Chapter 3
Melissa's hand trembled, and the spoon clattered to the floor. She quickly bent down to pick it up.
Richard let out an awkward laugh, his eyes darting around.
"Come on, it's just a TV show. You can't take it seriously," he said.
Melissa quickly chimed in, "Yeah, Mrs. Evans, those TV shows are just trying to trick people like you. Stuff that crazy never happens in real life."
I watched their awkward performance and decided to let it slide for now.
Maybe sensing that things were getting a bit tense, Melissa quickly changed the subject. "Weren't we supposed to hit the supermarket today? Let's go now."
I gave a slight nod, grabbed a scarf from my bedroom, and when I returned to the living room, I found Richard standing there, my phone in hand, his expression grim.
As soon as he saw me, he practically rushed over.
"Claire, why did you change your password? And what's this DNA test about?" Richard demanded.
He was watching me like a hawk, trying to catch my every little expression.
A chill shot through my heart as I took the phone and glanced at the screen—besides the words "DNA test results", nothing else was shown.
Luckily, I had changed the password beforehand, and I let out a sigh of relief.
"It's one of those new scam texts. I keep getting those lately," I complained.
Richard still looked suspicious, but he didn't press any further—he seemed to believe me.
After all, we had once sworn we'd never lie to each other.
Truth was, promises only held weight when love still existed.
Once we got into the car, Richard could see I was feeling down and tried his best to lift my spirits by cracking jokes. Even Jeffrey started saying the same stuff.
Melissa sat nearby, clearly seething, though she was still convinced she was doing a great job hiding her feelings.
I watched all of this unfold, but honestly, I didn't feel much at all. I just kept thinking about how I was supposed to face this later.
Last night, I reached out to a company that had shown interest in the Dawson Group before and sold it.
Richard was still clueless, dreaming big about the company going public.
I never had a business head, and with my parents dying young, the company they left me was nearly shredded by the execs and Richard.
Richard's birthday was just a couple of days away—I would hit him with the news then.
Let him linger in his sweet dreams a while longer. When he woke up, reality would hit hard.
We drove quickly to the supermarket, where a necklace brand was holding a promotion.
They had set up a dart game—hit the target ten times in a row, and we could take home their new release.
I caught myself zoning out at a necklace in the display case. Back in high school, Richard gave me one almost exactly like it.
Perhaps my gaze lingered too long on the necklace, because Richard motioned to join the game, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.
He gave me a puzzled look, so I said in a quiet voice, "I'm past that stage of falling for everything in sight."
That was enough to make Richard give up.
After we grabbed a few more things and paid, we were about to head out when suddenly, the alarm blared.
All eyes fell on us instantly.
The cashier marched over, looking stern, and Jeffrey instantly got anxious—even Melissa couldn't hide her uneasy expression.
Suddenly, there was a crisp sound, and everybody turned to see the necklace lying on the floor.
It slipped right off Jeffrey.
Richard instantly understood what had happened. Before the cashier could even speak, he yanked Jeffrey around to face him. "How dare you steal things? Who taught you that?"
Jeffrey's eyes filled with tears, his gaze flickering between Melissa and me before finally landing on me.
He reached out, sniffling, and pointed at me. "Mom put it on me. I didn't steal it."
I squinted, but before I could say a word, Melissa cut me off, her face twisted into a triumphant sneer.
She said, "Mrs. Evans, how could you do that? Do you realize the trauma you're leaving on Jeffrey?
"Even I, just the nanny, know you should set a good example for a kid. And instead, you're teaching him to steal."
Her words rang out with righteous fury, her face lit up with moral superiority.
Richard just shook his head at me, pure disappointment written all over his face.
He said, "I asked if you wanted that necklace, and you said no. Now you go and steal it, huh? Are you just trying to make us look bad in front of everyone?
"Claire, I always thought you just weren't book smart, but I never thought your morals were trash, too."
The mocking gazes of everyone hit me hard. I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say.
Should I even try to explain? Who would believe a word I say?
"Honestly, she's setting a bad mom example."
"Look at her. I bet she still wants to argue her way out of this."
"If a kid grows up with a mom like her, he'll end up just a thief."
The air felt so thin that I could barely breathe, and every word of blame slammed into me like a punch.
Later, Richard left with Melissa and Jeffrey, while the supermarket staff kicked me out.
Just before she walked out, Melissa gave me a mocking, triumphant glare.