My live-in husband used my family’s influence to climb all the way to the position of Deputy Fire Chief. Throughout our five years of marriage, he has stood me up on every anniversary by using work as his excuse.

This year, he finally agreed to celebrate our anniversary with me. But he only did so out of guilt. He had manipulated me into staying abroad to handle matters for him, which made me miss saying goodbye to my sister while she was dying in childbirth. The dinner was just his way of pretending to be sorry.

As our dishes were served, my husband saw a news report about a fire at a top-tier postpartum care center downtown. He immediately ditched me and rushed to the scene. The fire station headquarters was just one block over! And he had specifically taken leave that week.

I accidentally answered a call on his personal phone, and that was when I realized why he had been away from me most of the time. This man would not even buy me a cheap birthday gift, yet he had spent a packet to book a stay at a postpartum center for his mistress!

I had to see for myself what kind of woman would have him so spellbound. I was determined to make him pay back every single item he had gotten from the Grant family, with interest.

I had been married for five years to my husband, Tristan Wolfe. Always claiming to have urgent duties, he had missed four of our anniversaries in a row.

After using my father to get promoted to Deputy Fire Chief, he finally agreed to celebrate our fifth anniversary.

The moment our dishes were served, he saw the news about a fire at a postpartum center downtown and turned pale.

I tried to reassure him by saying, “The fire headquarters is right across the street. You’re on your rare day off. Your team can handle it.”

He shook off my hand impatiently. Glaring at me with teary, red eyes, he called me heartless.

“I earned this position by risking my life! How could I neglect my duty for personal affairs? I’d be letting my coworkers at the headquarters down!”

He was in such a rush that he left his personal phone behind. Shortly after, it rang with a special notification tone.

When I picked up, a voice said reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Mr. Wolfe. Your wife’s VIP suite is on the top floor. It’s completely safe from the flames.”

I hung up and scoffed as I stared coldly at the screen.

Just two weeks ago, Tristan had held me in his arms while coaxing me with promises that we would start trying for a baby after his promotion.

He had even complained about postpartum centers being too expensive and suggested that his mother could take care of me instead.

I genuinely wondered what kind of woman could make my notoriously stingy husband pay for a top-tier postpartum center. It would easily cost a packet dollars per month.

...

Without hesitation, I took the shortest route and drove straight to the postpartum center.

The fire was out, but the ground floor was completely charred and in disarray.

I was about to rush upstairs when several firefighters stopped me.

“What do you want? We’re still cleaning up the site. Nobody’s allowed in,” one of them said impatiently, almost spitting in my face.

I suppressed my irritation and said, “I’m looking for my husband, Tristan.”

When the firefighters heard this, they let out a scornful sneer.

“Mr. Wolfe? Take a look in the mirror! What makes you think you have any business with someone like him?”

There was a boastful tone in his voice. “The only reason Mr. Wolfe wrapped up the operation so quickly was to protect his wife and his newborn son!”

“His wife?”

When I frowned, the man retorted, “I bet you don’t even know her name, do you? How ridiculous! Why would you even try to impersonate her?!”

He jabbed a finger at my shoulder. “Fine, I’ll do you a favor. Her name is Phoebe!”

Phoebe?

My heart sank.

Phoebe Fields? Was she not Tristan’s autistic, distant cousin?

Three years ago, Tristan had desperately begged me to let her come to Pinecrest to work. I reluctantly agreed to sponsor her.

Every time I suggested meeting her over those three years, Tristan would use her condition as an excuse. He would claim she was too afraid to meet people.

The firefighters were about to shoo me away when they noticed a woman strut out from inside. Instantly, their irritated expressions shifted into an ingratiating smile.

“Mrs. Wolfe!”

She wore a tight bodycon dress and strutted on diamond-studded four-inch heels.

When she saw me, she frowned impatiently and urged, “Are you the new nanny? Don’t just stand there!

“God, this is so annoying. The last one died, and now the baby won’t stop crying. I don’t have time for this. I’ve to go buy a limited-edition bag. Only one person gets to buy it. If I’m late, I’ll miss out on it!”

I sized her up. Her outrageous words left me speechless.

The woman before me bore no resemblance to the plain, country girl from the photos I had seen.

Money could truly change people.

When I was still rooted in place, Phoebe stamped her foot irritably.

“Hello? Are you deaf or something? Who do you work for? I’m reporting you.”

I sneered and said, “I’m not a nanny. I’m here catching a cheater.”

Phoebe froze. Before she could speak, a familiar voice sounded from behind her.

“Darling, aren’t you going to buy a bag? I’ve booked a ride for you.”

Phoebe instantly strutted over and threw herself into Tristan’s arms. She then said in a cutesy voice, “Honey, I’ve had the worst day today.

