Turns Out I'm the Other Woman

In the seventh year of my long-distance relationship, I quit my job behind my boyfriend, William Harrington's back and travel more than 600 miles to Frostmere. I do all that just so I can give him a nice surprise and get married to him. When the receptionist hears that I'm looking for William, she wears a bemused look. "Mr. Harrington is in the middle of a meeting. Please wait for a moment." I'm secretly surprised by her response. Willian has never told me about the fact that he got promoted. When I video-called him last week, he was even complaining to me how stressful work had been for him. Getting a promotion seemed like an impossible dream at this point. As soon as I turn around, I hear the receptionist whispering to her colleagues. "This must be Mr. Harrington's mistress, right?" "Wow… She really is bold to have found her way to the company like this." "Since Mr. Harrington is having an affair, doesn't this mean Mrs. Harrington will kick up a fuss when she finds out about it?" I want to turn around and tell the ladies that they've mistaken me for someone else. William isn't married yet, and I'm his actual girlfriend of ten years. But before I can open my mouth, the spinning door reveals a woman in a high-end attire walking into the company's lobby. The receptionists quickly shut their mouths. Then, they address the woman respectfully as "Mrs. Harrington". Alexandra Rowland is in the middle of a phone call. Her voice is sickly sweet as she speaks on the phone. "Darling, I've reached the lobby. Hurry up and pick me up! I don't care! You have to attend the prenatal check-up with me today!" A crystal-clear deep, masculine voice that carries a hint of doting drifts over Alexandra's phone speaker. "Got it, Lexi. The meeting will be over soon. You can wait for me in the lounge for the time being." I've listened to that voice for the past seven years, so I'm extremely familiar with it. That voice belongs to my boyfriend, William… Chapter 1 Gabriella's POV My bag dropped to the floor with a soft thud. As I crouched to pick it up, a prenatal report fluttered down to my feet. It showed that the pregnancy was 12 weeks along and that the father's name was William Harrington. Around that time, William always claimed he was busy. He would only answer my calls once a week. Once, William finally agreed to a video call, and I spotted a hickey on his neck. He immediately explained, "That's a mosquito bite. Gaby, after all these years of our long-distance relationship, have you ever seen me with anyone else?" I had believed him back then, even apologizing for being too suspicious. But now, he had become someone else's husband and was even expecting a child. The woman took the report from my hand and thanked me with a smile. When she noticed that I hadn't moved, she asked, "Are you here to see William too?" I nodded. "Then let's go up together," she said. "My husband's meetings always run long." The word "husband" hit me without warning, and a sharp pain pierced my chest. In the reception room, the woman introduced herself. Her name was Alexandra Rowland, and she was the beloved daughter of the Rowland family in Frostmere. She stroked her belly, sounding as if she was complaining, though her eyes were full of joy. "My husband just won't admit how sweet he is. He always says he's busy, but he comes with me to every prenatal checkup. "He's been working overtime lately, saying he needs to earn more for the baby. The whole company belongs to his family, yet he still comes up with excuses like that just to make me smile." I tightened my grip on my bag and forced down the rage rising inside me. William had lied to me, saying he was just an ordinary employee who was sidelined at work and struggled to get promoted. We had been in a long-distance relationship for seven years. He always complained about the distance and kept putting off any talk of marriage. So after wrapping up my last project at the end of the year, I quit my job and rushed to Frostmere, ready to finally make things official with him. Just then, footsteps sounded from the doorway. Several men in suits walked past the reception room, and each of them stopped to greet Alexandra. "Mrs. Harrington, are you here to wait for Mr. Harrington again?" When William walked in, his colleagues immediately teased him. "Mr. Harrington, Mrs. Harrington's here to keep tabs on you again." Alexandra threw herself into his arms. "Darling, I've been waiting for so long. My back is killing me." William wrapped his arm around her waist without a second thought. When he looked up and saw me, his smile froze instantly. In just a second, he regained his composure and said coldly, "What are you doing here?" Alexandra turned to look at me and asked William, "Darling, who is this?" William's colleagues exchanged glances and smiled as they spoke for him. "What else could she be? She must be a friend of Mr. Harrington's." "Mrs. Harrington, don't worry. Everyone knows how devoted Mr. Harrington is to you." William stepped forward, positioning himself between Alexandra and me. He explained in a polite but distant tone, "She's a classmate from college." Then he turned to his assistant. "Please show this lady out. We don't want to hold up everyone's work." I stared at him in disbelief, but his eyes were fixed on Alexandra. When the