Chapter 2

I didn't argue.

I shot a glance at my best friend.

Elaine, seated at another table not far off, gave me an OK sign.

"You flap your lips a couple of times and think you can ruin my good name?"

"You say I sleep around, you say I had an abortion. Then show me the proof!"

"No proof means it's slander, and I can call the police and have you all arrested!"

Connor froze for a second, then his face darkened.

"Nellie, for the sake of family, I was actually going to let you save some face."

"But since you insist on being stubborn, fine. I'll bring your boyfriend in right now and settle this in front of everyone!"

With that he rose and walked out of the banquet hall, and a moment later came back with a Black man, easily six-three, built like a wall.

"Sean Jensen is your boyfriend!"

The man called Sean came straight at me with his arms open, wanting to hug me.

"Hey, honey, I've got nothing to do with that woman, so don't be upset..."

"They told me you were here and I came right over. Flowers for you. You're prettier than the flowers!"

And like a magician he produced a bouquet of red roses and moved to press them into my arms.

Julius pulled me back with one hand, glaring at him, his eyes red.

I knew it. He believed me.

But the relatives went wild.

"So it's true!"

"The guy came all the way here for her!"

"This is outrageous!"

Connor looked satisfied.

"And you took two weeks off for the abortion. I have your leave slip right here."

He produced a leave slip with my signature and the school's stamp.

In the reason column were the words "scheduled abortion."

Then he dug out a screenshot from the school forum, a post exposing me for sleeping around.

"You dare tell me the person exposed here isn't you?"

"Four years of college, and you went through eight boyfriends. That's one every six months on average, and every one of them a different skin color!"

"Sean was just the last one!"

"And that's only the ones that got dug up. Who knows how many more there were behind the scenes!"

Diana, hearing this, deliberately lifted her teacup and spat out the leaves.

"Ptooey!"

"How did the Henson family end up with a shameless little tramp like you?"

"Not like my daughter, pure since she was a child!"

She reached out and stroked the face of my younger cousin Isabella, who had been standing silently at her side the whole time.

Isabella looked stiff and reserved.

On the surface she really did seem like an honest, decent girl.

But from the moment this started, her eyes kept sneaking over to Julius beside me.

I guessed the reason behind what my aunt's family was doing almost at once.

They wanted Isabella to marry into the wealthy family in my place!

To make sure I could never recover from this, Connor even dug out my school physical exam report.

"This is your physical from the end of last term."

"Severe cervical erosion, endometritis, gonorrhea..."

"Look. Don't say I'm smearing her. Can school medical records be faked?"

The banquet hall exploded.

Julius's face went dark.

"You..."

He was about to charge over and hit Connor.

I caught his arm.

"You're sure all of this is true?"

"Of course! I'm your academic advisor and your relative both. Would I lie?"

I nodded.

"Fine!"

"Then I'll handle it by calling the police!"

And I took out my phone.