“I’m already upset that the nanny died. Now I have to deal with this crazy lunatic!”

When Tristan saw me, he gulped nervously.

I gave a cold smirk. “Care to explain?”

Phoebe glared at me and yelled, “Explain what? Who do you think you are? Are you trying to seduce my husband? Do you expect us to believe you’re here to ‘catch a cheater?’ Give me a break!”

I scoffed. “I’m here to expose your affair! Tristan, you’ve got some nerve. Your mistress is already with child!”

My words sent the onlookers into an uproar.

“That can’t be! Phoebe is definitely Mr. Wolfe’s wife. They’ve been together for three years. We witnessed their entire relationship unfold.

“Everyone knows how much Mr. Wolfe dotes on his wife! He’s been saving his salary and bonuses tirelessly for months just for her postpartum care!”

The postpartum center staff exchanged looks.

“Exactly! What mistress would be brazen enough to stay in our VIP suite? In all my years working here, I’ve never seen anything like it!”

Disappointment washed over me.

His monthly salary was eight thousand dollars, yet I gave him an allowance of at least six figures every month.

Seeing everyone taking her side, Phoebe looked at me triumphantly.

“Know your place and get lost! A man like my husband is way out of your league.

“I’m Mayor Victor Grant’s niece. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll walk away now.”

I laughed out loud at her words.

“Niece?”

I raised an eyebrow, eyeing her heavy, exaggerated makeup.

“Funny. I’m Victor Grant’s daughter. For some reason, I’ve never heard of a tacky, unrefined relative like you in our family!”

The surrounding crowd gasped.

“Mr. Grant really does seem to have a daughter. She’d be about this age, too.”

“Don’t let her bluff you! Mr. Grant’s daughter has never made a public appearance. She must be an imposter!”

“Exactly! First, she impersonates Mr. Wolfe’s wife, now this? She has no shame!”

As Phoebe straightened up arrogantly, I answered with icy sarcasm.

“It's true, nobody’s seen Mr. Grant’s daughter.

“But has anyone here ever seen his niece? Isn’t Phoebe far more likely to be the imposter?”

“You!”

Phoebe’s face instantly turned red from humiliation. Just as she was about to explode in anger, Tristan quickly softened his voice to comfort her.

“Fifi, you’re still recovering from postpartum. You shouldn’t get worked up.”

He was emboldened by his coworkers closely surrounding him. He took a deep breath and asserted himself.

“Stop this nonsense! My only wife is Fifi.”

His eyes were filled with utter disgust.

“You couldn’t get me to love you back after chasing me for five years, and now you resort to slander and revenge? That’s just sick.”

I had long prepared the evidence of his affair. I scoffed and threw our marriage certificate at his face.

“We’ve been married for five years. Do the math yourself. Have you even spent six full months with me?

“You were with Phoebe on every single one of our anniversaries, weren’t you?

“You told me she had autism, but judging by how entitled she looks now, I don’t see it.”

Phoebe snapped at my words. She pointed at me and yelled, “You’re insane! Did you really think you could fool us? Anyone can fake a marriage certificate.

“You’re claiming to be Tris’ wife, aren’t you? Every man here is very close to him. Does a single one of them recognize you?”

Following her words, the man closest to me spoke first. His tone dripped with contempt.

“She’s right. We were all at their wedding!”

“Someone find the video and show this delusional woman the truth!”

I stared at the wedding video playing on the phone held in front of me. My mind went completely blank for an instant.

The wedding had happened three years ago on my birthday.

I applied for a graduate program abroad after Tristan and I got married. My father was firmly against it, but Tristan was unusually supportive.

At the time, I had been deeply moved. I thought he understood my aspirations.

Little did I know, my departure abroad actually gave him and Phoebe the perfect opportunity. They even dared to hold a wedding ceremony.

On that birthday three years ago, I did not receive any gift from Tristan, let alone a simple birthday wish.

He video-called me after two days. His body was wrapped in blood-stained bandages.

“Dear, I got seriously injured fighting a fire out in the suburbs. I just woke up. I'm so sorry I missed your birthday.”

I looked up domestic news reports and found that a factory fire had indeed broken out in the suburbs that day.

I felt guilty and transferred him one million dollars.

I finally realized he had been busy marrying someone else on my birthday.

That fatal fire, which claimed hundreds of lives, became his perfect excuse to deceive me.

Just as I was about to retort, the sound of a crying baby suddenly echoed from down the hallway.

A nurse hurried over with a baby in her arms.

She said anxiously, “Mrs. Wolfe, the baby won’t stop crying and is vomiting up all the milk he had in the morning!

