"Fiona's gorgeous—second only to Athena Barnes, the campus beauty queen. Now that you've got one foot in the door of high society, Athena can't even compare to you anymore."

Fiona preened, her face glowing with smug satisfaction.

"Look, we're women. Why wouldn't we use the resources we have? Men marry wives, not housekeepers. Rich or poor, they all want someone young and beautiful." Her gaze swept over me. "Athena, I can already see the wrinkles forming. I bet your husband can't stand looking at that face anymore."

The mirror behind her caught my reflection—puffy, haggard, drained.

The contrast between us was brutal.

"My husband—"

He's not like that. The words lodged in my throat, refusing to come out.

Fiona giggled. "Men always trade up for something newer. Never believe their promises of forever."

"Take my benefactor, for example. He swore he'd give his wife the world. But once he actually had money? Every time they were in bed together, all he could think about was how she used to haul cargo like a man, drenched in sweat, haggling over vegetables like some market fishwife." She wrinkled her nose. "Killed the mood completely."

"So every night he claimed he was 'working late'? He was with me, getting what she couldn't give him. Really, I'm doing her a favor. Spending a little of her money seems only fair."

Her shamelessness—the way she wore it like a badge of honor—hit a nerve.

I smiled, but there was nothing behind it.

"If you know he's heartless, why are you trying to become his official wife?"

She touched her stomach, her smile turning soft.

"I don't have a choice anymore. I'm pregnant. This is his first child."

"His wife has bad genes—she's got a brother who's mentally disabled. He was terrified of having a defective baby, so he arranged for their first pregnancy to end in a miscarriage."

Thunder roared in my ears.

In my second year of marriage to Wilfred, I'd been pregnant too.

I'd been so happy—buying tiny clothes, little toys. Then during a routine warehouse inspection, a stack of cargo collapsed and struck my lower back.

The baby was gone.

I'd been consumed with guilt, sobbing until I couldn't breathe. "Wilfred, I'm so sorry. I was careless. It's my fault—"

He'd held me close. "Don't blame yourself, Athena. We're still young. Once the company stabilizes, once you've recovered, we'll have another."

That was five years ago.

Just a few months back, I'd brought it up again—told him I wanted a baby.

He'd said the company was at a critical growth phase. He didn't have the energy. Maybe in a few more years.

So those were all just excuses.

But my brother wasn't born disabled. He'd fallen and hit his head as a child. His reactions were a little slow—that was all. It wasn't genetic.

A sharp, twisting pain spread through my chest, like a blade lodged sideways between my ribs.

Around me, my former classmates chattered on without restraint.

"Congratulations! Push out the old hag and you'll be the real lady of the house."

"Your benefactor's ruthless, though. Taking care of a 'problem' before it even became one? That was his own flesh and blood."

"Honestly, I wouldn't let the first wife have kids either. What if the baby really was defective? Can't abandon it, can't raise it—nightmare. He made the smart call."

"Exactly. Everyone wants a healthy, beautiful child. With Fiona's genes? If I were him, I'd want her to be the mother too."

Fiona basked in the flattery, her posture growing more regal by the minute, like a woman already crowned.

The door opened. A server approached Fiona with exaggerated courtesy.

"Ms. Lawson, Mr. Rivera has already covered the bill for this table. He also asked me to deliver this jade bracelet to you."

The moment I saw it, my pupils contracted sharply.

My entire body went rigid.

That was Wilfred's family heirloom—the jade bracelet.

The same one I'd shattered just yesterday.

Why was it here?

Fiona's face lit up with delight as she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist without hesitation.

"You have no idea—this is my sugar daddy's family heirloom jade bracelet. I kept pestering him for it, so he had a fake one made with tiny cracks all over it. His wife barely tapped it and it shattered."

"She felt so guilty she handed over their last property as compensation. He signed it right over to me."

I felt flash-frozen, my blood turning to ice in an instant.

Wilfred's promise from seven years ago echoed in my ears.

"Athena, this jade bracelet is something my grandmother protected with her life. Wear it, and you'll be my woman forever."

"I'll love you for the rest of my life. If I ever break this vow, I'll walk away with nothing..."

He'd even signed an agreement to that effect.

Not that it stopped him from keeping a mistress on the side.

So his "forever" only lasted seven years.

My body refused to obey me, locked rigid in place.

Even my tongue felt tied in knots.

The chatter around me grew more grating by the second.

"Wow, he gave you the family heirloom? Your position as Mrs. Rivera is set in stone now. You're going to be a rich man's wife—don't forget about us little people!"

"Well, he did pick up the tab for everyone. Shows how much he values our Fiona."

"Why are you still calling him your sugar daddy? He's your husband now!"

"This calls for a celebration! Come on, let's raise a glass to Fiona—congratulations on your successful upgrade!"

I gripped my wine glass until my knuckles went white.

The words tore out of me before I could stop them.

"Aren't you worried his wife will find out? Your sugar daddy is the one at fault—he'll lose everything in the divorce."

Fiona's smile was smug, utterly confident.

"Not worried at all. He transferred all the assets ages ago. He's even made it look like the company is drowning in debt. When they divorce, his wife won't just walk away empty-handed—she'll be saddled with massive debt."

