My Husband's Fatal Secret

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Even if I took your family name, I still have my pride! His voice rasped through the speaker. A masterclass in gaslighting. Playing the victim, painting me as the controlling tyrant.

Three years. Three years of this Oscar-worthy performance. He weaponized my empathy, bleeding the Quinn empire dry.

I used to ache for his bruised ego.

Not anymore.

My eyes locked on the screen. I couldn't tear my eyes away from that pixelated image. His hand. His familiar, calloused hand resting intimately over another womans swollen belly.

The blood drained from my face. A bitter, icy hollow carved itself under my ribs.

He fed off my wealth like a parasite. Used my family's money to fund his secret little domestic fantasy.

He wanted pride?

Fine.

Tonight, I'll rip that disguise right off his bones.

CHAPTER 1

Wayne froze.

The air vanished from my lungs.

Montgomerys face hardened to stone. His knuckles turned stark white. "So, your perfect son has a whole other wife tucked away?"

His parents scrambled. Desperate to cover his tracks.

"No its a misunderstanding!" Wanda sputtered. "Corbin only has eyes for Vivienne. Why else would he swallow his pride, take her last name, and sign that ironclad prenup just to marry into her money?"

"He hasnt even come home for Christmas in three years. Just to keep her happy."

A dead silence hit the room.

The absolute worst thing they could have said.

"Bullshit!" Evelyn slammed her palm flat against the mahogany table. "Every single Christmas, he threw a massive tantrum to go back to you! He abandoned Vivienne. Left her sitting alone with us while our friends whispered behind our backs!"

Wayne flushed a violent shade of purple. His thumbs fumbled over his phone screen, pulling up a photo from last December. "Why won't you just admit it?" He shoved the screen toward us.

A picture-perfect holiday scene. A massive roasted turkey center stage. Corbin, grinning like a fool. His fingers tightly interlaced with a woman's.

A strategically placed emoji hid her face. But the slope of her collarbone, the curve of her shoulders

Not me.

The blurred elderly couple sitting at the head of the table

Definitely not my parents.

A physical burn clawed up my throat. "Stop." My voice cracked. "Just let's figure this out."

The thought of my dad's weak heart held me back. A trip to the ER wasn't on tonight's agenda. I forced out a few hollow reassurances, grabbed Wayne and Wanda by their coats, and dragged them out the front door.

I gasped for air.

Years. Years of his sweet whispers. The ultimate sacrifice of his masculine ego to marry into my world. Despite the raging fire in my chest, a lingering, foolish piece of my heart remembered the man who sacrificed his pride for me, demanding to hear his excuses.

The background of that photo gnawed at my brain. The vaulted ceilings. The custom crystal chandelier. The massive estate he demanded as a wedding gift from my parents.

We had never lived there. We stayed in the downtown penthouse for my commute. That house was supposed to be completely empty.

My foot pinned the accelerator to the floorboard.

Tires screeched against the asphalt. Brad, the uniformed security guard, stepped directly in front of the iron gates, blocking the headlights. "Hold it! You can't just barge in here. Back it up!"

"Today is a private family reunion for Mr. Corbin, the CEO of Stellar Group! You ruin this, and he'll have your jobs!"

My teeth ground together. A violent tremor started in my fingertips and shot up my arms. "What a coincidence." I rolled the window down. "I'm Corbins wife. And these two are his parents."

CHAPTER 2

Brad scoffed with a harsh, grating sound. "Sidepieces are getting bold these days. Crashing a holiday dinner for a shakedown? It's a joke. Everyone in this subdivision knows Mr. Corbin's wife is Destinee."

"She's pregnant. He treats her like royalty. His real in-laws are in there dripping in designer labels. Look at yourselves. You really thought you could pull this off?" He shoved forward. Thick arms reached out to drag us off the property.

Wayne broke into a cold sweat. His chest heaved. "What the hell are you talking about? Corbin is my son! I don't need to fake anything! Get him out here right now!"

Wanda's clammy fingers clamped onto my wrist. Her eyes darted around, completely panicked. "Vivienne Vivienne, listen to me. This is a massive mix-up! Corbin isn't like that! Even even if he slipped up, you are the only daughter-in-law we recognize!"

