Chapter 3Wife Against The Other Woman

I sat down in an empty chair, still holding the child.

My eyes caught on something sparkling on the baby’s wrist. It was a custom gold charm bracelet. The centerpiece was a small, intricately carved phoenix.

My breath hitched. I recognized that design. Seven years ago, when I found out I was pregnant with twins—a boy and a girl—my mother had commissioned a pair of "Dragon and Phoenix" charms. She’d traveled to a monastery to have them blessed, praying for their protection.

But the world is a cruel place. There were complications during delivery. Only my son survived.

I had been shattered. The doctors told me I couldn't have more children. I kept the dragon charm for my son, and the phoenix... I kept it locked in a safe, a golden ghost of the daughter I never got to hold. I used to take it out and cry until my eyes were swollen shut.

My fingers trembled as I turned the charm over. Three words were engraved on the back: Felicity Rose.

The name I had chosen. The name I had spent months dreaming about while rubbing my pregnant belly.

"Her name is Felicity," Jessica said, returning and sitting beside me. "David picked it out. He’s always wanted a daughter."

The world seemed to splinter into a million sharp pieces. I forced my voice to remain steady. "He sounds like a devoted father."

Jessica smiled, clearly enjoying the conversation. "Are you new at the firm? I used to know everyone, but David mentioned they’d hired some fresh talent lately."

"I started recently," I lied, the word tasting like ash.

"The company is great, but the travel used to be brutal," Jessica said. "David was on the road every other week. It’s only been this past year that he’s finally been able to stay local. It was a long road, but we made it."

I felt a bitter, jagged laugh bubbling in my chest.

Before he was "relocated" a year ago, David had "traveled" for work constantly. I’d handled everything. Every fever our son had, every hospital visit for his parents, every broken pipe in the house. I’d done it all so he could focus on his career. I’d even stayed silent as our intimacy faded, blaming it on his exhaustion.

He wasn't traveling. He was coming home to her.

Jessica didn't reach for the baby. She kept glancing around, greeting newcomers. She noticed how still the infant was in my arms.

"Wow, she really likes you. Usually, she screams if anyone but me or David holds her. You have a magic touch."

"I have a son," I said quietly. "You learn a few things."

"That explains it!" she chirped. "Would you mind holding her just a few more minutes? I need to check on the catering."

I nodded.

I looked up at the massive banner hanging across the ballroom: CELEBRATING THE 100-DAY ANNIVERSARY OF FELICITY ROSE LAWRENCE.

My throat felt like it was full of broken glass. My son never had a party. David had insisted it would be too painful because of the baby we lost. My parents had protested, but David had been firm. He said he couldn't celebrate while his heart was still grieving for his daughter.

And yet here he was, celebrating a new daughter with my daughter’s name and my daughter’s gold.