3. My husband's mistress's dirty plans

Reese POV

"Today I prepared a beautiful dinner and a lovely surprise for you, but you came home demanding a divorce. What a pitiful situation, I must say," I commented gloomily, the divorce papers still in my hands. "So this is how our story ends?"

"Our story ended when you killed my father, Reese. All of this is your fault," he continued with that speech, but I knew it was just a way to use that against me to get me out of his life.

I wiped my face, feeling too small. "Do you know what your father's last words were before the accident? He begged me not to give up on you, Elliot. He said he believed in our love and that I shouldn't give up on you despite everything. So how do you expect me to give up on you now?"

"What are you getting at?" he asked, already showing irritation. "Are you planning not to give me the divorce? I'm a fucking billionaire, Reese. I'll find a way to take this from you." That was clearly a threat. It hurt to think that the man I loved so much treated me like an enemy.

"Then you'll have to try again because I won't give you this divorce so easily," I said with my head held high and tore up the divorce agreement right in front of him.

He laughed derisively at my action. "You know that doesn't solve shit, don't you? I will get this divorce, and nothing you do will matter because I'll always win."

His words made me bleed inside, but I wasn't going to stop. I would keep fighting until the end, until he recognized that he loved me, that I was the right woman for him, not some ex-girlfriend who just showed up to tear us apart. Despite everything, I believed in our love, our story, our marriage, and I knew we could get through this together.

"I won't give up on you, Elliot," I said that, sobbing. But at that same moment, I heard laughter coming from the next room; curious and confused, I got up and went there because I didn't recognize that laughter mixed with my son's giggles.

Then, when I arrived, I saw my husband's mistress playing with my son. She was laughing at him and making funny faces for the little boy, who, with his pure and innocent soul, was laughing back. So that was it? Was that their plan? Did Elliot want to discard me to replace me with her, not just in his life but also in my son's life? Was she supposed to be the new mother to my child? My blood boiled at that moment.

"Stay away from him now!" I shouted in anger, running to him, snatching my son away from her and protecting him in my arms. "Never touch my son again! Never come near him again!" I demanded.

"Don't be an idiot, Reese. Jennifer was just playing with the child," Elliot said, defending his lover.

"I don't care. I just don't want her near my son," I replied impassively, emphasizing 'my son' while looking at that woman.

She smiled mockingly at me. "Why are you so afraid?" she asked. "Are you afraid I might be a better mother to him than you could ever be?"

"You won't be a better mother to him, do you know why? Because you'll never be his mother!" I responded.

She threw her head back slightly and laughed nasally. "When Elliot and I get married, which is going to happen very soon, I'll be his stepmother, so yes, my dear, I will be your son's mother, and I'll strive to be the best mother to him because Elliot loves me!"

Hearing those words from her caused a pang in my heart. "Because Elliot loves me." Hearing that hurt more than the devil, for I knew she had stolen the love my husband once felt for me, and I had lost that; I no longer meant anything to Elliot. There was only her in his heart and the desire to start a new family with her.

I looked at Elliot, heavy tears falling from my eyes. "So this is what you want? I'm still Sammy's mother, Elliot. You can't take him away from me to give to her!" I screamed at him in despair. Just imagining my son being raised by another woman made my blood boil.

Elliot approached me and took the boy from my arms. "Stop this pathetic scene. You're scaring the child," he said, holding the child in his arms. "Wait for me outside. I'll talk to you."

"No! Give me back my son," I pleaded, trying to take him from his arms, but my husband pushed me away from my own child.

"Just leave, Reese! We won't resolve this matter in front of the child," he hissed at me, showing how serious he was.

I looked at the situation. Sammy was crying out of fear of what was happening; the child was too young to understand anything. I wiped my tears and tried to compose myself. "It's okay, my boy..." I said to him sweetly, stroking his hair to calm him down. I had to be strong for him. "Mommy will be back, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy. I love you," the little boy said, still scared, and my heart broke even more. Seeing my son go through this was the last thing I wanted.

"I'll put him to sleep; just go compose yourself, Reese," Elliot said, looking at me one last time before heading to the bed.

To that hateful woman standing nearby with her arms crossed, watching the scene, I just threw a look of hatred at her and then left the room, going to wait for Elliot in the hallway. I didn't know what to expect from him now. I couldn't let him take Sammy away from me; all of this was a nightmare.

"So this is how New York women act? So wild it's frightening." I turned to see that Jennifer Durham had followed me into the hallway and was now smiling mockingly at me. "But I'm not surprised," she continued. "Florence warned me you were low class." She looked me up and down with contempt, a contempt similar to that which my mother-in-law always threw at me, as if I were nothing and they were royalty.

"Just stay away from my son, I'm warning you!" I said, short with a threatening tone.

"Or else what?" She tested me, still sizing me up. "You're going to kill me like you killed your own father-in-law?" The maniacal smile was there in her vile look, as if she had very bad intentions.

My blood boiled at her words, and before I realized it, I had slapped her hard across the face. She groaned in pain and grabbed the railing of the wide staircase leading to the lower floor of the mansion. "You hit me?" She mumbled, looking at me in disbelief, her perfect blonde hair now disheveled.

I looked at her with my chin up; I wasn't going to back down from my decisions. But then Jennifer Durham did the unthinkable; she threw herself down the stairs, "No!" I tried to grab her, but it was too late, and her body rolled down as she screamed in pain. My eyes were wide as I watched that hideous scene.

"Jennifer! What happened?" It was Elliot running, perhaps because of the noise. He ran towards her, holding her in his arms. "Oh my God, Jennifer... Are you okay?" He asked, all concerned while her limp body was in his arms below. At that moment, my mother-in-law and the household staff had also approached, all horrified by the accident.

"She pushed me..." she said despite the pain, pointing in my direction. "She intended to kill me..."

The look of hatred Elliot threw at me was icy and deadly.