My voice rang out across the auditorium, sharp and clear, like a thunderclap that shattered the silence.
Every head in the room whipped toward me.
Ethan froze. The microphone slipped from his hand and crashed to the floor with a deafening screech of feedback.
Renee turned to look at me, too. Tears still streamed down her cheeks, but now her eyes burned with resentment and hatred.
I pulled off my mask and strode toward the stage, my heels clicking against the floor. In the deathly silent auditorium, every step sounded like a declaration of war.
“Ethan, answer me. When exactly did I become your ex-wife without even knowing it?”
I advanced toward him, refusing to back down.
A collective gasp swept through the audience. Even some of the parents who had been sympathizing with Renee moments earlier now looked at her and Ethan with suspicion.
I stood my ground while they struggled to hide their guilt.
Ethan was sweating bullets, but he forced himself to remain composed. “Vivian! What the hell do you think you’re doing? We agreed that we would…”
“Agreed on what?” I cut him off, my voice icy. “That you’d use our marital assets to bankroll your mistress and your bastard child?”
Leo, that spoiled little brat, didn’t look the least bit intimidated. He shouted back at me, “You’re lying! Daddy’s money belongs to me anyway. You have no right to it!”
Renee choked back a sob and hurried to defend herself. “I’m not his mistress! Ethan and I knew each other long before you did!”
Leo charged at me and shoved me with both hands. I easily sidestepped him, and he stumbled forward, crashing hard onto the floor.
Renee immediately rushed to pick him up, shooting me a furious glare.
“What is wrong with you? If you have a problem with me, take it up with me! Why would you take it out on a child?”
She hugged Leo protectively, then continued, her voice trembling with indignation. “Besides, you know perfectly well what your relationship with Ethan was like! You two never loved each other. Didn’t you agree from the very beginning that you’d both be free to see other people?”
Renee certainly had a talent for making up lies on the spot.
I instinctively glanced at Ethan, but he immediately looked away.
By then, the auditorium had erupted into chaos.
“Oh my God! So that’s what’s been going on? Rich people really do live in a different world!”
“Honestly, none of these three seems innocent!”
“Forget it. Two women fighting over one man? Now that’s a show!”
The principal tried to step in and calm everyone down, but I silenced him with a single look.
Then I started clapping slowly, a sarcastic smile spreading across my face.
“Wow. Just wow. I had no idea I was in an open marriage. Or is that your way of admitting, Renee, that you’ve been Ethan’s kept woman all along?”
Renee’s face turned crimson. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as she struggled to find an answer.
Ethan couldn’t take it anymore. His protective instincts kicked in, and he immediately stepped in front of Renee, shielding her from me.
He stared at me with deep disappointment, as though I were the one who had betrayed him.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done today? What kind of rumors Renee and Leo are going to have to deal with after this? There’s a limit to how far you can take a tantrum, Vivian. Enough. Go home. I’ll explain everything to you later.”
I didn’t budge.
His expression darkened further. He grabbed my arm and lowered his voice.
“This isn’t what you think it is. Just go home, okay? I’ll come back tonight, and we’ll talk this through properly.”
I wrenched my arm out of his grip. Then, without a second thought, I drew back my hand and slapped him across the face with all my strength.
SMACK!
The sound echoed through the auditorium. The entire room fell silent.
Ethan stared at me in utter disbelief.
I met his stunned gaze and spoke slowly, making sure every word landed.
“After betraying me, you still have the nerve to stand there and lecture me? You and Renee deserve each other. You’re a match made in hell.”
Tears streamed down Renee’s deathly pale face.
“How dare you call me that? You’re the one who came between us! Ethan and I were together before you ever came along. You’re the homewrecker, not me!”
With that, she covered her face and ran out of the auditorium.
Ethan shot me one last furious glare before rushing after her.
The two of them were so caught up in their tragic love story that they completely forgot about their own son.
The unexpected confrontation brought the school’s performance to an abrupt halt. With Leo now left unattended, I decided to do the grandparents a favor and give them a call.
“Hello, Brenda? Your precious grandson is all alone at school right now. Aren’t you coming to pick him up?”