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After 15 Years as His Secret, His Real Wife Came Knocking

NovelMaster · English · Theater: NovelMaster, Lang: English, Genre: Realistic, Genre: School, Genre: Reborn ·

After 15 Years as His Secret, His Real Wife Came Knocking

Theater: NovelMaster  |  Language: English  |  NEW

Synopsis

I hit it off with a parent at the preschool today.
She told me her child’s father was named Julian Cross, and that he was always too busy on film sets to help with the kids.
My husband's name was also Julian Cross. And he just happened to be an actor, too.
If she was Julian’s wife, then who the hell was I?
It wasn't until I handed him divorce papers that I realized... we were never legally married in the first place.
......
"His father is always filming on location, so I'm the one who handles Leo’s schooling. Just come to me if anything comes up, Miss Vance..."
From the moment she walked in, the woman couldn't stop bragging about how amazing her husband was and how much he adored her.
Then I flipped open the boy's enrollment form and froze.
In the father's section, two words jumped out at me: Julian Cross.
My husband was Julian Cross. And he was an actor, too.
My mind went blank. I stared down at the boy's photo on the application.
Leo Cross, eight years old. He was the spitting image of Julian.
My hands started shaking. A cold chill spread straight down my spine.
"Is something wrong, Miss Vance? There won't be any issues with Leo's enrollment, right?"
"No, of course not. Mrs. Cross... is that your lock screen? You and your husband?"
"Yes! We took that on our honeymoon in the Maldives. His movie was shooting on location there at the time! That was actually where we conceived Leo."
Her eyes curved into a sweet smile. A delicate pearl necklace rested against her collarbone.
She had the effortless glow of a woman born into wealth, spoiled rotten by her husband.
"That was eight years ago. Just last year, he took us to Thailand, too!"
She unlocked her phone and began flipping through vacation photos.
Staring at the smiling family of three, tears spilled over my eyelashes before I could stop them.
My chest tore open. A wave of nausea hit me so hard I gagged, nearly throwing up right there.
"Miss Vance? Miss Vance! Are you okay?"
Her concerned voice dragged me back to reality.
Julian and I had been together for fifteen years, since we were eighteen.
Yet he had been married to another woman for eight years. I had even given him a ten-year-old daughter.
I was the biggest joke on the planet.
I pressed a tissue hard against my mouth, desperate not to burst into hysterical sobs.
"Miss Vance, do you need me to take you to the clinic? I..."
Her phone rang, cutting her off. The caller ID flashed: *Darling Hubby.*
She put it on speaker. Julian's deep, smooth voice came through the receiver.
"I booked a table at that French bistro downtown for tonight."
"Babe! You're the best! How did you know I was craving that?"
Her voice was soft, playful, drenched in affection. A voice that had never known hardship. Completely unlike mine.
I had always been insecure. I had always walked on eggshells in our relationship.
I thought I had found true love, never imagining it was just a gilded cage he built to trap me.
"Well, Miss Vance, I'll be on my way."
Serena said goodbye and walked out. I sprinted into the stairwell and broke down, letting my tears soak through my clothes.
That was Julian's voice. I would know it anywhere.
I took the rest of the day off. I needed to see it with my own eyes.
Not ten minutes after I reached the parking garage, a familiar black Bentley pulled up.
He smoothly opened the passenger door, took Serena's hand, and affectionately took the designer bag from her shoulder.
Even though he wore a black mask and sunglasses, I knew every line of his body. It was Julian.
"Where's Leo? We really should have brought him."
"Babe, we need our alone time, too. The nanny's watching him."
I clutched my aching chest, lurking in the shadows of the concrete pillar, listening to them flirt.
As soon as I got home, I texted Julian, telling him to come back immediately.
He replied almost instantly: *On my way, honey.*
The restaurant was close by. He arrived in less than five minutes.
Watching him hurry through the door, looking out of breath, all I felt was pure disgust.
"What's wrong? Why the rush?"
He wrapped his arms around me like he always did, whispering gently, "Elena, tell me what happened."
He was so attentive. It made the scene in the garage feel like a nightmare I had made up.
*SLAP!*
I put every ounce of strength into that slap, until my entire arm went numb.
Julian froze, his eyes wide in utter shock.
"Julian, let's get a divorce."
The moment the words left my mouth, the cruel irony hit me. We were never legally married. We had only had a private ceremony and a trip.
Fifteen years together, a ten-year-old daughter, and I had just realized... I was the mistress all along.
Julian had never seen me like this. He reached out to wipe my tears. "What are you talking about? What happened?"
I balled my trembling fists and screamed at him:
"Are you still going to lie to me? Where did you just come from?!"
"Why did you deceive me?! You're married! Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Did you ever think about me? Did you ever think about Kaylee? Are you even a man?!"
Exhausted, I collapsed onto the couch, sobbing uncontrollably.
Panic flashed across his face as he tried to pull me into his arms. "No, Elena, let me explain—"
"Get out! Don't touch me! I never want to see you again!"
Every drop of energy drained out of me.
Julian opened his mouth, but closed it without a word.
It was true. He really had married someone else. I was just the side piece.Julian and I met in high school and started dating in college.
During my sophomore year, I got pregnant with Kaylee by accident.
The second he found out, he proposed. We threw together a small, private wedding ceremony.
Throughout my pregnancy, his devotion made me believe we had a golden future ahead.
When I was wheeled out of the delivery room, he cried harder than I did.
He held me tight, murmuring against my ear:
"Thank you, Elena. I love you. I love you so damn much."
"I promise I will take care of you and our daughter for the rest of my life."
My heart had melted completely. His warmth seemed to erase every bit of pain from the labor.
After Kaylee was born, he worked harder than ever. He took extra roles, ran errands on sets, did anything that paid.
He said he had to hide our relationship because his career was taking off. I supported him completely. He said he had to play up PR romances with his co-stars. I never made a scene.
