He Snitched on Himself

At three in the morning, my husband, Nolan Thomson, started talking in his sleep.

My baby, be good. Daddy's getting you and Mommy a new house tomorrow.

I shot awake. We'd always used protection. What baby?

I shoved his shoulder. What did you just say?

He rolled over, eyes still shut. Just a nightmare. Dreamed some client was chasing me over money.

I didn't push it. In the dark, I grabbed his phone and unlocked it.

Three months ago, there was a $50,000 transfer.

[Down payment.]

[Recipient: Kelsey Ward.]

I searched her name.

The first thing on her feed was an ultrasound photo.

[Our little angel has been on the way. Daddy says we'll be living in a big house by the time you're here.]

Posted the day after Nolan sent the money.

I screenshotted everything and sent it straight to my dad.

[Dad, your perfect son-in-law didn't just cheat. He got another woman pregnant. I want him walking away with nothing.]

Chapter 1

Dad replied almost immediately:

[That scum! Sweetheart, don't panic. I'm getting the best lawyer right now. He's about to learn he messed with the wrong family.]

I swallowed back the nausea and kept scrolling through Kelsey's posts.

One month ago:

[We finally picked out our little home today. The area is amazing! Thanks to my hubby for giving me and our baby such a cozy place.]

The photo showed her clinging to Nolan Thomson's arm at a sales office. Her dress showed off her bump, and she was smiling brightly.

Nolan had an arm around her waist.

I'd never seen him look at me that gently.

Two months ago:

[My hubby says our baby and I are his whole world. He's giving us the best life. This steak smells sooo good!]

The picture was from some fancy restaurant. On the table sat the expensive steak I could never bring myself to order.

I remembered that night.

I'd wanted to celebrate my promotion there.

Nolan said it was too expensive.

So we got takeout.

Three months ago:

[Two lines! Baby, you came at the perfect time. Your daddy and I can't wait for you!]

The picture showed her fingers laced with Nolan's over her stomach.

Every photo felt like a knife to the chest.

I cried into my pillow in the dark.

Next to me, Nolan slept peacefully, a tiny smile on his face.

Probably off dreaming about his perfect little secret family.

I stared at his face. Whatever love I had left died right there.

'Nolan, did you really think I'd never find out? I'm not someone you get to walk all over.'

I slipped out of bed, headed to the study, and turned on my laptop.

As the Jourdain family heiress, I had plenty of ways to make him regret this.

First, I needed to know exactly who Kelsey was.

I hired a private investigator and got her background fast.

Kelsey Ward. Twenty-three. Fresh out of a pretty average college. Receptionist at Nolan's company.

Middle-class family. Both parents worked in factories.

Just another girl trying to climb her way up.

What pissed me off even more?

She joined Nolan's company six months after we got married.

Meaning she'd been after a married man from day one.

Shameless.

The next morning, Nolan woke me the same way he always did.

"Babe, breakfast's ready." He kissed my forehead. "I've got an important client meeting today. Might be home late."

I forced a smile. "Okay. Work comes first."

Chapter 2

A flash of surprise crossed his face. Guess he wasn't expecting me to go along with it so easily.

"I'll probably be busy the next few days. Don't overthink it."

"I know."

I nodded like the perfect wife, while laughing inside.

Busy taking your side chick to doctor appointments?

After Nolan left, I drove straight to Horizon Tech.

As a business partner, I had every right to show up.

The receptionist at the front desk was young.

Kelsey.

She looked even younger and prettier in person. Long hair. Clear eyes. An innocent face.

You'd never guess she was sleeping with a married man.

"Hi, who are you here to see?" she asked sweetly.

"I'm here for Nolan Thomson."

I looked her over.

She had on a loose business suit, but I still caught it.

The slight curve of her stomach.

She was already showing.

"Mr. Thomson is in a meeting. Can I get your name?"

"Johanna Jourdain."

Her face changed instantly.

She knew exactly who I was.

Nolan's wife.

"Ms. Jourdain! One second. I'll let Mr. Thomson know right away."

She grabbed the phone so fast she almost fumbled it.

I heard her lower her voice.

"Mr. Thomson... your wife's here."

A minute later, Nolan rushed out with a tight smile. "Babe, what are you doing here?"

His eyes flicked to Kelsey.

"I wanted to see your office. Maybe grab lunch with you." I slipped my arm through his.

"Sure. Let's eat at the restaurant upstairs."

Way too quick.

He was already trying to get me out of there.

In the elevator, I asked casually, "That receptionist is pretty cute. How old is she?"

"Not sure. She's a new intern."

