Scandal.

Both women stare at the TV in utter shock. Their jaw drops as She reads the headlines over and over, still trying to process what she's seeing.

Why? Why was this happening to her? 

"This cannot be happening." 

She didn't even notice the angry tears rolling down her cheeks as she stood up. 

"Why are they so keen on ruining my reputation? Why are they so keen on ruining my life?!" She shouts in frustration.

Rachel who heard her turned from the kitchen counter, the concern on her face turning into shock as soon as she saw the TV. The news shook her to her Bones.

"What the hell is this?" Rachel asks in a strained whisper as she steps out of the kitchen to get a better view of the TV. 

"Well-known daughter-in-law of the Sky family, Leia Sky's dirty secret is finally revealed as a local source captured a picture of her making out with her brother-in-law, Mark Sky who seems to be her lover since back in her college days. Sources say that the history of the relationship between the two…" The lady reads.  

Distantly Leia felt this violent urge to break her stupid nose or at least the TV. Anything just to shut her up. But Leia couldn't do anything. This fact just served to remind her how helpless she was.

With a moan of despair, she drops to the floor.

"That's fake, right? You didn't do it right, Leia?" Rachel asks Leia, her eyes still glued to the screen.

"Why would I do that? 

I did tell you it was all in the past, for goodness sake Rachel, I'm married to Mark's brother. I'm married to Kasen. I wouldn't kiss him even if I was slowly dying from sexual frustration!" Leia sobs into her hands.

Rachel walks over to her and squats before pulling her into a hug. "It's okay Leia. It's okay." 

"It's not okay." Leia half yells and Rachel winces slightly at her proximity.

 "Despite being in prison, Kasen would hear about this. He's going to look at me like an ungrateful wife who can even cheat on him publicly even though I'm innocent. Does that sound okay to you? I'm not okay Rachel." 

"I don't even understand why I'm worried about that cheat," she cries. 

"Crying won't solve any of this right now Leia. You have to calm down and think about what to do next now." Rachel says. Leia threw her head back in pain-filled laughter. 

"Maybe I should Sit back, watch N*****x, and eat ice cream as I bawl my eyes out till I grow fat and never leave the house again," Leia replied and Rachel has to stuff down her inappropriate laughter at the image Leia conjures.

She clears her throat after fighting back her mirth and snaps her fingers in front of her best friend's face.

"Snap out of it girl." At her words,  Leia looks up at her before resting in her arms. 

"All I've been trying to hold onto for all these years has been brought into the mud. Can you believe it ?" Leia sniffed and just as Rachel was about to open her mouth to say something, Leia's phone that was on the table started to buzz violently. 

Leia and Rachel took a look at the phone and Leia was the first to gulp as the Caller's ID came up. 

The words "Mother-in-law." Has never felt so threatening before.

Leia shakily took the phone, swiping the answer button, before placing it over her ear. "Yes, Mother?"

"Your presence is required immediately." She says before hanging up. 

The sound of the dial tone seems to echo in the sudden silence. Leia looks up at Rachel with blank eyes. Rachel could already tell from her friend's face that something troublesome is coming their way. 

The piercing sound of a hand hitting flesh was heard as Leia fell to the ground, grabbing her cheek which had already turned red with a handprint on it. 

"You!." Claire spat at her face angrily. "You have no shame, no shame at all."

Leia left Rachel with her immediately after the call and now she was here, getting what she already expected from the witch herself. 

Leia forces the tears threatening to fall back as she manages to get to her knees. 

"Do you know what your stupid stunt would do to the family? Are you trying to drag our name in the dirt by carelessly flaunting your foolishness for the world to see?" Claire says, her eyes glinting angrily, not giving Leia any chance to talk before starting again. 

"You couldn't even choose any other man but your husband's brother. You couldn't choose anyone but Mark? How stupid can you be? Now it's all over the news that the Adulterous Sky daughter-in-law seduced her husband's brother, while her husband is still alive and breathing."

Leia clenches her skirt with her fist, lowering her head further as she tried to purse her lips.

She didn't want to yell or scream at Claire even if it was all she could think about. It wouldn't do her any good in the long run and at the end of the day she was still her mother-in-law, she still respected her. 

"You're such a disappointment to this family Leia and I'm so ashamed to call you my daughter-in-law. You couldn't even hide your infidelity." 

Andrew just sat there, glaring at Leia. He supports every word his wife had to say to Leia. He couldn't even believe she would do such a thing and not even be ashamed to show up before them. 

"I'm pretty sure it's because of you Kasen is still in jail right now. You couldn't even fight for him when he left, you couldn't do anything because I'm sure you weren't on his side. You're just a gold digger who wants to sit and enjoy his riches till you suck all the money out of him." Claire tapped her feet angrily as she walked over to a nearby vase. She cradles it in her deceptively small hands as she continues her ranting.

"You aren't even mortified by all of this. I don't even know what Kasen sees in you in the first place. You're just an ordinary cheap woman who would give a body to any man despite being married. A woman who has no shame because it's in her blood to be a lowly whore." Claire says, her expression twisted with disdain. 

She brandished the vase in her hands, raising it high in a bid to throw it to Leia. However, she froze when Rachel rushed in and held a shivering Leia who was fighting back tears. 

"What is wrong with all of you?" Rachel yells, her voice trembling from shock. 

Claire looks at her with pure disgust, her mouth opening, no doubt to spew more hateful words. But Rachel didn't let her get a word in. 

"You didn't even allow her to say her part of the story. You didn't even ask if she did it or not or if she was falsely accused. All you doing is jumping to conclusions and blaming her. Well fuck you guys and your shitty opinions." She spat before turning to Leia.

"let's get out of here." 

She slowly lifts Leia to her feet. Giving one last look of disgust at Claire, Rachel leads her out. 

"I don't want to see that piece of trash before me again," Claire yells at their backs. A cold cough broke the silence that followed.

Everyone turns to the door immediately.