The day Bryson—the Harding heir—chose Talia Connell, the Connells' real daughter, I found out I was pregnant.

For seven months, he went all out planning her dream wedding. Meanwhile, I fought through a brutal delivery and almost bled out bringing Kyle into the world.

Then a breaking alert hit—

[Harding Heir in Late-Night Street Racing Crash: Wife Critically Injured, Bryson Harding Permanently Loses Fertility]

Scared he'd take Kyle from me, I stayed hidden for five years.

Then came Bryson's mom's birthday banquet. I got pulled in as a server. Kyle was waiting in the lounge—until he bolted out and slammed straight into her.

The whole room went dead quiet.

Kyle looked just like Bryson as a kid. No question.

Bryson shoved through the crowd, voice rough. "Kid... who are your parents?"

Kyle froze, then broke down. "Mommy... I can't find Mommy. Her name is Joanna."

Knock. Knock. Knock.

My supervisor tapped my desk. "Joanna, we're short tonight. Go work the banquet. Triple pay."

I hesitated.

It was Bryson's mom's sixtieth birthday. Big deal, big crowd. Too many chances to run into people I didn't want to see. And leaving Kyle home alone at night? Yeah, no.

"Ms. Kurt, I need to stay with my kid tonight—"

Her patience snapped. "Leave him with your parents. A neighbor. Worst case, the staff lounge. You can't handle something this basic?"

A snicker cut in.

Of course it was Vivian Finch, my co-worker.

She leaned back, smug as ever. "Triple pay? I'd kill for that. Ms. Kurt, you're so thoughtful—really taking care of Joanna." A pause, then sweet as poison, "Single mom and all. Kid with no known dad. Must be expensive."

Vivian's words stung—but they weren't wrong.

It was getting cold, and Kyle was growing like crazy. He needed a real coat.

And I'd just be working outside the main hall. In and out. No big deal.

I nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Kurt. I'll go."

"Good. Get changed. Back entrance at six." A sharp look. "Don't be late."

On my way to the locker room, I passed Vivian's desk.

She didn't even try to keep it down. "Who's she fooling? Got pregnant out of wedlock and still acting all superior. Doesn't even know who the dad is. Probably some random hookup—who knows where that kid came from."

Laughter broke out.

One coworker covered her mouth, giggling. The intern next to her ducked her head, snickering.

My eyes burned. I stopped. "Vivian, you're a mom too. Watch your mouth."

Vivian shot up, arms crossed. "Oh, now you care what people say? You don't even know who the father is, but you're out here acting all pure.

"If I were you, I'd fix myself up. You're damaged goods. Maybe some blind guy at the banquet won't mind your little bastard and take him in."

My eyes stung.

She started to go on, but Ms. Kurt cut in. "That's enough, Vivian. Joanna, go get your child. Don't let this delay your work."

I lifted my chin, forcing it down.

As I walked out, Vivian was already laughing again, throwing me those same nasty looks.

I turned away and wiped my eyes hard. 'Joanna, don't cry. For Kyle, you can handle anything.'

I picked him up and brought him with me. No way I was leaving him home alone. I settled him in the staff lounge.

Picture books. Snacks. Water.

"Be good, okay? Mommy's working outside. Stay here and play. Don't go out."

Kyle was always good. He nodded. "When will you be back?"

"Soon." I kissed his forehead. "Finish this book and I'll be back. And don't wander off, okay?"

He nodded hard and held out his pinky. "Pinky promise."

We linked fingers, sealed it, and I finally let myself leave for the banquet hall.

Vivian and the others were already there, crowding the main hall entrance. Phones up, fixing makeup, laughing like they owned the place.

"Such a waste—Bryson Harding. Hot, rich, and now..."

"I heard his wife was only claimed by her family a few years ago. Total mess. Party girl, loves speeding for fun. Got herself into trouble and dragged him down with her. Now? Yeah—basically ruined him."