Too fast.

"I don't really pay attention."

"Oh."

I nodded, already filing that under bullshit.

During lunch, I asked if he'd been stressed lately, if he wasn't feeling well.

I kept putting food on his plate.

He looked touched. "You care about me the most. I'm so lucky to have you."

I almost lost my appetite listening to him.

"By the way," I said like I just remembered, "a friend told me about this new neighborhood. Should we start looking at houses too?"

His fork froze.

"Looking at houses? Isn't our place fine?"

"It's kind of small. If we have kids someday, we might need more space."

His face shifted.

"No rush on kids. Things are tight right now."

Tight?

Funny. Money didn't seem tight when he bought his side chick a house.

"You're right. We can wait."

I smiled and played along.

But now I saw him for exactly who he was.

That afternoon, I used the bathroom as an excuse and walked past the front desk on purpose.

Kelsey was chatting with a coworker.

"The doctor said the baby's healthy. Due date's at the end of the year."

"Kelsey, you're seriously so lucky. Your boyfriend spoils you. He bought you a house and treats you like a princess."

"Yeah. He said he'll marry me after the baby's born."

She looked like she was glowing.

Marry her?

I almost laughed.

He hadn't even divorced me yet.

Kelsey looked up and saw me.

The color drained from her face.

"M-Ms. Jourdain."

I walked over and smiled sweetly.

"You're Kelsey, right? You're pregnant? Congrats."

Chapter 3

She instinctively covered her stomach.

"Thank you, Ms. Jourdain."

"The baby's father treats you well, right?"

"Yeah."

She wouldn't look at me.

"Good. People should appreciate what they have. And stay away from scumbags."

I held her gaze for a second, then walked away.

Outside the building, I took a slow breath.

'Kelsey, do you really think staying in the background keeps you safe? I'll show you exactly what a wife can do.'

That night, Nolan came home late, smelling like women's perfume.

"Client dinner. Had a few drinks."

He let out a small burp. "I'm gonna shower."

The second he walked into the bathroom, I grabbed his phone.

Kelsey: [Honey, the appointment went great! The doctor said we could find out the gender. It's a boy!]

Nolan: [That's amazing! My son! I'll take you shopping for baby stuff tomorrow.]

[You're the best. I love you!]

[I love you and our baby too. Once he's here, we'll finally be a real family.]

I felt sick reading it.

They already had it all planned out.

Just waiting for me, the wife, to disappear.

Keep dreaming.

I put his phone back and pasted on a sweet smile.

When Nolan came out of the shower, I walked over and started rubbing his shoulders.

"You've been working hard. So many client dinners lately."

He leaned back and enjoyed it, looking way too pleased with himself.

"It's all for our future."

"Oh, right." I kept my voice casual. "I saw your receptionist today. She looks pregnant. Pretty young to be having a baby."

His body went stiff. "Really? I didn't notice."

"She looks at least three or four months along."

"Young people these days don't know how to be careful."

He let out a fake laugh.

I laughed inside but kept smiling.

"I hope her boyfriend's doing the right thing. Otherwise it'd be pretty messed up."

"I'm sure he is."

He was already sweating.

The next day, I had the PI keep following them.

No surprise there.

Nolan took Kelsey to some upscale baby store. The pictures showed them acting like a happy little family.

His arm around her waist. His hand on her stomach.

The way he looked at her

It was the same look he used to give me when we first got married.

Then it got worse.

They stopped at a jewelry store.

He bought her a twenty-thousand-dollar diamond ring.

Back when we got married, I'd told him I didn't need anything expensive.

He'd looked so touched he almost cried.

Now he could drop twenty grand on his side chick?

I saved every photo.

Future divorce evidence.

That afternoon, I went to the shopping district Kelsey always hung around and pretended to shop.

Didn't take long to find her.

She was sitting in a caf with a friend.

I grabbed a seat nearby and listened.

"Kelsey, are you sure about this? He's married."

"So what?" Kelsey looked completely unbothered. "He doesn't even love his wife. He's only still with her because her family's rich.

"He said once I give him a son, he'll find some excuse to divorce her."

Chapter 4

"But what if he's lying to you?"

"He's not."

Kelsey lifted her hand and flashed the ring.

"This ring cost twenty grand. He bought me a house too. If he wasn't serious, would he spend that kind of money?"

Her friend still looked unsure. "But what if his wife finds out"

"So what if she does?" Kelsey rubbed her stomach with a smug smile. "I'm carrying his son. That's my biggest advantage. Guys always want kids with their blood. He's not walking away from us."

