CHAPTER 2 — The Daughter They Never Knew
CHAPTER 2 — The Daughter They Never Knew
The drive away from the ballroom was silent.
Not the uncomfortable silence I had known for three years inside Dominic's family home.
This silence was different.
It was peaceful.
For the first time in years, nobody was judging me.
Nobody was whispering behind my back.
Nobody was reminding me that I was "lucky" to be accepted.
I sat in the back seat of my father's black sedan, wrapped in his jacket, staring out the window as the city lights passed by.
My hands rested over my stomach.
My baby was finally calm.
But I wasn't.
My mind kept replaying everything.
Chloe's voice.
Eleanor's hands tearing my dress.
The faces of two hundred guests watching.
And Dominic.
The person who hurt me the most.
Not because he accused me.
He didn't.
Not because he believed Chloe.
He didn't.
The worst part was that he didn't do anything.
He stood there.
He watched.
And when I needed him the most...
He chose comfort over me.
My father sat beside me quietly.
He had always been good at knowing when words were unnecessary.
After several minutes, he finally spoke.
"How long?"
I looked at him.
"What?"
"How long did they treat you like this?"
My throat tightened.
I looked away.
"Dad..."
"Vivienne."
His voice was gentle.
But I knew him.
That tone meant he already knew the answer.
"Three years."
The words left my mouth softly.
Three years.
Three years of pretending insults didn't hurt.
Three years of convincing myself patience would change people.
Three years of telling myself Dominic was worth fighting for.
My father's jaw tightened.
"They humiliated you for three years?"
"No."
I shook my head.
"They didn't all start like this."
I remembered the beginning.
When Dominic first introduced me to his family.
I had been nervous.
I wanted them to like me.
I wanted to belong.
But the moment Chloe saw my simple dress and old handbag, she decided everything.
She didn't ask about my dreams.
She didn't ask about my work.
She didn't ask about my life.
She only asked one question.
"So... what exactly does your family do?"
I had smiled.
"My father works in business."
She laughed.
"Everyone says that."
From that day forward, I became a joke.
The girl who didn't fit.
The outsider.
The woman who somehow trapped Dominic.
My father listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he looked out the window.
"I should have known."
"No."
I immediately answered.
"You respected my choice."
"When I married Dominic, I wanted to live normally."
My father sighed.
"I wanted you to experience a life where people loved you for who you were."
"And?"
I smiled sadly.
"I found out some people only respect what they can see."
The car stopped.
I looked outside.
My breath caught.
The vehicle had arrived at Carter Estate.
The place I had grown up.
The place I left behind when I married Dominic.
The place I had avoided because I wanted to prove I wasn't dependent on my family's wealth.
The gates opened.
The mansion appeared under the night sky.
Massive.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
But tonight, it didn't feel like a symbol of wealth.
It felt like home.
My father helped me out of the car.
Inside the entrance, the staff immediately appeared.
"Miss Carter."
I smiled.
"It's good to see you."
The housekeeper, Margaret, had tears in her eyes.
"You finally came home."
Those words almost broke me.
Not because I was sad.
Because I realized something.
I had spent years trying to prove I belonged somewhere else.
While the place where I truly belonged had been waiting for me all along.
My father led me into the library.
A room filled with memories.
Family photos.
Old books.
Awards.
And one photograph sitting on the desk.
Me.
At ten years old.
Sitting beside my father.
I picked it up.
"I thought you kept this hidden."
He smiled.
"Never."
"I kept everything."
I looked at him.
"Why didn't you tell Dominic's family?"
"Tell them what?"
"That I was your daughter?"
My father leaned back.
"Would it have changed anything?"
I didn't answer.
Because I knew.
If Chloe respected me only after discovering my last name...
Then she never respected me at all.
My father nodded.
"Exactly."
A knock came at the door.
His assistant, James, entered.
"Mr. Carter."
He placed a folder on the desk.
"You asked me to investigate something."
My father looked at me.
"I wanted to wait until you were ready."
I frowned.
"Investigate what?"
James opened the folder.
Inside were documents.
Photos.
Messages.
My heart began beating faster.
"What is this?"
My father's expression hardened.
"For the past six months, Dominic's family has been looking into your finances."
I froze.
"What?"
James continued.
"They wanted to know whether you had access to money."
"Why?"
My father answered.
"Because Chloe believed you were hiding something."
I stared at the papers.
Then I saw it.
A message.
From Chloe.
A screenshot.
"I don't believe Vivienne is as simple as she acts."
Another message.
"Find out where her money comes from."
Another.
"Dominic needs to understand what kind of woman he married."
My hands trembled.
They weren't just insulting me.
They were investigating me.
Planning against me.
My father continued.
"But that's not the worst part."
I looked up.
"What else?"
He placed another document in front of me.
A business report.
My eyes scanned the page.
Then stopped.
The name at the bottom.
Dominic Hayes.
My heart sank.
"What is this?"
My father's voice became quiet.
"Your husband's company has been using confidential information from Carter International."
I stared at him.
"No."
"Dominic wouldn't..."
I couldn't finish the sentence.
Because suddenly...
Too many things made sense.
The sudden business success.
The contracts he never explained.
The way his family treated me like they were above me.
The way Chloe always acted like they had power.
My father looked at me.
"Vivienne."
"There is something else you need to know."
I swallowed.
"What?"
He pushed one final photograph across the desk.
A picture of Dominic.
Standing beside Chloe.
Not at the wedding.
Not recently.
Months earlier.
Their faces were close.
Too close.
My entire body went cold.
The date was printed below.
Six months ago.
The same week Dominic told me he was working late.
The same week he said Chloe was "just family."
My father didn't say anything.
He didn't need to.
The truth was already screaming.
My marriage had not collapsed tonight.
It had been falling apart long before I knew.
I closed my eyes.
A tear escaped.
Not because I lost Dominic.
But because I finally understood something.
I had been fighting to save a marriage...
that someone else had already betrayed.
My father reached across the desk and held my hand.
"Tell me what you want to do."
I looked at the photograph.
Then at the documents.
Then at my reflection in the dark window.
For three years, I had been quiet.
For three years, I had let people underestimate me.
That was over.
I wiped away my tears.
And for the first time...
I answered without fear.
"I want the truth."
My father nodded.
"And after that?"
I looked at him.
"After that..."
May you like
My voice became steady.
"They will learn exactly who they chose to destroy."
