Chapter 3
Today was my wedding anniversary with Anthony.
I placed a bouquet of roses on the table and asked the housekeeper to make a few of his favorite dishes.
By
the time the third candle was lit, my son came home from school.
“Mom, look! I drew a family portrait! My teacher said it’s the best!”
My hand froze in mid–air.
The drawing depicted Anthony, my son, and Fiona, all holding hands in the sunlight, smiling brightly. I was completely, utterly erased.
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“Sweetheart, where’s mommy?” I forced the words out, suppressing the ache in my chest.
“Fiona said we should draw our happiest moment,” my son said innocently. “By the way, there’s a parent–child event next week. I want to invite Fiona!”
“Why?” I clenched my teeth, my voice shaking.
“Because Fiona is the sweetest! She doesn’t have a perpetual frown like Mom.
Daddy says you must have gone into early menopause!”
A fire surged from deep within me.
Who gave them the audacity to twist my life like this?
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The doorbell rang.
The delivery man stood there, holding a giant gift box. “Is this for Miss Fiona?”
“I’ll take it for her.”
I opened the package. Inside was an LV limited edition.
The card read: “Happy Valentine’s Day, my dearest little princess.”
Signed: “Love, Anthony.”
I found it funny.
He could forget our wedding anniversary but still remember to buy a Valentine’s gift for his mistress.
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The cake on the table slowly melted, the red wine long past the ideal serving temperature.
Late at night, Anthony finally returned.
“I was busy at work, there was an urgent meeting…”
“Busy buying Fiona a limited edition?” I threw the gift box at his face.
“You snooped through my packages?” He exploded in fury.
“I didn’t need to snoop. Your son’s drawing told me everything” I snapped, slamming the family portrait onto the dining table.
“You two put on a great show, making me out to be an incompetent mother.”
“You are incompetent!” Anthony shouted, his
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voice brimming with anger. “Look at Fiona -gentle, considerate, knows how to handle things. Then look at you, always sulking and sarcastic, even your own son doesn’t like you!”
“Exactly!” My son suddenly rushed in, his eyes wide with indignation. “Fiona said Mommy doesn’t love me at all! She doesn’t even come to the parent–child events!”
My heart shattered in an instant.
Who gave this outsider the right to defame my motherhood? And who taught my child to hate his own mother?
I turned and walked toward the study, pulling out the files I had prepared.
The recorder held their secret conversations, my phone displayed the real–time location
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logs, and the bank statements revealed the large transfers.
At the top of the stack was a divorce agreement.
“What’s this?” Anthony’s face turned ashen.
“A gift for our wedding anniversary,” I sneered. “Since you despise me so much, why not just divorce me already?”
“Marie, you’ve lost your mind!” He ripped the agreement to shreds.
“Have I?” I calmly opened the audio recording.
Fiona’s coquettish voice rang out: “Anthony, when are you going to divorce that old hag? I can’t wait any longer…”
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“Soon, once I finish transferring the assets…”
Anthony’s face turned ghostly pale.
“Dad!” My son screamed, his voice trembling. “You promised you’d never leave me!”
“No one will leave you, darling.” Fiona’s sweet voice echoed from the doorway. “I’ll give you the best love.”
She walked in gracefully, surveying the chaos around her. “Marie, do you really need to go this far?”
“Mom! Don’t leave me!” My son’s cries rang
out.
My steps faltered, and the tears I had been holding back finally spilled over.
So, this is what it feels like–to be
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Chapter
abandoned. Now, you understand too.
“Marie, if you dare walk out, I’ll ruin you!” Anthony’s roar sounded from behind me.
I stopped in my tracks, turned, and smiled coldly. “Let’s see who ends up ruined first.”
As the door slammed shut, I heard the sickening sound of the family portrait frame shattering behind me.
What a perfect soundtrack.
From now on, I was no longer the long–suffering and tolerant wife.
I was Reporter White–the one who could command the truth.
