Love in Shadows

"Shane."Her voice, dripping with false sweetness, echoed in my ear.Since regaining consciousness, I had lost count of the times Shane Jackson had 'punished' Joanna Rogers.However, in a flash, Shane's anger erupted, and his hand cracked across her face."You have no right to call me that," he hissed.Joanna clutched her swelling cheek, tears streaming down her face. "I know I'm to blame, but haven't I paid for my mistakes during the past three years? Isn't that enough?"Shane towered over her, his eyes as icy as winter. "Not by a long shot. Lily's still out cold, and you're going to pay for the rest of your life!"He dragged her over to me, and without a hint of warmth, he said, "Apologize to Lily!"Joanna's sobs grew louder. She knelt by the bed, pleading with me. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Smith. It's all my fault."I'll make it right, I swear."Though I was awake, my body refused to obey me.I could only watch, tears streaming, as their breaths grew ragged.Shane, lost in his

"I found a recipe online and followed it to the letter. If it's not to your liking, I can whip up another batch, no problem."I did not object, and she took that as her cue.As Joanna reached for the soup on the table, the sleeve of her blouse slid up, revealing the pink scars of a burn on her arm.Shane's expression turned stern, and he quickly took the bowl from her, turning to me with a coaxing tone."Come on, chicken soup's good for you. It will help you heal."I met his gaze, my voice flat as I said, "I can't have chicken soup, remember?"Shane was momentarily at a loss for words.Beside him, Joanna's eyes brimmed with tears. "Ms. Smith, I've been making you chicken soup every single day you've been out."If there's something you're not happy with, just tell me. Please don't take it out on Mr. Jackson."The bodyguard added his two cents from behind, saying, "That's right. Ms. Rogers has been slaving over a hot stove for hours every day, using only the best ingredients."

The room buzzed with the scandalous sounds from the screen, and it did not take long for the penny to drop."Holy smokes! Isn't that Mr. Jackson with some other woman? Looks like Ms. Smith's the one who put it up there!""Turns out Ms. Smith disappeared for a reason. She was preparing to take down a cheater!"Shane's face was a picture of misery; his hand clutching the mic shook.I paid him no mind. I strode up to the stage and delivered the knockout blow without batting an eye."As you can clearly see, the Mr. Jackson who's supposed to cherish his wife above all else has been up to no good behind her back."My words hit like a tidal wave, and the room erupted with voices of outrage."I've always been his champion. I even snagged him contracts when I felt sorry for him!""Yeah, and to think it happened right by Ms. Smith's hospital bed. That's just vile!"My mom stormed onto the stage too, slapping Shane hard, her eyes blazing with fury."Haven't I told you before? You could'

I set the remote aside and lifted the mic once more."Three years ago, that fall put me in a coma, and I despised Joanna to the core."However, my so-called loving fiancé didn't put her behind bars. Instead, he used 'punishment' as an excuse to satisfy his lust for her, all while playing the faithful partner by my hospital bed."When I came to, he had the nerve to say Joanna was just my caretaker. And he had the audacity to let her carry his child, with plans to dump the baby on me."As my words hung in the air, the crowd had reached a boiling point. Someone yanked Joanna onto the stage and, in a fury, flung their shoes at her and Shane."I've hated home-wreckers all my life! And you have the nerve to challenge his wife? I'll knock some sense into you!""And this lowlife can't get off easy either! He's the lowest of the low, pretending to spoil his wife just to line his pockets, and then he cheats with the very person who hurt her!"Amidst the uproar, security guards charged in

"Lily, you're clever, setting this whole thing up."However, you're still too naive. Despite all these witnesses, it won't make a difference."We're all part of the same world here, with shared interests. No one's going to report me and risk their own skin."This time, the crowd fell silent, as if in agreement with Shane's words.Shane softly touched my hair, a gesture meant to be comforting."Let's calm down, okay? The engagement party will go on as planned.""You've got it wrong.""What?"I smiled, repeating myself as I said, "You've got it wrong."I then pulled the hidden camera from my collar."Shane, now everyone around the globe knows what you've done."……That was when Shane lost his composure.Just then, the assistant who had been locked out came charging in."Mr. Jackson, everything was streamed live, and now our stock is tanking!"The two secretaries who came in after him added to the chaos."Mr. Jackson, this morning's partners are backing out! The staff memb