### Chapter 3

My head buzzed, and my entire body went numb.

"What? The marriage certificate is fake?"

"Yep! That frumpy little wife and her kid spent five whole years suffering through poverty with him, and they never even knew. Honestly, I feel sorry for them!"

Her plump cheeks twitched as she pouted in displeasure.

"But even so, he still won't leave his ugly duckling wife. I have no idea what he's thinking."

My voice came out dry and cracked. "Why? Why would he use a fake certificate to deceive her?"

"Well, right when they were about to get married, he and I happened to be, you know..." She waved her hand suggestively. "He was chasing me hard. I got angry and threw a fit, threatened to kill myself. To calm me down, he actually went out and bought a fake certificate for fifty bucks."

So the marriage I'd fought tooth and nail to hold together was nothing but a scam worth fifty dollars.

Eve tossed her dark curls over her shoulder, triumph radiating from every pore. "So he and I are the real thing. The one who isn't loved is the other woman here—"

Crack.

My palm connected with her face before either of us saw it coming.

She shrieked, clutching her cheek, her pretty eyes blown wide. "Did you just fucking hit me?!"

"You made sure my child never got to see his father one last time. Are you even human?!" I screamed, my eyes burning red.

A sharp pain tore through my thigh.

"Bad lady! You're hurting my mommy! I'll bite you to death!"

I looked down. Eve's son had latched onto my leg, sinking his teeth in.

The little boy was arrogant, his small eyes brimming with hostility.

And then I finally saw it clearly. That face. It looked so much like Dominic's childhood photos.

So much like my son.

In that moment, the designer outfit on his little body seared my vision like a brand.

I forgot the pain. Something inside me snapped, and I lunged for the tiny suit jacket.

"Take it off! Take it off!"

The child went white with terror at the crazed woman clawing at him and burst into wails.

Eve flew at me, her manicured nails raking through the air.

"You psycho! That's Dominic Ashford's son!"

Two flight attendants rushed over, grabbing my arms, hauling me back in a frantic tangle of limbs.

"Ms. Simmons, please, you can't take this out on a child!"

"Besides, Miss Sullivan and her son are VIP clients. You really can't afford to cross them."

VIP clients?

One of the attendants pulled me aside and whispered, "She's a premium guest with our airline. She's the woman of that billionaire Mr. Ashford, the one worth tens of billions. You don't want this fight."

So the whole world knew he was a billionaire. Everyone except his own wife.

I went to the restroom and splashed water on my face, trying to pull myself together.

As I turned to leave, I heard glass shatter somewhere behind me. Before I could react, a red stiletto heel hooked my ankle.

"Ah—!"

I hit the floor hard. Shards of broken glass bit into my kneecaps, and I sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth.

Eve stood over me, arms crossed, looking down like I was something stuck to her shoe.

"What exactly do you think you are, daring to hit me?"

Her eyes were venomous. "You said you had a child once. Don't tell me it died?"

"Look at you. Pathetic, disgusting. No wonder your man doesn't want you. That's why you're so insanely jealous of me, isn't it?"

I got up.

Without a word, I grabbed a fistful of her hair and slammed her head toward the sink counter.

"You—how dare you?!"

Eve thrashed wildly, and the flight attendants who'd been hovering nearby charged in instantly.

A male attendant shoved me back, hard and rough. I hit the floor again.

Eve screamed at a pitch that could shatter crystal.

"You all saw that! This trash tried to attack me! I'm calling the police!"

The male attendant dropped all pretense of courtesy.

"Did you hear that, Ms. Simmons? If you lay a hand on Miss Sullivan again, we'll have airport security waiting at the gate."

"I'd suggest you behave."

They ushered Eve out with the care and deference reserved for royalty.

I pulled the glass shards from my knees one by one, my whole body trembling with pain.

Then I got up and limped back to my seat.

The flight attendants swarmed around Eve and her son, treating her with the reverence of courtiers before a queen.

"Miss Sullivan, we're so sorry for the disturbance. Please, this is a freshly opened bottle of champagne to help calm your nerves."