I gave up my dreams of professional dancing and settled down as a preschool teacher.
My life became a blur of grocery shopping, cooking, and taking care of our child.
But none of it mattered, because I believed he loved me.
Slowly, the starving actor became an A-list star.
Our apartment turned into a sprawling penthouse, and his visits home grew rarer and rarer.
Julian used to tell me: "I love you, so I'll take on whatever it takes."
That single sentence had made me forgive countless lonely nights.
Did he say that to other women, too?
Was our love ever real?
If he truly loved me, how could he turn me into a mistress?
"Elena, I don't love her. You're the only one I love..."
I choked back a sob. "So that's why you never signed the marriage license with me? Because she's your legal wife?"
I stared straight into his eyes, a desperate, pathetic part of me still begging for a different answer.
"Serena is the studio head's daughter! Without her, I wouldn't be where I am today! And without me, you wouldn't have this luxury life!"
"Life is about compromises! Things were so hard for me back then—you of all people should understand that!"
Julian started yelling, losing his temper. Standing there, he looked completely like a stranger.
I grabbed whatever was on the table and hurled it at him.
How dared he say that to my face?!
"You disgust me! How did I never see what kind of monster you are?! You promised you would take care of us!"
A bitter look crossed Julian's eyes. He sighed, softening his tone:
"You two don't have to cross paths. She's only in the city for a few months. After that, you'll be on opposite sides of the country. Neither of you will ever bother the other."
I stared at him in horror, my mind spinning through fifteen years of memories. "Have you lost your mind?! Do you have a shred of conscience left?!"
"You want me to keep being your dirty secret? Have you thought about Kaylee for one second?!"
"How is she supposed to face the world? You want her to grow up carrying the label of a bastard child?!"
He went silent, effectively confirming it.
A fifteen-year relationship. I thought I knew him better than anyone. Now I realized I didn't know him at all.
Tears streamed down my face as I slumped onto the floor. "I'm taking our daughter. We are done."
"Forget it. I won't let you see Kaylee again. Cool off and think about what you're throwing away!"
I couldn't believe those words came out of his mouth.
I had sacrificed everything for him for over a decade, and now my daughter was being used as leverage to blackmail me.
I bolted out the door. Breathing the same air as him was suffocating me.
The moment I was outside, I raced to pick up Kaylee from school.
"Miss Vance? Kaylee's father already picked her up an hour ago. Didn't your husband tell you?"
I tried video calling Kaylee's phone. Every single call was declined.
My hands shook so hard I could barely hold my phone. Julian had actually gone through with it.Desperate, I dialed Julian's personal line. When it connected, a woman's voice answered.
"Who is this? Why is my husband's work phone saving your number as 'Wife'?"
"Hello? Speak up! Who the hell are you?"
He had been using a burner phone to contact me this whole time.
My throat tightened, completely choked up.
My chest felt like it was being pulverized. I sank down onto the curb.
A mistress? What about the fifteen years of my youth? What about my child?
What did any of that mean to him?
I was an orphan. I grew up in foster homes, made it through college on charity grants.
When I met Julian, I thought I had finally found my happily ever after.
I had given everything to build this family, only to live a fifteen-year lie.
I regretted it. I regretted ever laying eyes on Julian Cross.
"Elena Vance! His actual wife is trashing the principal's office right now! Get back here immediately!"
A call from my colleague snapped me out of my trance. Serena had tracked down my school, accusing me of seducing a student's father and wrecking her home.
"The board is apologizing to her! They're threatening to fire you! What is going on?!"
Wrecking her home?
The words buzzed in my ears, drowning under the shouting from the other end of the line.
"I... I didn't know he was married."
The line went dead silent. "Wait... but he has an eight-year-old kid! Just get here, fast!"
I dragged myself up, got into my car, and sped toward the school.
The moment I stepped into the administration office, Serena charged at me. A sharp slap sent my head spinning, and my cheek instantly swelled.
"You shameless whore! And to think I was going to let Leo into your class! You're nothing but a home-wrecking gold digger!"
"Does it turn you on, breaking up families? Answer me!"
Her screeching echoed down the hall. Teachers and staff peeked through the glass partitions.
*I knew it. She claimed she was married, but nobody ever saw her husband.*
*Right? Look at those designer clothes. How could a preschool teacher afford that on her salary?*
*Disgusting. Sleeping with married men is as low as it gets.*
The venomous whispers cut deep, but I forced myself to stay calm.
I knew she was a victim, too. I kept my voice low. "Mrs. Cross, let's take this outside."
We were both played. I didn't want a public circus.
Instead, that only fueled her rage. She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked hard.
"Outside?! You had the guts to sleep with my husband, but you don't have the guts to face the music?! I'm going to make sure everyone sees who you really are!"
In front of the entire staff, she grabbed a broom handle and slammed it across my shoulders.
A terrified coworker finally called the police. Only when the officers arrived did Serena back off.
"Ma'am, that's assault! You can't hit people!"
Serena sneered, unapologetic.
"She's a mistress who ruined my marriage! Why shouldn't I beat her?"
"She had it coming!"
I looked at the officer, my voice trembling. "I'm not a mistress. I had no idea he was legally married."
"We've been together for fifteen years. We have a ten-year-old daughter."
The entire room gasped. The officer blinked in disbelief. "Wait... where's your marriage certificate?"
My stomach dropped. I fumbled with my phone, pulling up files.
"He told me we would file the paperwork later for privacy reasons, but we held a ceremony! Look, here are our photos... here's our daughter's birth certificate..."
"Serena, I'm truly sorry for what you're going through, but we were both lied to."
Dead silence fell over the station.
Just as Serena was about to speak, the door flew open. Julian rushed in.