"Just thinking about how every luxury I buy for myself and my child will be paid for by that worn-out hag slaving away... it gets me so excited!"

My stomach churned as if filled with spinning razor blades, the pain making the room tilt around me.

Divorce wasn't enough. Leaving me with nothing wasn't enough. He wanted me drowning in debt to support his mistress and their child.

How much did he hate me?

I raised my arm and flung my wine straight into Fiona's face.

She choked and sputtered, coughing violently as our classmates rushed to help wipe her down.

"Athena, what the hell? Why'd you throw wine at Fiona? Are you out of your mind?"

"Seriously, what is wrong with you? It's not like she stole your husband. Why are you so worked up?"

"She's obviously jealous. She used to be better than Fiona in every way, but now Fiona's marrying into money and she can't handle it."

I clenched my teeth, fighting the urge to slap Fiona senseless.

"Are you all completely shameless? She's a homewrecker, flaunting it in everyone's faces, scheming to destroy the wife—and you're defending her? Have you no decency?"

My outburst left them red-faced, averting their eyes, mumbling nothing.

Fiona wiped her face clean and let out a cold laugh.

"You talk about decency, but look around—every single person in this room is on my side. People mock poverty, not promiscuity. Money buys all the decency you need."

"Athena, you're just jealous I found a better man than you did. You've been making snide remarks since you walked in. If you want a sugar daddy so badly, I can set you up—though someone as pathetic as you probably only deserves some old geezer!"

Slap!

The slap I'd been holding back finally landed across her face.

She shrieked in fury. "Athena! What the fuck is wrong with you? Acting all high and mighty? Give you a rich old man and you'd grovel lower than anyone!"

Stunned by my outburst, my classmates crowded around, voices rising in accusation.

"Athena, we were just chatting among classmates. If you didn't want to hear it, you could have just ignored it. But hitting someone? That's way out of line."

"Exactly! We haven't all gotten together in years, and we finally managed to meet up for the holidays. Why do you have to ruin it?"

"Just because your life isn't going well doesn't mean you get to take it out on others. I never knew you were this petty."

"Fiona is Mrs. Rivera now. She's not someone a nobody like you can afford to offend."

Fiona clutched her face, glaring at me with indignation.

"Athena, for the sake of our years as classmates, apologize to me and kowtow three times. Then I might let this go."

I let out a cold laugh. "I will never apologize to a shameless homewrecker who slept her way to the top. You got exactly what you deserved."

Her teeth ground together in fury. "Fine. Want to play tough? Just wait."

She pulled out her phone and dialed. The call connected almost instantly.

She deliberately put it on speaker. A familiar voice came through from the other end.

"What's wrong, baby? Having fun at your reunion?"

"No, I'm not. One of my classmates hit me for no reason and won't even apologize. Wilfred, it hurts so much, and I'm so humiliated..."

"Who has the nerve to bully Wilfred Rivera's woman? Put her on the phone."

The phone was shoved into my hand. Before I could even speak, Wilfred's icy voice cut through.

"I don't care who you are. Apologize to my wife right now, exactly as she demands. Don't say I didn't give you a chance."

My voice trembled with rage. My fingers curled into fists so tight that my nails dug into my palms, sending sharp stabs of pain through my hands.

"And if I don't?"

Wilfred seemed to find my voice familiar, but Fiona's sudden whimpering beside him disrupted his thoughts. His tone turned vicious.

"Then don't blame me for teaching you a lesson my way."

He hung up before I could say another word.

Less than five minutes later, a bodyguard pushed through the door carrying a briefcase. He opened it to reveal stacks of crisp bills—a million dollars, neatly arranged.

"Mr. Rivera's orders: whoever slaps this woman gets a thousand dollars. No limit. Keep going until Mrs. Rivera is satisfied. Any consequences, Mr. Rivera will handle."

My mind exploded. It felt like I was plummeting into an endless abyss.

I remembered last month when I'd had my eye on a spring outfit that cost twenty thousand dollars. My account was short by five thousand.

I'd called him to ask for a transfer, and all I got was complaints.

"Athena, the company's losing money right now. Can you cut back a little? You have work clothes, don't you? No need to waste money. I'll order you a couple of work outfits to rotate."

Yet here he was, throwing away a fortune just to make another woman smile.

Slap!

Someone struck first. A palm connected hard with my face.

"Sorry, Athena. A thousand bucks covers my gas for a month."

Fiona didn't even blink. She transferred the money to that classmate on the spot.

I was still reeling from the shock when a storm of slaps rained down on me, one after another, everyone scrambling to get their turn.

Fiona watched me with a smile of pure satisfaction.

Someone recorded the whole thing and posted the video to our class group chat. The chat exploded.

[I'm stuck in my hometown, can't make it back. I want in so bad. Can I just curse at her instead? Maybe at a discount?]

Fiona replied: [Sure. A hundred bucks per insult. I'll transfer directly.]

Immediately, a flood of insults scrolled through the chat.

[Athena Barnes, you're nothing but a slut and a piece of trash]

[Athena Barnes is a cheap whore who's been passed around by everyone]

[Athena Barnes was selling herself back in school]

Someone else chimed in: [I'm in the city. Send me the address. My iron palm is ready to go.]