Unraveling A Ten-Year Lie

My husband beamed as he held our newborn son.

I saw the look he exchanged with his mistress.

I watched as he swapped my baby for hers.

He forgot I was a Vanderwood. One phone call was all it took to switch my son back.

For ten years, that fool raised a boy he thought was his bastard heir.

At my son's tenth birthday party, a woman stormed in.

She pointed her finger.

"That son you've spent a decade raising? He's not yours. He's mine."

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1

My son Orion had just accepted the asset transfer agreement from me when Theodore’s mistress, Brielle Jenkins, stormed in.

The birthday party was instantly shattered by her screams.

“Oh, Orion, my dearest son!”

Tears streamed down her face as she surged forward like a madwoman, trying to embrace Orion.

Orion’s eyes widened in shock.

The guests who had followed Brielle in were all prominent figures in New York's high society. Now, they watched the drama unfold with rapt curiosity.

Vultures, I sneered inwardly. Here for the show.

I turned to my husband, Theodore Preston. "Theodore, perhaps you can explain what Ms. Jenkins is talking about?"

By then, Orion had moved to stand behind me. He shot a cold glance at the weeping Brielle, then rolled his eyes at Theodore.

Orion had just turned ten this year. Unfortunately, two years ago at our vacation home in the Hamptons, he had stumbled upon Theodore and Brielle tangled in a naked embrace and told me the truth about their affair.

I never imagined my son would be forced to witness such human depravity at such a young age. From that day on, Orion understood that Theodore couldn't care less about our family.

Before Theodore could speak, Brielle threw herself at Orion again, crying.

“Orion, come here! Let me hold you! I can finally claim you as my own, out in the open!”

Orion dodged her embrace, his young face a mask of disdain and detachment. “You’re not my mother. My mother is Cordelia Vanderwood.”

He looked at Brielle as if she were a lunatic.

I allowed myself a small, satisfied smile. My son. At such a young age, he already possessed my calm and composed nature.

Brielle staggered and collapsed to the floor. Theodore rushed to her side, his expression pained, and turned on me. “Cordelia, how could you do this to Brielle? She…”

I cut him off, slapping them both hard across the face, one after the other. The sharp cracks echoed through the opulent living room.

“Brielle is a mistress. She has no right to set foot in a Vanderwood home. Theodore, today is Orion’s birthday. Why would you allow this woman to show her face here?” My voice was ice, each word dripping with venom.

Theodore scrambled to his feet, his face contorting into a ferocious snarl as he raised his hand to strike me.

Suddenly, Orion darted out from behind me, shielding me with his small body. “Don’t you dare hit my mom!”

His strength was no match for Theodore's, but he used all his might to ram his head into Theodore’s abdomen.

Theodore lost his balance and crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach. He let go of Brielle, who fell with him. When he realized his own “precious” son had attacked him, his face flushed with rage. In a fit of fury, he raised his foot to kick Orion, but Brielle stopped him.

“Calm down, Theodore! Orion is our son, don’t hurt him!”

Theodore managed to rein in his anger, but his chest heaved as he shot a dagger-like glare at Orion.

“You dare hit me? If your real mother hadn’t stopped me, I’d have taught you a lesson today, you little whelp! Cordelia has done a terrible job raising you!”

As he spoke, Theodore’s furious gaze shifted to me. If looks could kill, I’d already be six feet under.

But Orion didn’t back down. Instead, he spread his arms to protect me. “Real men don’t hit women. You slept with another woman and cheated on Mom. You’re garbage!”

I watched his small frame, standing straight and defiant. In his fiery anger, I saw a perfect reflection of myself.