'Ms. Johnson, your marriage certificate is fake.

'The system shows that the name of Mr. William Clark's spouse is Sophia Lopez, and they have a six-year-old son.'

I was holding my daughter, Emmy, at the time. My ears were rang as I recalled the words that escaped the lips of the staff member at the vital records office while passing the piece of marriage certificate, which now had a trashy feel to it, back to me.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated, snapping me out of my thoughts. I checked and saw that it was a message from Sophia.

'Heather Johnson, my beloved husband, William, is attending my son's parent-teacher meeting and doesn't have time to help you with your illegitimate daughter's birth certificate application.'

I clutched my phone and stared at the text message. Tears blurred my vision, for it made my eyes sting when I saw Sophia calling Emmy illegitimate.

I kissed Emmy's forehead and carried her out of the hospital.

…

When I was on my way home, I called William's archnemesis, the very man he despised with every fiber of his being.

"I'm currently single. If your offer still stands, I'll marry you in five days."

The Other Woman

I had just placed the fake marriage certificate on the living room table after arriving home when William Clark, my "husband," pushed the door open and entered. "Honey, I'm home. Did the baby give you any trouble today?"

He opened his arms, wanting to hug me.

However, he instantly froze when he caught sight of the marriage certificate on the table. "Why did you take the marriage certificate out?" he asked.

I forced a smile and replied, "I'm thinking of finding some time to apply for Emmy's birth certificate."

William immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "You don't need to worry about it. Just stay home, rest well, and take good care of Emmy."

After that, he picked up the marriage certificate and hastily scurried to the room to take a shower.

…

Meanwhile, I sat on the couch, quietly recalling the memories we'd made throughout our marriage. My heart ached so much that it felt like it was being squeezed tightly by a merciless hand.

Suddenly, William's phone, which he had placed on the table, vibrated. I opened his WhatsApp and saw an unread message in a pinned chat. I immediately went to the privacy settings and disabled the Read Receipts option before reading.

'William, Ethan is making a fuss about wanting you to keep him company.' The latest one read.

There was no doubt that the other party was Sophia.

As if I wasn't devastated enough by the news of the fake marriage certificate, I further tortured myself by swiping the screen and reading their chat history.

'I'll drop by your place tonight. You and Heather both had babies, but your body still looks great even after giving birth. Heather has so many stretch marks on her stomach that I really can't muster any interest in her,' said William.

'Then, stay a little longer. Ethan misses you, too,' answered Sophia.

…

The more I scrolled upward, the more my hands trembled. My heart twisted further and further as I kept reading.

'William, thanks for helping Ethan enroll in the best private elementary school. I didn't want to bother you, but Ethan needs his father. We won't disturb your life with Ms. Johnson,' Sophia stated.

'Don't overthink it. She'll never find out. Besides, you're my legal wife, not her. I'll take care of you and Ethan,' William replied.

I felt like my world was falling apart after reading that sentence. We had been in love for many years, but never once did it cross my mind that I was the other woman.

I was well aware that most wealthy couples in Imperia's elite circle had their own agendas, but I always thought William was an exception.

What impressed me most was the time I lost a game of Truth or Dare with my friends and texted William to break up with him. He had called me the very next second, and his voice trembled like it was about to crack as he asked, "W-Where are you?"

Before I could delete the message, the door to the private dining room was flung open. William stumbled in with his suit stained with dust.

He held me tightly and pressed my hand against his pounding heart. "This belongs to you. I have nothing left if you abandon me."

When he later realized that the whole thing turned out to be just a game of Truth or Dare, he reacted completely unlike the decisive man he was in the business world by getting on his knees before me and crying like a baby.

"You scared the hell out of me, Heather! Don't joke about this anymore, or I'll die!" he cried out.

I'd spent hours trying to figure out where it all went wrong. Yet, I couldn't fathom why the man who once loved me so much had changed when we'd been together for so long.

Emergencies

Moreover, the fact that he chose Sophia of all people was beyond me.

Sophia was the daughter of a housemaid at Clark Residence. Sophia had once tried to seduce William when he returned to Clark Residence. He immediately flew into a rage and kicked her out.

Later, William brought her back to be his secretary and explained, "Sophia's mother has been working at Clark Residence for years. She even came to my mother for help, so I had no choice."

I expressed my understanding at that time, but I never imagined that they had been married for seven years and had a six-year-old son.

The sound of water in the bathroom gradually stopped.

I quickly wiped away my tears, exited the chat, marked the message as unread, re-enabled the Read Receipts option in the settings, and put the phone back on the table.

When William saw me still sitting in the living room after coming out of the bathroom, he was a little surprised. "Honey, are you tired? You seem a bit down."

Although I was disgusted with him calling me so intimately, I couldn't expose everything yet. Thus, I replied, "I'm fine. Just feeling a little tired."

When he didn't notice anything unusual about me, he picked up his phone to check. After he read the text, he smiled and said, "Get some rest then. Something came up at work again, so I'll have to go."

Then, he went out and didn't come home all night.

…

Since the marriage certificate I had with William was fake, I didn't even have the right to sue Sophia for the return of our marital property.

Even so, I would still fight to reclaim every single thing that belonged to me. I carefully counted my shares again and contacted other shareholders to sell them at a low price.

The next morning, I went to the company to check the records of the rehabilitation device project after the secretary told me William wasn't in the office. I kept the evidence of Sophia switching to a cheaper supplier and pocketing the price difference on my phone.

'This was the smart rehabilitation device development project that my father valued most before he passed away. That was why I pushed through and kept myself updated with its progress for several months even when I was pregnant.

'Yet, I never imagined that William would immediately hand over the project to Sophia after it gradually got on track,' I thought, my hand trembling as I held the phone.