A bitter laugh scraped the back of my throat. I yanked my hand free and slid my phone from my pocket. My thumb hammered 911. "I need the police. Someone is illegally squatting in my home"

"Grab her!" A shrill voice sliced through the freezing air.

The heavy oak doors swung wide open. A young woman waddled onto the porch, clutching a swollen belly. Her features twisted into a vicious sneer. "Are you security guards braindead? Handle it!"

She flicked her wrist. Jace and his crew in dark suits lunged from the doorway. Heavy hands clamped down on my shoulders, pinning my arms down.

My fingers slipped. The phone clattered against the concrete.

She closed the distance. The heel of her designer boot came down hard. Crack. The glass screen shattered into dust.

Flesh cracked against flesh. My head snapped back. A blinding sting erupted across my cheekbone. "Bitch. A mistress needs to know her place," she spat. "Stay in the sewer like a good little rat."

"Servicing my husband's needs while Im pregnant is your only purpose. You should be thanking me. Who gave you the audacity to stand on my porch? I am his actual wife. Don't push your luck."

Doors cracked open down the street. Whispers drifted over the manicured lawns, thick with judgment.

"A homewrecker crashing the holidays?"

"Sick. Trying to trigger a pregnant woman."

"She's cute, though. Think the CEO will care?"

"A plaything? Please. He sent the wife out to deal with the trash. That's the ultimate red flag. He doesn't give a damn about her."

My ears rang.

The stinging heat on my cheek bled into a freezing numbness that clawed through my chest.

The final thread snapped.

"You put your hands on me?" I tasted copper. "You are dead. Tell Corbin to get his ass out here. Now!"

CHAPTER 3

Wayne and Wanda scrambled forward. "You little tramp, what kind of bullshit are you spewing?" Wanda shrieked. "Corbin's only wife is Vivienne! Keep running your mouth, and I'll shut it for you permanently!" She lunged toward the porch.

My eyes tracked her movement. The second her gaze dropped to Destinee's swollen stomach, her raised hand faltered.

Just a fraction of a second. But I saw it.

Destinee didn't hesitate. She backhanded the older woman. A sharp, echoing smack cracked through the cold air. "You crazy old bitch! How dare you put your hands on me?" She whipped her head toward the suits.

"What are you standing around for? Beat this old hag! If anything happens to my unborn son, I'll make sure you rot in a jail cell for the rest of your miserable lives!"

Heavy boots rushed forward as fists connected violently with bone. Wayne threw himself into the chaos. A steel baton swung. A sickening crack against the back of his skull. He collapsed onto the concrete like a ragdoll.

My throat ripped. "Corbin! Get your ass out here! Are you going to let her beat your parents to death?!"

Destinee sneered. "Still barking? Slap the taste right out of her mouth! This shameless homewrecker is the real poison here!"

My chest heaved. I scrambled against the asphalt. "Security! Stop them! I am Corbin's wife! I'm the daughter of Stellar Group's Chairman"

Brad took a slow step backward. He melted into the shadows.

Destinee let out a hollow laugh. Her hand whipped across my face. Acrylic nails dug into my cheek. Skin parted. Hot liquid trickled down my jaw. A violent shudder ripped down my spine.

"Still spinning lies? If you're the heiress of Stellar Group, then I'm the Queen of England! You like putting on a show, you little slut?" She snapped her fingers at the men. "Strip her. Let's give everyone a real show."

The bottom dropped out of my stomach. I thrashed. Kicked. "You're out of your mind! Get off me! Corbin won't be able to save you!"

Rough hands grabbed my collar. Wrenching. Tearing. Fabric ripped. The freezing night air bit into my exposed shoulder. A filthy laugh drifted from above. "Damn. Look at that. No wonder he kept her around."

Screams scraped my vocal cords raw.

Cassandra and other neighbors lined the street. Glowing phone screens aimed right at me. Spectators. Not a single person moved forward. They just stood there, recording my humiliation, hungry for the next act of the show.

