They Called Me the Mistress. I Was His WifeChapter 1

The day I was diagnosed with a threatened miscarriage, I couldn't reach my husband, Julian. Again.

In five years of marriage, he'd always been a workaholic.

When we were dating, I broke a bone in a car accident. He flew off to his next project.

Two months into our marriage, I landed in the ER with a stomach bleed. He spent the night revising a proposal, his phone on silent until morning.

This time, I went to the clinic alone for treatment to save the pregnancy. When the pain had me gripping the sheets, no one was there beside me.

After getting an injection on the thirty-fifth day, I was scrolling through my phone when I came across a long anonymous post.

The title read: "How far would a man go for his first love?"

The top comment was calm. Brutal.

"She moved overseas, and I couldn't get over her, so I married her best friend. That way I could always keep tabs on her."

"Now she's coming home, and I still want to be with her."

"I want my wife to figure it out on her own so we can skip straight to the divorce. That's why I ignore her messages and disappear for a month at a time to be with my first love and cheer her up. My wife keeps thinking I'm just busy with work."

Ignoring her messages. Disappearing for a month.

My fingers started going numb.

The last line read, "Well, guys, I guess I'll send this post to my wife and see how she reacts."

A second later, a message from Julian came through.

It was the link.

"Nina, this guy's awful, right?"

"What would you do if you were her?"

I stared at the screen, shaking all over.

The pregnant woman beside me was nestled against her husband, fishing for his attention while he murmured something soothing. When she noticed I was still watching, she gave me an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry. Pregnancy's been rough. Where's your husband?"

"Why isn't he here with you?"

I closed my eyes.

From the day I found out I was pregnant until now, I hadn't managed to reach Julian once. He didn't even know about the baby.

My phone buzzed again.

"Nina, I kind of feel bad for his wife. Don't you?"

I typed back.

"Drop the act, Julian."

His reply came almost immediately.

"Good. You're not completely stupid, Nina. I'll be home tonight so we can sort this out."

I took screenshots of the post and every message Julian had sent, then emailed them to my private account.

A nurse came over.

"Ma'am, would you like to confirm your next round of appointments?"

"No, thanks."