Chapter 4

I carefully put the lace panties away and hid them in the inner pocket of my bag. They were important evidence.

Years in the workplace had trained me to stay calm even in the middle of a mess this disgusting.

I had just finished when the phone in the living room suddenly rang, and the screen lit up with the word "Mom."

I took a deep breath, pressed down the storm inside me, and answered, trying to keep my voice calm.

My mother-in-law's puzzled voice came through right away. "Julia, when they brought Lily back just now, why was there a young woman with them?"

My heart dropped hard.

I didn't even need to think. That woman had to be Emily. She actually dared to go along when they took Lily back.

I forced myself to answer, "That's Lily's vocal coach. She happened to be heading the same way, so she helped take her back."

David had clearly promised me he would personally take our daughter back by himself, yet he still let his mom see Emily with him. He had lied to me again.

Looks like there was no place for me left in his heart anymore.

After ending the call with a few perfunctory words, I immediately opened Emily's profile and checked her social feed.

Sure enough, her latest update was a photo of the three of them. In the picture, David had a hand on our daughter's shoulder, while Emily leaned against him at his side, smiling in a way that made my eyes burn.

The second I saw the words under the photo, it felt like I fell straight into a bottomless pit.

The caption was full of provocation. [People thought we were a family of three.]

A rush of anger shot up from deep inside me and made my whole body shake.

She hadn't only stolen the person I loved most but dared to flaunt it openly, and she was even trying to take my place.

With shaking fingers, I called Lily. The waiting tone kept beeping in my ear, and every sound felt like torture.

When the call connected, Lily's little voice came through, bright with the excitement of getting to the countryside. "Mom!"

I closed my eyes, my voice catching slightly as I asked softly, "Lily, would you ever betray Mom?"

After a pause, I asked again, my voice full of hope and unease. "Would you ever lie to Mom for someone else?"

Lily went quiet for a few seconds, then answered in a crisp little voice, "No, Mom. I love you the most."

But I could hear the brush-off in her tone perfectly. There wasn't a trace left of the closeness or sincerity she used to have with me.

I personally drafted the divorce agreement and placed it in the most obvious spot on the bedroom nightstand.

When David came back from fooling around with that woman, he would see it.

But I had told him I was going on a business trip. He would definitely stay out enjoying himself with that woman without a care. Who knew when he would even come home to notice it.

Fourteen years of love, cut clean in one stroke.

Then I found a shipping envelope and stuffed the lace panties inside it.

I wrote the delivery address by hand: Maplewood College. In the recipient line, I wrote the principal's name, Olivia Lane.

Olivia was not only the principal of Maplewood College, she was also my best friend from college.

We were close as sisters. Back then, I had even gone up against a bunch of local thugs to protect her business. This time, I knew she would be even angrier than I was.

She had witnessed the sweetness of my love story with David from the very beginning. Now I wanted her to help me write the ending.

I slipped a note into the envelope. In sharp, blunt handwriting, I wrote, [Your student Emily Warren is Lily's tutor. She left her underwear in my bathroom. Please look into this matter and handle it accordingly.]