She snorted.

"And that old lady? Three years of marriage and no baby. I got pregnant once, and it's a boy. Who do you think he's picking?"

Old lady?

I almost lost it right there.

I was twenty-eight.

Twenty-eight was old now?

I swallowed the anger and kept listening.

"He promised once our son's born, he'll make us official and make me his wife." Her eyes practically sparkled. "Then I'll be living the rich-wife life. I won't have to deal with anybody anymore."

"Does Johanna know about you?"

"Probably not." Kelsey smirked. "Nolan's really good at hiding stuff. Never slips up.

"But even if she finds out, so what? I have a son. She doesn't.

"I win."

Enough.

I'd heard enough.

I got up and walked out of the caf.

The second I stepped outside, I called my dad.

"Dad, it's time."

"You sure? Once we do this, there's no going back."

"I'm sure." I stared ahead. "They pushed too far. I want them to know what happens when they betray our family."

"Alright. We start tomorrow."

I hung up and watched the sun drop below the horizon.

Inside me, something was already burning.

***

The third day was Saturday. Nolan said he had a client meeting. Really, he was going to see Kelsey.

I played along and watched him pull out of the driveway.

The second he was gone, I called an emergency board meeting as CEO of Jourdain Corp.

"Everyone, I have an announcement." I stood at the head of the table, cool and composed. "Starting now, Jourdain Corp is cutting all ties with Horizon Tech."

The directors traded looks.

"Johanna, why? Horizon Tech has always been a major partner."

"Because their CEO, Nolan Thomson, has serious character issues. That doesn't match Jourdain Corp's values."

"But ending contracts out of nowhere will trigger penalties."

"I'll pay them." No hesitation. "This is about principle."

The meeting ended, and I immediately reached out to Horizon Tech's biggest clients.

Jourdain Corp had influence. I had connections. Didn't take long for people to start getting nervous.

By that afternoon, Nolan's phone was blowing up.

I sat at home sipping tea while he paced the balcony, taking call after call.

"Mr. Warren, why end things so suddenly? We've always had a good partnership..."

"Mr. Lowell, maybe there's been some misunderstanding? We can work out a new price..."

"Mr. Chase, please reconsider. Our company really needs this project..."

Watching him spiral was putting me in a great mood.

Chapter 5

That night, Nolan came home looking drained.

"Babe, work got messy today." He tried to act like he had it together.

"What happened?" I asked, concern all over my face while I laughed inside.

"A few major clients suddenly pulled out. I have no clue why." He rubbed his temples, frustrated.

"Could competitors be messing with things behind the scenes?" I tilted my head.

"Maybe..." Something flickered across his face. "A few companies have been trying to steal our business lately."

I smiled to myself. He still had no clue the real problem was sitting right next to him.

"Don't stress too much." I kept my voice soft. "We'll figure it out. Worst case, my family can help."

He looked at me like I hung the moon. "Having you is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Hypocrite.

If I was really that great, why cheat on me?

But he wouldn't be saying that for much longer.

***

Early the next morning, my phone rang.

Kelsey.

"Ms. Jourdain, I want to talk to you." Her voice shook.

"Sure. Pick a place."

An hour later, we met at a quiet caf.

Kelsey was wearing a loose maternity dress. Her face was pale, eyes red and puffy. She'd clearly been crying.

"Ms. Jourdain, I think you already know Nolan is the baby's father." Her voice wavered.

I just looked at her. No anger. No surprise.

That only made her more nervous.

"I never meant to ruin your marriage." The excuses came fast. "He told me he didn't love you. He said your marriage was just for appearances"

"What else did he say?"

"He said he only married you because of family interests. That there was never any real love..." Her voice kept getting quieter.

I let out a cold laugh. "And you actually bought that?"

"I..." Nothing.

"Do you even hear yourself?" I stood, looking down at her. "You thought sleeping with a married man and getting pregnant would put you in my spot?"

She instantly wrapped a hand around her stomach.

"I'll leave. If you give me money, I swear I'll disappear. You'll never see me again."

"Money?" I laughed. "How much exactly do you think you're worth?"

"Five hundred thousand..." she said carefully.

"Five hundred thousand?" My voice cut through the caf. "You think you're worth that?"

I sat back down, crossed my legs, and stared at her.

"You won't get a dime. Because pretty soon, both of you will have nothing."

I stood and started walking away.

"Ms. Jourdain!" Kelsey called after me. "You can't do this! I'm carrying Nolan's son! You can't ignore this!"

I turned back, my eyes cold.

"Are you sure that baby's Nolan's?"