Chapter 2
Chapter 2
I walked out of the White House gates with a rare sense of relief.
First Lady Margaret had agreed–President Harrison would sign off on our divorce in ten days.
To celebrate, I headed straight for McKenna’s Jewel Box to check out the new arrivals.
But the store manager didn’t look too happy to see me.
I figured maybe one of the pieces I liked had already been sold.
Just as I was about to say it was fine, he gave me this awkward, almost sympathetic look.
“Ma’am, the bracelet you left for repair?”
“It’s fixed now.”
“But… something fell out of it.”
“We found a bead.”
“I had it examined–it’s a musk pearl from the East Indies.”
Musk pearl?
I’d heard of them.
Colorless. Odorless. Worth a fortune.
But if a woman wears one long enough… she’ll never be able to have children.
That bracelet was the very first gift Richard ever gave me.
I wore it for five straight years. I never once took it off.
My hands trembled as I looked down at the gold band I used to polish every night.
My heart twisted.
They say gold scratches easily over time.
But this bracelet looked untouched–like it had been brand new this whole time.
That’s how carefully I’d kept it.
And now, all I could see was how cruel the joke had been.
Five years. Five damn years I blamed myself for not being able to get pregnant.
I thought I was broken.
I thought it was my fault Richard didn’t have a son or daughter.
Every time someone in his family suggested he take a mistress, he shot them down without hesitation.
I thought he wanted only me.
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From Mafia Mistress to Billionaire’s Wife–Same Day. Different Groom
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Chapter 2
I thought I was lucky.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
Turns out, all those vows and whispered promises–just smoke and mirrors.
A fairytale I made up for myself.
Back at the house, I realized I’d forgotten to hand in one last ledger.
Wanting to avoid more drama, I brought it straight to Richard’s study.
He was there, going through papers.
He didn’t even look up–just said calmly, “My tea’s cold. Go warm it up.”
I ignored him.
“Where’s Sophia?” I asked instead.
If she was going to be his second wife, she should be doing the serving.
Richard’s eyes darkened. His voice sharpened.
“Sophia’s pregnant. She can’t be doing that kind of work.”
Pregnant.
Of course. That’s why he was in such a hurry to marry her.
My heart started pounding, my breath catching in my throat.
He noticed.
Paused for a second, like he was going to explain.
But then he smirked.
“What?” he said.
“You couldn’t give me a child in five years.”
“Now Sophia has, and you’re not even a little grateful?”
Grateful?
For being lied to? Poisoned? Replaced?
Tears blurred my vision.
I slammed the bracelet on the desk.
Richard stared at the bead.
His expression changed.
“You… you found out?”
For a brief moment, he looked ashamed.
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From Mafia Mistress to Billionaire’s Wife–Same Day, Different Groom
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Chapter 2
Then, just as quickly, he sat back down–cold and composed.
“So what if you know? You think I did this for no reason?”
“With that massive scar on your leg, what kind of child would we have had?”
“I did it for your own good.”
He said it so matter–of–factly.
Like he hadn’t just destroyed everything between us.
That scar–my secret, my shame–I’d only ever shown him.
Now it was the very thing he used to cut me down.
Two sentences.
That’s all it took to shatter every piece of pride I had left.
I finally saw it.
Richard Holloway had never loved me.
He’d lied about Sophia. Lied about everything.
Even the tiny scraps of affection he once showed me… were part of the act..
Still, some stupid part of me held on.
Five years of marriage–surely he cared, even a little.
But no.
Even that… was fake.
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