Chapter 1
I spent ten years with Albert Mooney. He said he didn't want children. And then, he turned up with one.
By the time I was nearly past my chance to have a child at all, I'd become the punchline of every joke.
So I did the only thing that made sense. I went straight to his sworn enemy—Gianni Leonard—and slid ten million dollars across the table.
"Mr. Leonard," I said coolly, "I'd like to make a deal."
The day it blew up online, Albert smashed his phone mid-call and came pounding on my door like a madman, eyes red, begging me to take him back.
I didn't even bother looking at him.
I was in Gianni's arms, lazily eating pomegranate seeds he'd peeled for me.
Later, his lips brushed my ear, his voice low and dangerous. "You owe me a year. Tell me, how many times should I collect tonight?"
*****
On our 10th anniversary together, Albert reserved a private suite for us to celebrate.
He said that once the celebration was over, he'd take me to Aserobia, the Oasis Lands, Frostholm, Virezza... all those places we'd dreamed about.
I was genuinely excited as I decorated the private dining room Albert had reserved for us.
It wasn't a big place—just enough for maybe ten people, but I made sure it felt special and meaningful.
I even went to the bakery and baked a giant cake myself.
With white frosting, I carefully piped the word "Forever" across the top.
Soon enough, friends from both sides had arrived.
But Albert was still nowhere to be seen.
I stepped outside to call him.
The first time, he didn't pick up.
The second time, still no answer.
On the third try, he just hung up on me.
I couldn't help but wonder if he was busy with something urgent, or maybe he'd run into trouble on his way here.
I was getting really anxious.
Just as I was hesitating, I happened to overhear a few of his buddies chatting near the restroom.
"Does Bethany really think Albert's gonna show up?" one of them said.
"Exactly," another chimed in.
"Albert's got his son's 100-day party today. If he hadn't made us stick around here, none of us would've bothered coming."
The weight of what they said was crushing—just a few words, but they hit me harder than anything.
It felt like my brain just blew up from the shock.
I clutched my phone, still staring at the unanswered call screen. My chest hurt so bad I could hardly breathe.
I always thought Albert was just busy taking the company global, which was why he hardly ever came home.
But in reality, he had a whole family out there.
He was always so adamant about not having kids.
I just couldn't believe it.
But deep down, I still clung to a tiny shred of hope.
The next second, my phone dinged with a new notification.
It was a breaking news alert from social media.
[Mooney Group CEO Exposed: Secret Child Revealed]
[Mooney Family's Illegitimate Son's 100-Day Celebration]
[Albert Mooney: So Much for His Childfree Image]
One after another, those headlines took over the top spots on the trending charts.
I stood frozen, my mind blanking out all of a sudden.
With trembling hands, I opened the trending news feed.
Videos and photos were all over social media. Albert and a young lady were holding the little one as they cut the cake together.
The cake was massive, with "Happy 100 Days, Baby" scrawled across the top in big letters.
After seeing all that, my heart turned to ice and dropped straight to rock bottom.
Why would Albert have a kid? He got snipped years ago.
I scrolled through the comments, my hands trembling so badly I could barely hold my phone.
Tears fell onto the screen, smearing everything so I could hardly see a thing.
The moment I saw that baby in the photos, I couldn't deny it anymore.
The kid was the spitting image of Albert when he was little, like a carbon copy, as if someone had just cloned him.
Looking at the number in my contacts—the one I couldn't reach no matter how many times I tried, I walked back to the private room in a daze, barely aware of anything around me.
I had no idea if my friends in the private room had seen the scandal blowing up online.
But the way everyone was eyeing me—awkward, pitying, like I was the punchline of some cruel joke—said it all.
My friend Irene Blair grabbed my hand. "Bethany, is it true? Did Albert really have a kid?"
As she said that, everyone turned their eyes to me, waiting for my answer.
Meanwhile, his buddies were just waiting to watch me crash and burn.
I shook my head, pinching my brow. "Let's wrap it up, guys. I just need to be alone for a while."
Today was our tenth wedding anniversary—and the hundred-day celebration of my husband's illegitimate child.
Great. Just great.
Albert got two blessings at once. How ironic.
"Damn it. Albert pretending to be childfree? What a joke." One of my friends couldn't hold back her anger and started cursing.
With Albert gone, she began roasting his buddies instead. "Aren't you guys supposed to be his closest friends? His kid's been around for a hundred days, and you seriously had no clue?"
The guys just stood there, looking awkward and mumbling, totally at a loss for words.
"Uh, Eloise, we seriously just found out too," one of them finally blurted out.
"Albert must be out of his mind. Where's he ever gonna find another wife as good as Bethany?" one of the guys said.
"For real. Bethany was with him from day one, building everything together. If he really did this, that's just plain wrong," another chimed in.