He Broke Me First, Now I'm the Rising QueenChapter 1

My husband, Jonathan Zander, brought his mistress home on our seventh wedding anniversary.

"Wendy finally got pregnant. You have to take good care of her. If it's a boy, he will be the only heir of our Zander Family."

He spoke as he pulled out a chair for the girl named Wendy Stevens without even looking at me.

"She's sensitive and delicate, so try to be accommodating. Don’t get jealous over nothing and ruin the mood for everyone."

I didn’t say a word. I just grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door.

Seeing that I was really leaving, Wendy’s eyes filled with tears. She quickly stood up and spoke.

"Jonathan, please don't do this. I should be the one to step back. No, I'm already grateful that Madam doesn't hate me. Please don't fight because of me."

"Don't worry about her. She'll come crawling back soon enough and when I get furious, she'll beg on her knees for forgiveness."

Jonathan said as he pushed Wendy back into her dining table seat.

Wendy's mother, who had come with her, sneered at me.

"What right does a barren hen have to be angry? Wendy, let's eat. We can't let my precious grandson go hungry. What's the difference between a woman who can't have children and a cripple? Who else would want her if she leaves?"

They didn't know my decision to leave wasn't a childish tantrum.

I honestly had no intention of ever returning.

Just as I was dragging my suitcase towards the entryway, Jonathan suddenly called out to me.

"Daphne Lancaster." His voice held its usual commanding tone.

"Give that pregnant stray cat you've been keeping to Wendy. She's always wanted a little animal to be born around the same time as the baby."

I stopped in my tracks. Outside, the orange tabby tied to the tree whined and rubbed against the leash when it saw me.

I remembered how Jonathan had disgustedly kicked the cat several times when I started feeding it.

I had knelt and begged him for a long time before he finally agreed to let me keep it, but only outside.

Now Wendy says one word and suddenly he's all heart.

When I didn’t respond, Jonathan clicked his tongue impatiently.

"It's just a stray cat. Don't act so dramatic. Don't tell me you're actually attached to it."

Attached? Maybe not, but what about the seven years between us?

I clenched my fists, but I didn’t dare say no. I knew the consequences of rejecting Jonathan.