"If you ask me, the Hardings got screwed marrying her. Total bad luck. Their family line ends with her."

A sharp voice snapped from behind them. "Who are you calling bad luck?!"

Talia.

She stormed up, eyes blazing at Vivian and the others.

They went pale, heads dropping fast. Not a word.

Her gaze swept the room—then locked on me.

"Joanna?"

I let out a quiet sigh.

So much for slipping out unnoticed.

I walked over anyway. "Hi, Ms. Connell."

Talia stepped closer, eyes dragging over my cheap uniform. A smile spread—fake and smug. "It really is you. Working as a server now? And not even inside?" She clicked her tongue. "Must be rough."

She grabbed my hand, already pulling me toward the inner hall, all sweet like she cared.

"Come on, I'll get you inside. Way easier. You might even run into Dad and Mom!"

After two steps, she paused—like she'd just remembered Vivian and the others.

Her face flipped cold.

"You're all fired. Get out. Now." A sharp look. "Filthy trash."

Their legs almost gave out. No one dared speak, let alone beg.

They couldn't touch Talia, so their glares stabbed into my back instead.

Typical Talia.

The second we stepped into the inner hall, she put on that fake 'oops' face. "Joanna, I just remembered—we don't need extra staff in here." A small smile. "Restrooms and trash still need cleaning, though. What do you think...?"

I knew exactly what Talia was doing.

But compared to everything I'd dealt with on my own these past years? This was nothing.

"Alright. I'll handle it."

No hesitation. I took the cleaning supplies.

I was working the trash bins in the corner when the star of the banquet—Bryson's mom, Adeline—made her entrance.

Before anyone could crowd her with compliments, her voice cut through the room, sharp and cold.

"How am I supposed to live long?" she snapped. "Look at the wife you married. She's ruined this family's future."

I looked up.

Five years had passed, but time had been very kind to Bryson. Still handsome. Still impossible to ignore.

Just... colder now. A shadow sat between his brows.

Losing his ability to have kids clearly hit hard.

Bryson said nothing. Talia forced a tight smile. "Please don't be upset. It's bad for your health—"

"Don't act close to me," Adeline snapped. "I can't stand it." Her voice sharpened. "If you hadn't insisted on street racing, would Bryson be like this? What did our family do to deserve this? My perfectly fine son—ruined by you. Ruined to the point he can't even have an heir!"

She turned on Talia's parents, Darren and Margot, who stood there like statues.

"And you two! This is the daughter you brought back? Look at what she's done to my son. Happy now?"

Their quiet apologies barely carried across the room.

Adeline only got more worked up, years of resentment spilling out. "Back then, that girl from your family—Joanna—I thought she was great. Quiet, well-behaved. Bryson must've lost his mind to marry this disaster. I regret it every day!"

Talia's face darkened.

The second my name came up, it was all there—resentment, humiliation. Barely hidden. Then her eyes flicked, and she grabbed the moment.

"Adeline, what a coincidence. You just mentioned Joanna—I actually saw her here tonight."

Before anyone could react, she was already walking toward me.

Next thing I knew, I was dragged straight into the center of the hall.

Under the bright lights, there was nowhere to hide. My worn uniform. The half-wet rag in my hand. All of it, on display.

Humiliation hit hard—first time in a while.

I forced a smile. "Madam Adeline, hello. Mr. Connell. Mrs. Connell."

Adeline looked at me, something unreadable in her eyes. The praise from earlier? Gone. Just awkward now.

Darren and Margot froze too—clearly not expecting to see me like this.

A heavy silence dropped—then someone snickered.

It spread fast.

"Oh my God... it's really her? The one who used to follow Bryson around?"

"Tsk. Look at that uniform—lowest-level cleaner, right? And that rag? Ms. Connell's already being nicer than she deserves. If it were me, I'd've had security toss her out. Just standing here kills the vibe."

