Chapter 2

The wind on the balcony was howling, but their voices cut through it, hitting my ears with brutal clarity.

I closed my eyes tightly, remembering the nightmare of the past month.

After being labeled a "homewrecker," I had posted screenshots of my chat history to prove I had been deceived. But every explanation only brought viler abuse.

My colleagues avoided me like the plague. Strangers spat on the street when I walked by.

"Look at her dressing like that. She’s definitely a homewrecker."

"I bet she slept her way to getting all those designer bags."

I tried my best to block out the rumors and focus on my work.

But during a live broadcast, even the guest on my show asked me on air why I chose to destroy someone's family.

I finally broke down, crying and screaming, "I'm not! I didn't even know he was married!"

Nobody believed me.

The clip of my breakdown was edited, went viral on TikTok, and triggered a new wave of cyberbullying.

I lost my job completely and was blacklisted.

Fear and nightmares haunted me every night.

I swallowed more and more sleeping pills, and my hair fell out in clumps.

It wasn't until Liam returned from overseas with Vivian that I finally confronted him. He just looked at me with annoyance.

"You only asked me if I had a girlfriend when I was studying abroad. You never asked if I had a wife. How did I lie to you?"

The last string in my brain snapped.

Death seemed like the only way out.

But now, finding out the truth, I stood frozen.

Since all of this was fake...

What was the point of all the agony I had suffered over the past month?

Anger, mixed with overwhelming grief, rushed to my head. I threw the door open.

Liam’s laugh froze on his face. My words cut through the room like a blade:

"Why would you do this to me?!"

Frowning, he signaled Vivian to leave. Then he sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette.

I was severely allergic to cigarette smoke and started coughing immediately.

In the past, he would never smoke in front of me. But this time, he was completely indifferent to my discomfort.

Liam said coldly, "Since you heard everything, I'll be straight with you."

"Maya, I know you love me, but I'm bored."

"I’m bored of your unchanging hairstyle, bored of always having to baby you, and most of all... bored of your single position in bed."

"I need excitement. Vivian can give me what you can't."

I took a few deep breaths to suppress my nausea and said, "Liam, how can you do this to me? Have you forgotten my mother, Helen?"

At the mention of my mother, his expression stiffened. "It's been so many years. You always use Helen’s death to guilt-trip me."

"I know she saved my life. Wasn't marrying you enough to pay that debt?"

Liam and I were neighbors growing up.

Years ago, when the Sterling estate caught fire, his parents weren't home, and even their nanny abandoned him.

Only my mother rushed into the flames to save him. But in the end, she died from severe smoke inhalation.

My mother's death had always been a taboo topic between us.

Bringing it up now, combined with the humiliation of the past weeks, broke me. I raised my hand and slapped him across the face.

"My mother died for nothing! She saved an ungrateful monster!"

The slap left both of us stunned.

Then, Liam actually let out a low chuckle. "This is the first time I've seen you this angry."

He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "This expression on your face is actually quite hot."

"It’s literally turning me on."

"Since Vivian isn't here, why don't we try the bathroom?"

His words made my mind go completely blank.

I looked at him in utter disbelief. He felt like a complete stranger.

Was this really the man I had loved since childhood?

I grabbed the nearest vase and threw it at him, screaming at him to get the hell out.

After he left, I collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. I wanted to go to the bedroom to sleep off the exhaustion.

But the moment I opened the door, I froze.

Our wedding photo had been ripped off the wall and thrown onto the floor.

My face was defaced with black marker, with "Homewrecker" written next to it in bold letters.

Worse, there were two distinct, dusty boot prints right on the photo.

I took a step back, and my foot stepped on something slick.

I looked down.

It was a used condom.

I gagged, but nothing came out.

The pain consumed me. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't shed a single tear.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed.

Liam had posted a new Snapchat story: *Finally returning to my real family. Excited to spend the rest of my life with my beautiful wife.*

The attached photo showed him and Vivian standing side by side, watching the sunset.

In an instant, my brain exploded.

The tears finally broke through.

Humiliation and fury rolled down my cheeks.

A fierce desire for revenge ignited deep within my heart.