Chapter 2He Chose The Nanny Now He Begs

When I woke up, the sterile smell of a hospital filled my nostrils. My hand instinctively went to my belly. The baby was still there. Thank God. The thick padding of the mascot costume must have cushioned the fall.

The room was empty. Who had brought me here?

I reached for my phone, planning to call Mark. But when the screen lit up, I saw a flurry of notifications from the parent group chat for Sophie’s preschool. 99+ messages.

I scrolled to the top. It was a photo posted by Sophie’s teacher, and she had tagged me.

“Audrey, you never answered your phone today, I was worried you weren't coming to the parent-teacher conference! It was so lovely to finally meet you. You’re even more beautiful in person! Mark is a lucky man.”

My blood ran cold. Today was the first parent-teacher conference of the year. After Sophie was born, Mark and I had an agreement: I would carry the babies, he would handle the school runs and parent meetings.

But I hadn’t been there today. Who did the teacher think I was?

With a sense of dread, I clicked on the photo. It was Jenna. She was holding Sophie, a serene, maternal smile on her face. Mark stood beside them, his arm resting possessively on the back of her chair. At a glance, they looked like a perfect family.

The comments below the picture were a mix of fawning and envy.

“Wow, Mark, you really hit the jackpot! What a gorgeous wife!”

“Seriously! And talk about a power couple. I’m pretty sure that limited edition Maybach in the parking lot is his. I heard those things are over a million dollars!”

The mention of the car sent the chat into a frenzy. Someone asked Mark what he did for a living to be so successful. He replied with a coy, humble message about just being “lucky.”

A knot of bitterness formed in my stomach.

Mark had essentially married into my family’s money. He was a kept man. The seed money for his boutique photography studio had come from me. The Maybach was a birthday gift from me. His income alone wouldn’t even cover the insurance on it.

I understood a man’s pride. A little bragging was one thing. But why would he take Jenna to our daughter's conference and let everyone believe she was his wife?

I didn’t have the heart to read anymore. I dialed his number. It rang and rang, unanswered.

Just then, I heard voices from the hallway outside my room. It was Mark and Sophie.

“Daddy, can you divorce Mommy tomorrow?” Sophie pleaded in her sweetest voice. “I want Auntie Jenna to be my new mommy.”

Mark chuckled. “You really like your Auntie Jenna that much, huh, sweet pea?”

“Of course! Auntie Jenna is young and pretty, and she’s going to buy me a kitten! Mommy is just mean and bossy!” Sophie’s voice turned demanding. “So, will you do it or not? If you don’t, I’m never speaking to you again.”

“Alright, alright,” Mark said with a long-suffering sigh. “Whatever my little princess wants.”

The door swung open. Mark’s smile vanished the second he saw my eyes were open.

“What the hell was that parent-teacher conference about?” I asked, my voice dangerously quiet.

He had the grace to look guilty. “It’s your fault, Audrey. You’re always working, you never have time for Sophie. Jenna was just trying to help so Sophie wouldn’t feel sad.”

I let out a cold, humorless laugh. “Helping? Does ‘helping’ now include pretending to be my replacement?”

Before he could stammer out another excuse, Sophie ran forward, planting herself between us like a tiny bodyguard.

“You’re a mean lady!” she shouted, pointing a finger at me. “Daddy already promised he’d divorce you! When we kick you out, you won’t be able to be mean to him anymore!”

My eyes locked on Mark. “Is that right?”

He wouldn’t meet my gaze. Sophie got frantic. “Daddy! You promised! You can’t take it back!”

My own anger flared. “Sophie Elizabeth,” I snapped, “I haven’t even started with you. Why did you push me down the stairs? There’s a baby in my belly. What if you had hurt the baby?”

Her eyes instantly filled with tears. “Mommy’s yelling,” she whimpered. “I’m scared!”

Mark immediately turned on me. “Look what you did. And nothing happened, did it? Why are you taking it out on a child?” he scolded. “Besides, if you hadn’t gained so much weight with this pregnancy, you wouldn’t be so clumsy. You can’t blame Sophie for that.”

He scooped her into his arms. “Come on, sweet pea. Daddy will take you for some ice cream.”

The air left my lungs. The words were a physical blow. It was true, I’d gained a lot of weight. I hadn’t even wanted a second child, but Mark had insisted Sophie was lonely. He’d worn me down until I agreed. And now he was using it against me. He was disgusted by me.

Just then, his messenger bag, left on a chair in the corner, chimed. He had left his iPad.

A sick feeling pulled at me. I opened the bag. His iMessage was open, the screen still lit. I don’t know why I did it, but I started scrolling through his conversation with Jenna.

It was all there. A carefully documented campaign of sabotage.

It started innocently enough—daily updates on me and Sophie, laced with subtle digs about how I was neglecting my family. Then came the messages bragging about how attached Sophie was becoming to her. Once they were comfortable, she started asking about his finances, feigning naive curiosity.

And Mark, drunk on the praise and adoration, had forgotten his place. He told her my family’s corporation was his. He complained about me, my moods, my work. And Jenna, with her gentle and understanding words, reeled him in, whispering suggestions and validations.

Even a fool could see her endgame. She wanted to be me. She was angling for the throne.

My hands shook as I used my phone to record the entire chat history. A part of me tried to rationalize it. A man can be replaced. A nanny can be fired. But a daughter… a daughter is your own flesh and blood. She’s just a child, I told myself. She’s been manipulated.

I decided I would deal with Mark and Jenna later. First, I had to fix things with my daughter.

But when I walked through my front door later that day, carrying a box of her favorite cupcakes, I was greeted by a scene that burned any remaining hope to ashes.