Chapter 3

A few minutes later, a silver luxury sedan pulled up in front of the school. Austyn Hester, my husband, stepped out. He was dressed impeccably in a tailored suit, looking every bit the wealthy, powerful man the world thought he was.

"Oh, Mr. Hester, thank goodness you're here!" Ms. Albright gushed, rushing to his side. "This deranged woman attacked me and has been terrorizing Mrs. Gould!"

Jaylin ran to Austyn, burying his face in his leg and crying dramatically. "Daddy, that mean lady's daughter stole my doll! And then the lady pushed my teacher!"

Daddy. The word hit me. Jaylin had never called Austyn that before. Not in front of me.

Austyn' s eyes met mine over the heads of the others. I saw a flicker of panic, a brief moment of guilt, before his expression hardened into a cool mask of indifference.

He walked over, his expensive shoes clicking on the floor. He didn't look at me; he looked at Evalena. "Are you okay, Eva?" he asked, his voice soft with a concern he had never once shown me.

He tried to pull me aside, whispering, "Kim, what is going on? Let's not make a scene."

I ignored his hand on my arm. My eyes were fixed on the necklace around Evalena' s neck-a stunning emerald and diamond piece. It was a one-of-a-kind anniversary gift from my father. My necklace.

"That's a beautiful necklace, Evalena," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "It looks familiar."

Austyn' s grip tightened. "Kim, stop it. We'll talk about this at home."

"No," I said, pulling my arm away. "We'll talk about it now. I want you to tell Ms. Albright who I am. And I want you to tell her who she is." I pointed a shaking finger at Evalena.

Austyn' s face flushed with anger. "Don't be ridiculous." He tried to laugh it off, turning to the teacher. "I apologize for my... former employee. She's been having some emotional problems since we had to let her go."

I stared at him, the final piece of the puzzle clicking into place. He wasn't just ignoring this. He was part of it. He and Evalena, his distant cousin I' d hired out of pity, had planned this together.

I felt a wave of nausea. The man I married. The father of my child.

"You're a monster," I whispered, the words catching in my throat. I looked at Evalena, who was now clinging to Austyn's arm, a triumphant smirk on her face.

I lunged at her. I didn't care about being strategic anymore. I wanted to hurt her.

Evalena shrieked and shoved me back. "Get away from me, you psycho! Austyn is my husband! I'm the real Mrs. Hester! You're just a jealous mistress trying to ruin our family!"

Her words were so shocking, so utterly false, that for a second, everyone froze. Then all hell broke loose. We were screaming, clawing at each other. My hands tangled in her hair, and hers scratched at my face. It was a messy, ugly brawl in the middle of a kindergarten classroom.

During the struggle, my hand caught on the emerald necklace. There was a sharp snap. The priceless gems scattered across the floor like green ice.

School staff finally rushed in and pulled us apart. Evalena fell to the floor, sobbing hysterically. "My necklace! She broke my necklace! It was a gift from my husband!"

Ms. Albright and the other staff members looked at me with pure disgust, their minds already made up. I was no longer just a crazy ex-nanny. I was a poor, thieving mistress who had just destroyed a fortune.