All Chapters of Paid in Full, Played for Fool: Now She Regrets It: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The eyes of my husband, Connor Crawford, landed on me. They were filled with greed.As I looked at the man in front of me, I felt like I didn't know him.Seeing me freeze, he stepped closer. "What's wrong? Feeling tired?""No," I said, swallowing the wave of nausea. I turned around and reached out to touch my son Sean Crawford's hair.But the boy I had raised for six years jerked his head away from my touch and looked behind Connor instead. "Dad, where's Ms. Larsen? Didn't she say she'd come see me?"His tone carried a blatant coldness toward me but an unabashed intimacy toward my underclassman in college, Willa Larsen.It hit me like a stab to the heart."She'll be here soon," Connor said with a smile, trying to calm him down.Then, he turned to me and went straight to the point. "Honey, a house near the school is necessary—"My voice was hoarse as I cut him off, saying, "The houses near Ellwyn Elementary, even the older ones, cost 7,000 dollars per square foot. Three million

At that moment, Willa "just happened" to drop by to visit Sean.Upon hearing the conversation, she immediately chimed in, "That's right, Janice. It's best to get the right house the first time around. Sean can even stay there with his wife in the future. Money can always be earned, but you don't get a second chance at your kid's education."Sean kicked the couch nearby, shouting, "I want a big house! Davin's family has a 2,000-square-foot place with a toy room! I want one just like his!"Watching how spoiled and out of control he had become, I lowered my eyes and compromised. "Fine, I'll figure something out.""Thank you, honey!" Connor wrapped his arms around me.He sounded "sincere" as he continued, "Sean and I will always remember everything you do for us!"His fake words made me sick.Without missing a beat, he changed the subject. "By the way, since we're buying the house for Sean, let's just put the deed in his name. It's all going to be his eventually."I said nothing at

Connor's tone suddenly turned serious. "My marriage to Janice was a mistake from the start. The one I truly love is Willa!"He raised his voice. "We've loved each other for years, but due to circumstances beyond our control, we couldn't be together. Even our son had to be raised under someone else's name, suffering the pain of being separated from his mother!"The guests erupted into a frenzy.Willa lowered her head at just the right moment, pretending to wipe away nonexistent tears.Connor gave a signal, and a helper brought out a thin boy in tattered clothes."This is Zeke, my son with Janice." Connor's voice choked up. "And Sean… is actually Willa's son! I'm ending this mistake today!"He pointed at me and said sharply, "Janice, we're getting a divorce! This house belongs to Sean, which means it belongs to me!"As a gesture for all the years you've raised Sean, I'll let you keep that run-down place and give you 100 thousand dollars. From now on, we're done! Take your son and

The picture showed the backs of their family embracing each other in a luxurious living room.I calmly scrolled past the post, set my phone down, and turned to look at Zeke, who was diligently writing at his desk.We lived in a two-bedroom, 600-square-foot unit in an old neighborhood in the southern part of Onaford. The walls were yellowed, and the furniture was sparse and worn.But it was clean, quiet, and most importantly, it was a real home with a true family."Mom, is my handwriting nice?" Zeke asked tentatively while holding up his workbook.I walked over and saw his crooked handwriting. My heart warmed. "It looks great. You've improved a lot since yesterday."Zeke's eyes lit up, but then quickly dimmed again. "It's all my fault that you have to squeeze into this small place with me."I crouched down and gently stroked his head. "It's not your fault. And it doesn't matter if the house is big or small. What matters is who you live with. As long as I'm here, this is our home.

All eyes turned to me.I calmly asked, "I'm the host of this gala. Do I need an invitation?"Willa was caught off guard by my question and fell silent.Connor, recovering from the shock, sneered. "Janice, you think you can fool us with that story? The CEO of Winston Group has always been mysterious and never made a public appearance. Is that why you thought you could just claim the title?"Turning to the guests around us, he continued in a louder voice, "Everyone, this woman is my ex-wife. Ever since our divorce, she's been mentally unstable, often imagining herself as some big shot. And now, she's sneaked in here to cause a scene. I apologize for the disturbance."Willa quickly chimed in, "Security! Where's the security? Get this crazy woman and her son out of here!"A few security guards rushed over.Connor pointed at me and said, "This woman doesn't have an invitation. She's pretending to be the CEO of Winston Group and is disrupting the gala. Please take her away immediately