Chapter 4Wife Against The Other Woman

My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a call from my mother-in-law. I didn't hesitate. I answered.

"Mara, did you see my text?" Her voice was perfectly normal, the same tone she used when asking me to pick up her prescriptions.

"No," I said, my voice as cold as a winter morning.

"Are you at the market? It’s loud there. Look at the text I sent you. I can't hear you, just reply on WhatsApp."

She hung up.

I opened the message she’d sent twenty minutes ago: Mara, a relative back in the old neighborhood just had a baby. I need to send a gift. I’m a little short on cash this month, can you Venmo me two thousand? It’s important for the family’s reputation that we don't look cheap.

I gripped the phone until my knuckles turned white. They weren't just deceiving me; they were using me as an ATM to fund the lifestyle of his secret child.

I laughed, a sharp, jagged sound that didn't reach my eyes. I didn't reply.

She texted again five minutes later: Are you going to send it? We can't be late with this.

I still didn't reply. I was waiting. I was waiting for her to walk through those doors.

A third text popped up. I’ve always thought you were the bigger person, Mara. I’m disappointed. Fine, if you won't help, I’ll find another way.

I looked at the phone and felt a surge of pure, unadulterated disgust. All those years of "You’re like the daughter I never had," and "We’re so lucky David married a woman like you."

It was all a script. A long-con.

Jessica came back, and her phone rang. She answered it with a glowing smile. I could hear David’s voice through the receiver:

"Hey babe, Mom has a surprise for the little one. Another piece of gold."

"Oh, David, she has too much already!"

"This one is special," David said. "It’s a dragon charm. It’s been blessed. It’s a collector's piece, really. One of a kind."

The blood roared in my ears.

Two days ago, before my son Max left for summer camp, my mother-in-law told him to take off his gold dragon pendant so he wouldn't lose it while swimming. She told him she’d keep it safe in her jewelry box.

She was giving my son’s birthright to a mistress’s child.

"Tell your mom thank you for me," Jessica said. "She’s so thoughtful."

Then I heard my mother-in-law’s voice in the background: "Don't thank me, dear. It’s what a grandmother does. You gave me a beautiful granddaughter; it’s the least I can do. We’re pulling up now."

Jessica hung up and reached for the baby, but then spotted more guests and waved them over.

I sat there, holding the secret child, feeling the weight of seven years of wasted devotion.

"Your party," I whispered to the infant, "is going to be unforgettable."

Finally, I heard them. The familiar voices of David and his parents, loud and cheerful as they entered the ballroom.

I stood up. I walked toward the stage where the microphone was set up for the toasts.

David was looking around, scanning the room. "Honey? Where’s the baby?" he asked Jessica.

I stepped up to the mic. The feedback shrieked for a second, silencing the room. My voice cut through the air like a blade.

"David," I said, my eyes locking onto his. "Your secret is in my arms."