Chapter 3

Fiona rolled her eyes so hard they were practically in the back of her head.

"I think that car accident knocked something loose."

Mercy let out a helpless laugh.

She wasn't joking.

She was going to do everything she could to help Joshua's new company go public.

Then, on the day it was listed, she'd present him with the divorce agreement in her hand, and send him and Wendy straight to hell.

The two of them talked until evening.

Dark clouds gathered outside, and the forecast called for heavy rain overnight, so Mercy urged Fiona to head home before the storm arrived.

Joshua wasn't coming to the hospital that day. He said he had company business to deal with.

Mercy had a feeling he was actually off comforting Wendy.

She picked up her phone and scrolled through her social media feed, just in time to see Joshua's latest post.

It was a photo taken in his company's conference room.

Mercy couldn't shake the feeling that he'd posted it for her to see.

However, what Joshua hadn't noticed was the reflection in the glass wall of the conference room. Faintly visible was the silhouette of a woman.

Mercy didn't need to guess who it was.

It had to be Wendy.

In fact, Wendy probably took the photo herself—with the intention of letting Mercy see it.

Mercy let out a cold laugh.

While she was recovering in the hospital after a car accident, her husband was playing office romance with the woman who was supposed to be his sister.

How thrilling.

Mercy pulled the divorce agreement from beneath her pillow.

Since Joshua gave her such an unforgettable "surprise," she owed him a fitting gift in return.

By the third week, Mercy was finally discharged from the hospital.

Her father sent the family driver along with James Warren to pick her up.

Joshua claimed he was tied up at work, but he had a bouquet of nine hundred and ninety-nine red roses delivered to congratulate her on being discharged.

After signing for the flowers, Mercy told the courier to take them away and dispose of them however he liked.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Cooper!"

Linda Lee greeted Mercy at the front door, but Mercy immediately noticed the strained smile on her face.

The moment she stepped inside, she understood why.

The house had changed.

Everything had been replaced—from the sofa and chandelier to the television and refrigerator. Nothing she had chosen when they got married remained.

Mercy's expression darkened instantly.

Linda stammered nervously as she explained, "Ma’am... Miss Cooper replaced all of them..."

Before Linda could finish, Mercy marched upstairs and flung open the master bedroom door.

Crash!

Jewelry scattered across the floor as it slipped from Yuna's hands.

Mercy's eyes widened as her gaze fell on Yuna's crossbody bag.

It was stuffed so full that the zipper wouldn't close, and a necklace pendant was dangling out.

"You're stealing my jewelry."

Yuna immediately panicked at the accusation.

"I-I wasn't... Aunt Mercy, I... I just wanted to play with it..."

"Then why did you put it in your bag?"

Mercy grabbed Yuna's bag and dumped all the jewelry onto the floor.

"What are you doing?!"

Joshua's furious shout suddenly came from behind her.

Before Mercy could turn around, Yuna let out a piercing wail in the master bedroom.

"Yuna!"

Wendy rushed over and scooped Yuna into her arms, as though she were rescuing the child from Mercy.

Mercy had just reached for the diamond tiara on Yuna's head when someone shoved her hard in the shoulder.

A heavy slap struck her across the face.

Smack!

The sharp sound silenced the entire room.

Joshua only realized what he had done when he met Mercy's tearful, furious gaze.

In four years of marriage, no matter how badly they argued, he had never once laid a hand on her.

Yet now, he slapped her.

Beside them, Wendy secretly curled her lips into a smile as she held Yuna.

An awkward silence settled over the room.

"Mercy, I'm sor—"

Before Joshua could finish apologizing, Mercy slapped him across the face.

Her slap rang out even louder than the one he gave her.

Joshua stood there in stunned disbelief.

Wendy was equally speechless.

"Mercy, what are you doing? How could you hit my brother?"

"He hit me first."

Mercy turned and glared viciously at Wendy.

"And he did it because of a bitch like you."

"Mercy!"