"I heard she got a huge settlement after the breakup. How'd she end up like this? Blew it all on some guy, probably."

The humiliation came in waves, ready to drown me—

"Enough."

I didn't expect Bryson to step in.

His face was blank, eyes sweeping the room.

Silence. Instant.

Only then did he look at me.

His voice softened—almost like pity. "Joanna, why are you working here as a cleaner? When we broke up, didn't I give you a lot of money?"

Money?

I looked up, confused.

All these years, I hadn't seen a single cent.

After Kyle was born, I couldn't even cover rent. I went back to work before I'd even healed, picking up whatever jobs I could.

My lips parted. The question slipped out. "What money?"

Three words. Heavy.

Bryson's eyes tightened, shock flashing through.

His gaze snapped to Talia. "Talia. Where's the money?"

Talia froze, stammering, nothing coming out.

She shot a desperate look at Margot.

Margot rushed over, reaching for my arm—I slipped back just enough. Her hand hung there, awkward.

Then she forced a scolding tone. "Oh, Joanna, you silly girl. You left so suddenly back then. We've been holding onto that money for you—we just never had the chance to give it to you. This is all a misunderstanding."

Darren nodded beside her, rubbing his hands. "Yes, yes, we always remembered."

The lie was... bad. Like, painfully obvious.

Bryson's face went cold. His eyes locked on Talia. "Thirty million. Not a cent less. Transfer it to Joanna by noon tomorrow." A beat. "Or you won't be Mrs. Harding anymore."

Talia clearly didn't see that coming—especially not here.

She shot me a look, pure venom, then forced a smile. "Bryson, that's on me. Don't worry, I'll handle it tomorrow."

I let out a quiet breath. I wasn't getting pulled back into their mess.

All I wanted was a quiet life with Kyle.

"You can keep the money. I'm doing fine." I paused. "I still have work, so I'll get back to it."

I didn't wait for a response. Just turned and walked off.

The banquet picked right back up like nothing happened. Laughter, chatter. Meanwhile, I went back to work.

Rag. Bucket. One last stall, then I could take Kyle home.

Then—noise. Sudden, sharp.

Talia's voice cut through everything, high and panicked.

"How is that possible?! I was just wearing it! That diamond bracelet was five million—how does it just disappear?!"

My heart dropped. Something felt off—bad.

Then Talia kept going, voice sharp with suspicion. "Just now... Joanna was the only one near me. Before I linked arms with her, my bracelet was still there. So could it be—"

She didn't even need to finish.

The stall door slammed open. A bodyguard yanked me out.

"I didn't do it! I've been working this whole time—I didn't touch anything! Let me go!"

I fought back hard, but it didn't matter.

I didn't stand a chance.

Talia rushed over, all fake concern. "Joanna, I'm so sorry—really. That bracelet's extremely valuable. I can't lose it. I just want to check. If it's not on you, I'll let you go right away and apologize."

Yeah. Sure.

Her hand went straight for my right pocket.

And just like that—she pulled it out.

The bracelet.

The room exploded.

Disgust. Contempt. All of it crashing straight at me.

Talia stumbled back a step, clutching the bracelet like she'd just been betrayed. Her face twisted with hurt—real convincing.

"Joanna... how could you?" she said softly. "If you needed money, you could've told me. Why would you... steal?"

Police and security showed up.

The evidence? Right there. In front of everyone.

My chest tightened. I looked around, panic rising, face drained. "It wasn't me! I swear—I don't know how it got in my pocket!"

Desperate, I grabbed Bryson's sleeve.

I had nowhere else to go.

"Bryson, we grew up together. You know me. I'd never steal. Please—help me. I was set up!"

Tears blurred everything.

He looked at me—at my red, wet eyes. Something flickered... then vanished.

He lifted a hand, brushed the tears from the corner of my eye.

Then his voice went cold.

"Joanna, you know me. I only believe what I can see."