The care center called. "Hi, just wanted to ask if you're happy with our service so far."

Well, that was odd. I was only eight months along. My baby wasn't even born yet. I had no need for the care center at the moment.

So I kept digging. I pressed my husband for answers. He was the one handling the talks with the care center. I wanted to know what was going on.

He gave me an apologetic look. "This center costs 120 grand, honey. We can't afford that. They must've gotten the wrong number. You should stay at home instead. I'll give you the perfect care you need."

That was it. I wasn't going to waste my time talking to him. My sister, Jessie Gibson, owned the care center, so I called her instead.

"Jessie? Yeah, it's me. William sent another woman to your place and stole my spot. I want you to find out who. He's cheating on me, and I'm getting proof!"

No Way

Wrong number? As if. That spot was expensive. It was the most premium package my sister, Jessie Gibson, saved me right after she knew I was pregnant. She even called me to talk about it. I could just move in for free.

I confirmed and reconfirmed when the care center called me. And now that spot was stolen. This was not something I would stand for.

My husband, William, objected to me going to the care center. "Hey, the other ladies can stay at home, so why can't you? Why do you have to go to that care center?"

Because I could. Why shouldn't I? I ignored him and got an Uber to the care center.

…

The driver got me there in twenty minutes. There were potential clients asking about the packages they offered.

It took a while, but the reception was finally quiet, so I went and asked for answers. "Hi, I'm Selene Tousson, William Melson's wife, the one you called earlier. You wanted my opinion on your service."

The receptionist gave me a weird look. "Mrs. Melson? But you've gone back to your room."

My face fell. The receptionist continued, "And she even thanked us for our perfect service."

That woman used my name. I clenched my teeth. "But I'm the actual client. I'm Selene Tousson."

The receptionist sized me up, and her eyes filled with disdain. "Are you trying to cause a scene? Must be another one of those who can't afford our prices. Mrs. Melson came with her husband. We know Mr. Melson well enough. He's the one we've been talking to all this time. Stop pestering us."

Wow, that was shocking. I just found out my husband now belonged to someone else.

Just when I was going to press for answers, someone came out of the elevator. Someone I knew. A 900-thousand-dollar bracelet hung around her wrist. The bracelet my brother gave me. And a pendant hung from her neck. A million-dollar pendant that my sister gave me.

Though she was in a patient's gown, her hair was delicately kept up. This was an intern working in my husband's company, Melanie Crossfire.

The receptionist pointed at her. "That's Mrs. Melson. Now I suggest you leave."

I did not move. Instead, I looked at Melanie darkly. She met my eyes, and horror crept up onto her face. In a hurry, she moved toward me. "W-What are the odds, Selene? You're moving in too?"

She pushed me into a corner. "We'll take this elsewhere. Don't want to get in the way of their work."

What a joke. She usually called me Selly, but now she called me something else just to ward off suspicion. And to think she was always so friendly around me.

Talk

I pulled her hand away and backed off. There was no need to spare her any dignity. "Tell me something, Melanie. Why'd you steal my spot in this care center? My spot, which my family saved for me. And you stole it using my name. Also, why do you have my pendant and bracelet?"

I raised my voice enough for the people around us to hear. Their eyes turned to us, and Melanie did not look happy at all. But then her tears started to fall.

"What are you talking about? My husband got me a spot here because my pregnancy took everything out of me. He got me the bracelet and necklace. They're not yours." Then, she sized me up again and put on a frown. "Are you having prepartum depression because your husband's been abusing you? Sounds like you're being delusional."

I knew the looks around me. They were of judgment.

"Is she sure it's prepartum depression? Sounds like she's hallucinating."

"They say Mrs. Melson's package costs 120 grand. Look at the clothes this woman's wearing. Bet she can't even fork out a tenth of that."

"Either her husband drove her up the wall, or she's jealous of Mrs. Melson. What an unlucky day."

I was in my maternity attire. It wasn't like I was wearing tatters. The insults bounced off me, and I sneered. "I had no idea you were a thief, Melanie."

Without hesitation, I turned to the receptionist. "Hi, did she give you her ID when she moved in? I'd like to know how she was verified."