Chapters (3)

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3

Chapter 1

I hit it off with a parent at the preschool today. She told me her child’s father was named Julian Cross, and that he was always too busy on film sets to help with the kids. My husband's name was also Julian Cross. And he just happened to be an actor, too. If she was Julian’s wife, then who the hell was I? It wasn't until I handed him divorce papers that I realized... we were never legally married in the first place. ...... "His father is always filming on location, so I'm the one who handles Leo’s schooling. Just come to me if anything comes up, Miss Vance..." From the moment she walked in, the woman couldn't stop bragging about how amazing her husband was and how much he adored her. Then I flipped open the boy's enrollment form and froze. In the father's section, two words jumped out at me: Julian Cross. My husband was Julian Cross. And he was an actor, too. My mind went blank. I stared down at the boy's photo on the application. Leo Cross, eight years old. He was the spitting image of Julian. My hands started shaking. A cold chill spread straight down my spine. "Is something wrong, Miss Vance? There won't be any issues with Leo's enrollment, right?" "No, of course not. Mrs. Cross... is that your lock screen? You and your husband?" "Yes! We took that on our honeymoon in the Maldives. His movie was shooting on location there at the time! That was actually where we conceived Leo." Her eyes curved into a sweet smile. A delicate pearl necklace rested against her collarbone. She had the effortless glow of a woman born into wealth, spoiled rotten by her husband. "That was eight years ago. Just last year, he took us to Thailand, too!" She unlocked her phone and began flipping through vacation photos. Staring at the smiling family of three, tears spilled over my eyelashes before I could stop them. My chest tore open. A wave of nausea hit me so hard I gagged, nearly throwing up right there. "Miss Vance? Miss Vance! Are you okay?" Her concerned voice dragged me back to reality. Julian and I had been together for fifteen years, since we were eighteen. Yet he had been married to another woman for eight years. I had even given him a ten-year-old daughter. I was the biggest joke on the planet. I pressed a tissue hard against my mouth, desperate not to burst into hysterical sobs. "Miss Vance, do you need me to take you to the clinic? I..." Her phone rang, cutting her off. The caller ID flashed: *Darling Hubby.* She put it on speaker. Julian's deep, smooth voice came through the receiver. "I booked a table at that French bistro downtown for tonight." "Babe! You're the best! How did you know I was craving that?" Her voice was soft, playful, drenched in affection. A voice that had never known hardship. Completely unlike mine. I had always been insecure. I had always walked on eggshells in our relationship. I thought I had found true love, never imagining it was just a gilded cage he built to trap me. "Well, Miss Vance, I'll be on my way." Serena said goodbye and walked out. I sprinted into the stairwell and broke down, letting my tears soak through my clothes. That was Julian's voice. I would know it anywhere. I took the rest of the day off. I needed to see it with my own eyes. Not ten minutes after I reached the parking garage, a familiar black Bentley pulled up. He smoothly opened the passenger door, took Serena's hand, and affectionately took the designer bag from her shoulder. Even though he wore a black mask and sunglasses, I knew every line of his body. It was Julian. "Where's Leo? We really should have brought him." "Babe, we need our alone time, too. The nanny's watching him." I clutched my aching chest, lurking in the shadows of the concrete pillar, listening to them flirt. As soon as I got home, I texted Julian, telling him to come back immediately. He replied almost instantly: *On my way, honey.* The restaurant was close by. He arrived in less than five minutes. Watching him hurry through the door, looking out of breath, all I felt was pure disgust. "What's wrong? Why the rush?" He wrapped his arms around me like he always did, whispering gently, "Elena, tell me what happened." He was so attentive. It made the scene in the garage feel like a nightmare I had made up. *SLAP!