"And for the little gentleman, this is a limited-edition collector's model, brand new. We hope he likes it."

"Please don't hesitate to let us know if there's anything else you need. Again, our sincerest apologies for this unpleasant experience."

I sat expressionless. I connected to the in-flight Wi-Fi, pulled up the photo of our marriage certificate on my phone, and sent it to Dominic.

A long pause before he replied.

"? I'm swamped at work, practically dying over here. I really wish I could spend your birthday with you."

I typed back:

"Dominic, is our marriage certificate real?"

### Chapter 4

No reply ever came through on my phone.

At the same time, a syrupy, tearful voice drifted over from nearby.

"Babe, this stupid plane is the worst! I'm never flying again! I'm so mad I could cry..."

"What happened? Who upset my baby? Tell me."

The tenderness soaking through that male voice made me look up involuntarily.

On Eve's screen, I saw the husband who'd told me he was working overtime, lounging against a leather sofa.

The Patek Philippe on his wrist, the one I'd always assumed was a knockoff, caught the light of a five-star hotel suite and threw back a cold, unmistakable gleam.

Eve wept like a willow in the rain, the picture of wounded innocence.

"There was this hideous psycho on the plane who had the nerve to bully me! Babe, you have to make her pay!"

The way Dominic looked at her was drenched in devotion so thick it could drown.

"Don't cry, baby. When you cry, it breaks my heart."

"I can't just swallow it! Look, that tramp ruined my hair. I paid thirty thousand dollars for this blowout!"

A flash of genuine pain crossed Dominic's eyes. His voice turned even more indulgent.

"Sweetheart, you know that emerald necklace that belonged to Marie Antoinette? The one you've been eyeing? I'll have someone bid on it for you right now."

Eve's tears stopped on a dime. She pouted, already melting into a coy smile.

"Really? That piece starts at eight figures, you know. You're too good to me." She sniffled prettily. "Fine. Since you love me this much, I guess I won't stoop to her level."

"Mm," Dominic said. "A trashy woman like that isn't worth my baby's anger. Be good. I told that plain little housewife I'd be on a business trip for a week, so you and our son better keep me company for my birthday this time."

The moment suspicion became certainty, every last scrap of denial crumbled to ash.

Eve squeezed her generous cleavage together, her voice dripping like warm taffy.

"So how do you want me to keep you company?"

Dominic let out a low laugh. Something raw and urgent surfaced in his gaze.

"I want you... to not leave that hotel bed for three straight days."

It was a side of him I had never seen. Nothing like the mechanical, going-through-the-motions man who lay beside me in our bed.

"Oh, stop! You're so bad! Our son can hear you!"

Eve scolded him, but every inch of her body language was an invitation.

My stomach turned. Not from anger. From something deeper, a disappointment so heavy it seeped into my bloodstream.

After a few more exchanges, Eve blew a string of exaggerated kisses at the screen and hung up.

My phone buzzed twice.

Dominic had replied.

"Babe, quit joking around. How can a marriage certificate be fake?"

"What's wrong, bad mood? I'll make it up to you when I get back from my trip. Look what I got you."

I looked at the photo he sent.

I laughed.

His mistress shed a few crocodile tears and earned a legendary piece of jewelry worth eight figures at auction.

And me? I got a sponge with a "buy one, get one free" sticker from the grocery store.

"You work so hard around the house. This one doesn't need soap, and it lasts forever. It'll keep your hands from getting rough when you do the dishes."

Before, I would have called him thoughtful. Considerate.

Now I saw it with brutal clarity. In his eyes, I was nothing more than a maid.

And the way he'd referred to me just moments ago, that disgusted tone, like he was talking about garbage.

What a monster.

The plane finally landed. I dragged my aching knees forward, ready to find Dominic and lay everything bare.

I barely made it out of the jetway before two uniformed officers stepped into my path.

"Are you Christine Simmons? You'll need to come with us."

"Why?"

The one with the thick mustache answered. "A Miss Sullivan filed a police report. She says you assaulted her and her son."

My fists clenched at my sides, fury coiling tight.