assistant came to escort me out, William held Alexandra's hand and playfully tapped her nose. "Let's go, Lexi. I'll take you to your appointment." Alexandra stood on tiptoe and kissed him. "Darling, you're the best." As they walked past me, Alexandra glanced back at me. "Darling, isn't it a little rude to just leave your classmate standing there?" William didn't look back. "She's just a classmate I'm not very close with. You're the one who matters." My tears fell uncontrollably. The passing employees looked at me with mocking eyes, relishing my humiliation. William and I had been together for a decade, seven of which we spent in a long-distance relationship. I had traveled over a thousand miles to see him, and all I got in return was being called "a classmate I'm not very close with". My phone still had the message William sent three days ago. "Gaby, just give me a little more time. Once things settle down at work, I'll marry you." Because of those words, I gave up my job and traveled a long distance to be with him. I never could have imagined that all of it had been a lie. Chapter 2 Gabriella's POV My phone buzzed, and a message from William popped up. "Go back with my assistant first. I'll explain later." I stared at the short line of text, my chest tightening. In the end, I couldn't hold back. "Why did you lie to me?" I asked. William replied coldly, "Just behave and go back first. Don't embarrass yourself in front of the company." I remembered that every time I wanted to come to Frostmere, he would invent all sorts of excuses to stop me. It turned out he was afraid that I'd embarrass him. As soon as I looked up, I saw his employees whispering and filming me with their phones. "A mistress actually had the nerve to show up here. How shameless." "She is so young; she could have done anything else, yet she chose to be a mistress." I quickly raised my hand to cover my face, my voice breaking. "I'm not a mistress. William lied to me." All I got in response was laughter. William's assistant put my suitcase in the car and roughly shoved me inside. Half an hour later, the car pulled up in front of a villa. William lived in a villa, yet he had told me that he stayed in a tiny rental. I used to worry that he was struggling in Frostmere, so I sent him half of my salary every month. The assistant pushed me into the villa and locked the door from the outside. "Stay here and wait for Mr. Harrington to come back." A faint scent of perfume lingered in the air. I had noticed that same scent on William a few months ago when he visited me in Lumora. I turned around and instantly froze. On the living room wall hung an enormous wedding portrait. It showed William in a black suit, holding Alexandra in a white wedding gown. The date in the lower right corner of the photo stabbed at my heart. The day they took their wedding photos happened to be my birthday. That was the first time William didn't spend my birthday with me. He claimed that he was too swamped with work to get away. I stormed into the bedroom in a frenzy. Photos of William and Alexandra covered the walls. Inside the closet, sexy lace nightgowns hung next to his shirts. The vanity was cluttered with cosmetics from numerous luxury brands. The last shred of hope I had was shattered completely at the sight of a nearly empty box of condoms on the nightstand. So that was what William had been so "busy" with—building a life with another woman. I slumped onto the cold floor, buried my face in my hands, and broke down crying. I came from a poor background. Both my parents were from a rural village. I had poured everything I had into my studies just to get into a school in a big city. Whenever I didn't have classes, I worked part-time jobs off-campus. That was how I met William. I was a struggling student from a small village; he was a young man from a wealthy family who had run away to escape an arranged future. With no support from either of our families, we had only each other to rely on. A few months later, we started dating. My classmates joked that we were a "broke couple". After all, we really were broke back then. But every birthday, William always managed to scrape together enough money to buy me gifts I liked. He would eat only two meals a day just to save up for a designer lipstick for me. He said that I deserved everything the other girls had. He also told me that no matter how hard things get, he would never shortchange his girlfriend. After graduation, I stayed in Lumora, while William left for Frostmere. I rented a room in Lumora at a discounted rate of 800 dollars per month. William used to come back to Lumora every weekend. We tangled together through the nights, the old, worn-out bed creaking beneath us. William kissed the tears from the corners of my eyes, his voice rough as he made me a promise. "Gaby, once things settle down at work, I'll marry you." Determined to save enough for our marriage, I worked as hard as I could, often staying at the office until 2:00 am. Eventually, my body gave out, and I fainted at the office. The moment William heard that I was sick, he took the day off and rushed to the hospital in Lumora. He was furious and scolded me for being foolish. But a moment later, he gripped my hand, his eyes filling with tears. William asked his company for time off to stay in Lumora and look after me. His supervisor