Instinctively, I looked at the baby in the nurse’s arms. My heart jolted the moment I saw his face.

My heart settled on a single thought of understanding. This was my sister’s baby. He was the only part of her that remained after she died in childbirth.

When my eyes widened in shock, Phoebe looked at me with smug satisfaction.

“See this? We have a child together. Your little ‘wife’ charade is over. Get lost!”

I trembled with rage. The grief I had suppressed deep inside surged up once again.

My younger sister, Lily Grant, had gotten pregnant with some deadbeat’s child. Even after he abandoned her, she stubbornly insisted on keeping the baby. Neither my father nor I could talk any sense into her.

On the day she passed away during childbirth, I was abroad and was rushing to finish the final stage of an experiment. I could have returned home the very next day.

A nurse had even sent me a photo of my nephew. His features strongly resembled my sister’s.

But at that very moment, Tristan specifically asked me to help secure the approval for his relative’s overseas project.

I trusted him and ended up getting delayed for an entire week before I could return.

The day before my flight home, I received the devastating news that my nephew had suddenly died.

Tristan’s intense guilt made him swear he would make it up to me on our anniversary.

I grabbed Tristan’s wrist tightly and confronted him with my shaky voice, “Tristan Wolfe! How could you do this to my family?

“You cheated on me, and you stole my sister’s baby for her? You’re a monster!”

Tristan viciously shook my hand off. “What is your problem? You’re spouting pure nonsense!”

I stumbled back several steps and fell to the floor in a humiliating heap.

Seizing the opportunity, Phoebe stepped forward and kicked me hard in the leg with the pointed toe of her high heel.

“Are you delusional? First, you try to steal my husband, and now my baby?”

Tristan’s face darkened with fury. Even the postpartum center staff who had gathered around rushed to Phoebe’s defense.

“Miss, you need to be very careful about making such claims.”

“Mrs. Wolfe booked with our postpartum center early in her pregnancy. We’ve coordinated every single prenatal appointment. How could this child possibly be your sister’s?”

I pointed a trembling finger at Tristan’s face.

“You were there when my nephew was born! That baby had a mole right by his eye, exactly like this one! You know the truth in your heart!”

Tristan’s eyes darted away, but his voice rose sharply as he feigned indignation.

“How dare you make such baseless claims! A mole doesn’t prove anything! It’s merely a coincidence!

“You will apologize to Fifi and the child right now, or this isn’t over!”

People around us began to murmur in agreement.

“That’s right! Apologize to both of them!”

I scanned the crowd as a wave of bleak despair washed over me.

“Fine. There are more of you. I can’t win this argument.

“But I dare you to call a doctor for a DNA test right now.

“If it proves this child is Phoebe’s, I’ll get on my knees and apologize to all of you right here! But do you even dare?”

Tristan glared at me as guilt flashed in his eyes. “Why should I listen to you? You’re the one who came here causing trouble!”

His coworkers immediately backed him up.

“Exactly! We all saw what happened! You’re the one who’s out of line!”

“Tristan is the Deputy Fire Chief now. He has a massive future ahead! If you mess with him, you can forget about having a peaceful life ever again!”

I let out a cold laugh, pointing a finger directly at Tristan’s face.

“You think you can threaten me with your position? Five years ago, you were just a regular firefighter. You get one promotion and suddenly, you’re untouchable?

“Did you forget who begged my father to open doors for you? Who fixed your performance reviews to get you that deputy chief title in under five years?

“Did you think you earned that luxury car and mansion yourself? Name one thing you have now that wasn’t bought with the Grant family’s influence!”

As I said this, Tristan’s coworkers, who had defended him instantly, changed their expressions.

Someone muttered under their breath, “No wonder he rose so fast. The last deputy chief was nearly forty before he got the position.”

“Every bag Phoebe carries costs more than my car. A month at that postpartum center costs a million dollars! How does a regular deputy chief afford that kind of lifestyle?”

Tristan’s face flushed red with rage. He clenched his fists and retorted, “I earned this position! I’ve always been the first to take on every mission, haven’t I? I built my career with my sweat and blood!

“I’ve always been nothing but sincere to all of you! Whenever there were benefits, did I ever leave anyone out? And now, you’d believe her hysterical accusations?

“She’s just a madwoman! Don’t let her manipulate you!”

Phoebe’s face was also red with rage as she spat her words in defiance. “My family runs a business! And Tristan is my husband. Is it his fault he has such a good marriage now?”

Watching the two of them scrambling to defend themselves like cornered rats made me feel nothing but contempt.

“Fine. Let’s call your ‘dear uncle’ right now.

“Let’s see if he’ll acknowledge you in front of everyone.”