The Unwanted Wife's Spectacular Secret Comeback

Althea Hughes stood in front of the massive marble island in the kitchen of the Manhattan penthouse. She pulled the pot of hot butter soup off the stove. The rich smell of melting butter filled the warm air. Her heart beat fast against her ribs.

She reached into the pocket of her apron. Her fingers touched the hard plastic of the pregnancy test. Two red lines. She traced the plastic edge with her thumb. She took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing pulse.

She looked at the custom clock on the wall. It was exactly seven in the evening. Darren Young had promised to be home on time tonight. It was their wedding anniversary.

The electronic lock on the front door beeped loudly.

Althea's eyes lit up. She quickly untied her apron and threw it on the counter. She walked fast out of the kitchen and hurried down the long hallway toward the entrance.

She stopped just before turning the corner. She heard the chaotic sound of footsteps and the loud laughter of children.

She froze. She saw Darren walking in. He was tall, wearing his expensive dark suit. But he was not alone. He was helping a woman take off her expensive trench coat.

The woman was Caroline Hebert. Caroline turned her head and gave Darren a shy, dependent smile.

Darren stepped fully inside, and right behind him followed two five-year-old twin boys, Arthur and Asher. Caroline hovered near them, gently brushing the rain off the boys' shoulders with a tender, practiced motion, as if she were their true mother. They wore muddy shoes. They stepped directly onto the pure white Persian rug Althea had just bought yesterday. Dark mud stained the white wool.

Althea felt her stomach drop heavily. The fingers gripping the pregnancy test in her pocket turned stiff and white.

Caroline looked up and saw Althea standing in the hallway. A quick flash of provocation appeared in Caroline's eyes. But a second later, Caroline put on a fake, apologetic face.

"Althea, I'm so sorry," Caroline said, her voice weak and trembling. "The pipes in my apartment burst. Darren was worried the boys would catch a cold, so he kindly brought us here for the night."

Darren hung Caroline's coat on the rack. He did not even look at Althea. His jaw was tight.

"Go get some dry towels," Darren ordered coldly.

One of the twins, Asher, ran forward. He intentionally bumped hard into Althea's leg. Then he hid behind Caroline and stuck his tongue out at Althea.

Althea felt a sharp ache in her chest. She kept her mouth shut. She turned around and walked to the storage room. She pulled out three clean guest towels. Her hands shook slightly.

When Althea returned to the dining room with the towels, Caroline was already sitting in the chair next to the head of the table. That was Althea's designated seat.

Darren stood next to the other twin, Arthur. He was patiently cutting the steak on Arthur's plate. His movements were smooth, as if they were the real family.

Althea walked over and placed the towels on the edge of the table. She forced her voice to stay steady.

"Darren. Today is our wedding anniversary."

Darren stopped cutting the steak for a second. He frowned. He looked annoyed.

"Caroline saved Asher's life," Darren said, his voice hard. "She is in trouble now. You shouldn't be petty about small things."

Caroline's eyes immediately turned red. She stood up and grabbed Darren's sleeve.

"Darren, it's okay," Caroline choked out, wiping a fake tear. "I'll take the boys to a hotel. I don't want to ruin your relationship."

Darren immediately grabbed Caroline's wrist and pushed her gently back into the chair. He glared at Althea.

"If you can't even show basic tolerance, go back to your room," Darren said strictly.

Althea stood frozen. She watched her husband protect another woman. A violent cramp twisted her stomach.

The rich smell of the butter soup suddenly hit her nose. It made her throat close up. Althea covered her mouth. She turned and ran to the open kitchen sink.

She leaned over the cold metal sink and dry-heaved. Tears leaked from her eyes because of the physical sickness.

Darren slammed his knife and fork down on the table. The loud clatter of metal against porcelain echoed in the room.

"Stop using this childish fake sickness to get sympathy!" Darren yelled coldly.

Caroline patted Darren's back gently to calm him down. But from an angle Darren couldn't see, Caroline smirked at Althea.

Althea turned on the faucet. She splashed freezing water on her face. The icy water woke her up. The two-year illusion of this marriage shattered completely.

She turned off the water. She grabbed a paper towel and dried her hands. She reached into her apron pocket again. She did not pull out the pregnancy test. She pulled out the folded papers she had printed yesterday.

Althea walked back to the dining table with heavy, firm steps. She slammed the papers hard onto the table right in front of Darren.

Darren looked shocked. Caroline stared with wide eyes.

Althea looked at Darren with dead, cold eyes.

"Let's get a divorce," Althea said flatly. "Sign it tomorrow."