire’s face, but Damian stood up and backhanded me instead. SLAP. The room fell silent. In an instant, blood seeped from my mouth corner. My ears rang. I stared coldly at Damian, then reached up and slapped him hard across the face. “Damian, we’re completely finished.”
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