Gazing at Dan Simmons's name on the marriage license, my head spun.

Then it hit me—we had a big wedding five years back but never got legally hitched.

Dan claimed his family was strapped for cash and didn't want to look like he married up.

He said he'd rather earn my parents' approval with his own merits before we made it official.

Who knew that "later" meant a whole five years? Our daughter is already three, and we're still not legally married.

Whenever I pressed him about tying the knot legally, Dan would beat around the bush.

I once joked if he'd secretly married someone else.

Turns out, I was spot on.

The license revealed Dan had been married to Savannah for seven years.

And here I was, unknowingly the other woman for five.

Rage choked my words and my body wouldn't stop shaking.

Savannah misread my shock as fear and taunted, "If you're not the mistress, let's see your marriage certificate then."

Caught without one, Savannah turned to the crowd and yelled, "Really, folks? You came to a party thrown by a mistress? Don't you worry about your kids learning tricks from this lowlife? What a mess!"

Immediately, whispers filled the room.

"I can't believe it. Mo's mom was all lovey-dovey online, and she's the mistress? Flaunting her daughter's bash like that, is she trying to broadcast her affair?"

"Exactly, looks can be deceiving. Thought she was classy, but she's just trash. Had I known, I'd have kept my son away from Emma."

"Man, I regret showing up. Is it too late to head out?"

...

That's when my daughter stepped out of the back room.

Suddenly, those who adored her were backing away as if she carried a disease.

My heart ached seeing Emma's confused face; I struggled to stay composed and explained, "I won't lie, Dan and I didn't get the paperwork done, but we had a wedding—our friends and family see us as legit spouses!"

"We didn't file because Dan wanted to earn my family's blessing first."

"I'm a victim in this too. If you don't believe me, we can call Dan right now and sort this out."

I remembered how my family initially disapproved, and Dan, ever considerate, suggested we hold off on the license to give me an out if needed.

I thought he was being protective, really looking out for me.

Turns out, he'd already tied the knot with someone else.

Now, his real wife was using that to attack me.

Angered, I reached for my phone to call Dan.

But Savannah grabbed it first and smashed it on the ground.

"Don't think I'm clueless—you're trying to dial for backup, right?"

"Trying to seduce my husband again? Fat chance!"

Watching my phone shatter, my anger surged.

"This is between us three. Why can't I talk to Dan? What gives you the right to crash my daughter's birthday and spout lies—aren't you afraid of the police?"

Savannah sneered, "No need to talk to Dan. I'm his wife, I speak for him!"

"You want to call the cops? As if a homewrecker like you has that right!"

"Watch as I take you down in front of everyone on this livestream!"

With that, she kicked me fiercely, and I tumbled into my daughter's massive cake castle.

Emma adores Elsa from Frozen, so I had splurged on a cake castle designed by a top-tier pastry chef.

It was reinforced with sturdy steel rods to support its structure.

Falling on those could have been disastrous.

Losing balance, the castle crumbled and collapsed.

Luckily, I just scraped my leg on a rod, leaving a small red mark. Yet, it could've been much worse.

Catching my breath, I listened as Savannah laughed at my creamy mess.

Shoving the camera in my face, she gloated, "This is how you deal with mistresses—no mercy, or they never learn!"

"Can't believe she dodged that. But wrecking her fancy cake? Totally worth it!"

I knew Savannah was out for blood, but wanting me dead? That was a new low.

Enraged by her smugness, I bellowed, "Savannah Beck, if you don't want to lose it all, you better leave now, or you'll regret it!"

Savannah just laughed harder.

"You, a mistress, daring to threaten me? Please!"

"Every dime you've spent is from Dan and me! Better spit out what you owe, or I'll make sure you can't even beg for mercy!"

She then grabbed a bat and shattered the champagne tower.

Mo's treasured limited-edition Barbie was next, destroyed in Savannah's rage.

Her entourage mimicked her, trashing the place further.

The birthday bash turned into a complete disaster.

Then Savannah and her mob started hunting for something—or someone.

They were after Emma, I knew.

But thankfully, our nanny kept her hidden. So long as she kept quiet, she'd be safe for now.

However, Savannah guessed as much and directed a brute to drag me down by my hair, throwing me to the floor.

The pain made me scream.

As chaos erupted, the guests at the birthday party scattered in all directions.

