Chapter 2

Austin hesitated, unable to answer immediately. But Brooke, sensing his hesitation, stepped forward with a twisted sneer.

"Divorce? Chloe, you must be dreaming! Austin is already my husband!"

"I told you, I am the real mistress of this house. And you, Chloe, are just a stray dog begging for scraps at my feet!"

It felt like a bolt of lightning struck me. I trembled violently, lifting my head in utter disbelief.

"What do you mean... you're the real mistress of this house?"

There were three of us in the room, yet the silence was deafening. No one answered my question.

I couldn't hear any explanation, and I couldn't see anything. The sheer helplessness was suffocating me.

I reached out, stumbling as I tried to stand, struggling to move forward.

I wanted to grab Austin's collar and demand to know what was going on. But he remained silent, and without a sound, I couldn't even find where he was standing.

The floor was slick with soup. In my blind panic, I slipped and fell hard again, like a swan trying to escape the mud only to crash back down into the dirt.

I screamed, "Austin, speak to me! Why does Brooke say she’s the mistress of this house?"

"What about me? What am I to you?"

"We’ve been married for seven years! What the hell am I to you?"

Looking at my pale, trembling figure, a flicker of pity crossed Austin's eyes. But the moment his gaze landed on my empty, lifeless eyes, his pity instantly warped into deep disgust.

His voice, dripping with contempt, pierced my ears.

"Chloe, we divorced a long time ago."

"Brooke is right. She is the mistress of this house now. She is my legal wife."

"And you... you're just an annoying parasite."

My reaching fingers instantly lost all their strength. I lay slumped on the floor, my ears ringing loudly. Austin's voice kept going, but I could no longer process his words.

Brooke walked over and kicked me hard.

"Austin married me two years ago. You've been squatting in our house for two years. It's time for you to pack up and get lost."

"We only kept you here because you saved Austin's life once. But you just don't know your place. You're eyesores to me."

"Chloe, pack your shit and get out of our house!"

All the confusing puzzles of the past suddenly clicked into place.

Two years ago, Austin had asked for my social security number and ID, claiming he was setting up a trust fund to secure my future.

I had been so happy and touched back then, believing he always had my best interests at heart.

But now, reality slapped me hard across my face, leaving me bruised and broken.

It was never about a trust fund. He wanted my documents to secretly file for divorce behind my back.

And here I was, foolishly believing he still loved me, thinking he was just cold lately because of work stress.

Now I saw it clearly. When someone stops loving you, the signs are glaringly obvious.

Brooke and Austin walked away together, their footsteps fading into the distance. I was left alone, sprawled on the dirty floor, the soup staining my clothes and ruining the clean tiles.

Just like this house, my entire life had become a ridiculous joke.

It took a long time for the numbness in my body to fade. Slowly, carefully, I dragged myself up.

I pulled my knees to my chest and curled into a tight ball in the corner.

The System’s voice echoed in my mind. *“Host, do you want me to take your eyes back?”*

“I... let me think about it.”

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