Fresh out of labor, I ran into my ex-husband, Eddie Fisher, whom I hadn’t spoken to in years, at the hospital.
He blocked my way, his words dripping with sarcasm.
He said, “Meredith, you really don’t waste any time. It’s only been two years since our divorce, and you’ve got another man’s child.”
I let out a cold laugh and shot back, “At least I’m not like you. You were still married and already had a second child with your mistress.”
Eddie raised an eyebrow, a malicious grin spreading across his face. “You think your new husband is some saint?
“Did you even know he’s got the other wife?”
*****
I shot him a frosty look and shoved past him, thinking he was losing it again.
I said, “My husband might not have much money, but he’s loyal to me.
“Not every man is a worthless jerk like you.”
But while registering the baby’s birth certificate, I found two marriage certificates in my current husband’s bag.
One had my name on it.
The other was with Gabrielle Harper, my ex-husband’s mistress.
I stood there, stunned, watching the staff member’s mouth open and close.
The staff member said, “This marriage certificate with the name Meredith is fake. The one with Gabrielle Harper is real.
“They registered their marriage five years ago.”
At that moment, my whole world felt like it was about to collapse.
Five years ago, my ex-husband, Eddie, betrayed me.
While I was pregnant, he cheated on me with Gabrielle Harper, the girl I thought was my sister.
Gabrielle was the imposter heiress who stole twenty-five years of my life.
And five years later, the same drama was happening to me all over again.
But this time, I was the homewrecker.
I stood in the city hall, my whole body going cold.
I didn’t get it.
Back when Eddie cheated on me and the Harper family threw me out, Preston Scott looked me in the eye.
He promised, “Meredith, even if the whole world turns its back on you, I’ll always be here for you. I’ll never leave you.”
Preston used to be all about me
When did he stop caring?
Seeing me frozen in place, Eddie came over.
He let out a tsk, snatched my phone, and texted Preston. [Need a copy of your ID for the babies’ registration. Come over.]
After sending it, he shoved my phone back into my arms without a care.
“Wanna bet?” Eddie crossed his arms with that cocky grin on his face. “I bet he won’t show up.
“If I lose, I’ll give you a twenty percent stake in my company. But if you lose—”
He paused, his voice dropping lower. “You get back together with me. How about it?”
I didn’t say a word, but my phone was almost crushed in my grip.
Preston’s message came through almost instantly.
Preston: [Babe, I’m busy now. I can’t make it back anytime soon.
[Leave the father’s section blank for now. I’ll handle it when I get a chance.]
My breath caught in my throat.
Leaving the father’s section blank meant that my babies wouldn’t have a father on record legally.
Even if we did a paternity test later, it still wouldn’t change anything. The father’s name couldn’t be added anymore.
I’d told him all this before. There was no way he didn’t know.
My fingers went cold, and the incision from my C-section throbbed painfully.
Suddenly, Eddie shoved an invitation into my hand.
I looked down.
Preston and Gabrielle’s names were side by side on the invitation.
The festive color of the invitation burned into my eyes.
Eddie crossed his arms, gloating over my misery.
He said, “While you were fighting for your life after giving birth, your husband was off with another woman, celebrating her pregnancy.
“It hurts, doesn’t it?
“Funny thing is, for the past six months while Gabrielle was pregnant, he was with her every night, taking care of her.
“And you didn’t even notice?
“Oh, and guess what? They’ve picked out a name for their kid, Jayden Scott.”
My blood ran cold, and I almost thought I’d misheard.
That was the name I’d agonized over for my baby, searching forever for the right one.
I said, “In the Harper family, ‘Jayden’ means the most to me.
“That’s why I wanted our baby to have that name.”
But when I was about to use that name for the baby’s invitation, Preston shut me down instantly.
“We can’t use that name,” Preston said.
I felt something was off.
“Why not?” I asked.
Preston looked at me with a complicated expression, running his hand gently through my hair.
“I had someone look into it. That name isn’t a good fit for our baby. Let’s pick another one,” he said.
Back then, I was so foolishly moved, thinking he genuinely cared about our baby.
Only then did I realize that it wasn’t that he thought the name was bad.
He never thought my baby was worthy of being called Jayden.
My stomach twisted with a hollow, gut-wrenching pain.
I felt like I was about to throw up right then and there.