Chapter 2
Both of them turned around at the same time.
Liam's face went as white as a sheet in an instant.
Winnie was rocking a red dress, just like in the picture I'd seen. She was young, gorgeous, and her makeup was on point.
When she spotted me, she froze for a second, then a smirk played at her lips. "So you are Ruth?"
Her tone made my blood boil, but I bit my tongue.
"Hello, I'm Liam's wife," I said, keeping my voice even. "And you are?"
"I'm a colleague from Liam's company." Winnie stood up. "Don't get the wrong idea, we were talking about work."
"Work?" I nodded. "Here, in a serviced apartment?"
"I rent this place myself," Winnie replied.
"4 thousand a month? What's your salary, anyway?" I shot back.
Her expression shifted, a hint of panic flashing across her face.
Liam snapped out of it and rushed over, grabbing my hand. "Ruth, please, let me explain."
I shook him off. "No need to explain."
I looked at Winnie. "Winnie Grant, right? The company's top performer, sales queen for three years running."
Her eyes flickered, a hint of unease crossing her face.
"I've looked into you," I continued. "You joined in 2021, and Liam was your direct supervisor. In 2022, you two started seeing each other. Three years now."
Three years. I quit my job for our family five years ago. And for three of those years, Liam was out there supporting another woman behind my back.
"Ruth, please, listen to me." Liam leaned in, desperate.
I stepped back. "Liam, aren't you supposed to be in an important meeting right now?"
He froze.
"It's the company-wide meeting today, online, with 300 people. Shouldn't it be starting right about now?" I said, glancing at my watch.
Liam's face turned white as a sheet. "How do you know that?"
"You told me," I replied, grinning. "You forgot your phone, so I brought it over for you."
I handed him his phone.
His hands were trembling as he took it.
"Your meeting comes first," I said. "Go take care of it. I'll handle things here."
"Ruth."
"The meeting," I said, my tone leaving no room for argument.
Liam looked at me, then at Winnie, as though he'd been choked into silence. He slowly stepped back and opened his laptop.
The screen was packed with tiny video thumbnails. Three hundred participants were on the call.
"Mr. Lane, what took you so long? And why does your background look different?" someone asked.
Liam opened his mouth, but hadn't had a chance to speak yet.
Suddenly, Winnie stood up. "Ruth, please, don't do this. Liam and I are really in love."
She reached out, trying to pull me closer.
I grabbed her wrist, then clutched a fistful of her hair.
"Don't move," I said, locking eyes with the camera. "Let everyone get a good look."
Winnie shrieked, "Are you nuts? Let me go."
I grabbed her hair and shoved her face right up to the webcam.
The chat exploded. Messages flooded the screen.
[Holy shit, is this real or what?]
[Is Mr. Lane cheating?]
[Wait, who's that chick? She looks kinda familiar.]
[Is that Winnie Grant from sales?]
[Grabbed my popcorn for this.]
Liam freaked out. He tried to close his laptop, but I blocked him.
"What's the rush?" I said, keeping my voice steady. "The meeting's not over yet."
"Are you fucking crazy?" Liam shouted. "Do you know what you're doing?"
"I know." I let go of Winnie's hair.
She staggered off to the side, her hair all messed up, eyeliner smeared, looking absolutely wrecked.
I looked straight into the camera. "Hey, everyone. I'm Liam's wife, Ruth Wilson."
The chat froze for a second, then the comments went absolutely wild.
[Mr. Lane, what the hell is going on?]
[Damn, Ruth is so badass.]
[Someone find out who that homewrecker is.]
"You probably don't know me," I continued. "I became a stay-at-home mom after getting married."
Liam's face was stormy.
"But there are some things I want everyone to know." I pulled out my phone and opened my photo album. "These are screenshots from Liam's phone showing wire transfers."
I displayed them to the camera. "Over three years, totaling 170 thousand."
The chat exploded.
[Does Liam make that much a year?]
[Is he using company money or his own cash?]
[His wife's at home taking care of the kids, and he's out here keeping a mistress? Unbelievable.]
"I remember every penny of that 170 thousand. Every bit I saved, every bit I sacrificed," I said, my voice steady, each word cutting clear. "I stayed home raising our kid for five years.
"Liam gave me 1,500 bucks a month for living expenses. I bought groceries only on sale, and clothes only from the clearance rack.
"He told me the company was struggling, and I needed to cut back.
"So I did. The money I managed to save? He used it to buy Hermès for another woman."