Chapter 2

At my daughter's birthday party, Rachel made her entrance, her high heels echoing through the room.

She wore a dress strikingly similar to mine, almost as if she were challenging me for attention.

For a moment, it felt like she was claiming the role of hostess.

Her lackey Lily, tagging along behind Rachel, didn't waste a second before firing off snide remarks as soon as she caught sight of me.

Lily sneered, "You have zero shame. You stole Rachel's spot as the heiress, got knocked up with a bastard, and shamelessly went after Lucas's father. How do you have the guts to call yourself Mrs. Grant?

"If Rachel weren't so against being tied down by marriage, you'd never be Mrs. Grant in a million years.

"Seriously, look at your daughter. She couldn't qualify to enroll in school. My boy came home cracking up, making it the punchline of his day."

The other rich ladies shot me looks dripping with contempt, making me feel smaller.

Rachel put on her innocent face and said, "Isabelle, you don't mind, do you? We're just messing around. It's a little joke. Don't take it seriously."

She kept going, beaming as she bragged about how her kid, Lucas, was always getting praise from the teachers at school.

She wouldn't stop talking about how bright his future was looking.

She wore a look of total sincerity, raising her voice so everyone in the room could hear her loud and clear.

I stared at her for a long moment before forcing a smile. I snapped back, "Oh, really? Well, I hope Lucas makes the most of his spot at school. After all, those good times won't last forever."

Rachel smiled, her smugness radiating off her.

"Instead of worrying about Lucas, maybe you should focus on your own daughter. I heard all the nearby schools are already full for new students. Want me to pull some strings for you?" she added.

The next moment, Rachel slipped closer and hissed at me, her words poisoned and just for my ears.

She went on, "Isabelle, so what if Edward marries you, or Lucas isn't his real son? Does that change anything?

"In Edward's eyes, you and even your precious daughter will never be as important as Lucas and me.

"You'd better find another path for your daughter, or she'll always be some unwanted nobody, treated like trash and never able to hold her head high."

I didn't let her finish before slapping her, letting out all the fury I'd been holding in.

The slap echoed through the room, sharp and unmistakable.

I didn't hold back at all. I put every ounce of strength I had into that slap.

I knew she was trying to provoke me, hoping I'd lose it in front of everyone.

But whether it was a trap or not, I didn't care anymore.

No mother would sit there and let someone trash her kid time and time again.

Rachel, looking all frail and dramatic, collapsed to the floor the moment I slapped her face.

She grimaced, clutching her face as it turned red and swollen in seconds.

She played the victim, sounding all pitiful as she said, "Isabelle, I didn't think you'd get so mad. I said sorry, didn't I? Everyone was kidding around."

Edward stormed over, his face dark, and before I could react, he was already shouting at me.

He yelled, "Isabelle, are you out of your mind? She's not stealing anything from you. She only wants her kid to get into a decent school. Do you have zero empathy left?

"Isabelle, when did you turn into this kind of person?"

Without another word, I reached into my bag and held the divorce papers out to Edward.

"Since you think I'm so heartless, let's get a divorce," I said.

With everyone in the room staring and gossiping, Edward looked awkward. He gritted his teeth, his voice low and tense as he said, "I've had enough of your drama. You think I don't have the guts to divorce you?"

"Go ahead, then. Sign it," I shot back.

To spite me, he grabbed the pen and signed his name right there on the divorce papers.

Without missing a beat, Edward picked Rachel up off the floor for everyone, including our daughter, to see.

Rachel clung to him, her arm winding around his neck as she flashed me a triumphant little smirk, making sure I saw how victorious she felt.

But Rachel barely got to bask in her victory before things flipped.

All of a sudden, the hall doors flew open, and Lucas burst inside, tears streaming down his face and his eyes all swollen from crying.

He planted himself right in the center, bawling at the top of his lungs.

"Mom, the teacher kicked me out," he shouted, voice cracking and desperate.

"She said I already got transferred out," he added.