Chapter 2

The doorbell was going off like crazy.

Instead of opening the door, I poured myself a glass of water and took my sweet time drinking it.

What was the rush?

Let them be the ones to panic, not me.

I could hear Clover's screeching through the door. "Kylee, open the door. You vicious woman. What the hell are you up to? Why did you send us those filthy photos? Are you trying to push our Callie over the edge?

"You can't keep your man faithful, and it's your fault. How shameless you are to mess with my daughter."

I found it kind of funny.

Shameless people always had the same old excuses.

I walked up to the door, but didn't bother opening it. Instead, I spoke coldly through the door, "Your daughter sent me those bed photos in the middle of the night first. Why didn't you ask her what she was up to?

"When she tried to ruin me, did you ever ask her why?"

The shouting outside suddenly stopped for a moment.

I could hear Callie crying through the door.

She said, "Mom, it's not like that. Her husband hit on me first."

Clover instantly got her fire back. "You hear that? It's your husband who can't keep it in his pants. You, as his wife, can't even handle such a small thing. I can't believe you still have the nerve to throw a tantrum.

"Let me tell you, Kylee. If you don't give us a proper explanation today, we're not done with you."

I gave a short laugh. "Bring it on. I'd love to see you try."

Then I swung the door open.

The three of them outside froze for a second, caught off guard by my sudden move.

Clover jabbed a finger at my face, ready to start yelling again.

I shot a look at Damien.

He was gripping a belt.

"So, Mr. Bennett, did you bring that belt to teach your daughter a lesson, or are you here to throw your weight around in my house?" I said coolly.

His expression froze. "I..."

"If it's the first, it's too late. She's in her twenties, and she should know better by now," I continued. "If it's the second, so you know, everything's on camera here. I can call the cops anytime."

My tone was so calm as if I was talking about the weather.

Clover had probably never seen me act like this before.

In her eyes, I was always the nice, polite girl.

She put her hands on her hips, ready to make a scene. "Who are you trying to scare? You ruined my daughter's reputation. I'm not leaving until you make this right."

"Make this right?" I looked at her, speaking each word deliberately. "Your unmarried daughter had an affair with a married man.

"She took photos at night and sent them to the man's wife to provoke me. And now you ask me to make this right. Mrs. Bennett, do you have any shame left?"

She was left speechless, her face turning beet red with embarrassment.

Just then, the elevator doors slid open.

Vincent and my mother-in-law, Margaret Booth, stepped out together.

Margaret was carrying a bag of groceries they'd bought.

She froze when she saw the commotion at the door. "What... What's happening here?"

As soon as Callie saw Vincent, she started bawling harder. "Vincent..."

Vincent's face turned ghostly pale in an instant.

He looked at me, his eyes desperate and begging for help.

Margaret took one look at Callie, with tears streaming down her face like a damsel in distress, then glanced at my cold, unbothered expression, and immediately put two and two together.

She tossed the groceries to the floor and marched straight up to me in a flash. "Kylee, what kind of scene are you making this time? The girl has come all the way here. What more do you want?

"Why did Vincent marry a barren hen like you? You can't give me a grandchild, let alone keep your man."

She'd said this to me more times than I could count.

Every time we argued about having children, she'd throw that line in my face, hitting me where it hurt most.

It used to hurt.

But at that moment, I thought it was ridiculous.

Vincent quickly stepped in, trying to smooth things over. "Mom, that's enough. Kylee, let's talk about this inside. Don't make a scene here. People will think us as a joke."

He reached out to grab my hand.

I sidestepped, dodging his touch.

"A joke? Now you think we are a joke, huh?" I stared at him, then at my bossy mother-in-law. "Margaret, you never call that a joke when your precious son was out there sleeping around, right?"

Margaret's voice shot up louder. "So, what if my son fools around? That's what men do. It's all because you can't have kids. If you could give the Booth family a baby, Vincent wouldn't need to see another woman."

Deep down, she didn't really believe it herself, but she wanted to pin everything on me first.

Finding herself an ally, Clover wasted no time cozying up to Margaret, "That's right. Mrs. Booth, you're spot on. She's the root of all this."

Both families were now teaming up against me.

It was as if I were the one who'd committed some unforgivable crime.

Vincent was sweating profusely, clearly anxious. "Kylee, don't listen to my mom. It's all my fault."

He was still acting like the loving, helpless good guy.

I looked at him and suddenly felt utterly fed up.

I turned to Callie. "Didn't you say he was all over you?"

Callie froze, caught off guard.

I approached Vincent.

With everyone watching, I looked him straight in the eye, which once seemed so genuine to me. "Vincent, do you have the guts to repeat, right here in front of everyone, that dirty little secret you were begging me to hide last night?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, Vincent's face went as pale as a sheet.