Chapter 1

After five years of marriage, I finally found out that my husband, Vincent Pierce, already had another wife—Lorelei Vance.

And legally, he and I had never even registered a marriage certificate.

I didn't scream or cry. Instead, I immediately contacted my business partner overseas, making plans to leave with my son and my mother.

He thought I would stay trapped in the dark forever, completely under his thumb.

This time, I was going to take everything that belonged to me and make sure Vincent could never find us again.

Clara's POV

Vincent and I had held a wedding back in my hometown.

Yet after five years of waiting, that official marriage license never arrived.

Vincent always claimed to be an on-site project manager in construction, only visiting home twice a year. He constantly promised that as soon as his current development wrapped up, we would finalize the legal paperwork.

Before having a baby, I worked as a conference simultaneous interpreter. I quit once I became pregnant with our son, Leo.

Recently, I took my five-year-old son and my mother on a four-hour bus ride, moving from my hometown to New York just so our family could finally be together.

Once we settled in, I spent half a month doing written translation work, and soon after, I passed the test to join the city’s top interpretation firm.

My very first official assignment was the joint venture signing conference between the Pierce Group and a foreign conglomerate.

I stepped into the interpreter booth and opened the speaker itinerary.

Printed under the keynote speaker column was a familiar name: Vincent Pierce.

I pulled out my phone and ran a search.

A photo of a Pierce Group director popped up on the screen. Dressed in a bespoke suit, he had that exact faint smile I had looked at for years.

It was my husband.

His endless stories about roughing it on dusty construction sites had been a complete lie from the very beginning.

My booth partner nudged my arm. "See that guy? That’s the Pierce family heir. And sitting right below the stage is his wife, Lorelei Vance."

"Years ago, someone ambushed him. Lorelei threw herself in front of him, taking a brutal hit that permanently crippled her right arm. Everyone in high society knows he owes her his life."

A countdown sounded through my headset, and I pulled the mic closer.

Once the contracts were signed, a reporter asked Vincent who he was most grateful for.

Vincent took the microphone and gestured toward the backstage area.

Lorelei walked up onto the stage and slipped her arm through his.

Facing the entire audience, Vincent spoke. "Years ago, when I was being hunted down, Lorelei shielded me from that strike. Her right arm can never lift above her shoulder again. She gave me my life, and everything I own today belongs entirely to her."

Behind the anti-glare glass of the interpreter booth, my hands didn't shake. I translated every single sentence into Spanish, word for word.

Noticing the blood drain from my face, my partner reached out to take over the mic, but I gently brushed her hand away.

I interpreted the entire conference right down to the final second.

After the event ended, I took off my headset and rode the subway to pick up my son from preschool.

Right outside the front office, the teacher called out to me, holding out a form.

"Ms. Campbell, Mr. Pierce registered you as the family's live-in nanny."

The teacher pointed to the roster on her desk. "Leo is transferring to a private academy next week, and his mother will be handling pickups and drop-offs from now on. Please take this transfer form back so the boy's mother, Lorelei Vance, can sign it."

I stared down at the paper.

In the line labeled 'Mother's Name,' Lorelei Vance was clearly written.

My name was relegated to the bottom notes section, followed by a single word: *Nanny*.

The son I carried for nine months had legally become someone else's child.

I folded the transfer form, tucked it into my bag, and took Leo by the hand as we walked out the door.

That night, once Leo was fast asleep, I walked out onto the balcony and dialed a number.

On the other end was Julian Drake, a senior from my university translation program.

Julian had opened an international translation agency abroad and had been inviting me to join as a partner for two full years.

Gripping the railing, I kept my voice low and steady. "Julian, that partnership we talked about—I'm taking it."

Julian asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Looking down at the streetlights below, I replied, "I'm sure. I'm bringing my mom and my son with me. The sooner, the better."