From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Emery stared at Teddy's bruised face, her heart aching. Whatever dislike she'd had for Dominick before just shot through the roof.
She couldn't even bring herself to harm that gorgeous face of Teddy's, yet Dominick had the nerve to beat it up.
"You're a piece of work, you know that?" Emery snapped at Dominick, her eyes blazing. "What's your problem? What gives you the right to beat my man?"
Dominick jabbed his finger between Emery and Teddy, turning to Paisley. "Did you hear that? She just straight-up admitted he's her man. And you had a kid with someone like him? Have you lost your mind?"
The thought of Paisley having Serena so soon after their divorce and with a guy like this made Dominic's blood boil.
And there was a good chance that during their marriage, Paisley had already fallen for this pretty boy.
Dominick couldn't understand what he lacked, how he could possibly lose out to some pampered pretty boy. Paisley had been willing to walk away with nothing, even abandoning their son, just to divorce him.
Now, Teddy was cheating on Paisley in front of everyone, but Paisley wasn't showing any hatred toward him. Instead, she was attacking Dominick.
After all, Dominick had only fought Teddy for Paisley's sake.
The more Dominick dwelled on it, the angrier he became, with no outlet for his rage. His cheek and back still stung, a reminder of just how much force Paisley had used when she struck him.
After a long moment of seething, he spat out the words, "Paisley, you're heartless."
Paisley waited for whatever Dominick might say next, only to be caught off guard by his unexpectedly pitiful response. It left her momentarily speechless.
After being so accustomed to seeing Dominick as domineering, arrogant, impatient, and uncompromising, this was the first time she'd ever seen him looking so pathetically wronged.
'What's gotten into this jerk?' Paisley wondered.
While Paisley was still trying to process this dramatic change in Dominick's demeanor, Emery couldn't take any more of his absurd statements. Emery strode over to Paisley, pulled Paisley behind her, and planted her hands on her hips, ready for battle.
Emery spat, "You've got some nerve, Dominick, saying Paisy has no heart. You're the heartless bastard here.
"Damn it! You didn't cherish Paisy when she was your wife. Now you're like a damn leech, showing up everywhere.
"So what if Paisy had a child with someone else? Your mistress came right up to her face to bully her.
"Oh, you're allowed to have your old flame, your 'dear female friend', but she can't have a child with someone else? If you're so high and mighty, why don't you go to run for the president?"
"And let me tell you something—stop slandering Paisy. This man," Emery pointed at Teddy, "is my boyfriend. Paisy and I are close friends."
Then, Emery turned to Marissa with pointed meaning. "Paisy would never stoop so low as to be someone's mistress or mess around with taken men."
After Emery's rapid-fire outburst, the room fell dead silent. One could hear a pin drop.
Dominick's chest heaved as he absorbed Emery's implications. She and Paisley were close friends, and Teddy was Emery's boyfriend, not Paisley's.
Dominick frowned, "So, her precious darling is..."
"That's me. You got a problem with that?" Emery put her hands on her hips, daring him to challenge her.
Dominick turned to Paisley. "But...didn't your daughter call him Daddy?"
Paisley finally understood. Dominick had mistaken Teddy for Serena's father. So that explained all his bizarre comments earlier.
Paisley sighed, "His name is Teddy. Rena just can't pronounce it properly yet." Her explanation wasn't about clearing up Dominick's misunderstanding. She thought that not just anyone was good enough to be the father of her child.
Dominick's eyes widened with realization. He understood now that he had been wrong. But at this moment, there was something else weighing more heavily on his mind. "Then who is Serena's father?"
'If it's not that pretty boy, could it be...me?' Dominick thought. He desperately waited for an answer.
Beside them, Marissa felt her heart leap into her throat. She had a strong feeling that Serena was indeed Dominick's daughter.
In truth, Marissa had suspected this possibility from the very beginning. But back then, her intuition hadn't been as strong, and more importantly, she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself.
When Paisley had flatly denied it, Marissa had chosen to believe her. But now, things seemed different. Marissa was terrified that Paisley, in her agitation, might reveal the truth.
The longing in Dominick's eyes was unmistakable. If Serena truly was his daughter, he would likely remarry Paisley.
'No,' Marissa thought. 'Absolutely not.'
As Marissa's thoughts spiraled into chaos, Paisley's cold voice cut through the air. "Who Rena's father is doesn't matter, but it certainly isn't you."
To completely crush Dominick's suspicions, she continued, "If you don't believe me, you can check for yourself. Rena is Type A."
Paisley had anticipated this moment long ago. When Serena was born, she had taken precautions, secretly arranging to have all of Serena's documentation changed from Type O to Type A.
Paisley's cold and direct denial extinguished the last glimmer of hope in Dominick's eyes. With his Type O and Paisley's Type B, they could never have a child with Type A blood.
'So the child really isn't mine...' Dominick thought. A wave of bitterness washed over his heart—the familiar ache of hope slipping through his fingers once again.
Meanwhile, Marissa finally felt the weight lift from her shoulders.
If Paisley dared to make such a claim, then even if Dominick investigated, the results would only confirm her story. In other words, the child truly wasn't Dominick's.
Without a child binding them together, the chances of their remarriage had significantly diminished.
Just as Marissa began to feel relieved, she noticed the shift in how people around her were looking at her. Their gazes were taking on a peculiar quality.
At that moment, Nathaniel suddenly spoke up, "Oh, Ms. Sutton. So you're Dominick's mysterious ex-wife I've heard so much about."
Then, with a knowing smirk, he turned to Marissa. "And I suppose that makes you the...mistress that lady was referring to?"
Nathaniel smirked without finishing his sentence. His expression and gaze, however, said everything he didn't.
His words broke the ice, and the previously silent guests began whispering among themselves.
"Oh, so that's Mr. Vanderbilt's ex-wife? I'd always heard about her, but never saw her until now."
"She's quite beautiful, actually, more attractive than Ms. Prescott. Wonder why they divorced?"
"Well, only they know what really happened between them."
"Didn't that fiery woman just say it? She willingly became the other woman."
"It's not that simple. Ms. Prescott and Mr. Vanderbilt grew up together—childhood sweethearts, you know. Their relationship was special. From what I heard, if Mr. Vanderbilt hadn't suddenly gotten married while Ms. Prescott was studying abroad, she might have been the one to become Mrs. Vanderbilt."
"That's right. The Vanderbilt family always thought highly of her."
"Fat lot of good that did her. He still married someone else, didn't he? And then, as soon as she comes back, Mr. Vanderbilt gets divorced. You can't tell me she had nothing to do with that."
Though the whispers were quiet, they carried just far enough for Marissa to hear. At that moment, the perfect image she had so carefully crafted over the years cracked.
Marissa shot Nathaniel a venomous glare, but he merely responded with a mocking smile before sauntering away.
'Damn you, Nathaniel. You've been a thorn in my side since high school. Just wait. This isn't over,' Marissa thought.