Chapter 3

Edward was visibly annoyed, but then he suddenly froze.

He stared at me, the woman who always spoke so softly, never daring to talk back and shot back, stunned, "What did you just say?"

"I said, why should I? Just so you know. She's your mom, not mine," I replied coldly.

"Grace, are you out of your mind?" Edward snapped.

Before he could finish, I yanked out that fake marriage certificate and slammed it down on the floor.

Dragging my suitcase behind me, I locked eyes with him, refusing to look away.

"Yeah, I was crazy, crazy enough to marry you with all my heart. But today, I finally see you for who you really are. From now on, you and I are nothing."

The old suitcase dragged across the floor, its wheels squeaking and rattling, a far cry from the hopeful day six years ago when I first moved into this house.

Edward wasn't the same boy who once beamed with happiness, pulling me into his arms and saying, "Welcome home." Now, he just glared at me with resentment as he called out.

"I just didn't have time for a wedding with you, and now you have to cause a drama in front of my students?"

The room was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

I turned back, completely stunned.

Unbelievable, he was actually blaming me?

"Grace, Professor Stone is really busy. If you want a wedding, can't you just talk to him about it? Why make things so difficult for him?"

Edward hadn't even finished speaking when Lydia cut in, sounding all worried for him.

The other students all jumped in to defend Edward.

"Yeah, it's just a wedding. Why make such a big deal out of it?"

"Professor Stone's always swamped with classes, working himself to death. And her? She just sits at home all day, mooching off his money, can't even handle taking care of his mom. Some housewife."

"Seriously, what would she even do without Professor Stone?"

For a moment, all the female students started ganging up on me.

It was like they were the poster girls for modern feminism, and I was just some pathetic leech, mooching off a man and too lazy to do anything with my life, like I totally deserved to be dragged into court and judged for it.

But nobody knew the truth.

Every bit of food, every little thing in this house, came from me pinching pennies and cutting corners.

Even the money for Mom's doctor visits came from the online grading jobs I took just to make ends meet.

Meanwhile, Edward spent all his salary hosting poetry nights, flower-viewing parties, and moonlit gatherings for his students and building a cozy home with Lydia.

My fingers were turning pale as I gripped the suitcase handle. Thinking about all the years I'd poured myself into this family, I couldn't help but let a bitter, mocking smile curl on my lips.

"Sure, Professor Stone, you're so well-respected and classy, but at the end of the day, you're just hooking up with your own student," I shot back.

"You and your mom are both disgusting. Starting today, I'm done taking care of your mess."

I turned to leave, dragging my suitcase behind me, but a few students suddenly blocked my way.

"What's your problem? We were just speaking the truth, and now you're spreading lies about us?"

"We're just here to learn from Professor Stone. Why are you twisting it like that?"

I slowly turned my head, my eyes cold and distant as they locked onto Edward. It was like I'd become someone else entirely.

It felt like the sharp, confident woman I used to be was finally back.

Edward's breath quickened, and when he glanced back at the marriage certificate I'd just thrown down, a flicker of unease crossed his face.

But then, thinking about how I'd spent six years working myself to the bone for him without a single complaint, he just assumed I was having a moment. He was convinced I'd never really leave him.

So he pulled out one hundred dollars and tossed it onto the table.

"A wedding's just a dinner party. If you're really that desperate, just go rent a wedding dress and play pretend for a day," he said.

"I'm taking the students to check out the snow. When we get back, I expect dinner to be ready and everything back to normal."

He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses with those newly pampered, slender fingers, then strode out with his students following behind, like he was leading a grand parade.

The moment the door slammed shut, I heard the sound of breaking glass coming from my mother-in-law's room.

Without thinking, I rushed in.

What I saw made my blood run cold: her withered wrist was bleeding, blood dripping fast onto the floor. I grabbed my phone and called for an ambulance.

With the shrill wail of the ambulance siren in the background, my mother-in-law, her voice weak as a thread, begged me.

"Grace, you're such a good girl. Edward just got caught up in a moment of madness. I won't drag you into this anymore. Please, don't hold it against him, alright?"

My mind exploded with a loud buzz, and a sharp, piercing ring echoed in my ears.

I caught myself before calling her "Mom," my voice shaking as I asked, "So you knew all along, too? Did he tell you about it before he and Lydia made it official?"