Chapter 3

The sleek, modern lobby of Johns Development felt alien, despite the fact that I had designed it myself. The reception desk, once a familiar sight, was now manned by a new face. A young woman with sharp, inquisitive eyes looked up as I approached.

"Excuse me, do you have an appointment?" she asked, her voice polite but firm.

"No," I replied, my voice steady. "I'm Cydney Frazier. Alec Johns's wife."

Her eyes widened, a flicker of surprise, then thinly veiled curiosity, crossing her features. My status as "the wife" had always been nebulous, a title Alec rarely paraded. My absence from the company's public face meant many new employees didn't even know I existed.

She picked up the phone, her gaze still fixed on me. "Billie, Ms. Frazier is here to see Mr. Johns."

A few moments later, Billie emerged from the elevator, her perfectly coiffed hair and immaculate makeup a stark contrast to her disheveled appearance yesterday. Her eyes, however, held a cold, predatory gleam beneath their feigned innocence.

"Cydney? Oh, my goodness," she exclaimed, her voice laced with false concern. "What a surprise! Alec isn't in yet, but please, come up. We can wait for him in his office." She used the pronoun "we" with deliberate emphasis, a subtle assertion of her new position.

I followed her, my eyes scanning the familiar hallways. She moved with an unsettling ease, navigating the corporate labyrinth like she owned it. This was my world, my creation, yet I felt like an intruder, a ghost haunting the halls of my own past. Every corner, every design element, whispered of the sleepless nights I'd poured into this place, the dreams I'd shared with Alec. I had envisioned a lifetime here, working alongside him, building something enduring. Instead, I had become the "unemployed wife," a silent partner erased from the company' s narrative.

"Here we are," Billie announced, pushing open the heavy door to Alec's office.

I braced myself for a confrontation, a veiled threat, a smug declaration of her victory. But she simply smiled, a saccharine, unsettling curve of her lips, and closed the door behind us.

My gaze swept across the room. It was Alec's office, yet it felt distinctly hers. A delicate silk scarf draped over his chair, a half-empty tube of expensive hand cream sat beside his keyboard, and a small, scented candle, still warm, perfumed the air with a sickly sweet fragrance. This wasn't just an office; it was a sanctuary, a shared space where they built a life, a perverse parody of the one Alec and I had dreamt of years ago. These were not just objects; they were declarations, silent shouts of ownership.

My eyes landed on a silver-framed photograph on his desk. A young boy, no older than five, with Alec' s dark hair and mischievous eyes, was laughing, his arm slung around a golden retriever. My breath hitched.

My hand trembled as I reached for it, my fingers tracing the boy's innocent face. I flipped through the small album beside it, each page a snapshot of childhood: first steps, birthday parties, school plays. And in almost every photo, there was Alec, his arm around the boy, his face radiating a warmth and pride I hadn't seen him express in years.

Then, there it was. A family portrait. Alec, Billie, and the boy, all smiling, perfectly posed, a picture of domestic bliss. My world, already shattered, splintered into a million more pieces. A child. Alec had a child. Their child.

"He's a beautiful boy, isn't he?" Billie's voice, soft and deceptively gentle, sliced through the silence. She stood beside me, holding a steaming mug of tea, her eyes fixed on the photograph. "Alec adores him."

She took a sip of her tea, then continued, her voice gaining a chilling edge. "It was an accident, you know. That first night. Alec was... distraught. You weren't around much, he said. He'd been drinking, and someone slipped him something. He thought I was you." She paused, letting the words hang in the air. "He was so ashamed the next morning. Ordered me to keep quiet. But after a few weeks, he couldn't stand the thought of me leaving. He moved me into an apartment, then brought me here, as his assistant. He said he needed me close."

I stared at her, truly seeing her for the first time. Her eyes, her smile, the curve of her jawline. She wasn't an exact replica, but there was a striking resemblance. I was looking at a younger, less jaded version of myself, a replacement carefully chosen to fill a void.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. A dry, humorless sound that surprised even me. "So, you're the understudy," I said, my voice cold, devoid of emotion. "The convenient stand-in for the wife who was 'never around.'"

Billie's smile faltered for a moment, then straightened. "He was very clear about his feelings for me after I told him about the baby. He was ecstatic. Said it was a sign, a new beginning. He bought me that necklace, you know," she gestured to the sparkling diamond pendant at her throat. "And promised me everything." Her eyes glittered with triumph. "He chose me, Cydney. He chose our family. You... you're just a relic."

My hand, holding the tea, shook imperceptibly. The heat seeped through the porcelain, but I felt nothing but ice. I looked at the photos again, then back at her smug, victorious face. Then, with a sudden, deliberate movement, I tossed the hot tea into her face.

Billie shrieked, a raw, unadulterated cry of shock and pain. She stumbled backward, clutching her face, then crumpled to the floor, dramatically pulling her hair, her sobs turning into tortured wails. She even managed to slap herself across the cheek, adding a fresh red mark to the tea-stained skin. A true performance.

Just then, the office door burst open. Alec stood there, a designer shopping bag in one hand, a soft, loving smile on his face. His eyes, usually so sharp, were soft with affection. He must have been bringing Billie some new clothes, another token of his devotion.

His smile vanished the moment he saw Billie on the floor, weeping, and me standing over her, my face a mask of cold fury. His eyes narrowed, filled with immediate, unadulterated rage.

"Cydney! What have you done?!" he roared, dropping the bag. He rushed to Billie's side, pulling her into his arms, completely ignoring me. "Billie, my love, are you alright? What did she do to you?"

Billie sobbed into his chest, her voice muffled but theatrical. "She... she just came in, Alec. She was so angry. I tried to calm her down, but she just... she just threw hot tea in my face! And she said... she said terrible things about our baby!"

I scoffed, a short, sharp sound of disbelief. "Our baby, Alec? Is that what you call him now?" I held up the family photo, my hand trembling slightly. "What is this, Alec? Your secret life? Your perfect little family?"

He flinched, his eyes darting to the photo, then back to Billie, who was now clutching her stomach, whimpering. "Cydney, this isn't what it looks like. You don't understand."

"Oh, I understand perfectly," I countered, my voice laced with venom. "I understand that you built a second life, a second family, in the shadows, while I stood by your side. I understand that you allowed this... this woman to change my father's medical treatment. And I understand that you've been lying to me for years."

His face hardened. "What do you want, Cydney? Money? Is that why you're here, blackmailing me?" His words were like a physical blow.

"Blackmail?" I laughed again, a harsh, brittle sound. "You think I want your money? After everything? Do you really think so little of me?" I took a step closer, my eyes blazing. "You promised me a family, Alec. You promised me a lifetime. And then you told me... you told me I couldn't have children." The words were ripped from my throat, raw and painful. "Do you remember that, Alec? Do you remember why I can't have children?"

His eyes flickered, a hint of something unreadable there. "Cydney, don't. Don't bring that up."

"Why not?" I spat, the years of suppressed pain erupting. "Because it's inconvenient? Because it reminds you of the truth? I almost died, Alec! Working myself sick for your company, suffering a gastric hemorrhage, losing my chance at motherhood! And you... you promised we'd be fine, that we didn't need children. You even suggested a vasectomy, then never followed through!"

He recoiled as if struck. "I... I know I owe you, Cydney. I'll make it right. But don't you dare hurt my son. Or Billie."

"Hurt them?" I asked, a chilling calm settling over me. "Oh, Alec, I won't lay a finger on them. But I will take what's mine. Every single penny of what I'm owed. Starting with a divorce." I pulled out the crisp white document, its edges still sharp, and slapped it onto his desk. "Sign it."