Chapter 2

Faced with so many intimidating strangers, my heart hammered against my ribs.

The nanny Ethan had hired to look after me shrank behind my back, trembling.

I forced myself to stand tall. "Victoria, we don't know each other. What is the meaning of this?"

The gentle, elegant woman from yesterday was gone. Now, her eyes were dripping with cold disdain.

She sneered, and her personal assistant immediately stepped forward, pointing a finger at my face.

"You shameless bitch, how dare you ask? Our mistress is being generous enough to bring you back to the estate to have your baby."

I had no idea what she was talking about, so I tried to reject her politely.

"I appreciate the offer, but we are strangers. I have no intention of moving into your house."

"Besides, I'm pregnant and it's not safe for me to move right now. Please leave."

The moment the words left my mouth, the assistant slapped me hard across the face.

"You home-wrecking whore! Always using the baby as an excuse to stress our mistress out!"

"Victoria is the only legal Mrs. Vance. Your bastard child will just be an illegitimate mistake. Don't think you can use it to climb the social ladder."

I stumbled backward, clutching my burning cheek. Luckily, the nanny caught me before I hit the floor.

Victoria watched my struggle with a mocking smile.

She walked over slowly, using the tip of her designer umbrella to lift my chin. "How pathetic. Has Ethan still not told you the truth?"

"Then let me tell you. I am Ethan Vance’s real, legal wife."

She told me Ethan Miller was actually Ethan Vance, the sole heir to the multi-billion-dollar Vance empire.

And she was Victoria Sterling, the youngest daughter of the powerful Sterling family.

Their marriage was an arranged alliance, a match made in high-society heaven.

She spoke so casually, but my heart shattered into a million pieces.

Every strange detail, every inconsistency in Ethan's story over the past year, suddenly made perfect, horrible sense.

But no matter what, I couldn't go with her.

I, Evelyn, had my pride.

If Ethan had really lied to me, I would rather abort this baby and run away again than stay and be humiliated.

I screamed, "I don't believe you! I want to hear it from him!"

"If you're really his wife, why are you afraid to let me confront him?"

Victoria didn't answer.

A flicker of annoyance passed through her eyes, and she barked an order to her guards. "Tie her up and drag her to the car!"

Seeing the guards close in, I screamed toward the open door, hoping the neighbors in the hallway would help.

"Help! Please! I don't know these people!"

"Please call the police! Or call my husband!"

But the neighbors, who were usually so friendly, only watched coldly from their doorways.

They looked at me with disgust and muttered among themselves.

"I knew she looked too trashy to live here. Turns out she’s just a sugar baby."

"And to think I helped her carry her groceries. How disgusting."

"Victoria is being too nice. If I were her, I'd have this home-wrecker beaten to death."

The heavy guards pinned me to the floor.

Listening to the cruel whispers of the crowd, a wave of intense shame washed over me.

I yelled at them desperately, "You all saw us! You saw Ethan and me! We had a small wedding in the courtyard!"

"My husband is an orphan! He’s not some billionaire!"

But no one cared.

"A wedding? Please, what kind of respectable man gets married with just a backyard barbecue and no family?"

"We all knew that guy looked too wealthy to be a regular office worker. You lived with him and didn't notice? Stop playing the victim."

"You're just a kept woman, sweetie. Don't lie to yourself."

My body went cold. If all of his love was a lie, what was I?

Just then, through the hallway window, I saw a familiar face walking into the courtyard below.

It was Julian Bennett, Ethan’s coworker.

He had been to our apartment for drinks. He had called me "Evelyn" and "sister-in-law."

He could prove my innocence!