"That woman hit me too. Why aren't you arresting her?"

### Chapter 5

The contempt in his eyes was naked, unhidden. "You think you can compare to her?"

The sharp click of high heels approached. Eve walked over with her son in tow.

She pointed at me, her voice pitched high with arrogance. "This is the psycho who hit me. So what are we going to do about it?"

The tall, thin one in the wide-brimmed cap turned to me in a conciliatory tone. "Here's what we'll do, Ms. Simmons. If you offer Miss Sullivan a sincere apology, we'll consider the matter settled between you two."

Eve's eyebrows rose in smug triumph.

"You heard him. Get on your knees and apologize."

I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached, my fists balled at my sides.

"You're a homewrecker. What right do you have to demand an apology from me?"

"Ms. Simmons, watch your language!" the bearded one barked.

Then a middle-aged man in a crisp suit stepped out from behind them. His voice was level, utterly devoid of emotion.

"Ms. Simmons. I'm Mr. Ashford's butler."

"Mr. Ashford asked me to convey that Miss Sullivan is the person closest to his heart."

"As long as it resolves Miss Sullivan's grievance, Mr. Ashford is willing to personally compensate you one hundred thousand dollars for your knee injury, covering medical expenses and emotional damages."

Eve's smile dripped with scorn. "Tell you what. Kneel down and knock your head on the floor ten times, and I'll have my man give you half a million. Fifty grand per knock."

"A broke nobody like you has probably never seen that kind of money in your life, have you?"

She was right. Back then, I'd knelt before strangers, begged anyone who would listen, worked myself half to death, thrown away every shred of dignity I had, and still couldn't scrape together enough to save my son.

I'd thought Dominic was the same. That he was just as powerless.

But it turned out that ten knocks of the head, a laugh from his mistress, and he could toss that money away without blinking.

None of it mattered now. My son was already gone. Even five million wouldn't mean a thing.

"I don't want your money."

I straightened my spine and turned to leave.

A foot slammed into the back of my knee. I stumbled forward, and my forehead cracked against the glass partition in the corridor.

"Ungrateful bitch!"

Before the dizziness cleared, a full-force slap connected with my face.

"You think you can hit me and just walk away? It's not that easy!"

Vindictive pleasure twisted Eve's features. She raised her hand to strike again, but the one in the wide-brimmed cap grabbed her arm.

"Miss Sullivan, you've hit her back. Let's not drag this out."

The butler tossed a stack of cash at my feet. "We're even."

I bent down slowly.

Picked up the thick stack of bills.

A mocking smile curled across Eve's lips.

In the next instant, I swung the money across her face with every ounce of strength I had left.

The sharp edges of the bills sliced across her flawless skin, leaving thin lines of blood.

She froze.

Then her hands flew to her face, and she screamed, completely unhinged.

"My face?! You filthy bitch, what did you do to me?!"

"Eve?!"

A frantic, familiar voice came from behind me.

My body went rigid.

The moment she heard it, Eve threw herself into the man's arms, tears materializing on command.

"Baby! You're finally here..."

Dominic only had eyes for Eve. When he saw the blood on her face, his voice shook.

"Sweetheart, does it hurt?"

"It hurts so bad... Is my face ruined? Did that old hag disfigure me?"

"Nobody's ever dared do this to me. You have to destroy her for me, or I'm leaving you!"

"Daddy! Daddy!" The little boy ran over too, clinging to Dominic's leg, wailing. "That ugly witch hurt Mommy! Make her pay, Daddy!"

"Done." Dominic pulled Eve tight into the shelter of his arms and raised his head, his expression glacial.

"Let's see who had the nerve to touch my sweetheart."

His sharp, suspicious gaze landed on the back that felt impossibly familiar, and something clenched hard in his chest.

"Are you the one who hurt my wife and son?"

Wife?

Son?

A laugh tore out of me, shaking through my whole body. Slowly, I turned around.

Every drop of color drained from Dominic's face.

"Well then, Mr. Ashford."

"How exactly do you plan to avenge your wife?"