All Chapters of Cooked Meals, Cooked Lies: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Jack Cooke went pale with rage. "Seven years together and you just drop divorce papers outta nowhere? Do you even know what people are saying about me?"Once I calmed the investors, I gave him a blank stare. "I'm busy. Talk to Pedro. He'll catch me up."The investors just stared.I used to be that lovesick idiot, ready to throw it all away for Jack.Now? I was the one walking out.Jack jabbed a finger in my face. "I'm your husband. Since when do we need a middleman just to talk? Or wait—this about Pedro? That why you're doing this?"Before I could answer, a woman in a chef's hat stormed in and slapped me.Linda Keller. Head chef."Ms. Somerset, what you're doing is heartless! Jack only started cooking 'cause he saw how exhausted you were. You never appreciated him. And now you're cheating with your assistant and demanding a divorce?"The room froze. All eyes on me."So she's been keeping a side piece this whole time," someone muttered. "No wonder her husband snapped."Jack l

Chapter 2

Jack jumped in front of Linda like some kind of hero. "If you're mad, take it out on me. No need to drag her into this."I laughed, sharp and cold. "She picked this fight. Don't play the victim card now."The room shifted. People frowned. The whispers started—low, judgmental, full of side-eyes and silent blame.***Thanks to Jack and Linda's little act, I was officially the cheating wife in everyone's eyes.Linda sniffled. "I shouldn't have gotten involved..."Jack's eyes went all red. "You didn't do anything wrong. Sonna's just being irrational."Then he turned to me, full-on pity mode. "Babe, it's my fault. But don't take it out on everyone else."He went in for the kill. "Ever since we lost the baby, you've been unstable—lashing out. I was just trying to take care of your health and forgot about your feelings. I'm sorry. Let's stop fighting, yeah?"The more he groveled, the worse I looked.People started glaring at me."Enough already. Apologize to your husband—don't blow

Chapter 3

I was almost done packing when I noticed it—my dad's antique bracelet was gone.I tore through drawers, boxes—nothing.Then Linda walked in, all innocent. "Ms. Somerset, what are you looking for? I can help."I froze.The bracelet on her wrist? That was mine.I grabbed her wrist without thinking. "Give it back."Linda yanked away, gasping. "Ms. Somerset, what are you doing?! What bracelet? I have no idea what you're talking about!"The noise drew a crowd upstairs.The moment she spotted Jack, she cranked up the drama. "Jack, help! She's accusing me of stealing! Says this bracelet's hers!"Jack rushed over and yanked me back. "What are you doing? I gave that bracelet to Linda when she started helping me cook. Quit the drama."Then he grabbed a jewelry box from the closet and shoved it at me. "This is yours. Don't blame people just 'cause you lost stuff."I popped it open. Fake. The glass was dull and lifeless—definitely not the one my dad gave me.I shot Linda a look. "Last

Chapter 4

The courtroom gasped.Nobody expected a messy divorce to flip into an attempted murder case.Jack's face flashed with panic—then he snapped, icy and loud. "Sonna, you can't just throw around something like that. I've put up with everything—your moods, the yelling, your postpartum breakdowns. But this? This crosses the line."He spun like he was about to storm out.Whispers blew up. People pointed. Everyone remembered the miscarriage—it had been loud, messy, public. Jack made sure of it, pushing rumors that I'd snapped after losing the baby.But this time? He didn't get to write the script.I'd spent years stacking power, earning respect—so guys like Jack couldn't twist the truth ever again.I stood there calm, barely smiling as I looked his way. "Who said I was accusing you of attempted murder?"Then I turned to the judge. "Please review the latest evidence I submitted. The person I'm accusing is Linda Keller."I flicked my eyes back to Jack, cold. "And you, Jack Cooke, are no

Chapter 5

"Well, when you put it like that... if they were just friends, it's not weird she was at the house.""Yeah, and she made those Mediterranean meals Sonna liked. Now she's turning on her? That's low.""She's obviously lost it—postpartum depression or something. Thinks everyone's out to get her.""She shouldn't be in court. She needs a psych ward. Total meltdown."The courtroom buzzed with judgment, every word sharp enough to cut. Even the judge started to waver."Ms. Somerset, based on what you've presented, it's not clear Ms. Keller had any intent to harm."I didn't flinch. I'd expected this.Cool as ever, I motioned for the judge to continue. "I never said she was trying to kill Me. I just happened to survive."***Everyone just stared.To them, Jack and Linda's story made sense—just two friends, cooking meals, caught in the crossfire of a grieving wife who couldn't move on.In their eyes, I was still the unstable one, spiraling after a miscarriage.They figured the truth w

