"They taught me that love was supposed to be unconditional. That mothers always forgive. That family comes first, no matter what.
They were wrong.
I was Emily Thompson—veterinarian, wife, mother. I gave up my career to support my husband's failing farm. I spent eight years nursing my asthmatic son, building a life around their needs, sacrificing my dreams for their comfort.
Then they chose a stranger over me.
When a beautiful liar claiming cancer came into our home, my husband believed her over his wife of eight years. My eight-year-old son wished she was his real mother. They traded me for a fraud, and expected me to quietly disappear.
Instead, I chose myself.
Some women forgive. Some women fight for their families. Some women break down and beg for a second chance.
I became the woman who builds an empire from the ashes of betrayal.
