Chapter 2

I looked at them, my expression flat. The rage I once felt had cooled into something hard and indifferent.

"No, thank you," I said calmly. "I'm already married."

I turned to leave, but Sabrina, her face contorting with fury, grabbed my arm. Her grip was surprisingly strong.

"Married? To who? Some broke loser you picked up off the street?" she hissed. "You're lying! You're just trying to make Matthew jealous! You're trying to break up my family!"

She shoved me hard.

It was the same blind rage I remembered from our first life. But this time, I was ready. I sidestepped easily. Sabrina, unbalanced by her pregnancy and her own momentum, stumbled forward, crashing directly into a waiter carrying a tray of champagne glasses.

The crash echoed through the suddenly silent ballroom. Glass shattered. Champagne soaked the front of Sabrina's designer gown.

Matthew rushed to her side, his face a mask of fury directed entirely at me.

"How dare you?" he roared. "She's pregnant! You're still as vindictive and crazy as ever!"

He pointed a shaking finger at me. "Security! Get her out of here! I'll make sure you never work in this city again. You're finished, Jocelyn. Finished!"

Two security guards started moving toward me, their expressions grim. The crowd murmured, their eyes filled with judgment. They saw a down-and-out woman harassing a successful man and his pregnant wife. They saw the lie Sabrina and Matthew had so carefully constructed.

I didn't flinch. I just stood there, waiting.

Just as the guards reached me, a voice cut through the tension from the main stage.

"And now, it is my great honor to present the Urban Revitalization Award to the head of the Lester Foundation, a man whose vision is reshaping our city, Mr. Andrew Lester!"

The spotlight swung to the stage, where a prominent city council member stood next to a tall, impeccably dressed man.

Andrew Lester. My husband.