Chapter 6

Everyone's eyes locked on the meal logs.A couple of med students in the back leaned forward, brows furrowed. One of them shot a finger at the screen, wide-eyed."These food combos are toxic! They don't mix at all!""She was literally being poisoned—there's no way this was an accident!"Some folks still looked confused, so one student pulled up their notes on their phone and held it out to the judge.Right there in bold: foods pregnant women should avoid—raw fish, soft cheese, cured meats, crab.And guess what? Every one of my meals had at least one of those.Now that the hard facts were in their face, the room shifted. Whispers turned sharp. Suspicion crept in.People started connecting the dots.You'd think Linda would just fold right there.But nope. She kept trying to spin it. "Stop slandering me! Why would I try to kill you? We didn't even have beef! Okay, yeah, I cooked your meals—but how could I control what you were snacking on behind my back?"I let out a slow, sarc

Chapter 7

Jack and I were together for ten years, married for seven. In the beginning, I was so buried in work my health tanked—I couldn't get pregnant. That was our one big regret.When I finally got better, we started trying right away.A year ago, I got pregnant. And I know Jack knew how much that baby meant to me.But still—he stole her from me. For his own selfish crap.Maybe I should've seen it coming.When I told him, he didn't look happy. He looked terrified.That baby didn't fit into his little fantasy life with Linda.I clenched my fists, eyes locked on the two of them. They were gonna pay.My baby wasn't dying for nothing.Even if she never made it into this world.I pushed down the lump in my throat and kept going.Linda still wouldn't admit a thing. Instead, she went full drama mode."Sonna, we're both women. I know postpartum depression's rough—but that doesn't give you the right to drag me! Just 'cause you're hurting doesn't mean I'm your punching bag. Keep lying, and

Chapter 8

The courtroom blew up again.People were shouting, cussing out Linda and Jack like they were filth."God, these two are disgusting! Sneaking off to hotels for three years?""Almost every other day this past year? They seriously couldn't chill for a second?""Wait—this was when Sonna was pregnant! What a pair of absolute trash bags!"The whole room turned on them.Jack's face went red, but he held it together—thick skin and zero shame.Linda? Total meltdown. She lost it, lunged at me like some unhinged raccoon."Lies! All lies! You just hate my cooking and wanna ruin my career! You're so damn cruel!"The judge didn't even flinch.At my nod, the rest of the video rolled.There she was—basically shacking up in the house I used to share with Jack while I was pregnant.That kitchen? Their little love den.They'd hang all over each other like no one else existed. Couldn't keep their hands—or anything else—to themselves.And the worst part? Her helping him "relieve himself" with

Chapter 9

"Jack, say something! You're really gonna let me take the fall alone?"She actually thought he'd back her—like he used to.But no one expected Jack to fold that fast.Right there, in front of everyone, he threw her under the bus and turned to me, begging like a coward."Babe, it's not what it looks like! Linda came onto me—I swear! She seduced me! I didn't have a choice! I was drunk, I didn't know what I was doing!"Linda froze.To her, Jack was this hotshot businessman—rich, polished, untouchable. She never saw this betrayal coming.Not only did he ditch her, he flipped the whole story, made her the villain.Once he turned, every eye in the room landed on Linda."Knew she was trouble from the jump.""Who wears that much makeup to cook? Obvious she was trying to hook someone.""In the kitchen, seriously? With all that grease? She still found time to fool around? Gross."The comments kept coming—meaner by the second.And that's when Linda cracked.She broke down, sobbing a

Chapter 10

Jack freaked out.But to shut Linda up, he actually agreed to her insane demand."What do you want to do?" he asked.And just like that, she laid it all out—how to kill me and the baby.Right then, it was game over. No more excuses. No more lies.The judge didn't even hesitate.Linda: guilty of attempted murder and solicitation to commit murder.Jack: guilty of attempted murder.As soon as the sentence dropped, Linda snapped.She broke free from the guards and charged at me like a psycho."You have everything! Why won't you just let me go? Does watching me suffer make you happy?! I just loved the wrong guy—why won't you let me go?!"She lost it, but my bodyguards moved fast.She reached for me, but it was pointless.I stared her down, ice cold. "So now you realize you loved the wrong guy. But when you wrecked someone else's family—did that hurt? You think me being happy about your pain is cruel? You were smiling when I was broken. Now it's your turn. Why shouldn't I be hap

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