I'd assumed they were scared enough to back off and start behaving themselves.

But something that happened shortly after shattered that assumption entirely.

Elmer's university was hosting a networking gala. In the past, he'd always brought me along.

This time, he hadn't even mentioned it.

I thought about it for a moment, changed into a cocktail dress, and walked straight into the banquet hall.

The first thing I saw was Elmer standing in the middle of a crowd with Vivian on his arm. His title as professor had people swarming around him, showering him with compliments.

A newly hired instructor mistook Vivian for his wife and gushed, "Professor Weiss, your wife is absolutely stunning. I've never seen anyone so beautiful."

Vivian's cheeks flushed pink. She tilted her head up at Elmer, her voice dripping with coy sweetness. "Professor, you didn't tell them who I am?"

Elmer was clearly eating up every second of her act. He let her dangle for a moment before answering.

"Vivian is my newest graduate student. She mentioned she'd never been to a formal event, so I brought her along to broaden her horizons."

A beat of silence followed. Then the praise came flooding in.

"Professor Weiss really does look after his students."

"If I had a mentor like Professor Weiss, I'd be smiling in my sleep."

"Vivian, you'd better study hard. Can't let the professor's investment in you go to waste."

I stood in the back and watched the entire performance for a good while before picking up a glass of wine and strolling over.

"Professor Weiss really does care about his students. Cares so much, in fact, that he didn't even bring his own wife tonight. Just his female student."

The second Elmer spotted me, he dropped Vivian's arm like it burned.

"Don't be ridiculous. Vivian's young and curious. She's never been to one of these events, so I just—"

I cut him off with a smile before he could finish. "Relax. It was a joke. Why are you so jumpy?"

Elmer let out a heavy breath of relief.

Beside him, Vivian's expression soured. The look she shot me was pure, undisguised jealousy.

"That's a cruel joke to make, Mrs. Weiss. If someone took it the wrong way, my reputation would be ruined."

Her eyes reddened on cue, and the tears started falling.

Elmer looked like his heart was being ripped out. He leaned in close, his voice soft. "Don't cry, sweetheart. That's just how she is. I'll make her apologize right now."

Watching Elmer rush to Vivian's defense, the rest of the group chimed in one by one.

"Mrs. Weiss, Miss Mercer is just a young girl. How could you smear her reputation like that? You should apologize."

"Exactly. Everyone knows the university strictly prohibits relationships between faculty and students. If word got out, it could damage Professor Weiss's career too."

They piled on, one after another, as if I'd committed some unforgivable sin.

I looked at Elmer. Something cold flickered behind my eyes.

"You really want me to apologize to her?"

If I'd already gathered enough evidence, I would have slapped him across the face right then and there.

Cheating was one thing. But parading his mistress in front of me? Clearly my patience over the years had made him forget his place entirely.

Something in my tone must have registered, because Elmer's face darkened a shade.

"Sibyl, why do you always have to be so aggressive? You made a mistake. Is it really that hard to say sorry?"

My expression shifted. A flash of bitter amusement crossed my eyes.

If I hadn't fought tooth and nail to convince my parents, he never would have been allowed anywhere near the Henson family.

Everything he had, he owed to my so-called "aggressiveness." And now he had the nerve to throw it back in my face.

Biting the hand that feeds. That was Elmer Weiss in a nutshell.

I didn't say a word. I just looked at him.

The silence unnerved him. After a long moment, he clenched his jaw and spoke.

"Forget it. There's no reasoning with someone like you."

With that, he took Vivian by the arm and left the banquet hall.

After the scene tonight, between wanting to comfort his little mistress and wanting to punish me, Elmer definitely wouldn't be coming home.

I pulled out my phone and texted my best friend:

"The fish is about to swim into the net. Send someone to tail Elmer tonight. I need video of the two of them together. No matter what."

If there was one thing that counted as ironclad evidence, it was footage of two cheaters in bed.

Ever since I'd first caught wind of their affair, Elmer had been careful never to spend the night with Vivian. Tonight was the perfect opportunity.

My best friend sprang into action the moment she got my message, dispatching seven or eight professional PIs to stake out the apartment Vivian was renting.

I barely slept that night.

Even though I was thoroughly done with Elmer, we'd been together for years. Saying it didn't hurt would've been a lie.

But I was too proud to accept a man who'd dirtied himself with someone else.

The only thing left for me to do was drag both of them straight to hell.

Early the next morning, my best friend sent over the edited footage, along with a thoughtful warning:

"Sibyl, brace yourself before you watch this. I'm worried it might be too much."

I didn't hesitate. I hit play.

