Yvonne looked toward the stage, where Theodore was giving his opening remarks. The spotlight cast a halo around his straight-backed figure. He was like the brightest star in a galaxy, composed, powerful, and radiant.
How could she not be drawn to a man like that? How could she not want him?
And whatever Yvonne wanted, she got.
Taking a deep breath, she put on an elegant smile and started walking toward him. The first dance was after the speech, and as Theodore’s partner, she would be the center of attention.
Her mother was right, but there was more to it. From this night forward, her own brilliance would completely eclipse Penelope. No one would remember the woman who held the title of Mrs. Stapleton in name only. They would only remember the one who danced with Theodore. Under her light, Penelope would fade, flicker, and then disappear for good.
She was already savoring her victory, each step feeling as if she were walking on air. But just then, someone bumped into her.
The person was holding a glass of red wine, and the entire contents splashed onto her dress. She gasped and looked down to see a large, garish red stain blooming across her pristine white gown.
“Watch where you’re going, can’t you see?”
Before Yvonne could finish, the person cut her off, blaming her instead. She looked up and saw a young man in his twenties, his eyes cold, as if he held a personal grudge against her. She felt he’d done it on purpose, and his face looked vaguely familiar. But before she could place him, Theodore finished his speech to a round of applause. As he stepped down, the emcee took the stage.
“And now, please welcome to the stage for a few words, Mrs. Stapleton!”
The thought made her heart pound even faster. The spot next to the emcee seemed to be waiting just for her. All she had to do was walk up there.
Unable to resist any longer, Yvonne started toward the stage, her pace quickening with each step.
Mrs. Bishop had been gloating, thinking that Penelope had disgraced the Stapleton family and would never be allowed at an important event again. Then she saw her daughter striding toward the stage. She gasped and rushed forward to stop her, but it was too late.
Yvonne was on stage. She took the microphone from the emcee and began her speech.
...

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself
Hello! This series has been requested a lot on Reddit, but we’re unable to post the link there ourselves. If you have a Reddit account, we would truly appreciate it if you could help us share the link to this novel to increase its readership. As a thank-you, we will increase the number of free chapters available each day. Thank you so much for your support!...