Chapter 1

Just because I posted a Christmas's update on social media, celebrating that I'd become a mom, everything started to spiral.

At the family's Christmas dinner, my cousin Misty suddenly congratulated me. "Trina, congrats on getting knocked up before tying the knot—and having five kids, no less."

She went on, "Didn't you always say you were all about being an independent woman, no marriage, no babies? Or was that just your excuse to hook up with rich guys and make some easy money?"

As soon as she finished, everyone stared at her, totally confused.

She blinked innocently. "Wait, you guys didn't know Trina had kids?"

The cozy dinner table blew up in an instant. All those relatives who'd been singing my praises just seconds ago suddenly switched faces and turned on me.

"I knew it! No wonder she makes money so easily; turns out she's just some rich guy's mistress," one of them sneered.

"Oh my god, I was just asking her to help my daughter find a job! Thank goodness she didn't agree, or I would've thrown my pure girl right into the fire," another chimed in.

My mom lowered her head in shame, my brother Alec shot me a look full of contempt, and my dad looked so furious that it was like he wished he could undo my existence.

Smiling coolly, I said, "How about a bet? If I lose, I'll hand you 1.5 million dollars. But if you lose, you have to air all your dirty laundry right here for everyone to hear."

*****

On Christmas Eve, as usual, all the nearby relatives gathered at my dad's place for the family reunion.

I brought out the gifts I'd gotten for my family—a gold necklace for my mom, a bottle of champagne for my dad, and the latest gaming console for Alec.

All the relatives were practically drooling with envy, each one wishing they had it as good as my dad.

"Your daughter is incredible. She's been winning scholarships since she was little, never made you worry about tuition or living expenses, got into a top university, and even sends you 3,000 dollars every month," one of them gushed.

"If I had a daughter as sweet and talented as her, I'd wake up smiling in my dreams," another chimed in.

Everyone was having a good time, laughing and chatting.

Aunt Grace leaned in, trying to cozy up to me.

"Exactly! Trina, you know how hard it is to find a job these days. Trina's been out of college for a year and still living off us. Her dad and I are worried sick.

"Aren't you a manager at some big company? Could you help Trina land a good job?" she added.

As soon as she finished, a crowd of relatives swarmed around me, all asking me to help their kids find jobs.

I was just trying to brush them off when Misty French suddenly came over, looked me up and down, acting all impressed.

"Trina, you are seriously amazing. You look even better than my sister-in-law, and she's had two kids. How do you manage to stay in such good shape?" she gushed.

I figured she must've forgotten I was still single, so I explained, "Misty, I haven't even gotten married or had kids yet. Of course I'm still slim."

Misty burst out laughing. "You had five kids all at once, and you claim you haven't had any? Fine, keep your beauty secrets to yourself, but why won't you even admit your own kids?"

After saying that, she started scanning the room, as if searching for someone, acting like she hadn't just killed the mood at the table.

"So, where are your kids, anyway?" Misty added.

She pretended to be annoyed, but her tone was pure mockery.

"Seriously, Trina, it's family reunion night. Why didn't you bring them so Uncle Tyrone could finally see his grandkids? He's been dying to see them," she said.

I froze for a second, suddenly remembering that post I'd put up on social media. "Misty, you've got it all wrong. That was just—"

Before I could finish, my parents shot me a confused look, clearly asking what was going on.

I stopped mid-sentence, frowning. "Look, I didn't do anything, and I definitely don't have any kids."

Inside, I was kicking myself for forgetting to block her from seeing my post.

Misty was chuckling to herself, not caring about anyone else. "Looks like your dad and mom can stop nagging you about marriage now. Congrats, you managed to give them grandkids without ever getting married.

"So, where'd you find a guy that strong? Or did you just hook up with a bunch of guys to have five kids in one go?

"But didn't you always say you were all about being an independent woman—no marriage, no kids? Or was that just your excuse to get cozy with rich guys and cash in by having their kids?"

The relatives who'd been singing my praises just seconds ago suddenly changed their faces, all that admiration gone, replaced by judgmental stares.

"I knew it. No wonder she makes money so easily—turns out she's just some rich guy's kept woman," one of them snorted.

"Oh my god, I was just asking her to help my daughter find a job! Thank goodness she didn't agree, or I would've thrown my pure girl right into the fire," another chimed in.

"No wonder we have to beg her to come home every year, and she never even bothers to call. Turns out she's been doing shady stuff behind our backs..." someone else muttered.

"Our family has always been strict, and my brother's lived his whole life clean. How did he end up with a shameless daughter like her..." another relative grumbled.

My mom was so ashamed she tossed the gold necklace onto the table, like it was burning her fingers.

Alec shot me a look of pure contempt and disgust, then threw the action figure I gave him straight onto the floor.

"I don't want your dirty-money toys!" he sneered.

My dad's face was dark with rage as he grabbed my hand, staring at me in disbelief. "Trina, what's going on? Is what Misty said really true?"

His face was red, his eyes full of anger—like he wished he could shove me right back into the womb.

I tried to ignore the pain in my arm. "Dad, you trust her more than your own daughter?

"I'm telling you, I never had any kids. That's the truth."

Even though I was firm about it, they just kept looking at me like they didn't believe a word I said.

I clenched my fists, trying to keep my cool as I stared at Misty, who was spouting nonsense without a care.

"Misty, you have no idea what you're talking about, and you're just spewing lies in front of everyone. That's seriously out of line.

"Do yourself a favor and think twice before you say or do anything—you don't want to end up regretting it," I warned.

I'd always felt like Misty had it out for me, always making snide remarks and throwing shade whenever she got the chance.

Since she was family, her words never really got under my skin, so I just let it slide. But I never expected she'd take one random social media post and use it to smear my name in front of my parents and everyone else.

Seriously, as a woman herself, doesn't she think that's way out of line?

Misty gave me her most innocent look, acting all apologetic. "Trina, I didn't realize this was off-limits. Really, it's my bad.

"I just thought since you posted it online, everyone would know. Didn't expect you'd keep them out of the loop."

The relatives started whispering and gossiping, pulling out their phones to check.

"Post? What post? Trina barely ever posts anything all year, right?" someone said.

"See? Trina actually hid her posts from all of us," another pointed out.

Aunt Elizabeth jumped in, "Trina, my daughter was just being honest. Why are you threatening her? If you really have nothing to hide, then why did you block us from your posts?"