Any guilt Joshua felt vanished after being slapped in front of everyone.

All that remained was rage.

"You still have the nerve to insult Wendy? You bullied her daughter behind her back. Do you have any humanity at all?"

"I caught her daughter stealing my jewelry."

The moment Mercy said that, Wendy immediately protested, "That's impossible! Yuna would never do something like that!"

"That's right, Mommy. Aunt Mercy threw the jewelry on the floor herself. I-I don't know anything... Aunt Mercy is scary. I'm scared..."

The little girl burst into aggrieved tears again.

Mercy almost laughed in disbelief at the shameless performance the mother and daughter were putting on.

"I threw it? Joshua, take a good look at the jewelry on the floor. These are the only things my mother left me!"

Yuna's crying stopped instantly.

Joshua glanced down at the jewelry, his expression darkening.

"You're my husband. We've been married for four years, so you know how precious these keepsakes are to me. Yuna is even wearing the diamond tiara my mother loved most. Since you all insist on denying it, we can let the police investigate."

Mercy pulled out her phone, but Joshua immediately grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"It's not serious enough to involve the police... Mercy, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you."

His words were gentle, but his grip was painfully tight.

"Yuna is still so young. Even if you call the police, they won't do anything to her. Besides, she knows she was wrong..."

As Joshua spoke, he shot Yuna a meaningful look.

Yuna immediately apologized with a pitiful expression.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Mercy. I know I was wrong. I just thought the jewelry was shiny and pretty... I promise I won't take it to play with again. Please forgive me, okay?"

Wendy quickly chimed in, "Exactly, Mercy. Yuna is still a child. She doesn't know any better!"

"Right. She's already stealing from others, lying to shift the blame, and crying to make herself look like the victim. It's hard not to wonder where she learned it from."

"Enough. Let's put this behind us. Mercy, stop making such a big deal out of something so minor. We're all going to be living under the same roof, so everyone needs to learn to compromise and be understanding."

Joshua moved closer to Mercy and lowered his voice.

"You're Wendy's sister-in-law, after all. Let it go for my sake, all right?"

Mercy glanced at him, then took a large step aside to put distance between them.

"Did you spare me any dignity when you slapped me without even finding out what happened?"

"Mercy..."

Mercy turned her gaze back to Wendy.

"And when she replaced every piece of furniture and every appliance in this house, did she show me any respect?"

Wendy immediately stepped up beside Joshua and forced a smile.

"Mercy, please don't misunderstand. Joshua said everything in the house had been used for years and was getting old, so he asked me to pick out some new things. If you don't like them, I'll replace them again."

Every word Wendy spoke made it clear she was using Joshua to back her up.

Mercy ignored Wendy completely and called out, "Linda!"

Linda hurried upstairs but only dared to stop at the doorway of the master bedroom.

"Throw out everything Miss Cooper bought."

After giving the order without hesitation, Mercy turned and walked out of the room without sparing Joshua or Wendy another glance.

This was her home.

The home she and Joshua built together.

Even if she no longer wanted it, Wendy had no right to move in and take her place.

Wendy's face darkened as she glared at Mercy's retreating figure.

"Joshua, are you really going to let her do whatever she wants?"

She tugged hard at his sleeve, but Joshua merely pursed his lips and remained silent.

Even after Mercy walked out of the house, the side of her face Joshua had struck was still burning.

She never imagined he would hit her.

Not even her father had ever laid a hand on her.

The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt.

She bit down hard on her lip, but the tears still wouldn't stop.

As she drove, she called Fiona.

"Tell all your hottest guys to get ready. I'm not going home sober tonight."

"Got it! If I don't take good care of you tonight, I'll shut the bar down for a whole year."

Fiona's bold promise eased the tightness in Mercy's chest a little.

She couldn't bear to stay in that house for another second.

Tonight, she was going to let herself forget everything.

But before she reached the Enchanted Grove, her phone suddenly rang.

The caller ID read: Peter Park

It was her father.