Chapter 1

I bumped into my husband's mistress when I went for my prenatal checkup for my second pregnancy.

I didn't react, but Heather Blake looked like she had seen a ghost.

Heather was overthinking it. Mason Sawyer has had at least three other women, and Heather would not be the last one either.

I'd only be doing myself a disservice if I got angry each time this happened.

When I got home, Mason had been waiting for me.

"I told you," he said, "Everything the Sawyer family owns would eventually belong to you and the children. I told you not to bother Heather. Why can't you just listen?"

I lowered my head, placed a hand on my stomach, and stayed silent.

Mason was furious. He thrashed the house and ruined the furniture.

When he was done, he grabbed his coat and left to find Heather.

The housekeeper asked me what to do.

I took out my phone and sent a photo to Mason's mother, Penelope Sawyer.

"Mom, look what happened." I captioned the photo.

Not long after, a compensation of 40 million dollars was wired to my bank account.

*****

Back when Mason first started cheating, Penelope hadn't tried to fix things with money yet.

I used to scream at him. I would point at him and curse him out. After all, we were each other's first love. How could he turn into such a worthless mess after just ten years of marriage?

When did I stop arguing? I guess it was when Heather first entered the picture.

She wore a white dress, looking sweet and obedient. Just standing there, she was almost a spitting image of me.

I saw Mason with his arm around her as they showed up at those gatherings packed with familiar faces from our circle together.

In that moment, I just didn't have it in me to get angry anymore.

All I could think about was getting a divorce from Mason.

Penelope was the one who talked me out of it. She might not like me, but at least I came from a respectable family, and we were a good match in terms of social status.

Besides, after my mom passed away, my stepmother was the one in charge of the Jules family. If I got divorced, my stepmother would have a field day mocking me.

Mason might not be great at relationships, but he sure knew how to make money. He was pulling in nine figures every year just from stock dividends alone.

If we got divorced, it would tear the whole family apart. That would look bad on the Sawyer family.

In the end, I'd be the one on the losing end. Sometimes, women just have to stay clear-headed and not let love mess with our heads.

For six months, I obsessed over the love I lost, trying to understand what I did wrong. In the end, I ended up depressed.

Then, after getting soaked in the rain and surviving a high fever, it was like a switch flipped inside me. I suddenly saw things differently.

From then on, I started listening to Penelope and adjusted my attitude toward Mason.

She also promised that if Mason ever hurt me again, she'd compensate me as she saw fit.

So this time, after being wrongly accused for no reason, I scored 40 million dollars.

I transferred the money to my investment account, then headed to the bathroom to freshen up. On my way, I called the butler and told him to get someone to tidy up the living room.

When I came out, my son, Wesley Sawyer, was back.

He didn't even notice the mess in the house. His eyes were glued to his homework.

With a hand on my lower back, I came downstairs and greeted, "Wes, you're back."

He just glanced up at me, his expression cool and distant.

"Yeah, Mom," he replied.

He was polite, but distant, just like his dad.

I didn't say anything else. I just made myself a glass of milk and headed upstairs.

Wesley looked up and said, "Mom, there's a parent meeting at school tomorrow. Can you make it?"

I answered, "I'm pregnant. It'll be tough for me to go. Ask your dad to send someone instead."

The only person Mason ever sends is his personal secretary.

Sure enough, the next morning, Heather showed up at my door, her pregnant belly heavy in front of her.

When she saw me, she flinched, but tried to put on a brave face.

"Mrs. Sawyer," she greeted.

I just nodded. "Ms. Blake, I'm counting on you to take care of my son."

Heather gave an awkward smile. "Yes, Mrs. Sawyer. Rest assured, I've been to these meetings plenty of times already."

Honestly, I've known about everything that's been going on ever since Heather started seeing Mason. I just didn't care enough to ask or listen anymore.

I was heading to the yoga room to do some stretches when Wesley walked by.

He paused for once, which was unusual for him. "Mom."

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Why won't you come with me? Ms. Blake's pregnant too, but she still goes," he said.

I gave him a calm look. "Because your mom's a bit spoiled and does not want to deal with that kind of hassle."

"Besides, you said Aunt Heather was warm and gracious, and you liked it when she went with you to the parent meetings. Mom just wants you to be happy," I added.

Wesley started to say something, but the words just wouldn't come. He watched me walk away, his gaze turning somber.

I stayed home and focused on resting and taking care of myself and the baby.

The doctor told me I was carrying twins, most likely both girls, so I had to make sure I took really good care of myself.

I ordered a year's supply of supplements and bought a few new maternity clothes for spring.

After a beauty treatment, I grabbed dinner with my bestie, Nora Lane.