Chapter 2

Two hours later, I arrived at the company right on time.

The media was all set, but there was no one around to run the show. When Edward's assistant spotted me, he looked like he'd just found his savior.

I told him to head to the hospital and check on the staff member first, and make sure everything was okay before coming back.

After he left, I took a deep breath, pulled myself together, and walked into the conference hall, ready for the press conference.

As soon as I walked into the conference room, a few of the higher-ups spotted me and started whispering to each other.

I thought maybe they just didn't recognize me, so I smiled and said hi, but to my surprise, they backed away like I was bad news.

I didn't let it bother me. After introducing myself, I was about to kick off the press conference.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from the crowd, and a woman stood up.

She pulled out a marriage certificate and waved it in front of the cameras.

The woman said, "Miss, you claim to be the CEO's wife. So what am I then?"

I was confused. I recognized this woman as the one the staff member at the postpartum care center mentioned this morning, who claimed to have a marriage certificate with Edward.

How did she even get an invite to the Carter Group's press conference?

I didn't know her at all, but the more I looked, the more it felt like she'd raided my closet: her clothes and the necklace she was wearing were exactly my style.

And that limited-edition bag slung over her shoulder? Edward had queued for hours just to get that for me.

I was fuming.

"Where are the security guards? What's going on here?" I snapped.

The press conference was suddenly swamped with curious onlookers, and the live stream's comment section was flooded with people dragging me through the mud.

One commented: [Nancy's a famous influencer, and everyone knows her husband treats her like a queen. Who would've guessed there'd be a mistress trying to snatch her man?]

Another commented: [So Nancy really wasn't kidding when she said she was going to catch the side chick an hour ago? And her husband is actually the CEO of the Carter Group?]

Nancy curled her lips into a mocking smirk, flipped open the marriage certificate, and shoved it right in front of the cameras.

She said, "I've been married to my husband for five years. We're practically glued to each other every single day. So how could I not know if he was messing around behind my back?"

As soon as she finished, her fans pounced on me like a pack of rabid dogs, refusing to let go.

One commented: [Who knows whose kid she's carrying? Just trying to ride on someone else's fame and cause a scene. So shameless!]

Another commented: [If you're really Mrs. Carter, show us the marriage certificate.]

Someone commented: [With a face like that, she should check the mirror before talking big. Seriously, as if Mr. Carter would ever go for her. Disgusting.]

Honestly, I found it ridiculous. Edward and I were legally married, and the baby I was carrying wasn't some random kid.

I said, "Please stop spreading lies. Edward and I are the ones who are actually married, and we built this company from the ground up together."

I grabbed my phone, looking for a digital copy of our marriage certificate, but I just couldn't find it anywhere.

Then I remembered: back when we were young and impulsive, we tore up our marriage certificate right after the wedding.

Now that we needed it to get our baby a passport, we were stuck waiting for the replacement to come through.

As soon as I finished, Nancy smirked, her lips curling with sly amusement.

She said, "Of course, she can't show it. I'm the real Mrs. Carter."

The internet exploded, everyone rallying behind Nancy and tearing me apart in the comments.

One commented: [Yeah, we've been following Nancy since day one. Edward's always treated her like a queen. No way he'd ever fall for a homewrecker like that.]

I couldn't wrap my head around it. Edward was always buried in work, and any free time he got, he spent it with me.

How could he possibly be having an affair with Nancy, let alone running a shared couple's social media account with her?

Seeing Nancy's smug look, I couldn't hold back anymore and confronted her, my anger flaring.

I said, "Your marriage certificate is fraudulent. Forging government documents is a felony, punishable by imprisonment."

Seeing I still wouldn't budge, Nancy whipped out a stack of photos and shoved them right in my face for everyone to see.

They were all pictures of Edward and Nancy from when they were kids, practically glued to each other as they grew up, the textbook childhood sweethearts.

Just then, the conference room doors burst open, and in strolled a little boy, drawing every eye in the place.

He was the spitting image of Edward: same sharp eyes, same cool vibe, even his posture screamed Carter.

The boy, Henry, asked, "Mom, who's causing trouble in Dad's company?"

He navigated the room like it was his personal playground, totally unfazed. Clearly, this wasn't his first rodeo here.

The comment section went savage, roasting me non-stop.

One commented: [That kid is basically a mini Mr. Carter. The proof couldn't be clearer. Seriously, can this homewrecker stop trying to wreck someone else's family?]

Nancy lifted her chin, looking at me like I was dirt under her shoes.

She said, "Dream on. I'm the real Mrs. Carter.

"Get real: not everyone gets to marry up and become a queen."