My daughter, Emma, however, broke away from the nanny and ran towards me, tears streaming down her face.

She yelled as she ran, "Stop! Leave my mom alone, you bullies!"

Savannah grinned, thrilled her scheme was unfolding as planned.

Clutching her phone, she menacingly approached Emma.

"Playing the perfect little family, huh? Folks, want a peek at what the mistress's brat looks like? Smash that like button, and I'll show you the true face of this little cheat! With a mom like hers, this kid's bound to be rotten too—should be squashed right here!"

Panic surged through me as I saw Savannah closing in. I tried to break free with all my might.

A heavy boot kicked me back down, driving shards of glass into my skin.

Pain shot through me, but I only screamed louder, "Don't touch my Emma!"

I desperately called out to the teacher Lena Carter in the corner, "Ms. Carter, please, help me—call 911!"

Ms. Carter just scoffed.

"Call the police? Why? If you weren't so morally corrupt, you wouldn't be in this situation."

"Poor Emma, having a mother like you."

I had always made sure Emma was happy at preschool, even going so far as to curry favor with Ms. Carter.

Yet, there she stood, unwilling to even make a call to the police while we were being attacked.

A wave of despair overwhelmed me.

Savannah then noticed the designer dresses Emma and I were wearing.

"Why should two tramps like you wear such fine clothes? Rip them off!" she commanded.

Savannah viciously tore the train from Emma's dress, causing her to cry out in terror, frozen with fear.

The brute beside me was quick to follow suit, ripping my dress to shreds.

As Savannah reached to tear the remaining fabric from Emma, I broke free and shielded her with my body.

Disgusted, Savannah turned and shouted, "Get this trash away from her!"

"After I'm done with the kid, I'll deal with her!"

"Thinks she can steal my man? Not on my watch, not with all these eyes on us!"

As she spoke, a muscle-bound man tried to pull Emma and me apart.

Emma clung to me, crying inconsolably.

I clung back, fighting with every ounce of my strength.

My nails broke off in the struggle, my fingers bleeding, but the pain was nothing compared to the fear of losing her.

Despite my efforts, they pried Emma from my arms.

Her breathing became faint, and panic-stricken, I screamed, "Emma's having an asthma attack! Her inhaler's in her bag—she needs it now or she might die!"

"You want money? I'll give you anything, just save my daughter!"

I crawled over to Savannah, gripping her clothes, pleading desperately,

"I'll do anything you want, just don't hurt Emma and give her the inhaler."

Emma's breaths were barely noticeable; her little hand moved weakly, reaching to wipe my tears.

Savannah glanced down at me with contempt and kicked my injured leg.

Her gaze then fell on the jade pendant around Emma's neck.

She erupted, both laughing and crying, "Look, everyone! This pendant is a family heirloom from my husband's side, and it's ended up around this little cheat's neck!"

"A mistress's kid doesn't deserve such treasures—she must've tricked it out of him!"

Savannah yanked at the pendant's chain, trying to tear it from Emma's neck.

The chain held firm, only leaving a red mark on her neck and making it even harder for her to breathe.

Seeing Savannah's agitation, I seized the moment and snatched Emma back into my arms.

Relief washed over me as I held her close, but then I slipped on the shattered glass.

I fell hard, the pain searing through my back, but I ignored it, desperately digging through Emma's bag for her inhaler and administering it.

Emma's breaths were weak; she couldn't even open her eyes to look at me.

I held her close, my tears falling freely.

Savannah, still holding the pendant, turned the livestream camera back on us.

"Here's the mistress crying, folks. Looks like she's playing for sympathy now."

"If I hadn't shown up today, she'd have gotten away with stealing from our family! Lucky I got our heirloom back."

"This pendant should belong to my son, not this little con artist! Today, I'll show her what happens to mistresses!"

Just then, paramedics and police burst into the room.

The nanny had secretly dialed for help.

The paramedics rushed Emma onto a stretcher, and the police subdued Savannah.

Savannah yelled at the officers, "This is insane! You should be arresting that home wrecker, not me!"

"She seduced my husband and spent millions on her brat's party! She deserves to be locked up for good!"

The officers looked on, unimpressed, "We'll sort this out at the station."

Relieved to see Emma getting oxygen, I turned to the nanny, "Call the lawyer, freeze Dan's accounts."

"And make sure his wife pays for every single thing she's smashed today."