FAZER LOGIN“Elowen, you’re a vicious woman! You’ll pay for this.”In the courtroom, Brodie screamed at the top of his lungs.He glared at me like he wanted to tear me apart.I sat at the plaintiff’s table. I did not even look at him and just adjusted my cuffs.“Order!”The judge banged the gavel. His authoritative voice echoed through the courtroom.“Defendant, you will watch your language in my courtroom!”Brodie’s lawyer, Noah Lance, grabbed Brodie’s arm and tried to pull him back. But he still roared unwillingly.“Your Honor, I have something to say! She knew about the affair all along! She set me up!“That family trust is our marital property. Why shouldn’t I get my share? My parents are still bedridden, and I have to take care of them. I need that money!”He began to play the victim. Tears streamed down his face as he acted the part of a pitiful man framed by his “scheming ex-wife.”Unfortunately for him, Kennedy was no pushover. He stood up. His tone was calm, but his words were
“Brodie, you worthless piece of trash!” Winnie screamed.I sat with my legs crossed. My smile widened as I watched the chaos unfold on my tablet’s live feed.“Where’s the money? What am I supposed to do about the baby in my belly? Say something, you trash!”Winnie shook Brodie’s shoulders hysterically. He was hollowed out. He just let Winnie shake and shove him around while he stared blankly into space. Just then, she remembered something. She shoved him away and frantically rummaged for her phone. “Right! Ellie… She’ll know what to do!!” She mumbled as she opened that familiar chat box.To Winnie, “Ellie” had always been the one with the answers. The one who made everything make sense.The next second, her body stiffened. I had quietly changed the profile picture to one of me in a white dress, smiling calmly in front of the campus library.Brodie was the one who took that photo.Winnie’s face went pale. Panic set in. Her lips trembled, and no words came out.Then, it
Dawn was just breaking when a barrage of phone notifications woke me up.Late last night, I had used a burner account I had set up long ago. I posted “a long, heartbreaking post” to my Instagram feed where our family and colleagues followed me.There was not a single curse word in it. In the post, I talked about how “thankful” I was for ten years of marriage.I praised Rosalind and Jeremy for raising a “good man” like Brodie. I wished Brodie all the best as he “pursued true love and a fresh start.”Along with the post, I attached a photo of me in a wedding dress ten years ago, looking young and naive. Next to it was a current photo of me, looking gaunt and exhausted.My last sentence read, [Ten years of youth, ultimately wasted on the wrong person. From here on out, we go our separate ways. Wishing you well.]Many people commented underneath my post.[Elowen, what happened? What did that jerk Brodie do?][Oh gosh, Elowen, you deserved so much better! Brodie is a monster!][We
At Winnie’s rental apartment, Brodie was holding her in his arms. He was whispering in her ear about her bright future as a vice president’s wife.Just then the doorbell rang shrilly in the cramped space.“Who is it? It’s so late!” Winnie impatiently pushed him away.Outside the door, two movers pushed two wheelchairs with indifferent faces. In the wheelchairs sat his parents.Beside them were the old furniture they had owned for half their lives and a pile of junk that reeked of mold.“Sir, we got a delivery for you. Please sign here.”Brodie’s mind went blank.In the wheelchair, Rosalind’s dull gaze fixed on Winnie, who was cowering behind Brodie.She was wearing nothing but a man’s shirt and exposing far too much skin.The next second, she screamed so loud it echoed through the entire building. “You shameless homewrecker! You seduced my son!”Rosalind was paralyzed from the waist down, yet she exploded with astonishing energy. She screamed with such force that her whole
“Honey, great news! The new boss shot down my promotion, but a VP spot just opened up in another department! This time it’s a sure thing!”Brodie came home, looking exhilarated, as if he had already taken the VP seat.I was feeding Rosalind and Jeremy. Faintly, I murmured, “Hmm…”His smile faltered for a moment. Then, it was back, brighter than before.He leaned in close and lowered his voice. He sounded like a man who already knew he had won.“Honey, to land this position, I need to get out there and prove myself fast! I happen to have a business trip to a neighboring city to check out a new project. I’ll be back in three days! This is huge for me!”His eyes darted around. He did not dare look at me when he brought up the “business trip,” as if he was hiding a secret.I paused and looked at him calmly. He must have felt guilty, because when I looked at him, he quickly added, “Elowen, don’t read too much into this. I’m doing this for us too! Once I get promoted, everything wil
Very soon, Winnie called Brodie. I could hear her screaming through the phone. “Brodie, do you even care about me at all?“Your wife’s nothing! I’ve got your baby in my belly!“If you don’t buy me a house today, I swear I’ll show up outside your office tomorrow and let the whole world know what a lying, two-timing jerk you are!”I smirked and hit record.The trap was set. It just needed to snap shut.Brodie stormed in and slammed the door. He reeked of alcohol and was visibly agitated.But the moment he saw me, he put on a tired, relaxed expression.“Elowen, you’re still up? Things have been insane at work. The client dinners never end.”He tugged at his tie and complained, testing the waters. “The market’s in a slump. Payments on projects are slow. Money’s tight.”He did not vent like he usually did. He was laying groundwork instead.I played along. I gently took his coat and handed him a glass of water. “You’ve had a long day, dear.”I sat down beside him and put on my







