To help his mistress wln a dance competition, my husband Lionel posted a video of me in labor and had our son Dion put thumbtacks in my shoes, leaving my feet bleeding.

Clutching my bloody shoes, I limped over to confront them, only to overhear father and son talking.

"Dion, you did well. Now, Alissa is sure to succeed in the competition."

“But Dad, that video’s everywhere! That woman looks disgusting giving birth! Alissa’s my real mom, why did this woman give birth to me?”

"Silly boy, that's called in vitro fertilization. This way, Alissa didn’t have to suffer or get swollen."

"Oh, right! Alissa's belly always looked beautiful, and she didn't have to hold in her pee and poop!"

As I listened to Dion's giggles, I collapsed hopelessly on the floor and dialed the lawyer's number.

"Is the clause still valid if I feel nothing for my husband or the child in five years, I leave with the David family's assets?" I asked.

*****

"It is, Mrs. David. But..." The lawyer's voice was hesitant. "But, Mrs. David, didn't you say just a few days ago that you were staying in the David family for your son? And that once your dance dream was fulfilled, you'd stay by his side?"

"I've changed my mind." I wiped away my tears and replied numbly.

In the room, the conversation continued. Lionel's voice was cold and emotionless.

"Years ago, Alice stole Alissa's first place in the dance competition, schemed her way into the David family, and drove Alissa into a psychological breakdown, making her unable to dance. She even pushed her to depression and suicidal thoughts. Now, it's time to pay the price."

"Dion, you need to remember that if it weren't for her, the three of us would have been a family a long time ago. She's the one who stole Alissa's happiness."

"Since she insists on being Mrs. David, she has to atone for her sins within the David family—not return to the dance world and compete with Alissa."

The more I listened, the colder my heart grew, and I couldn't stop trembling.

Twelve years ago, I was a rising star in the ballet world. But in the blink of an eye, my parents were killed in a car accident, and I was left alone, orphaned.

It was Clare David, a longtime friend of my mother, who took me in. She treated me like her own daughter, and her dying wish was for me to marry Lionel and give him a child. To make that happen, she even had me sign a pre-marriage agreement.

"Alice, please give Lionel a chance. If I die, he'll have no family. If, after five years, you haven't developed feelings for him, you can take the David family's wealth and leave," she said.

Back then, I made a silent vow to be a good wife and repay the David family's kindness, no matter what. I would never take their wealth.

Lionel said he didn't want me in the spotlight, so without hesitation, I stepped away from the dance world and focused on being a good wife and mother.

He said my health wasn't great and we needed IVF to have a baby, so I endured countless injections and took endless medications.

But every time Lionel held me and said I was the most important person to him, I felt it was all worth it.

I still remember, during my labor, he stayed by my side, crying like a child. Later, he didn't hesitate to go through the procedure for me.

These events were covered by the media, and everyone knew Lionel was a perfect husband, a man obsessed with pampering his wife.

At the time, the whole internet envied my good fortune. But the truth, as it turned out, was ugly and cruel.

The person Lionel had always loved is his first love, Alissa. Even my son, Dion, wasn't my biological child.

I should've realized it earlier. Given all this, it was time for me to leave.

I gritted my teeth against the excruciating pain in my feet, forcing myself to get up and stagger out of the room. I returned to my bedroom, wiped away my tears, and tried to compose myself.

But then I heard footsteps, and when I looked up, there stood Lionel and Dion in the doorway, one tall and one small.

"Dion, apologize to Mommy, do you understand?" Lionel said, pretending to be angry, his tone serious.

Looking at Dion pouting, I weakly forced a smile.

If this had been any other day, seeing him look so pitiful, I would have immediately pulled him into my arms and comforted him. But not today.

They both froze for a few seconds.

Lionel sighed and walked over to my side. "Alice, let me treat your feet. Our great dancer shouldn't have to suffer like this. The child doesn't understand. Don't be angry with him."

He looked at the many wounds on my feet with sympathy and pulled out some iodine to disinfect them.

"Alice, I'll get to the bottom of this. I'll make sure the videos circulating online are deleted. You're amazing—don't pay attention to what anyone says online."

"But you do represent the David family's reputation. To protect you, it's probably best if you don't go out in public anymore. Give up on dancing, and just listen to me."

Every word he said felt like a sharp knife to my heart.

I was numb with pain all over, struggling to maintain a calm exterior, nodding mechanically.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

The guilty expression on Dion's face disappeared in an instant, and his eyes lit up. "It's Mom... It's Alissa!"

He jumped up and dashed out of the room, like a little cannonball.

Lionel, too, seemed excited by the sound of the doorbell. His hand trembled, and he jabbed the cotton swab deep into my wound, making me nearly pass out from the pain.

Moments later, Alissa appeared in the doorway, radiating beauty and confidence. Her makeup was flawless, and she wore a sleek, slender figure in a cropped top and mini skirt.

Lionel and Dion stared at her, transfixed.

"Alice, I heard you didn't participate in the competition, so I came to visit you." Alissa smiled sweetly at me.

"Don't be too upset. One of the judges is your teacher. She specifically asked the organizers to have you perform as a guest, as a farewell stage," she said.

She paused for a moment, a glint of sharp malice flashing in her eyes. "However, everyone thinks it would be embarrassing to perform on the same stage as you. Only I'm willing to grudgingly agree to do it with you. Remember to participate, okay?"

Before I could say anything, Lionel eagerly nodded and spoke with forced kindness, "Alice, don't you want to thank Alissa for helping you? Since it's your final performance, I'm making an exception and letting you go."

When I didn't respond, Dion's sweet voice chimed in. "Mommy, don't forget to say thank you! Alissa is so kind, just like a fairy."

"Our little Dion really knows how to sweet-talk. When I win the championship, Your daddy will take us all on a trip abroad."

