Chapter 3

My mind went entirely blank. "Mom, I didn't—"

Before I could even finish, she cut me off. "If you still care about me at all, get your ass back here right now!"

My phone was vibrating nonstop, flooded with a barrage of vile abuse.

Denise had posted her marriage certificate with Charlie online, along with the dashcam footage from last night.

"I gave her money out of kindness, but I never expected her to be this shameless, playing the victim to try and seduce my husband!"

Someone had even uploaded photos of me that had been maliciously photoshopped. They claimed I purposely dressed provocatively on the streets to exploit people's sympathy for the disabled just to hook a rich guy.

The comment section was a toxic wasteland.

"A total parasite on society. People like her deserve to die!"

"Losing that leg was probably karma!"

Tears streamed down my face in desperation, but after people heard I was a homewrecker, none of them were willing to help me.

By the time I finally dragged myself to the hospital, the socket of my prosthetic was completely shattered. Exposed, jagged wires had sliced straight into my flesh.

The moment Mom saw me, she slapped me across the face. Her voice cracked with pure rage as she yelled, "If it weren't for you, your dad wouldn't be having a medical emergency! I don't have a daughter who sells herself as a mistress!"

Years ago, terrified that Charlie's debts would ruin my parents, I hadn't even dared to call them.

Though they were furious and heartbroken, they still skimped and saved every month, secretly sending us money to keep us afloat.

Clutching my burning cheek, I rasped in a hoarse voice, "I'm not a mistress…"

Suddenly, Charlie stormed into the hallway. He marched up to me and shoved me hard. "I told you, Denise is innocent! Why the hell did you have to go find her?"

I lost my balance and crashed onto the floor. Charlie didn't care. He grabbed my wrist and started dragging me toward the exit.

"Denise was so stressed out that she almost miscarried. You're going to apologize to her right now!"

"She's the mistress here! Why should I apologize?"

I bit down hard on Charlie's thumb web. Hissing in pain, he flung me away.

When he noticed the stubborn defiance in my eyes, he let out a cold, infuriated laugh. "Cut off all medical funding for her father. Right now!"

Mom panicked and began shoving me forward. "Rachel Marsh! Are you really going to be satisfied only when you've killed your dad?"

When I didn't move, Mom dropped to her knees right in front of Charlie, grabbing the hem of his pants and begging pitifully. "I'll apologize… Please, just save my husband…"

Seeing her bowing and scraping to Charlie at her age tore my heart to shreds.

Crying, I pulled her back and looked up at Charlie with bloodshot eyes. "As long as you save my dad, I'll do it."

I was brought to Denise's ward. The moment she saw me, she lunged forward hysterically. "You bitch! I should have known better than to pity you!"

As her hand flew toward my face, Charlie caught her wrist.

Denise looked at him in disbelief. "Our baby was almost gone, and you're protecting this homewrecker?"

Charlie gently stroked her hair. "Of course not. You're the only one who matters to me.

"Rachel, bow your head and apologize to Denise on your knees until she forgives you!"

I swallowed the last of my dignity, bent my knees, and brought myself down heavily before Denise.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been a homewrecker. I shouldn't have shamelessly tried to seduce your husband…"

As I numbly slammed my forehead against the floor, a flock of reporters armed with cameras suddenly burst into the room. Their shutters clicked furiously at my face.

Denise let out a smug smirk. "If you're going to apologize, you might as well let the whole world witness it."

Charlie instinctively moved to stop them, but when he saw Denise pout, he chose to stay silent.

The blinding flashes nearly took my sight, and a pounding headache threatened to split my skull open.

It wasn't until I collapsed onto the floor, completely drained of strength, that Charlie finally called an end to it.

A flicker of pity crossed his face. "Your dad is stable for now. If there's a next time, it won't be as simple as an apology."

Leaning against the wall, I stumbled back toward the main hospital wing. People pointed and whispered along the way, their faces twisted in absolute disgust.

I looked up. On the giant screen in the lobby, the video of me groveling and begging for forgiveness was playing on a loop.