LOGINThe comments on Twitter continued."Unbelievable. Yasmin stole someone's husband and still had the nerve to flaunt their relationship. That's next-level shameless!""Help. I DM'd Josie to curse her out before. How do I unsend it? I'm panicking!"The tone of the comments began to shift in real time.Because of the marriage certificate, people began digging up every photo Yasmin had posted with Timothy since the scandal broke, including the video where Timothy had openly admitted that Yasmin was his woman."Everybody, that's cheating, right? This is wild. That's not even sneaky, that's just shamelessness. Trash and trash, locked in forever. Congratulations to the scumbag and the homewrecker!""Did Timothy even divorce Josie? He didn't, did he? If he's still married, then Yasmin is even more disgusting. She's parading around like we're a bunch of idiots!""What's worse is that she used the wife's kid as leverage. She deserves what's coming to her. Even if she miscarried, that basta
I hurriedly put my phone away.The girls had no idea what had just happened.Daphne looked up at me innocently. "Mommy, didn't you say you were taking Shanny and me out all day today? When are we leaving?"Shannon didn't rush me, but she looked at me with the same hopeful look in her eyes.My throat tightened. I reached out and gently patted Daphne's head. "How about we stay in today? I'm… not feeling very well."Her little face immediately turned solemn. "Are you sick, Mommy?" she asked, her tone laced with concern.Shannon, too, cast a worried glance at me. "Ms. York, should we go to the hospital?" I was touched by how considerate they were, and I said gently, "I just need to rest for a bit. I'll be fine soon. I'm sorry I broke my promise.""When you break a promise, it's because there's a reason. When Daddy breaks a promise, it's because of that bad woman. I forgive you, but I don't forgive Daddy. Even if he apologizes, I don't want to forgive him anymore!" said Daphne.Th
With that, I hung up before Timothy could bargain.I tossed my phone onto the couch. The moment the screen went dark, the weight of the room's darkness pressed down on me.Outside, the night felt thick and unmoving. The wall clock ticked steadily, every passing second stretching my nerves tighter.I wasn't sleepy, so I got up and walked to the girls' room.I pushed the door open gently. The room was quiet, filled only with their even breathing. Shannon and Daphne each slept in their own bed.Moonlight bled through the gap in the curtain, casting a glow on Daphne's face.Her cheeks were flushed in her sleep. Now and then, she'd smack her lips once and kick her blanket aside.Thinking of the curses online felt like knives carving into my chest. I pulled the blanket back over her and ran my fingers lightly through her hair.She seemed to sense something, as she shifted and curled deeper under the covers before going right back to sleep.I crouched beside her bed, staring at her f
"Josie? Josie, are you listening?"Over the phone, Ruby's voice was laced with panic. "If it comes down to it, then just make sure she goes down, too. I know what you're afraid of. You're scared Timothy will pull the plug on your mother's equipment. But think about it. Your mother is your family. What about Daphne? She's your daughter!"For a moment, it felt like I was standing on a riverbank, watching my mother and Daphne about to be swept away by the current.No matter which one I reached for, the other would be dragged under, and I'd spend the rest of my life drowning in guilt."Josie?" Ruby called again, her tone softer. "I know you're in a tough spot, but you can't keep waiting."I took a deep breath. My throat felt tight, and every single word was a struggle to speak. "I'll decide soon. Thank you, Ruby."She sighed, exhaustion and frustration bleeding into her voice. "Don't thank me. I'm only doing what I can to help. The problem is, I spent the entire night throwing money
This was the only way I could get out from under Timothy's control. The risk was enormous, but I didn't have another option.Victoria said, "Alright. I'll call Reid now. You can speak to him yourself."She quickly contacted Reid and passed me the phone. I explained what I needed as simply as I could.There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before he answered, his tone cautious. "Here's the thing. Any medication used on a human subject has to be approved by the ethics committee first. "We've just completed the trials on non-humans, and we haven't gone through an ethical review yet. If we give the drug to your mother now, it would be illegal.""I understand. Thank you, Professor Shore."I didn't try to argue with him. After all, no one was obligated to risk their career or reputation for someone else's desperation.After I hung up, Victoria looked at me and asked, "How did it go?"I repeated what Reid had said. As rational as she was, Victoria didn't argue. "He's ri
Mom dabbed at her eyes. "That bastard Timothy does nothing but side with that woman. If he loves her so much, then he should let you go and divorce you already. What's the point of dragging things out?"I took a deep breath and made my decision."Mom, Dad," I said, "I may publicly reveal my marriage to Timothy soon. If that happens, he might lash out at you guys."Dad thought for a moment before nodding. "We support you. Whatever Timothy chooses to do, we'll accept it. You've already endured far too much for our sake. This time, we're done taking it lying down!""Exactly!" Mom said through gritted teeth. "We're done putting up with this. I want to see where Timothy and Yasmin end up after this. We showed them restraint, and they wasted it. Post the marriage certificate. I refuse to believe that Timothy would go so far as to murder us!"I wrapped my arms around Mom, resting against her the way I had when I was a child. "Thank you, Mom and Dad."Dad ruffled my hair gently. "We were