Cold concrete bit into my knees. I curled inward. My fingers dug desperately into my torn blouse, trying to cover my skin.

The heavy oak doors clicked.

"Stop."

My head snapped up.

Corbin.

Destinees face shifted instantly. The viciousness vanished, replaced by a pathetic pout. She latched onto his bicep. Her other hand cradled the underside of her belly. "Baby, are you defending this trash? Is this homewrecker more important than me and your son?"

I stared at him. The pavement scraped my knees. I waited for him to speak. To end the lie.

Corbin shifted his weight. His eyes darted to the ground. Anywhere but me. He looked down at Destinee. His hand covered hers. Soft. Protective. Every gentle stroke of his thumb was a brutal mockery of our three-year marriage.

"Of course not. I just didn't want you getting worked up. It's bad for the baby. Why dirty your hands on trash like her?"

CHAPTER 4

The ground seemed to drop out from under me. I forgot how to breathe. "Corbin. What did you just say?"

JaceDestinee's brother, the one who tore my blouselet out a filthy chuckle. "Hey, Corbin. This crazy chick just claimed she's your wife?"

Corbin's facial muscles went completely rigid. Corbin's face darkened. "You believe this psycho's bullshit? Your sister is my wife. Destinee is the only one." He looked right past me. "I don't know this psycho. Why would I touch a trainwreck like her when I have a gorgeous wife at home?"

Destinee broke into a high-pitched giggle. She stared down at me like I was roadkill. "Oops. Guess I misunderstood then." She leaned into him, her voice dripping with fake innocence. "She just sounded so convincing. My stomach literally cramped up. I was actually scared this little slut had her claws in you!"

Corbin let out a soft breath. He tapped the tip of her nose. "What goes through that head of yours? You know exactly who I am." His voice dropped, intimate. "Those cheap girls out there? They're filthy. None of them hold a candle to you."

His eyes finally flicked down to me. Dead. Empty. "Even if she stripped naked and laid right in front of me, I wouldn't feel a damn thing."

A sick, hungry gleam flared in Jaces eyes. "Well then. Since shes nobody" He cracked his knuckles. "Mind if we drag her out back and teach her some manners?" His tongue darted out, wetting his bottom lip.

Ice injected straight into my veins. Every muscle fiber in my body seized. "No. No, Corbin, you can't"

Smack.

Another heavy hand crashed against my temple. A high-pitched dial tone instantly flooded my skull.

Corbins brow furrowed. "Drop it. It's a holiday. Don't make a mess. Just throw them off the property."

Destinees manicured nails dug into his forearm. "Excuse me? Are you defending this bitch?" Her voice spiked. "She brought a literal mob to my front door! And you're just giving her a free pass?"

She shoved him back a step. "If I don't put her in her place, everyone in this neighborhood is going to think I'm a pushover. Just thinking about how she attacked me ugh, my stomach is cramping again"

Panic flashed across Corbins face. He grabbed her wrists. "Hey, breathe. How bad is it? Do we need to hit the ER?"

Destinee jerked her chin up. "I'm not going anywhere until I watch her pay."

Corbin hesitated. He stared at the concrete. A second passed. Then two. He let out a heavy sigh. "You drive me crazy." He looked over at Jace. "Fine. Just keep it out of sight. Don't leave marks."

The pavement vanished beneath me.

Gravity stopped working.

Don't leave marks.

This man.

The man who whispered vows into my skin. The man who promised me forever.

He just handed me to the wolves.

Pure, blind panic took over. Logic didn't matter anymore. Pride didn't exist. Thick hands grabbed my ankles. Fabric dragged against the rough asphalt. I dug my nails into the concrete, tearing my cuticles.

"Corbin!" My throat ripped. Raw. Bleeding. "Corbin, you can't do this!"

He didn't turn around.

"If anything happens to me, my parents will bury you!" I choked on the cold air. "I'll sign the papers! I'll give you everything! Just let me walk away!"

They pulled me harder. My knees scraped raw against the ground. "Look at them!" I pointed a shaking, bloody finger at the two unconscious figures on the asphalt. "Even if you want me dead those are your parents! You can't just leave them here!"

CHAPTER 5