* I put every ounce of strength into that slap, until my entire arm went numb. Julian froze, his eyes wide in utter shock. "Julian, let's get a divorce." The moment the words left my mouth, the cruel irony hit me. We were never legally married. We had only had a private ceremony and a trip. Fifteen years together, a ten-year-old daughter, and I had just realized... I was the mistress all along. Julian had never seen me like this. He reached out to wipe my tears. "What are you talking about? What happened?" I balled my trembling fists and screamed at him: "Are you still going to lie to me? Where did you just come from?!" "Why did you deceive me?! You're married! Why didn't you tell me?!" "Did you ever think about me? Did you ever think about Kaylee? Are you even a man?!" Exhausted, I collapsed onto the couch, sobbing uncontrollably. Panic flashed across his face as he tried to pull me into his arms. "No, Elena, let me explain—" "Get out! Don't touch me! I never want to see you again!" Every drop of energy drained out of me. Julian opened his mouth, but closed it without a word. It was true. He really had married someone else. I was just the side piece.

Chapter 2

Julian and I met in high school and started dating in college. During my sophomore year, I got pregnant with Kaylee by accident. The second he found out, he proposed. We threw together a small, private wedding ceremony. Throughout my pregnancy, his devotion made me believe we had a golden future ahead. When I was wheeled out of the delivery room, he cried harder than I did. He held me tight, murmuring against my ear: "Thank you, Elena. I love you. I love you so damn much." "I promise I will take care of you and our daughter for the rest of my life." My heart had melted completely. His warmth seemed to erase every bit of pain from the labor. After Kaylee was born, he worked harder than ever. He took extra roles, ran errands on sets, did anything that paid. He said he had to hide our relationship because his career was taking off. I supported him completely. He said he had to play up PR romances with his co-stars. I never made a scene. I gave up my dreams of professional dancing and settled down as a preschool teacher. My life became a blur of grocery shopping, cooking, and taking care of our child. But none of it mattered, because I believed he loved me. Slowly, the starving actor became an A-list star. Our apartment turned into a sprawling penthouse, and his visits home grew rarer and rarer. Julian used to tell me: "I love you, so I'll take on whatever it takes." That single sentence had made me forgive countless lonely nights. Did he say that to other women, too? Was our love ever real? If he truly loved me, how could he turn me into a mistress? "Elena, I don't love her. You're the only one I love..." I choked back a sob. "So that's why you never signed the marriage license with me? Because she's your legal wife?" I stared straight into his eyes, a desperate, pathetic part of me still begging for a different answer. "Serena is the studio head's daughter! Without her, I wouldn't be where I am today! And without me, you wouldn't have this luxury life!" "Life is about compromises! Things were so hard for me back then—you of all people should understand that!" Julian started yelling, losing his temper. Standing there, he looked completely like a stranger. I grabbed whatever was on the table and hurled it at him. How dared he say that to my face?! "You disgust me! How did I never see what kind of monster you are?! You promised you would take care of us!" A bitter look crossed Julian's eyes. He sighed, softening his tone: "You two don't have to cross paths. She's only in the city for a few months. After that, you'll be on opposite sides of the country. Neither of you will ever bother the other." I stared at him in horror, my mind spinning through fifteen years of memories. "Have you lost your mind?! Do you have a shred of conscience left?!" "You want me to keep being your dirty secret? Have you thought about Kaylee for one second?!" "How is she supposed to face the world? You want her to grow up carrying the label of a bastard child?!" He went silent, effectively confirming it. A fifteen-year relationship. I thought I knew him better than anyone. Now I realized I didn't know him at all. Tears streamed down my face as I slumped onto the floor. "I'm taking our daughter. We are done." "Forget it. I won't let you see Kaylee again. Cool off and think about what you're throwing away!" I couldn't believe those words came out of his mouth. I had sacrificed everything for him for over a decade, and now my daughter was being used as leverage to blackmail me. I bolted out the door. Breathing the same air as him was suffocating me. The moment I was outside, I raced to pick up Kaylee from school. "Miss Vance? Kaylee's father already picked her up an hour ago. Didn't your husband tell you?" I tried video calling Kaylee's phone. Every single call was declined. My hands shook so hard I could barely hold my phone. Julian had actually gone through with it.

