Chapter 3

When Samuel Fox saw what I'd posted, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

If I really had ironclad proof, he figured, I'd have thrown it in his face long ago.

Why would I be threatening to take him to court!

A bluff!

It had to be a bluff!

He immediately thumped his chest in the livestream and said, "See you in court, then! I, Samuel Fox, stand upright and sit straight—I'm not afraid of any confrontation! I'll say it right here and now: if it's proven this was me, I'll kowtow to this Ms. Zoey Pruitt on the spot and beg her forgiveness! But if she loses, I ask all you good people online to help us old folks get justice!" Then he hurriedly cut the connection.

Seeing Samuel put on such a righteous, high-minded show, Eve Perry let out a long breath.

The moment I'd posted that contract, deep down she'd already been certain Samuel had cheated.

After all, they'd been together for decades, and she knew his character all too well.

Her refusing to admit it out loud was only an attempt to muddy the waters and save a little face for Samuel.

And besides that...

she didn't want her son's college admissions to be affected by this mess.

But once Samuel finished his speech, it gave her a flicker of doubt again.

She thought maybe she really had misjudged him this time.

So she slapped the table in front of the camera and said, "You all heard him! My husband says he didn't do it. Whether it's true or not, please wait for the court's verdict! If Zoey Pruitt really is slandering my husband, I promise you all, I will not let her off!"

With that, she didn't wait for the viewers to say anything more and cut the livestream right off.

She figured she'd go ask Samuel straightaway whether any of it was real.

If it really wasn't, then this time she was going to raise the roof!

Section 4

Eve had just reached the entrance of the complex when she saw Samuel's car slowly pull into its spot.

Before he could even get out, Eve yanked the door open and climbed in.

Lowering her voice, she demanded, "Talk! What exactly is going on! Did you really sign that contract?"

Samuel's hands tightened on the steering wheel.

He kept hypnotizing himself: "Zoey Pruitt has no proof, she definitely has no proof."

Then he turned to Eve, looking pitiful, and said, "No... that contract's a fake. Didn't I just say so on the livestream... she's slandering me! Why won't you believe me...?"

"Really?" Eve studied his face.

"Then what have you been running out to do at night these past two weeks?"

As she said it, her eyes went red as if they might bleed.

For the better part of two weeks, strange noises had kept drifting down on and off from upstairs at two in the morning.

She'd staked the place out for days before she finally caught the person.

But she'd never expected the fire to swing back and burn her own family.

If this really was true...

then she truly wouldn't be able to go on living.

Eve's look scared Samuel speechless.

After a long silence, he finally raised a hand to wipe his face, craned his stiff neck, and said, "What could I possibly be doing! I snore, that's all, and I was worried it'd keep the boy from sleeping, so I went out for a walk in the middle of the night! I figured I'd come back once he was dead asleep... and besides... the folks upstairs are young... what's wrong with them getting a little exercise at night? Look at the scene it's caused now... isn't it embarrassing...?"

"Embarrassing, but not for our family—she's got it coming!" Hearing Samuel's explanation, Eve finally let her heart settle back down, then slapped her thigh and cursed.

"Who told that little tramp to moan like that all night? Our son's a young man in his prime, how's he supposed to put up with her carrying on like that! Haven't you noticed his grades slipping lately? Fine, since it wasn't you, you keep out of this—leave the rest to me! If I don't teach that shameless tramp a lesson, she won't know what Eve Perry is made of!" With that, she scrambled out of the car like a triumphant fighting cock.

And she started scheming how to teach me a lesson before the trial.

But what she didn't notice was that just as she was saying she'd teach me a lesson,

Samuel's knuckles had gone white on the steering wheel...