Chapter 2

The day after I won the Best Actress award, I announced my retirement from the entertainment industry. All because the Harrington Family didn't want me showing my face in public.

Grandpa Harrington always said I was a "low-tier entertainer," the kind of person who'd bring shame to the family if they took me anywhere.

But being stuck with the Harringtons, forced to play the perfect wife and raise kids? That was never going to happen. So after I left the industry, I took advantage of James's support and launched a career in fashion design.

At first, his mother kept telling me to quit messing around and focus on having a son.

But with my design and the Harringtons' connections, my brand quickly became a hit in both the entertainment industry and high society circles. I helped the Harringtons pull off several strategic resource swaps, she suddenly changed her tune.

So far, everything was going great. But in the fifth year of our marriage, Maya came back. I only found out because Harbor City Press caught James and Maya together in public.

The paparazzo, clearly experienced, sent me the photos and asked, "Mrs. Harrington, how much are you willing to pay for these pictures?"

I fixated on the image. James smiling, Maya sheltered under his arm. I couldn't calm the storm inside me for a long time.

I'd lost count of how many times I'd cleaned up this kind of sex scandal for James. Before, it was always just rumors, pay them off and it'd blow over. Now that there's photographic evidence, I'd just have to take it on the chin.

But this time, I knew how much James once loved Maya. I shut my eyes, forcing myself to steady my nerves with a deep breath. I answered, "33,000 dollars. Not a cent more."

As expected, the paparazzo lost it. "Come on, that's not even trying. If you're not gonna play ball, then see you on the front page."

"Suit yourself," I replied with a careless smile. Honestly, I was curious. If I didn't step in this time, would James actually pay to buy off the photos himself?

I didn't think much of it and, as usual, joined the ladies' gathering the next day. As the gathering was coming to an end, Mrs. Langley suddenly held up her phone and exclaimed, "Hey, Mrs. Harrington, looks like something's going on with your man."

I pulled out my phone and, sure enough, found the news in the top ten trending searches. It was obvious, I'd lost the bet. James hadn't stopped the photos from leaking.

My heart gave a jolt. Oh no, am I seriously catching feelings for James? Facing all the ladies with their mixed reactions, I kept a graceful smile and shrugged, "Simply playing along, nothing to worry about."

The others were clearly enjoying my predicament, but with the Harringtons' influence, nobody dared to throw shade at me directly. But behind my back, it was a whole different story.

Not long after I got home, I heard a noise at the door. James was back. I pulled out the photos the paparazzi had taken and asked, "James, what's this?"

Max Harrington leaned in, staring at the woman in the picture. "Dad, who is she? Are you going to get me a new mom like Lily's dad did? I don't like her. She's a bad woman. I won't let her into our house."

My emotions were tangled.

Looking at Max, who had no idea what was going on, I stayed silent and gently patted his head. When Maya left James, Max had recently been born, and nobody outside the family even knew he existed.

By the time James and I got married, Max was still too little to remember anything. Of course, he assumed I was his real mom.

James didn't look at me, calmly corrected Max, "Max, the woman in the photo isn't a bad woman. She's your birth mother.

"She was held up by some things, so that's why she hasn't been around all these years."

Max's eyes widened in shock as he looked between James and me. "Mom, is what Dad said really true?"

With both James and Max watching me, I nodded with difficulty. Max couldn't handle the truth. He spun around, dashed off, and locked himself in his room, refusing to come out.

I never thought James would drop the truth so bluntly, without any softening at all.

Is he planning to lay it all out and get back with his ex? Even though a storm was raging inside me, I kept my face as calm and collected as ever.

"Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" I asked.

"Maya said she wanted to come back and see her son. I couldn't exactly stop her. That's all," James said coolly.

"Yeah, I trust you," I said, forcing a smile and taking the initiative to hug him. But barely a few seconds passed before he pulled away, acting colder and more distant than ever.

At dinner, he took one bite of the meal I'd carefully cooked, then pushed his plate away and complained, "This tastes awful."

I was stunned. I couldn't understand why he was so cold and critical tonight. Everything was cooked exactly how he likes it. I'd bet no one in his family knew his preferences better than I do.

His sudden coldness made me feel even more frustrated and hurt inside. But I swallowed it all, because deep down, I knew I had no right to complain. After all, I only became his wife by tricking him.