Chapter 2

Joshua had told me about his relationship with his ex-wife before we married.

He described her as a selfish person who acted on impulse without a care for other people.

He mentioned how Olivia would disappear for months without notice and, on a whim, had even left him behind on his birthday to travel to Africa for a wildlife migration expedition.

She openly flirted with other men and moved between them without shame.

Joshua had voiced his concerns to her more than once, but she brushed them aside, believing that her charm and his deep love for her would make him accept her behavior.

That was until he caught her in bed with another man.

Olivia adamantly denied any wrongdoing, claiming they were just friends chatting under the covers. She thought he was overreacting and accused him of not trusting her.

In a fit of anger, she filed for divorce.

This time, Joshua did not try to stop her. He signed the papers without hesitation.

At the time, I still held a half-hearted skepticism of what he claimed, viewing his ex-wife as a free-spirited and somewhat brash woman. I never expected reality to deliver such a harsh lesson today.

I gathered my strength and glared at Olivia. “You and Joshua are divorced, so you have no right to interfere in his life!”

She glanced at my belly.

“You, an insignificant mistress, have no grounds to speak to me like that! If I don’t teach you a lesson today, I’ll be failing in my role as the rightful wife,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

As she lunged toward me again, I instinctively tried to retreat further into the house, but she yanked my hair, preventing my escape.

Protecting my belly, I dodged her grasp as she clutched my clothing.

Suddenly, a hard kick landed squarely on my lower back, sending me crashing to the ground. Pain shot through my abdomen.

“I’ve called for backup—these are all the women who would stand against homewreckers!” Mrs. Granger shouted.

“Look at Karen! She’s so strong that the woman can’t get up!”

Mrs. Karen Holland squatted and looked down at me with disdain.

“Minerva here said that the pregnant mistress lives here, and I see that’s you, with your fox-like appearance!”

With someone backing her up, Olivia grew even bolder. She raised her foot and stomped on me.

The baby inside me kicked fiercely, and I felt a warm sensation between my legs. I realized I must have started bleeding.

To avoid provoking them further, I steadied my trembling hands and tried to explain again.

“I’m not a mistress! I’m married to Joshua! This woman here is his ex-wife!”

The crowd surrounding us gasped in surprise, turning their eyes toward Olivia.

“You’re the ex-wife, and you come to your ex-husband’s house to attack his current wife? What kind of nonsense is this?”

“Exactly! If you want to get back together, you shouldn’t be hitting the woman he’s with now!”

“Minerva, you called us over to beat up someone without getting the facts straight? You’ve lost your mind!”

Faced with the crowd's scrutiny, Olivia’s eyes burned with fury as she struck me again.

“You shameless woman! No wonder Josh divorced me—it must have been your meddling!”

Then Olivia turned to the crowd and shouted, “Don’t be fooled by her! Josh cut ties with his family for me!

“He walked away from a company worth billions just to be with me. If he loved me so much, why would he marry someone like this?

“We only had a fight! If she hadn’t seduced Josh while we were married, how could she get pregnant so quickly? If she’s not his mistress, who is she then?”

Her claims rang loud and clear, causing the people around us to look at me with renewed suspicion.

Then Mrs. Holland, who had kicked me earlier, stepped forward to support her.

“That’s how my husband was too! He deceived me, claiming he wanted to buy me a house, then brought the pregnant mistress into our home! We can’t trust her! These mistresses are very cunning!”

“It doesn’t matter if this shameless woman is married to Joshua. She’s still a mistress! Today, we’re here to deal with her!”

“Yes! Let’s deal with the mistress! Better to mistakenly hit the wrong person than let her go!”

The crowd closed in on me, fists raised, chanting for the ‘mistress’ to be punished.

Terrified, I screamed hysterically.

“No! It’s not like that! My marriage certificate is inside! Just let me go get it!”