Chapter 2

David's gaze suddenly turned icy. But before he could say a word, Lillian threw herself onto the floor, slapping her thighs and wailing at the top of her lungs. "Oh my god, how did David end up with a wife who can't stop lying?

"She cheats on him and still has the nerve to blame him. How is there such a filthy, heartless woman in this world?"

As soon as she started crying, Jessica rushed over to support her, all the while hurling insults at me. "Mom, don't let her get to you. This bitch is trying to drag David down so she can clear her own name.

"If she doesn't sign those papers today, I'll make sure she won't dare walk out that door with her head held high."

Jessica yanked me toward the table, her grip tight on my arm. "Sign it."

I jerked my arm free from Jessica. "I'm not signing a damn thing. Why should I take the fall for something I never did?"

Jessica swung her hand back and slapped me hard, then grabbed my hair and yanked hard.

My scalp stung, and I stumbled, almost crashing into a chair.

David stood there with a stone-cold expression, watching me. "Emily, things have gotten this far. Admit what you did, and let's get this divorce over with.

"If you keep causing trouble, I'll call the cops and charge you with adultery and stealing from me."

I was so pissed that I almost laughed.

He was the one who had an affair, and now he was pretending to be some innocent husband forced into this mess.

The relatives thought David was being really honorable about the whole thing.

"David's already giving you a chance to save dignity."

"After something like this, he's still willing to settle it privately. What more do you want?"

"Sign it already and stop making a scene."

I knew there was no point in saying anything now. They didn't care about the truth at all; they wanted to see me give in.

I grabbed the divorce agreement and ripped it in half with a loud tear. "You want me to walk out empty-handed so you and your mistress can move in? In your dreams."

The living room erupted.

"You dare tear it up?" Lillian shrieked, lunging at me and grabbing my arm. "After sleeping around with so many guys, you still refuse to leave?"

Jessica rushed over too, forcing me down by my shoulders. "Apologize."

I stumbled from their grip, my lower back slamming hard into the corner of the table. The pain was so intense that my vision went black for a moment.

Everyone stood there and watched, and nobody tried to stop them.

Just then, Lillian started shouting at the door for everyone to hear. "Hey, everyone, come and see this. My son's wife got caught red-handed cheating, and instead of admitting it, she's attacking me and my daughter."

My heart sank.

In my previous life, they dragged the neighbors in to gawk at me like this.

Sure enough, in less than thirty seconds, the doorway was swarmed with people.

Some craned their necks to get a look, others filmed on their phones, thinking they were being sneaky, and a few made themselves comfortable, like they were settling in for a show.

"Is this for real?"

"She always seemed so quiet and reserved. Who knew she was so good at fooling around?"

As the crowd grew, Lillian started bawling louder. "David works his ass off to support this family, and he ends up marrying such a bitch.

"She acts all innocent during the day, but at night, she's out there blowing David's money on other guys."

Every time she hurled an insult, the crowd at the doorway chimed in.

"She's rotten to the core."

"Kicking her out with nothing is letting her off way too easy."

"They should post this all over the internet and make sure she never shows her face in public again."

Hearing all that felt like my chest was being crushed. But I knew better than anyone that if I showed the slightest weakness now, they'd stomp me into the ground, as they did in my previous life.