Golden Cage Mommy Mutiny (Elyse) novel Chapter 65

After that day, Adrian began ordering flowers from Nora all the time.

Roses, magnolias, lilacs–our home soon looked less like a residence and more like a greenhouse suspended in the clouds.

Their connection grew closer, inch by inch, until one afternoon Adrian announced he wanted to

sponsor Nora’s education.

“She’s only sixteen,” he told me. “Bright, hardworking, wasted by circumstance. It would be cruel

to let that go to waste.”

Nora stood before us, nervous fingers tracing the calluses on her palms. Her face was small and

dark from long hours in the sun, her smile trembling between fear and gratitude.

“Mrs. Vale,” she said softly, “I promise I’ll study hard. I used to do well in school, but after my mom’s accident, I had to drop out to take care of things. If you give me another chance, I won’t let you down.”

Her words were simple, but the sincerity in her eyes struck something deep in me. For a moment, I

saw another image—an eight–year–old boy trembling in a stairwell, waiting for someone to find

him.

Just like that, I felt my heart soften all over again.

For a long while, I treated Nora like a little sister. I bought her clothes, skincare, even taught her

how to handle herself around people.

She called me “Lillian” with affection, always saying I was the kindest person she’d ever met, that

one day she’d repay every bit of my kindness.

And for a time, I believed her.

She worked hard, earned a scholarship, and was eventually admitted to Summit University, where

both Adrian and I taught.

That night–when she received her acceptance letter–I came home early, ready to surprise her

with dinner.

But when I opened the door, the surprise was mine.

They were there, half–dressed, wrapped in each other’s arms.

The air shattered around me.

I lost control. I threw the cake straight at them, the tore through the house, smashing every vase,

every flower Adrian had so carefully arranged.

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He pulled Nora behind him, his expression cold and precise, the way a surgeon might look at a failed operation.

“Enough, Lillian. Shut the door when you’re done.” His voice was sharp, dismissive. “You’ve lost all decency. Nora still has hers.”

At that moment, the man I’d loved chose her–without a second’s hesitation.

I demanded an explanation, a reason, anything that could make this nightmare make sense.

Adrian only frowned. “You’re still my wife. As long as you behave, Nora won’t threaten your place.”

Nora dropped to her knees before me, tears streaking down her face. “Lillian, I know I’ve wronged you, but Adrian and I–we truly love each other. We understand each other in ways no one else

can.”

“You have my word, I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me.”

“I don’t want a title,” she whispered. “I won’t compete with you. I just want to stay by his side.

Please.”

I was still in my twenties then, young enough to be furious, foolish enough to fight.

I filed an anonymous ethics complaint to Summit University, hoping to expose their affair.

But reality hit me fast.

Adrian was too valuable, too brilliant. The university wouldn’t punish him–they punished me instead, suspending me to keep him happy.

Soon after, Adrian issued a public statement. He asked his colleagues to treat Nora kindly, to

“recognize her potential.”

“This student has worked tirelessly,” he told the press. “She comes from nothing, but she’s my

pride. Her future deserves protection.”

He even admitted he’d used his connections to get her in. “It may not have been by the book,” he said calmly, “but she deserves a chance.”

And I? What was I?

A joke whispered in hallways,

I stayed home for weeks, crying through the nights, haunted by the sneers of people I once worked

beside.

Adrian continued tending his irises, unfazed. “You still don’t get it, Lillian,” he said once.

“Everything you have–your job, your reputation, your place–comes from me. Without me, you’re nothing.”

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“I told you before: Nora doesn’t threaten you. Stop being childish. We can still have a quiet, stable

life together.”

But I couldn’t.

How could I live under the same roof with a man whose mind belonged to someone else?

My grief curdled into rage. I began to lose myself–lashing out in a frenzy of vengeance against the two who had destroyed me.

When Adrian gave a lecture, I replaced his slides with photos of him and Nora in bed.

When they appeared on television, I crashed the interview, shouting their secret before the

cameras.

I sent countless letters, filmed countless videos–none of it mattered.

All it earned me was a diagnosis.

Bipolar disorder, delusional tendencies, they said.

Adrian knew exactly what he was doing. He provoked me until I broke, then used my breakdown as

proof of my instability.

He was brilliant, powerful, and he knew every button to push. Crushing me was effortless.

By the end, I’d been fired, my academic credentials revoked, and–worst of all–Adrian himself had

me committed to Crestwood Recovery Institute.

I spoke calmly as I told the story, but Stella’s eyes were red.

She sniffled. “And after that?”

“After that,” I said quietly, “they found out I was five months pregnant.”

“Adrian brought me home again.”

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