He Humiliated Me Until He Learned Who My Father Was Chapter 05
The Wife Who Already Suspected
“What did she just say?”
Richard forces a laugh.
“Victoria, don’t listen to her. She’s obviously upset.”
“Am I?”
I unlock my phone.
Vanessa interrupts immediately.
“This is insane. I’ve never slept with Richard.”
Richard. Not Mr. Whitmore.
Victoria catches it.
“So you’re on a first-name basis.”
Vanessa freezes.
“We work together.”
Victoria looks her over.
Her gaze stops on Vanessa’s bracelet.
Then her handbag and the watch on her wrist.
“I’ve seen that watch before.”
Vanessa covers it instinctively.
Richard steps forward.
“Victoria—”
“You told me that charge was for a client gift.”
Victoria pulls out her phone.
“Let’s make this easy.”
She opens Richard’s calendar.
“Chicago. March.”
Richard says nothing.
“Miami. May.”
“New York. June.”
Victoria looks at Vanessa.
“You were on all three trips.”
“They were business trips.”
“Of course.”
Vanessa reaches for her bag.
“I don’t have to stand here and be humiliated. I quit.”
She turns to leave.
“Don’t.”
Victoria doesn’t raise her voice.
Vanessa stops anyway.
Victoria looks at her husband.
“I already know.”
Richard’s head snaps up.
“I wanted to see which one of you would lie first,” Victoria says.
“Victoria, I can explain,” Richard says.
Vanessa spins around.
“Richard!”
Too late.
“It didn’t mean anything,” he says quickly. “It was a mistake.”
Victoria laughs once.
“A mistake?”
“It ended months ago.”
“No, it didn’t!” Vanessa blurts.
Everyone stares at her.
Victoria nods slowly.
“Thank you.”
Vanessa realizes what she’s done.
Richard closes his eyes.
Then the confession spills out.
Vanessa keeps trying to interrupt, but every denial only makes her look worse.
I stand quietly beside the table.
For the first time tonight, no one is looking at me.
They’re looking at her.
Victoria removes her wedding ring.
“I’m calling my attorney.”
Vanessa gives a bitter laugh.
“Good luck proving anything.”
I finally speak.
“That shouldn’t be difficult.”
She turns toward me.
“What?”
The ballroom doors open.
Two members of my legal team walk in.
Vanessa frowns.
Ethan looks between them and me.
One of the attorneys crosses the room.
“Avery.”
He hands me a folder.
“Everything you requested.”
Vanessa’s expression shifts.
I open it.
“Perfect.”
She stares at me.
“Who the hell are you?”
I look up.
It’s finally time to answer that question.