Chapter 4

By dinnertime, the entire online narrative had flipped.

[What if this is like those other cases? Maybe the Evans heiress is the real victim here.]

[I think so too. She's the Brightwell heiress—even if she were desperate, she wouldn't stoop to fighting some lunatic for a married guy.]

[Did you see that wife this morning? Total bitter energy. Her husband's probably no prize either.]

[Charlotte was my classmate—total catch and brilliant. She was valedictorian five years ago. Guys would line up around the block for her. Become some old dude's mistress? Yeah, right.]

[That guy could be Charlotte's dad. She's loaded—even if she had a thing for ugly old men, she'd still pass.]

[Girls really shouldn't be too nice. Look at the videos from the past few days—do one good deed and get dragged for it.]

Mom beamed at me. "That's my clever girl. Your dad and I didn't even need to lift a finger—this is what I call beating them at their own game."

But looking over the documents Dad's assistant handed me, I couldn't even manage a smile.

"I knew something was off—why does Linda always show up at exactly the right moment..." I muttered.

At first, I figured Dad's corporate battles had somehow dragged me into the crossfire.

But in the end, William and Linda were just two completely ordinary people.

I almost had to laugh at the ridiculousness. I'd braced for war, and it was just two nobodies stirring up petty chaos.

But since I was already neck-deep in this mess, I wasn't backing out. I was seeing it through.

"Mom, I'm going to the Parkers'."

Mom's face instantly fell. "Honey, why would you walk into that mess? Isn't that asking for trouble?"

I tried to reassure her. "Mom, if Linda made a scene once, she'll do it again.

"Changing the online narrative is just a band-aid. If I don't get to the bottom of this, what's stopping her from showing up at my school next time?

"Plus, someone's using me as a pawn. I'm not letting that slide. I need payback."

When I saw William again, he had dark circles under his eyes and looked utterly exhausted.

"William, I want to see Linda," I said.

William visibly struggled. "Charlotte, I already sent Linda back to her parents'.

"If you're still upset, I apologize. However you want to clear this up—press conference, livestream, whatever—just please, go easy on her."

William seemed genuinely sincere. The picture-perfect husband cleaning up after his wife's meltdowns.

I studied him for a long moment, then turned and walked out.

Tracking down some regular person's hometown was easy. I wasn't wasting time on him.

When I found Linda, she was slouched in her parents' doorway, looking completely disheveled.

She sat with three or four other middle-aged women, eating chips and complaining about how hard her life had been for over 20 years.

She looked like every tragic character in those novels—always the victim, never catching a break.

The moment Linda spotted me, her expression twisted with resentment, fear, and stubborn defiance.

She sneered. "So you actually tracked me down here, you little vixen?

"Let me tell you something—even if William doesn't give a damn about this family anymore, I won't divorce. For my son's sake!"

I could see she was barely holding it together.

I just stood there, holding Linda's gaze until she finally cracked and started sobbing. "Why can't you people just leave me alone?

"As long as we don't divorce, you can mess around with William all you want.

"People tend to judge single-parent kids. How's Ryan supposed to find a wife if everyone thinks he's from a broken home?"

I sat down beside Linda with a soft sigh and regarded her calmly.

After she'd cried herself out and exhausted her tears, I finally spoke. "Let's talk. For Ryan's sake."

Linda looked at me suspiciously. "Why would I talk to a homewrecker like you?"

Fed up, I slapped her in the face. "Keep acting crazy and your son's screwed."

At the mention of Ryan, Linda immediately stiffened, anxiety flashing across her face.

She didn't even register the pain—she grabbed my arm, voice trembling. "What do you mean? What happened to my son?"

I seized the moment, locking eyes with her. "Don't you think it's strange? You're always one step away from catching William red-handed.

"But he always has a reasonable explanation, doesn't he?

"And what made you join that online support group for middle-aged women anyway?"