blasted him for it. That was the first time I had ever seen him speak to someone with such humility, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. I urged William to go back to work and not worry about me, but he said to me seriously, "Gabriella, nothing matters more to me than you." At that moment, I believed with everything in me that William loved me. That belief carried me through seven long years of being apart from him. Chapter 3 Gabriella's POV When William got home, he found me with eyes swollen from crying. He pulled me into his arms, his expression full of concern. "Gaby, I'm sorry," he said. "My dad passed away from illness back then, so I had to return to Frostmere and take over the family business. Your social status is too low, so the elders in my family would never have allowed me to marry you." I couldn't take another word. I shoved him away, tears streaming down my face. "So you married someone else? William, what did our seven years of long-distance relationship mean to you?" William looked down at me, his expression settling into calm. "Gabriella, as the head of the Harrington family, I have obligations. Alexandra and I are of the same social standing, and our marriage benefits both our families. "Lexi said that as long as you behave yourself, she'd turn a blind eye and let you stay by my side." I looked up at him as tears rolled down my face. William leaned down and brushed the tears from the corners of my eyes. "Gaby, we've been together for so many years; I won't treat you badly. If you want to stay in Frostmere, I can arrange a position for you at the company as my assistant." I slapped him across the face. Under his stunned gaze, I grabbed my suitcase and quickly walked out of the front door. As I rode away in a cab, William sent me a voice message. "Gabriella, don't be difficult. Not everyone can work for Harrington Group. I'll give you three days to think it over." Then he transferred 100,000 dollars to my account. Back when he was pretending to be broke, he never sent me more than 1,000 dollars at a time. Now, he sent a hundred thousand without a second thought. I didn't reply and returned all the money. Once I had rented a place and settled in, I opened my phone to find that the situation between William and me had gone viral. Someone had posted a video of me outside his office building. In the footage, I looked completely disheveled, and my eyes were darting around. The trending posts claimed William was having an affair and that his mistress had shown up uninvited. I was his real girlfriend, yet somehow I had become the homewrecker everyone despised. I immediately posted the full story of our relationship along with our chat history. The timeline made it clear that William and I had been together long before he married Alexandra. Public opinion flipped. The entire internet turned on William, calling him a scumbag. William called me several times, but I hung up each time. A few minutes later, Alexandra posted their marriage certificate on Instagram. She claimed their relationship was harmonious and accused me of staging the whole thing for attention. Harrington Group's PR team insisted that the chat history I posted was fabricated and threatened to sue me for defamation. Paid accounts flooded the internet with rumors, branding me as a scheming mistress trying to ruin a marriage. The comment section of my post was completely overrun with negative comments. "The mistress tried to fight back and got hit with a legal warning instead. That's hilarious!" "That's the real wife for you—shut down that arrogant homewrecker in just a few words." "She destroys someone's marriage and then tries to use it for clout. Disgusting!" My inbox was flooded with insults, and some even wished for my death. Half an hour later, my post disappeared, and my account was banned. It was the first time I truly realized how powerless I was against people with immense influence. My phone kept ringing, and every time I ignored it, the caller called again. With no other option, I finally picked up. It wasn't William who called me, but Alexandra. Her laughter carried a hint of disdain. "Ms. Bennett, let's have a little chat." Chapter 4 Gabriella's POV Early the next morning, Alexandra asked to meet me at a cafe. When she saw me again, there wasn't a trace of surprise in her eyes. "Gabriella, I recognized you the moment I saw you at the office yesterday," she said. I froze. The next moment, she explained calmly, "I knew about you before I married William. In our social circle, it's normal for men to have mistresses. William is actually restrained by comparison; he only has you." "I'm not a mistress!" I shot back immediately. Alexandra sneered and rested her hand on her belly. "What you are doesn't matter. The Harrington family has an heir on the way, so we never intended to deal with you. But then you ended up on the trending page, so I had to step in." She slid a non-disclosure agreement and a blank check across the table toward me. "Sign the agreement, record an apology video, and leave Frostmere within two days. Fill in any amount you want." I pushed the documents back and stood up to leave, but Alexandra stopped me. "Gabriella, you won't last in Frostmere. If you change your mind, come find me anytime." … Alexandra was right. Throughout the morning, I visited several companies to interview for positions. After reviewing my information, the HR managers all shook their heads and turned me away, saying my conduct was unbecoming and a liability to their company's reputation. Someone even mocked me to my face. "Why is a mistress like you looking for a job? Why don't you just go find yourself another sugar daddy?" Photos of me attending interviews were posted online. Someone even tagged William in the comment section. A moment later, William called me. "Gabriella, how long are you going to keep embarrassing yourself? I offered you a job, you turned it down, and now you're out there making a spectacle of yourself. Can you stop this?" "William, do you see me as your mistress too?" I asked. The cold wind in Frostmere bit at my skin. William instantly went quiet. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Gaby, I—" I didn't want to hear his explanation, so I hung up. A few minutes later, my phone buzzed again. Mom's voice came through the phone, raw and broken by sobs. "Gabriella! How did I raise a daughter like you? You've been someone's mistress for seven years!" "Your dad got so upset that he had a heart attack. The surgery will cost 500,000 dollars. Where are we supposed to get that kind of money?" Just then, a snowball slammed into my head with a thud. Two kids pointed at me and shouted, "Homewrecker! Hit the homewrecker!" Snowballs came flying at me one after another. They ran off laughing, then turned back and made faces at me. I sank to my knees in the snow, tears falling onto my phone screen. With shaking hands, I dialed Alexandra's number. Alexandra's mocking laughter came through the receiver. "Made up your mind already?" I replied in a hoarse voice, "I'll do it." Chapter 5 Gabriella's POV Alexandra arranged for me to issue a public apology on a live broadcast at the TV station. After signing the non-disclosure agreement, I stood in front of more than a dozen cameras and numbly read the script. "Hello, everyone. I'm Gabriella Bennett. Regarding the controversy I recently caused online, I would like to sincerely apologize to Ms. Alexandra Rowland and Mr. William Harrington. I fabricated the chat logs just to gain attention. Mr. Harrington and I are nothing more than former classmates." The viewer count spiked, and netizens flooded the comment section with insults, telling me to get out of Frostmere. By the time I came back to my senses, the wave of hatred had already torn through me. After the broadcast ended, Alexandra pulled out several stacks of bills and tossed them onto the floor without a second glance. The green bills drifted down like falling snow. "They slipped right out of my hands. Please pick them up yourself," she said. "Alexandra, you've gone too far!" I snapped. I was about to lunge forward when a bodyguard grabbed me and held me in place. He kicked me in the knee, and I fell to the ground in pain. As I struggled, my head was forced down against the floor. I was forced to kneel and apologize to Alexandra in front of everyone. Laughter erupted as the cameras focused on me again, each laugh cutting deeper. Alexandra grabbed my hair and gave a mocking smile. "Gabriella, take the money and get out of Frostmere. Don't ever think about challenging me." She turned away and called William, her voice turning soft and playful. "Darling, I've taken care of everything. You'd better say something nice to me!" William's voice was as warm and indulgent as ever. "You've worked hard, Lexi." I stayed on my knees, picking up the bills one by one. This money was meant for Dad's surgery. After the crowd dispersed, a pair of black leather shoes appeared before me. "Gabriella, are you really that desperate for money that you're willing to kneel on the ground and pick it up?" William grabbed my wrist and dragged me all the way downstairs. Then he shoved a bank card into my hand. "If you need money, come to me. Don't degrade yourself like this." Afterward, William drove me home himself. Pleased with how I had handled the apology, he softened his tone considerably. "Gaby, I bought you a house with a river view. Move in tomorrow. Once things die down, I'll get you set up at the company. We won't have to be apart anymore," he said. I said nothing and quietly counted the bills in my hands. As I got out of the car, William suddenly pulled me into his arms. He pressed his lips to my forehead, his eyes filled with pity. He said, "Gaby, you've suffered during these seven years. I promise I'll give you anything you want from now on. Lexi went a bit too far today. She has a bad temper, so please bear with her." … Two hours later, I dragged my suitcase to the airport. At that moment, a news alert popped up on my phone. It reported that William and Alexandra had attended a charity gala together and were being praised as the picture-perfect couple of high society. Meanwhile, I was still the homewrecker that everyone on the internet despised. Just before boarding, William sent me the address of the place he had arranged for me. Without hesitation, I replied, "William, let's break up." After sending that, I blocked him. There were no extra questions or hysterical accusations. I ended this seven-year-long fraud just like that. As the plane took off, I turned to look at the city lights outside the window. This city would never feel like my destination again.