Chapter 3

Desperate, I dialed Julian's personal line. When it connected, a woman's voice answered. "Who is this? Why is my husband's work phone saving your number as 'Wife'?" "Hello? Speak up! Who the hell are you?" He had been using a burner phone to contact me this whole time. My throat tightened, completely choked up. My chest felt like it was being pulverized. I sank down onto the curb. A mistress? What about the fifteen years of my youth? What about my child? What did any of that mean to him? I was an orphan. I grew up in foster homes, made it through college on charity grants. When I met Julian, I thought I had finally found my happily ever after. I had given everything to build this family, only to live a fifteen-year lie. I regretted it. I regretted ever laying eyes on Julian Cross. "Elena Vance! His actual wife is trashing the principal's office right now! Get back here immediately!" A call from my colleague snapped me out of my trance. Serena had tracked down my school, accusing me of seducing a student's father and wrecking her home. "The board is apologizing to her! They're threatening to fire you! What is going on?!" Wrecking her home? The words buzzed in my ears, drowning under the shouting from the other end of the line. "I... I didn't know he was married." The line went dead silent. "Wait... but he has an eight-year-old kid! Just get here, fast!" I dragged myself up, got into my car, and sped toward the school. The moment I stepped into the administration office, Serena charged at me. A sharp slap sent my head spinning, and my cheek instantly swelled. "You shameless whore! And to think I was going to let Leo into your class! You're nothing but a home-wrecking gold digger!" "Does it turn you on, breaking up families? Answer me!" Her screeching echoed down the hall. Teachers and staff peeked through the glass partitions. *I knew it. She claimed she was married, but nobody ever saw her husband.* *Right? Look at those designer clothes. How could a preschool teacher afford that on her salary?* *Disgusting. Sleeping with married men is as low as it gets.* The venomous whispers cut deep, but I forced myself to stay calm. I knew she was a victim, too. I kept my voice low. "Mrs. Cross, let's take this outside." We were both played. I didn't want a public circus. Instead, that only fueled her rage. She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked hard. "Outside?! You had the guts to sleep with my husband, but you don't have the guts to face the music?! I'm going to make sure everyone sees who you really are!" In front of the entire staff, she grabbed a broom handle and slammed it across my shoulders. A terrified coworker finally called the police. Only when the officers arrived did Serena back off. "Ma'am, that's assault! You can't hit people!" Serena sneered, unapologetic. "She's a mistress who ruined my marriage! Why shouldn't I beat her?" "She had it coming!" I looked at the officer, my voice trembling. "I'm not a mistress. I had no idea he was legally married." "We've been together for fifteen years. We have a ten-year-old daughter." The entire room gasped. The officer blinked in disbelief. "Wait... where's your marriage certificate?" My stomach dropped. I fumbled with my phone, pulling up files. "He told me we would file the paperwork later for privacy reasons, but we held a ceremony! Look, here are our photos... here's our daughter's birth certificate..." "Serena, I'm truly sorry for what you're going through, but we were both lied to." Dead silence fell over the station. Just as Serena was about to speak, the door flew open. Julian rushed in.

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