So I'm the Side Chick Now

Just before going to bed, I happen to come across a post titled, "What should I do if my husband has another family on the side?" I click into the post, driven by some strange impulse. It seems like the original poster's husband has been really busy this past year, frequently traveling to branch offices for work. He has been giving her more money for living expenses, though, so she suspects nothing at first, feeling grateful that he works hard to support the family. Everything changes when she comes across a post of a woman trying on a wedding dress. She immediately recognizes the man's hand and back in the photo as her husband's. She feels completely helpless about the whole situation, so she wants to ask the online users for their opinions. I scroll down, wanting to see what the scumbag she's talking about looks like, but a second later, I feel my blood run cold. I can tell that they're the exact photos I posted on my social media the week before, even with the mosaic filter applied. Chapter 1 I stared intently at that photo on my phone screen. I stared at the photo that had been mosaicked by the original poster to hide the background, leaving just the back of a man in a tailored suit and his hand on a woman's waist. That hand was defined, with a simple platinum band wrapped around the ring finger. Though others might not recognize it, I could never mistake it; after all, I had spent an entire afternoon picking out that ring at the jewelry store last month. I even recalled how the sales assistant told me that they were new matching rings for couples, representing "a promise to be each other's one and only". Michael Hall, my fiance, smiled as he put it on. He then kissed me on the forehead and said, "I must have done something right in my past lives to be lucky enough to marry you in this one, Dakota." Yet, at that moment, the ring that represented "a promise to be each other's one and only" had appeared in another woman's post, where she accused her husband of infidelity. I forced myself to calm down and clicked on the woman's profile picture. I noticed that her social media feed was surprisingly simple, filled almost entirely with photos of her son. Her son, who looked roughly two years old, had two small dimples when he smiled. He was holding a feeding spoon with pumpkin puree all over his face in the photo. "He called me 'Mommy' today, but someone's away on a business trip again. He didn't hear it." I scrolled further down her feed and found another photo, showing a table full of home-cooked food—honey-garlic ribs, sauteed seasonal vegetables, and fish chowder. I looked at the caption. "He said he'd be home this weekend, but he suddenly called and said he had to meet with a client again. I know the food's all cold now, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away." I couldn't help but feel a prick in my heart as I looked at every single post of hers. It didn't hurt much, but the pricks were endless, slowly drawing blood. I still wasn't convinced, so I kept scrolling. I finally found a post from more than a year ago. It was a photo of an ultrasound with a simple caption. "We're going to be a family of three soon! Daddy says he'll work hard to earn money for the baby's formula!" I noticed a familiar profile picture among the likes on the post. It was a silhouette shot taken against the light. I had asked Michael why he used that photo, and he told me it was because he thought it looked artistic. I looked at that same profile picture showing up on the other woman's social media feed, feeling as if someone had slapped me across the face. It was dead quiet in the bedroom, save for the soft humming of the central air conditioner. There was a photo of Michael and me on the nightstand, which was taken last year during our ski trip in Snowmere. He wrapped me up completely in his down jacket, leaving just our two faces out, which were flushed red from the cold. We were smiling like two fools. I used to think this was what true love looked like, but now, when I looked at this photo again, I just felt a bitter sense of irony. Chapter 2 Michael and I first met at a business gathering. I had just returned from abroad after completing my MBA, and Dad had me start at the entry level to learn the ropes of the company's operations. That day, I went to an industry networking event representing my department. Michael was the project lead at another company. He wasn't exactly handsome, but he had a clean-cut appearance and carried himself well. He was confident without being cocky, and he stood out among all the slick, middle-aged businessmen. He began pursuing me after that. He didn't shower me with expensive gifts or spend money recklessly. He was thoughtful in ways that were subtle and easy to miss. He would be waiting outside the office with a cup of warm hot cocoa in the car whenever I worked late into the night. He waited two hours in line and bought the souffle from the popular dessert shop just because I once mentioned in passing that I wanted to try it. He even brought it to my office while it was warm. He didn't dismiss my pain with a casual remark whenever I had menstrual cramps. He would come straight to my place with ibuprofen and a heating pad and wait downstairs. Those around me told me that I had lucked out with Michael—and I thought so too. Michael didn't come from money, but Dad said that as long as he was a good man and treated me well, his family background didn't matter. He proposed to me a year into our relationship. He got on his knees when the Ferris wheel reached the highest point and took out a ring. "Will you marry me, Dakota? I'll spend the rest of my life making sure you're the happiest woman in