Chapter 3 - You’ve been disowned!

KATHERINE'S POV

It was almost four in the afternoon when I took one last look at the hospital building as my Uber pulled up. I must have sighed a million times, lost in my thoughts. It’s been nearly two weeks, and I haven’t heard from anyone—not my best friend, my family, or even Alexander. I couldn’t really blame them, though; I had lost my phone. I ended up paying the hospital bills with the black card Alexander had given me through the doctor. I think it was the money he promised to give me. I didn’t want to use it, but I felt completely helpless and had no other choice.

“We’re here,” the Uber driver announced, snapping me out of my thoughts. I paid him with the black card, and his surprised look was exactly what I expected. After he finished, I tucked the card into my small purse and stood in front of the massive building that I once called home. Ever since marrying Alexander, I felt a strange disconnect from my family. They must have heard about what happened, or maybe they hadn’t. As much as I dreaded returning to this place that used to bring me chaos, I had no other options.

When I reached the front door, I rang the bell, and a familiar face appeared, beaming with joy.

“Katherine!” she exclaimed, pulling me into a hug that nearly knocked me off my feet. Looking closely, I could see that Alicia, our family maid, and my favorite person, looked worn out and stressed.

“Alicia,” I replied with a faint smile.

“Where is everyone?” I asked, clutching my purse tightly. Just as she was about to respond, I heard a voice that made my stomach drop.

“Oh, here comes the slut. Look at what you’ve done to disgrace our family!” my stepmother’s loud voice echoed as I stepped into the living room.

“Embarrass our family name? Seriously?” I shot back, my anger flaring. Was she really joking right now? I could see the shock on her face as I stood up to her, something she hadn’t dealt with in the last twenty years since my late mom passed away.

“I just spent the last week and four days in the hospital, and none of you,” I said, gesturing toward my dad, stepmom, and stepsister, “none of you bothered to check on me, and now you’re throwing this nonsense at—?”

Before I could finish, I felt a sharp slap across my face. I was taken aback, not fully grasping what just happened, but it was all too familiar—it was my stepmom, Elizabeth.

“See what I mean?” she said, turning to my dad, Lucas. “This girl is nothing but a spoiled brat. I bet her mother is rolling in her grave. After everything we’ve done for her, she still has the nerve to talk back?” she yelled, as usual, directing her anger at my dad.

“Hmph, I’ve said from the start that she would ruin our family name. Just look at her name and picture all over the internet. Such a foolish girl, and she still dares to talk back. Don’t you have any shame? If I were you, which I’m not, of course, I’d be ashamed to show my face,” Clara, my stepsister, said, giving me a condescending look.

At that moment, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. My name was all over the internet? How did that even happen? What was going on?

Clara raised an eyebrow and said, “Wow, Mom. It looks like she’s totally out of the loop. Is there really no TV in that hospital you’re at?” Her teasing tone just added to my confusion. While I was lost in my thoughts, Clara grabbed the remote from the coffee table and switched on the TV. The first thing that caught my attention was the headline:

FAMOUS ARTIST KATHERINE SHANE SPOTTED WITH AN UNKNOWN MAN IN A DISTURBING PICTURE OF HERSELF AND A MAN WE DON'T KNOW, GOING VIRAL ONLINE, JUST AS HER HUSBAND’S EX-GIRLFRIEND, ASTRA, A WELL-KNOWN MODEL, MAKES A COMEBACK.

A chill ran through me as confusion washed over my mind. The phrase “the disturbing picture of herself and a man we don't know” echoed in my head. I didn’t need anyone to explain how this could seriously impact my career as an artist. What picture were they even talking about? It felt like Clara could sense my panic as she started to speak.

“In case you’re curious about the picture I know you’ve seen and are just pretending not to, I’m still going to show it to you.” As she handed me her phone, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There it was—a blog post featuring a bold image and a video of me with a guy I’d never seen before. It wasn’t just any picture; it was a naked shot of both of us. My scream echoed through the room as Clara replayed it over and over. It felt so real—but it couldn’t be.

“This isn’t me,” I whispered, staring at the screen again. “I would never cheat on him.” Everything they were saying felt so far away; I was just numb as I sank into the chair, feeling utterly helpless. Tears streamed down my face as those images replayed in my mind. It looked just like me, but I could swear on my late mother’s life that it wasn’t. How could there be a naked picture of me with a stranger? I didn’t know him; I had never met him, and I would never betray Alexander. I loved him more than anything.

“Listen up and listen well,” my dad finally said. “You’re no longer part of the Shane family. You’ve embarrassed us too much with your awful behavior, so you’re not my child anymore.” His words hung heavy in the air as he looked at me, disappointment clear in his eyes. I wanted to fight back, to plead for a little faith from him, to insist I hadn’t done anything wrong. But the smug grins on my stepmom and stepsister’s faces made me hesitate; I just didn’t have the energy to argue with them.

“After he dragged me into this mess—and now he's disowning me?” I thought, standing there and staring painfully at him.

“Didn’t you catch what he just said? You’re no longer a Shane, which means you’ve been disowned. Now get out of this house because you’re a stranger—an unwelcome one at that,” Clara chimed in, her voice dripping with glee. It was as if she’d been waiting for this moment forever, finally relishing her role as the only child in the Shane family.

I took a shaky breath, my mind swirling with anger and disbelief. Without a word, I turned and walked out of the house, shutting the door softly behind me as if it could somehow lessen the sting of their rejection.