They had ruined the project my father cherished like his own life. To make matters worse, I felt powerless to even protect it.

After I got home, William sent me a message saying he had to go on a business trip for a few days. I couldn't care less and immediately booked a flight to Stomvale for three days later.

Just as I put down my phone, a heartbreaking cry suddenly came from the nursery.

I turned around, rushed into the nursery, and saw that Emmy was covered in a widespread rash. She was breathing rapidly, and her face was turning bluish-purple.

I was so overwhelmed with fear that I trembled as I rushed her to the hospital. By the time we arrived, I felt like I had been through hell and back.

After a series of examinations, the doctor came out with the report, his expression grave. "Your daughter has an acute severe allergic reaction, which has caused laryngeal edema. Her life could be in danger if she doesn't receive treatment."

My lips trembled as I cried, "Doctor, give her the best treatment there is! I don't care what you must do, but you must save her!"

"Emergency treatment for allergies requires specific allergy relief medications and expert consultation. Our pharmacy doesn't have much stock of these special medications," the doctor explained solemnly.

I completely broke down in tears and begged the doctor again and again to find a solution.

A moment later, a nurse rushed over.

Her face was filled with apparent sympathy as she spoke, "I'm sorry, Ms. Johnson. Mr. Clark's son's pet dog wouldn't eat, so he had all the hospital's specialists and emergency medications transferred to the VIP ward."

Her words came as a blow, shattering my last shred of reason. After I handed Emmy to the nurse, I rushed to the VIP ward on the top floor.

I kicked open the ward door and saw that the dog didn't look sick at all. In fact, the Golden Retriever was lying on the carpet, full of energy, and gnawing on a bone. Meanwhile, Ethan Clark, the son William had with Sophia, teased it with a treat.

My heart ached terribly, and I couldn't help but roar, "Give my daughter the medicine!"

Who Exactly Is the Wife?

Sophia's expression was filled with triumph as she said smugly, "It breaks William's heart to see Ethan feeling sad, so he has ordered that all medical experts and medicines in this hospital must be reserved for Ethan's dog. As for that liability of a daughter you gave birth to, I don't care if she dies."

I didn't have time to waste words with her. I rushed over and forcibly grabbed the allergy relief medication from the medication cart next to me.

"Don't you dare!" Sophia screamed and stomped in anger. "Security! There's a lunatic here! Get her out of here right now!"

My arms were restrained the next second. I kept staring intently at the medicine bottle, which was a stone's throw away, as I frantically tried to break free.

Meanwhile, Sophia looked at me. Suddenly, she sneered. After that, she slammed the container of allergy relief medication hard onto the ground and crushed the pills with her heel.

"I'd rather destroy these pills than give them to that bastard!" she remarked viciously.

I was burning with rage as I was getting dragged out of the ward. "Emmy is William Clark's daughter. He won't let you off the hook if anything happens to her!" I shouted.

The hospital director, who was alerted by the commotion, immediately frowned and demanded, "Who exactly is Mr. Clark's wife?"

Sophia unlocked her phone and showed the digital marriage certificate between her and William. "It's me, of course. She's just some unknown prostitute trying to get close to William!"

As soon as these words escaped her lips, the voices of the onlookers pierced the air like needles.

"Holy moly! Are all prostitutes this bold and aggressive now? She even dares to come to the man's lawful wife directly!"

"The daughter of a prostitute should just die!"

It killed me listening to them curse Emmy.

As I thought of how her face had turned bluish-purple, I swiftly fell on my knees before Sophia and begged, "Please save my daughter."

Then, I called William, my hands shaking all the while. The moment the call went through, I yelled into the receiver, "William! Emmy is having an allergic reaction! Get the hospital to give her medication right away! If not, she'll die!"

William remained silent for a moment before whispering, "Heather, stop messing around. I really am in a meeting abroad."

"William!" I shouted again, but the call was already disconnected with a beep.

Sophia, who had been standing nearby, smiled smugly and said, "You all saw that, right? I told you, this woman and her daughter always try to bluff and deceive. Not only did she scam men, but she also wanted to steal this expensive medicine."

As she spoke, she called William and complained that she was given a hard time when she brought Ethan's dog to the hospital.

William's voice on the other end of the phone changed from gentle to furious.

The hospital director, who stood next to Sophia, suddenly leaned closer to the phone and asserted in a fawning tone, "Don't worry, Mr. Clark. All the medical experts and medications will be reserved for Mr. Ethan's beloved dog. We won't let just anyone use it."

"Good," William hummed, his voice as cold as ice as he added, "I… don't have a daughter, so just take good care of my son's dog."

The phone call abruptly ended.

I collapsed to the ground, feeling as though my soul had been removed from my body.

The ward door slammed shut, cutting off everything outside.

I staggered back to Emmy's ward. I picked her up, my tears kept falling as I held her in my arms.

Once again, the phone screen lit up. It was a notification that Sophia had uploaded a new post on her Instagram feed.

There were two photos in her newly updated post. In the first one, she was smiling brightly while holding Ethan and the Golden Retriever, whereas the second one showed the money William just transferred.

There was a caption underneath that post, stating, 'Buying imported dog food for Ethan's dog.'

As I stared at the photos, I instantly felt a deep sense of disappointment and heartbreak.

In my arms, I could feel Emmy's breathing grow weaker and weaker.

"Hello, I'm a retired doctor from the hospital. I have some allergy relief medication on hand."

Thankfully, Emmy's life was saved thanks to a Good Samaritan.

Her biological father, who was supposed to love and protect her, had hoarded all the emergency resources for a dog and refused to give her any medicine.