My Mother's Secret Life ExposedChapter 3

3

“Joanne, don’t do this! You’ll ruin your life!”

“Whatever you want, just say it. I’ll make sure Arthur gives it to you. Anything!”

They were so perfect for each other. Even their pleas were laced with that manipulative, gaslighting undertone they’d used on Joanne for decades.

“Fine,” I said, stepping back. “Make him sign the divorce papers. Then you two can have the grand, lavish wedding you’ve always wanted. Oh, and one more thing. You’ll put out a public statement acknowledging your eighteen-year-old daughter, Skylar. Give her the family name. Let her move into the estate so she can take care of her bedridden grandmother. It’ll be a beautiful, happy ending for everyone.”

Meredith froze. She looked at Arthur, then back at me, her face turning ashen. “How... how long have you known?”

“How long?”

I tilted my head, memories of being ten years old flooding back. I remembered Joanne bringing Skylar home, telling me she was Meredith’s daughter and that she’d be staying with us while Meredith "worked late."

Joanne would always praise Skylar—how smart she was, how well-behaved, how I should be more like her. But the moment Skylar was picked up, Joanne’s face would collapse. She’d lock herself in her room with a bottle of wine. Late at night, she’d drag me out of bed, drunk and weeping, forcing me to do extra homework. She’d curse Arthur for having no heart, for making her raise his mistress’s child while Meredith lived the high life.

As a kid, I didn't understand. I just cried. But Joanne couldn't stand my tears. She’d hit my palms with a wooden spoon, telling me to remember the humiliation the family brought her. She told me to study, to be better than Skylar, to take everything that belonged to this family.

Then, the next morning, she’d wake up and act like nothing happened. She’d drive us to school, smile at Meredith, and play the loyal wife, only to cry at the foot of my bed every night. I spent twelve years pretending to be asleep just so I wouldn't have to hear her heart break.

...

“You didn’t have to raise the kid. You didn’t have to deal with the husband or the mother-in-law. You just got to go shopping and get facials while Joanne did the heavy lifting. You’re the 'best friend' who never wanted the title, just the perks,” I said, pointing the knife at Meredith. “But you don't get to have it both ways anymore. You love Arthur so much? He’s all yours. I’m taking my half and getting out of this toxic triangle.”

“In your dreams!” Arthur lunged at me, trying to grab the knife, but I stepped aside. He crashed into his desk, sending his coffee flying. “I’m not putting out a statement. I’m not giving you a dime. And Meredith and I are none of your business. You want a divorce? Fine. Take Riley and get out. I have Skylar. She’s the only child I need.”

I sighed, shaking my head. “For a father, you’re remarkably cold. I guess there’s nothing left to say.”

I tucked the knife away and turned toward the door. A crowd of employees was huddled in the hallway, eavesdropping.

“The CEO is sleeping with his wife’s best friend!” I shouted as I pushed through them. “And his wife has been raising his secret daughter for eighteen years! If you don't want to get screwed over by a man this soulless, I’d find a new job!”

Behind me, I could hear Meredith’s panicked voice. “It’s not true! She’s sick! She’s having a breakdown! Everyone get back to work!”

Work? I was about to make sure there was no work left to do.