Within seconds, the screen filled with images too obscene to describe.

Even on an adult website, this would've been flagged as explicit.

My stomach turned. I nearly threw up.

I couldn't even imagine how the audience would react when this footage played at the awards ceremony in three days.

Elmer, exhausted from his long night, didn't come home until the afternoon.

When he saw me sitting in the living room, a flicker of guilt crossed his face.

"Honey, you didn't go into the office today?"

The sound of his voice triggered an almost physical revulsion. I couldn't even bring myself to speak.

He must have assumed I was still angry, because he sidled up to me with a look of weary patience.

"Sibyl, when did you become so petty?"

"I already told you, I just feel sorry for Vivian, so I've been looking out for her a little more. That's all."

Looking out for her. Right. All the way into bed.

I swallowed my fury with every ounce of self-control I had and kept my voice even.

"Mm. I know. I was wrong to jump to conclusions about you two."

His brow smoothed at that.

"I'm glad you understand."

"Oh, by the way, honey. The organizers want a family member to say a few words at the ceremony. I was thinking of letting Vivian do it, give her some experience. What do you think..."

The implication was crystal clear.

I buried the ice in my eyes and shrugged, feigning indifference.

"It's your award. Your call."

The days slipped by, and soon enough, the ceremony arrived.

My best friend had planted someone backstage. The moment Vivian finished her speech, the footage would play.

The entire university had turned out for this event. Faculty, students, even officials from the Board of Education. The exhibition hall seated thousands, and every chair was taken.

Vivian was sitting right behind me, whispering with her roommates about me.

"Isn't that Professor Weiss's wife? Vivian, didn't you say she was some frumpy old hag? She's actually pretty good-looking."

Vivian rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with contempt.

"Are you blind? What's pretty about that trashy woman?"

The others all knew about her closeness with Elmer, and none of them wanted to get on her bad side, so they played along.

"I didn't get a good look earlier. Now that I see her up close, she really can't compare to you."

Vivian's voice swelled with smugness.

"As if she could ever compare to me. Professor Weiss gave me the chance to speak in front of the entire school. That washed-up tramp can sit down there and watch."

Her voice wasn't exactly quiet. From where I sat in the row ahead, I heard every single word.

Fine. Let her have her little moment.

Once the video drops, that smirk will be gone for good.

Soon enough, it was time for Elmer to accept his award.

He gripped the trophy, swept his gaze across the audience, and let it land squarely on Vivian.

"Today, I want to give special thanks to someone: my student, Vivian Mercer."

"I used to believe that burying myself in research was my life's purpose. But ever since she came along, I realized there's so much more in this world worth exploring."

"To be precise, she's not just my student. She's also my teacher."

"Why don't we give her a round of applause and invite her up to say a few words?"

The moment he finished, thunderous applause erupted through the hall.

Vivian's cheeks flushed pink, the picture of bashful modesty. Her roommates nudged her forward, and only then did she stand and make her way to the stage.

As she passed me, she deliberately bumped my shoulder. Her eyes glittered with triumph and provocation.

I treated it like a joke. Not worth my time.

Within moments, Vivian stood beside Elmer with a microphone in hand and began her speech.

"It's a tremendous honor to share this stage of achievement with Professor Weiss. Since the day I enrolled, he has looked after me with great care. Even though certain people with filthy minds have twisted that kindness into something ugly, I know the truth. There is nothing between Professor Weiss and me beyond a pure, professional relationship."

She turned to look at me, her voice thickening with a teary quiver.

"Ms. Henson, I grew up without a mother or a father. I've always looked up to Professor Weiss as a father figure. We are not what you think we are. I'm begging you, please stop targeting me."

Tears streamed down her face like rain on pear blossoms, and she looked utterly pitiful.

The audience, none the wiser, turned on me with their accusations.

"Mrs. Weiss, you're a grown woman. Why are you picking on a young girl?"

"Exactly. She's an orphan. Hasn't she suffered enough without you bullying her?"

"Just stand up and apologize to Ms. Mercer. Then we can all move on."

I watched the gloating flicker behind Vivian's tearful mask and arched a brow.

"Are you finished?"

She nodded, feigning a tremor of fear.

I stood and called toward the back of the hall. "All right. Play it."

Every head in the room swiveled in confusion, no one sure what was about to happen.

The next second, the massive screen behind the stage blazed to life. An explicit video of two very familiar people began playing, and their breathy, sugary moans echoed on loop through the exhibition hall's speakers.

Elmer and Vivian stood frozen on stage, faces drained of color, eyes flooded with raw panic.