I stood there like a joke—a pathetic joke stabbed through the heart—watching my husband, who once held me so tenderly, whispering endearments to another woman.
"She's your wife? Then what about me? What am I?" I choked out.
I laughed, and then the laughter dissolved into tears. I wiped them away roughly.
When Stella shoved him aside, I used all my strength and slapped him across the face.
Gerald looked at me, silently begging—asking me to give him a way out, to save his dignity.
"Aliyah," he said quietly, "I'm sorry. I lied to you. You are the mistress."
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Then, right in front of him, I pulled out my phone.
"Hello, is this 911? Someone is involved in—"
Before I could finish, he snatched the phone and ended the call.
He frowned, annoyed. "Stop making a scene. I told you I'll compensate you."
Hearing his words, Stella softened instantly. Worried the situation might damage his reputation, she turned to me and spoke gently.
"Ms. Ruiz, this is my husband's fault. We're willing to compensate you," Stella said.
Compensate?
A heavy weight pressed against my chest.
"And what exactly are you compensating me with?" I sneered.
She frowned in deep thought for a full five minutes before answering, "The Vasquez family will give you three hundred million. We'll help you immigrate. With that money, you can live whatever life you want."
"Just don't come back to the country again. For a failed relationship, three hundred million is a good deal."
I stared straight into Gerald's eyes.
He said nothing. He let his mistress treat me like I was the mistress.
I inhaled slowly, forcing my trembling emotions back into my chest.
"Gerald, I'm giving you one last chance. Tell us—who is the mistress? Whose marriage certificate is fake?"
"If you don't clarify it, then tonight the three of us are going to make the front-page headlines together."
"You don't have to love me. You can fall for someone else and divorce me. But you don't get to treat me like a fool."
"Everything that happened today... I'll take it as the price of being your childhood sweetheart."
Gerald frowned deeply, glaring at me for "making things worse."
But faced with my unwavering gaze, he finally spoke the truth.
"Sorry, Stella. The marriage certificate between you and me... It's fake. I'm sorry."
Smack!
Stella trembled with rage—as if her world had collapsed—and slapped him hard.