Chapter 3
He straightened his collar and strolled over to me, taking his sweet time.
Charles stood right in front of me, speaking like he was doing me a favor.
Charles asked, "Want a divorce?"
He was so arrogant, he didn't even spare Leo a glance as he stood protectively in front of me.
Charles said, "Sure.
"Pay your respect, right now."
He jabbed a finger toward Lucy.
Charles said, "Bow to Lucy and apologize. Then I'll sign the divorce papers."
Lucy, standing behind me, immediately grabbed his sleeve, acting all sweet and innocent.
"Mr. Evans, please don't. Mrs. Evans didn't mean any harm. Just let it go..." she said softly, playing the victim.
Bow and apologize, every word out of Charles's mouth was full of that cocky, triumphant vibe.
Tracy was so furious that her whole body was shaking, her hand trembling as she jabbed her finger at me.
Mom said, "Jane, isn't this humiliating enough for you? Enough with your drama; go apologize to Lucy, now."
Dad pulled me behind him, his eyes wide and fierce. He said, "Who the hell thinks they can make my daughter bow?"
All eyes in the living room were on me.
I gently pushed Leo's hand away, met Charles's triumphant, determined gaze, and said softly, "Okay."
I nodded.
I said, "I'll bow."
Suddenly, all their eyes were on me, stunned and speechless.
The smug grins on Charles and Linda's faces vanished in a flash.
Even Tracy stared at me, her eyes full of disbelief.
"But before I bow, I want to lose fair and square, right?" I said.
I scanned their faces one by one, making sure everyone caught my gaze.
"I need to see with my own eyes just how ridiculous my mistake was today, and just how far I've lost my mind," I said.
With that, I pulled out my phone, scrolled through my contacts, and dialed a number.
The call connected almost instantly.
I said, "Hey, Zack? It's Jane.
"I need a favor. Can you activate the emergency protocol at the Food Safety Testing Center for me?
"I need a cake tested ASAP. It's really urgent.
"Yeah, full access. Thanks, I'm on my way."
After I hung up, the living room went completely silent.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and locked eyes with Charles, who looked utterly stunned and suspicious.
"Let's go right now," I said.
I pointed at that fancy-looking box of cake on the floor.
I said, "Let the test results speak for themselves.
"If the test proves this is just an ordinary cake, with nothing harmful or suspicious inside.
"When I get back, I'll not only bow and apologize to Lucy."
I paused for a moment.
I said, "I'll hand over everything I own, the house my parents gave me, my car, all my savings, every last penny, to you, Charles.
"I'll leave with nothing to my name."
A collective gasp rippled through the room.
Charles and Lucy exchanged a quick glance.
Pure joy, greed, and a heavy dose of mockery sparked in their eyes.
Whatever doubts Charles had after my phone call were completely drowned out by the lure of all that money.
"Alright. You said it yourself," Charles said.
He immediately agreed, as if he was afraid I would change my mind.
He pointed at me and announced to both families,
Charles said, "Let's get to the bottom of this today and see what kind of crazy stunt Jane's pulling.
"Dad, Mom, Leo, Tracy, everyone, come be witnesses."
Everyone marched out together, split up into two cars, and drove straight toward the city's testing center.
I sat alone in the back seat; the tension was almost suffocating, and everything felt strangely off.
Charles and Lucy kept shooting looks at me in the rearview mirror, their eyes practically sparkling with barely contained smug excitement.
At the testing center, everyone gathered around the analyzer, holding their breath as they waited.
Charles crossed his arms and leaned in, whispering to me with a sneer.
"When you bow later, make sure your sound is loud," he said.
Meanwhile, Lucy linked arms with Linda, putting on her sweetest, most delicate act.
"Mrs. Evans, don't be upset. Mrs. Jane Evans just wasn't thinking straight for a bit," Lucy said softly.
Tracy looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped herself.
Leo tugged gently at her arm, then looked at me, worry written all over his face.
Finally, the analysis report came out.
On the massive electronic screen, the final list of ingredients was marked in red.
One look was all it took.
Zack Linwood, usually unflappable, suddenly went pale.
He grabbed the phone in a rush, his voice shaking.
"Hello? Is this 911?" Zack asked, barely keeping it together.