The receptionist froze. Then, she said, "Mrs. Melson claimed she lost her ID, so we didn't use that for verification. Her husband was with her all the time. That couldn't be fake."

I arched my eyebrow and looked at the receptionist, amused. "Just because he's her husband doesn't mean you can skip the verification process. Do you really think men don't lie? That's sloppy work."

The receptionist opened her mouth, but no argument came. Melanie stepped in, faking innocence and care. "Selene, they're just working here. Why do you go after them? You don't have to do this. You can get a care center within your budget."

Ah, she was making me out to be the villain here. Then, her phone rang. The name on the screen read 'Honey.'

She froze up. Yeah, that was probably William on the other side. A sneer curled my lips. "Well, take it. Let's see how he weasels himself out of this one."

Melanie took the call and put it on speaker. She also put on an act of a nervous lady, but I saw the look in her eyes. She was gloating.

Still, she acted like she was the one being treated unfairly. "Honey, get to the care center now. Someone's saying I'm not your wife, and she is. She said the care center gave her spot to the wrong person, and she's accusing them of negligence."

Her voice started to crack halfway through. William's furious voice tore through the air. "What did that crazy bitch do this time? How dare she try to push you around! I'll be right there. Stay calm!"

Unbelievable

Crazy bitch. He called me that without even hearing the whole story. Now, everyone thought I was the other woman here.

They were staring at me like I was a clown prancing around for their amusement. Some of them even talked to Melanie and told her not to bother with women like me.

Melanie hung her head low and bit her lip. Quietly, she said, "My husband's coming soon. He loves me a lot. 120 grand is big money, but he spent it on me right away. I think you should leave. You don't want things to get any uglier."

To anyone else, she was a thoughtful woman. I knew better. She was trying to humiliate me further. I was clenching my teeth so much, I could crush them.

'Bastards,' I thought.

William did not waste any time coming here. He hurried into the care center and shoved me away. The guy pulled Melanie into his arms and cooed at her softly. "It's okay, I'm here. No one's going to hurt you."

I was severely pregnant, and that push nearly made me fall. Good thing I managed to grab the reception counter, or else I might've gotten hurt or worse. Fury was burning through my chest.

Melanie wrapped her arms around William and shared a deep kiss with him. "You're the best, honey. I think you should talk to her. I can't handle her."

Now, he finally turned his attention to me. There was not an ounce of guilt on his face. He let Melanie go and slapped me hard.

"Do you know no shame, Melanie? All I did was give you more attention at work because you're pregnant, just like my wife is. And now you think you can push her around?"

I held my burning cheek. This was not the man I knew. Before I came to the care center, he pretended to care for me. He soothed me.

Now he hit me, even though I was his pregnant wife. Oh, of course. His impatience began after my pregnancy was confirmed.

He'd always tell me to be a good wife and not start anything because he was already working overtime to support us. And he wouldn't shut up about Melanie.

Of course, there was a reason for that. He was cheating on me with her. I had no idea my husband was a fool and a man rotten to his core.

As if God's grace had soothed me down, I demanded, "I'll need you to repeat that again, William. Who is she to you, and who am I to you?"

A hint of panic surfaced in William's eyes, but that did not change his attitude. With his chest puffed out, he said, "You need me to repeat myself? Fine, she's my wife, Selene Tousson. You are nothing but my colleague, Melanie Crossfire. Honestly, you can't just cling to me just because I treat my wife like a queen while your husband treats you like trash."

Discussions and whispers rippled through the crowd.

"I knew it. She's mad. Still, I feel sad for her. Her husband drove her to this."

"But Mr. Melson did nothing wrong. I feel sorry for him. He has to deal with a stalker like her."

Guess he was adamant about defending his mistress. If he thought his story was enough to convince everyone, he was wrong. I pulled out my ID. "My ID proves I'm Selene Toussan. What about her?"

William and Melanie froze up. Melanie tugged on William's arm, pleading for him to deal with me.

William snatched my ID out of my hand and tossed it into the bin. Angrily, she growled, "Enough is enough, Melanie! You made a fake marriage certificate just to annoy me, and now you faked an ID?"