the world." I was tearing up when I said yes to his proposal. Yet, at this moment, I had become the homewrecker everyone was condemning online. I didn't sleep a wink and had someone look into Michael and his wife. I learned that her name was Nora Zimmerman. She grew up in an orphanage, met Michael in university, and left her job to be a stay-at-home mom after getting pregnant. I thought it over and had my secretary set up a meeting with her the next day. Nora was skinnier than I expected. She was wearing a faded cardigan with her hair thrown into a messy ponytail. Her face showed obvious signs of exhaustion and uneasiness. She was carrying a two-year-old boy, Ryker Hall, in her arms. He was well-behaved and quietly playing with the toy car in his hands. Nora's gaze went from confusion to shock the moment she saw me. She then glared furiously at me and said tremblingly, "I-It's you… You're the…" "Yes, it's me," I said calmly as I held her gaze. Nora suddenly stood up, her eyes immediately filling with tears. She then yelled, "You're the freaking homewrecker! Give me back my husband!" Ryker, who was still in her arms, got a fright and began to cry loudly. Upon hearing the commotion, the cafe server looked over at us, clearly intrigued by the drama. I picked up my cup of coffee, took a leisurely sip, then looked up at her. "You should sit down first, Ms. Zimmerman. You're scaring your son." "You can spare the fake concern!" Nora cried as she tried to calm Ryker. She tried to keep her voice down as she said, "Did it ever cross your mind that a child was involved when you went after someone else's husband?" "I didn't go after your husband, Ms. Zimmerman. He's the one who pursued me first," I said calmly as I set my cup down. I then looked at her and continued, "I'm not here to flaunt anything or argue with you, so there's no need to be hostile toward me. "I just have one question for you, Ms. Zimmerman. Do you expect every woman he gets involved with to give him back to you? I'm giving him back to you now, but what will you do if you encounter the same situation next time?" Nora seemed surprised by my question and froze for a moment, unable to come up with a response. I looked at her and said firmly, "Once a cheater, always a cheater. You surely understand that, right?" Nora slowly lowered her head and remained silent. How could she not understand something so obvious? She had no other choice in this situation, though. I couldn't help but feel a pang in my chest as I looked at the helpless look on her face. I took a deep breath and looked straight at her, saying, "We're both victims here, Ms. Zimmerman. Michael played the two of us at the same time. "He lied to you, making you think he was out there working hard for the family. He lied to me, making me believe I was the only one in his life. Michael is the one at fault here, not us. "Do you want to teach him a lesson he'll never forget? I'll help you take back everything that belongs to you. I'll make sure he never comes back from this. Is that something you're willing to go through with, though?" Nora jerked her head up, staring at me with sheer disbelief. Then, all the bravado she had just put up deflated at once, like a balloon pricked by a needle. I couldn't help but feel a sharp pang in my chest when she broke down crying a moment later. She had probably spent all these years doing everything she could to live a decent life despite her circumstances, only for a man to completely undervalue her resilience. I pulled out a tissue and gently wiped away her tears. She reached out and grabbed my hand, her voice thick with sobs. "How could I be reluctant? I wished he would drop dead when I found out about his infidelity! "I have no other choice because Ryker is still so young. I have no one else to rely on financially as well. If you really mean what you said, then I'll do everything I can to help you, Ms. Lambert." She burst into tears again after saying that. I pulled her into a hug and said, "You can rest assured that he'll get what's coming to him, Ms. Zimmerman." Chapter 3 Nora and I started working together in secret from that day onward. We agreed to use a newly registered encrypted social media account for all communication and to only communicate during my one-hour lunch break. Nora continued to play the part of Michael's gentle, attentive wife, making sure he suspected nothing. I, on the other hand, carried on with the wedding preparations with Michael as usual—picking out my wedding dress, reserving the venue, and drawing up the guest list. Michael remained completely oblivious. He was still coasting along, playing both sides with ease. He was my perfect fiance during the weekdays—coming with me to catering tastings, checking out venues, picking favors, and posting our cute photos on social media. He was Nora's model husband during the weekends—taking Ryker to the park, changing the lightbulbs around the house, and sending over an allowance for household living expenses. He even answered Nora's call once while we were eating together. I overheard him speak in an incredibly gentle tone. "Yes, I've transferred you an extra 3,000 dollars. You should go buy yourself some new clothes and stop pinching pennies." He ended the call and smiled at me, saying, "It was just someone from the finance department reporting in." I returned his smile, though I was sneering inwardly. He probably had no idea how repulsive his performance was. Nora and I began deliberately tormenting his psyche. We would both message him at the same time. Michael responded to my messages first, then waited a long while before getting back to Nora. Nora, however, would call him right after he finished replying to me. "Are you busy