Alissa picked up Dion and playfully tapped his nose, and the three of them laughed together, completely ignoring me.

No one seemed to care that my feet were covered in wounds, or that performing on stage would feel like dancing on the edge of a knife.

I watched them in exhaustion, my heart as cold as ice. But I didn't refuse.

Because I remembered how, over the years, my teacher had repeatedly asked me to return to the stage. If I didn't go, she would be deeply disappointed.

On the day of the performance, I pushed through the intense pain in my feet and made my way onto the stage.

As the spotlight hit me, I felt like I was 18 again. I momentarily forgot about the humiliating video, the child who wasn't mine, and the insincere affection of my husband.

But I only enjoyed the beauty of the stage for a few seconds before disaster struck.

The zipper of my custom-made costume broke, and before I could react, I felt hands from behind ripping my clothes off.

In front of everyone, my costume fell away, leaving me in nothing but my underwear, exposed under the blinding lights.

For a moment, my mind went blank, as if my very soul had been ripped away.

The audience gasped. Countless cameras turned toward me, and whispers of mockery filled the air.

Dazed and overwhelmed, I covered myself and staggered off the stage. But by that night, photos of me, naked, were all over the news and trending online.

"Oh my God, look at her belly—so loose, with all those red stretch marks. It's giving me anxiety!"

"This is so disgusting! She should just go home and take care of her husband and kids! Why is she out here dancing and grossing everyone out?"

"Did you see the video of her giving birth? Peeing all over the place! It's even worse! She used to be called the ballerina princess, but now... I think calling her a fat old lady would be more fitting."

That same night, Alissa posted a picture of herself in a bikini, showing off her body, with the following caption.

[Still sticking to my fitness routine today. Don't worry, I'm never getting married or having kids. I'm dedicating my life to dance. I'll never marry into a rich family and turn into an old woman with a ruined body!]

The comments section praised her career dedication, but most people were still mocking me.

I curled up in the dark, my hands shaking uncontrollably, almost unable to hold my phone.

That was when Lionel and Dion barged in. The two faces, so alike, were both clouded with anger.

"Shameless woman! How embarrassing! You stripped on stage! You have no shame! I don't want you to be my mother!" Dion's eyes, full of disgust, screamed at me.

"You really have no dignity. You'd go as far as stripping in front of everyone just to get attention. You've completely let me down." Lionel's voice was cold, his words sharp.

"Do you realize you ruined Alissa's performance? Are you really that jealous of her? Since you like dancing without clothes, then go ahead and do it!" he continued.

Before I could react, two bodyguards appeared behind him, tearing my clothes off without hesitation.

"No, I won't go! What are you doing?" I shook my head frantically, screaming in panic, but they didn't listen. They dragged me to the rooftop without a word.

"Let her dance here all night. If she doesn't obey, we'll show her what happens." Lionel tossed those words over his shoulder before leaving with Dion.

That night, the snow fell thick and heavy.

The bodyguards forced me to dance naked on the rooftop in the freezing cold. My feet had long gone numb, and I kept slipping and falling onto the snow, only to be yanked up by my hair and thrown back into place.

The thick snow was stained with layers of my crimson footprints.

By the time the first light of dawn broke, I finally collapsed, frozen and unconscious in the snow, my face still streaked with tears that had frozen into ice.

When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital, everything around me a sterile shade of white.

A strong scent of perfume hit me, and as I opened my eyes, I saw Alissa's smug face grinning at me.

"Mrs. David, you're truly pathetic. To Lionel and Dion, you're not even worth a single strand of my hair."

"Especially after you had the baby. Now Lionel just finds you even more disgusting."

"Isn't it funny? You gave up your career, nearly died giving birth, and the child you had isn't even yours—it's mine!"

She laughed breathlessly and sent me a video through a messaging app.

In the video, the two of them were lost in each other, gasping and moaning in ways that were unmistakably intimate.

"Lionel, how can you hold it in like this? Is Mrs. David really that unsatisfying?" Alissa's voice was teasing.

"That day in the delivery room was so foul and nauseating. Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up! If I didn't need to see our child, I wouldn't have gone in. You have no idea—I had nightmares for days afterward!"

Lionel's voice was low, almost regretful.

"Just thinking about it, and then seeing her disgusting belly, I couldn't even bring myself to touch her."

"I'm glad you didn't have to go through that. Don't worry, I've already had the procedure done!"

Alissa laughed with satisfaction, and the video quickly shifted to the two of them tangled up again.

Alissa proudly showed me the video, her face filled with triumph, expecting me to collapse in hysterics. But instead, I just stared at her, completely unmoved.

My heart had been shattered into a thousand pieces, too numb to feel anything.

There was a knock at the door, and Lionel and Dion walked in.

Dion gave me a cautious glance, as if trying to figure out if I was angry.

Lionel, too, looked a little guilty. "Alice, I just wanted to teach you a lesson. I forgot you were hurt in the snow, and I didn't think you'd end up in the hospital."

"But you're not blameless either. After all these years, you still owe Alissa an apology."

I shot them a cold, mocking glance, a smirk curling at my lips. "Lionel, let's get a divorce."

"You're joking, right? Are you threatening me with divorce? What's going to happen to the child if we divorce? Just calm down and think about it before you come back to me."

Lionel suddenly snapped, dragging Alissa and Dion out of the room, slamming the door behind them.

I quietly stood up, grabbed a taxi, went home to pack my things, and booked a flight to Moscow.

"Mr. Hancock, please file the divorce papers for me. According to the agreement, I want a divorce and 90% of the David family's assets. I also have more evidence that will work in my favor. You'll see it soon."

With that, I pulled up a recording from the hospital room an hour ago and posted it online, along with the video of Lionel and Alissa.