Chapter 2

Just as Melanie and I were confronting each other, someone suddenly burst out of the house.

“Mom! Her pendant looks exactly like the one I lost!”

Before I could even process what was happening, that girl rushed over and yanked on the necklace around Megan’s neck.

Megan’s skin turned red instantly from the force.

“Leave my necklace alone! It’s from my dad—”

She did not manage to finish her sentence. The girl ripped the necklace off so violently that it drew blood from Megan’s neck.

“This was a custom birthday gift from my dad, specially made in Tzarfat! There’s only one like it in the world! Give it back!”

Melanie immediately backed up her daughter and yelled, “Oh, I see! So, that’s why you’re here at our door at this hour and acting so bold! You’re trying to steal my husband, you shameless homewrecker!”

As she said that, she tried to slap me.

I caught her wrist mid-air and promptly slapped her back with my other hand.

The impact was so hard that her cheek turned bright red almost instantly.

“Don’t you dare project your trashy behavior onto me! We both know who the shameless one is here.”

The slap rattled her.

Melanie lurched at me like she had lost her mind. But the moment she saw me raise my hand again, she flinched.

She immediately switched tactics and wiped away her tears as if trying to be tough.

“Everyone here will be my witness tonight! It’s one thing to ruin Crystal’s birthday party, but you even tried to sneak into the house at night to seduce my husband. And now, you have the audacity to strike me, his rightful wife! How could a homewrecker be so utterly shameless?”

Her performance worked like a charm. The surrounding guests immediately swarmed to comfort her.

“What has the world come to? There must be some kind of misunderstanding. There’s no way a man like Mr. Delgado would be interested in a woman like her.”

“She didn’t even come alone. She had to bring her daughter too. What a pair of cunning little witches!”

I never imagined that coming back to my own house would subject us to such vile insults.

My hands were trembling from anger as I covered Megan’s ears.

“Don’t let her fool you! Check the second drawer of the cabinet in the study. The deed to this house is there, and it’s under my name, Abby Beran. She’s the mistress here!”

The absolute certainty in my voice gave the crowd pause. For a moment, they began to hesitate.

“How does she know the house that well?”

Crystal Vallejo, Melanie’s daughter, was quick to react. She pointed at my face and said, “How many times have you broken in? How do you know this house so well? You really are after this house and my dad!”

Melanie then pulled out her phone and showed the crowd a payment record. “I’ve been paying the utilities here for the past ten years! When did this house belong to you?”

There were payment records dating back a full decade on the screen.

That was exactly the period before I moved out for good; I was here recuperating.

My leg was healing from major surgery. Back then, I would often wake up groggily in the middle of the night. I would be convinced that I had heard heavy breathing in my bedroom. I also felt a persistent presence following me whenever I got up.

It left me a nervous wreck. Strangely, Richie seemed to glow with health. He stopped his morning workouts and no longer worked late. He started staying at home more as well.

He could not even be bothered to accompany me to the hospital. So, I used to wonder why he had suddenly become so willing to stay home with me.

At this moment, I finally realized it. They were fooling around right under my nose!

It was chilling, and my stomach twisted with a wave of pure revulsion.

The crowd believed Melanie’s lies completely and focused their scornful gazes on us.

“How shameless. No wonder her daughter’s all dressed up. If she can’t snag Mr. Delgado, she’ll put her daughter on the job, huh?”

Crystal turned and whispered to a few men, who then began to close in on us.

“Go on. Don’t hold back. Tear their clothes off. Whatever happens, my dad will handle the fallout. Since these women are so desperate to seduce someone, let’s all see if they have the goods to back it up!”

Melanie made no move to stop the unfolding drama. Instead, she watched from the crowd with a triumphant smile and mouthed the word “witch” at me.

I took a deep breath and knew they would only do worse if I did not act soon.

Pulling Megan behind me, I reached into my bag and grabbed a bottle of champagne.

It was to celebrate my daughter’s coming of age. However, I shook it violently and twisted the cork.

The foaming torrent drenched the men before me and soaked Melanie, as well as Crystal, from head to toe.

The sudden explosion of liquid sent them stumbling back in surprise.

After that, I took the windproof lighter from Megan’s hand. Flicking it on, I charged straight at them.

“Arghh!”

The flame from the lighter stopped just inches from Melanie’s face.

I stared at her and Crystal as they stood frozen. The lighter’s fire hovered barely an inch from their eyes.

Then, a foul smell hit my nose.

Melanie had wet herself.

I snorted in response. She got scared so easily, yet she had the guts to be a mistress.

Right as I was about to take another step, Richie’s voice rang out behind me. “Stop!”