right now, Michael?" "I-I'm not…" Michael's voice briefly betrayed his panic before he lowered his voice and asked, "What's the matter?" Nora sounded as gentle as ever. "It's nothing, really. I just miss you. When are you coming back from your business trip, Michael?" I watched him from the side as he talked, noticing the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. I couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction at the thought of getting my revenge. I occasionally had to stop by Michael's "branch office" to gather evidence. Nora would tip me off about his schedule beforehand, then call him home at the exact time he was supposed to be at the "branch office". Michael never dared refuse because he knew Nora had no one else to depend on but him. During those openings, my men would sneak into his "office branch"—the apartment he rented to keep up the act for me—and gather evidence of his bigamy. There was far more evidence than I had expected. Michael probably never thought that someone would look into the two identities he had created for himself. He was quite careful since he used different social media accounts and phone numbers with Nora and me. He had overlooked quite a lot of things, though. He had actually transferred money to Nora using the "startup funds" Dad gave him. He had also taken Nora to the same resort where he had taken me, with the trips scheduled exactly one week apart. He presented himself to Nora as a hardworking husband who was often away on business trips, while with me, he pretended to be a wealthy, successful person with a thriving career. I carefully organized all the evidence and stored it in an encrypted folder. Nora was his safety net, the anchor for his stable life. I, on the other hand, was his stepping stone—the one he used to climb up the social ladder—and the thrill that spiced up his mundane life. He went back and forth between the two women, enjoying double the affection, admiration, and devotion. He genuinely thought he was a mastermind who had us all wrapped around his finger, completely forgetting that the truth would always come out in the end. Chapter 4 It wasn't long before the wedding day arrived. Michael and I were holding the ceremony at the most luxurious five-star hotel in the city. Michael invited pretty much everyone he knew. He packed the guest list with his university classmates, colleagues, business partners, and every relative from his hometown. He looked forward to this wedding more than anyone. He didn't view this as just a wedding. He considered this his formal entry into high society. He stood at the entrance to the banquet hall in the custom suit I had spent around 15,000 dollars on. His hair was neatly styled, and he wore a smug, satisfied smile. His groomsmen crowded around him, cracking jokes and laughing merrily. "You'll be set for life after becoming the Lambert family's golden son-in-law, Michael!" Michael chuckled and playfully shoved them, telling them to stop messing around. He couldn't hide the absolute pride beaming in his eyes, though. I sat in the bridal suite as the makeup artist applied my makeup. I saw my reflection in the mirror. I looked stunning in my custom-made wedding dress and flawless makeup. My gaze was completely cold, though. Nora was already downstairs at the hotel. She was wearing the bridesmaid dress I had set aside for her, carrying Ryker in her arms. She was accompanied by the two men George Warner, my trusted aide, had arranged for her. She sent me a message, saying, "We've arrived, Ms. Lambert." "Got it," I replied. I set my phone aside and smiled at my reflection in the mirror, knowing very well that Michael's good days were coming to an end. It was 11:00 am sharp, and the wedding ceremony officially began. Every seat in the banquet hall was filled, crystal chandeliers illuminated the surroundings, and flowers and balloons were arranged throughout the venue. The emcee delivered the standard opening speech while Michael stood at the end of the aisle, looking at me with nothing but adoration and anticipation in his eyes. He really did seem to love me at that very moment, but his sincerity was utterly worthless to me. As the wedding march began to play, I walked slowly down the aisle, holding Dad's arm. Thunderous applause broke out as everyone stood up, showering us with warm, congratulatory looks. I walked up to Michael, and Dad placed my hand in his. "You'd better take good care of my daughter, Michael." "You can rest assured that I'll devote my life to loving Dakota, Dad," Michael said, his voice choking up slightly. I couldn't help but sneer inwardly after witnessing his convincing performance. The officiant moved through the schedule—the vows, the ring exchange—and everything went off without a hitch. That was until the emcee announced, "Please give a warm welcome to the bride's bridesmaids!" In that instant, the five bridesmaids walked out from the side entrance, slowly taking their spots on stage. Michael looked at them with some confusion and asked softly, "Isn't there another one, Dakota?" "That's right," I replied with a faint smile. I then took the microphone from the emcee and said, "Thank you all for coming to our wedding and celebrating this day with us." My voice projected through the speakers, reaching every corner of the banquet hall. "Please welcome my guest of honor—the bridesmaid who serves as my grand gift to both myself and Michael today!" I raised my hand and pointed toward the closed main doors of the banquet hall. "Please let her in!" Everyone turned their attention to the entrance as the main doors slowly swung open. Nora slowly made her way inside in a champagne-colored bridesmaid dress, holding Ryker in her arms.