My husband smirked with utter contempt as he stepped beside her.
“Do not embarrass yourself like this, Nora,” he said condescendingly. “Charlotte can actually afford a lavish lifestyle, whereas you are nothing.”
I ignored them both and looked toward the raised stage, where Paige sat gracefully in an elegant gown, gently holding her stomach. I walked straight up the carpeted steps, causing my husband to rush forward frantically to block my path.
“Do not you dare go near the mother of my child!” he yelled defensively.
I calmly unzipped my leather clutch, pulled out several thick stacks of crisp hundred-dollar bills, and dropped them right onto the table in front of Paige.
“The show is officially over,” I announced clearly.
Paige looked up at me, offered a graceful smile, and gathered the cash. Then, right in front of my husband’s entire extended family, I delivered the words that caused his mother to drop her crystal glass onto the floor.
“Here is the rest of your agreed acting fee, Paige,” I said loudly. “You did an absolutely brilliant job playing the part of Charlotte.”
My husband stood completely frozen, his mouth hanging open in total disbelief.
PART 3
For several agonizing seconds, nobody in the grand ballroom dared to breathe. My husband stared at Paige with wide eyes, desperately waiting for her to burst out laughing and reveal that it was all a bad joke.
“Paige?” he stammered out, his voice cracking horribly. “What is she talking about? Your name is Charlotte!”
She stood up slowly, smoothing down her designer dress as the sweet expression of a pampered heiress vanished from her face.
“No, it is not,” she replied calmly. “Charlotte does not exist.”
My mother-in-law stumbled up the stage steps, grabbing the wooden railing for support.
“She is lying!” she screamed hysterically at her son. “Tell him who your father is! Tell him about the real estate empire!”
Paige picked up her luxury handbag and shrugged her shoulders.
“My father does not own a real estate empire,” Paige explained to the crowd. “He runs a small stationery shop, and my mother teaches middle school math.”
A loud wave of shocked whispers echoed through the room. My husband frantically pointed at her expensive watch, her custom gown, and her diamond earrings.
“Then what about all of this?” he demanded wildly. “The sports car! The luxury lifestyle!”
“Everything was either borrowed, rented, or counterfeit,” Paige replied casually. “This bag cost far less than the dinner you insisted on buying me on our very first date. Nora rented the sports car, and the credit card I used was directly linked to one of her personal bank accounts.”
My husband turned completely ghost-white as the reality sank in.
“What did you say?” he gasped out.
“While you were boasting to everyone that a billionaire was buying your fancy dinners, you were actually living off the money of the very woman you called useless,” Paige said with a cold smile.
A few nervous chuckles broke out among the invited guests. My mother-in-law shook her head rapidly in denial.
“But what about the baby?” she sobbed out. “The ultrasound!”
My husband grabbed the printed paper from the head table, clinging desperately to his final shred of hope.
“The ultrasound is real!” he shouted frantically. “I saw the name of the medical center!”
Paige reached over, took the paper from his shaking hands, and ripped it directly down the middle.
“I am not pregnant,” she said firmly, tossing the shredded pieces onto the floor. “There was never a baby.”
My husband took a shaky step backward, his face twisted in horror.
“But we slept together!” he yelled out.
“Yes, because you were more than willing to betray your wife the moment you smelled money,” Paige retorted sharply. “Nora hired me to test your loyalty. Nobody forced you to ask for my number, nobody forced you to kiss me, and nobody forced you to insult your wife or sign those divorce papers today.”
She tucked her payment into her coat and turned toward the exit.
“My job was simply to open a door,” she added over her shoulder. “You were the one who sprinted right through it.”
My husband turned his trembling gaze toward me as Paige walked out of the venue.
“Did you orchestrate this entire nightmare?” he asked weakly.
“Yes, I did,” I replied evenly.
“Why would you do something so cruel to me?” he cried out.
“Because two months ago, I was ready to give you a life beyond your wildest dreams,” I answered.
I reached into my bag, pulled out a thick legal folder, and tossed it onto the table. My husband opened the cover with trembling fingers, scanning the certified documents, corporate holdings, and bank statements inside. When his eyes reached the total net worth listed on the summary page, he began gasping for air.
“Fifty… million dollars?” he whispered, clutching his chest. “Whose money is this?”
“It is mine,” I replied steadily. “My aunt passed away two months ago and left her entire estate to me. The very night I received the call, I cooked a special dinner to celebrate with you. I thought we could buy a home, invest together, and build a wonderful future.”
He swallowed hard, tears welling up in his eyes.
“Then why on earth did not you tell me back then?” he asked desperately.
“Because right before I could say a word, a message from your assistant flashed on your phone,” I revealed. “I read every single message where you called me plain, useless, and barren. You promised to throw me out the moment a better offer came along. While I spent five years protecting your pride regarding your fertility issues, you used my supposed flaw to justify your infidelity.”
My mother-in-law gasped loudly, staring at her son in utter horror.
“His fertility issues?” she stuttered out.
“Yes,” I confirmed facing the crowd. “The specialists never said I was barren. It was your son who had extremely low viability, but I stayed silent to protect his dignity while you publicly humiliated me for half a decade.”
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