My mother-in-law's mouth dripped with apologies, but she placed every meat dish within Lewis's reach.

Lewis, meanwhile, was glued to his phone. He thought he was being subtle, but his face practically glowed with that lovesick grin.

The moment my chopsticks reached toward the dish in front of him, she clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"Jill, dear, I've told you—we don't have much money left this year. Unlike some pampered princesses, we have to be careful with our food."

Lewis nodded beside her. "Perfect timing, actually. Weren't you just saying you wanted to lose weight?"

Rage surged through me like wildfire.

I gripped the edge of the table. Then I flipped it.

Soup and meat splattered across the Whitneys' designer clothes.

"If I can't eat, none of you will either!"

"Jill!" My mother-in-law shrieked, lunging at me. "Who raised you to be this disrespectful in your husband's home? I'll teach you a lesson today!"

I didn't hesitate. My palm cracked across her face.

"I feed this entire family. You're biting the hand that keeps you alive. One more word and I'm divorcing Lewis on the spot."

The living room went dead silent.

My mother-in-law's face cycled through shades of red and purple—quite the show.

Lewis paused, then walked over to me. "Jill, Mom hasn't been feeling well lately. She lost her temper. Don't take it personally. Whatever you want to eat, I'll have her make it fresh."

I turned and walked into the bedroom.

Divorce alone wouldn't be enough. I wanted to destroy them all.

Beth was still streaming. I watched Lewis's burner account pop up in her chat.

He dropped a hundred carnival gifts in one go.

Charged to my card.

I swallowed my fury and switched to an alt account.

[Hey streamer, your boyfriend treats you so well! You should surprise him with a secret visit~]

Lewis had already left the stream. Beth saw the message and faltered, deflecting with nervous chatter.

But I steered the chat exactly where I wanted it.

[Yeah! I bet your boyfriend misses you too.]

[Why does it seem like she doesn't want to go? Is this whole thing scripted?]

As the comments spiraled out of control, Beth gritted her teeth.

[Okay, babies~ I'll go.]

That evening, the Whitneys' doorbell rang.

Lewis went to answer it. When he saw who was standing there, he froze like he'd been struck by lightning.

My mother-in-law scrambled after him, panic written all over her face.

Beth spoke first. "Auntie! Cousin! I came to wish you a happy New Year."

Lewis recovered quickly. "Jill, this is Beth. A cousin of mine."

My stomach turned. I ignored them.

By now, Beth's comment section was blowing up—viewers demanding she go live so they could watch the romance unfold in real time.

But Beth made excuses. Bad signal. Rural area.

When I didn't acknowledge her, she must have thought her cover was solid. She plopped down right next to me.

The perfume clinging to her was unmistakable—my limited-edition bottle, the one I'd left at that apartment.

"Sister-in-law, I've heard so much about you from my cousin. Seeing you in person, though..." She tilted her head. "He always said you were beautiful, but honestly? You're kind of... ordinary."

She let out a theatrical sigh. "I guess love really is blind."

Her gaze slid to Lewis, syrupy and deliberate.

"I'm so jealous of you, sister-in-law. If I had a boyfriend like my cousin here, I'd be smiling in my sleep."

Then she pouted at Lewis, demanding he peel an orange and feed it to her.

"Don't mind me, sister-in-law. I've been clingy with him since we were kids."

Oh, I didn't mind at all.

The moment she'd walked through that door, I'd slipped my phone into my pocket.

Livestream running.

Every word she said was being heard by the livestream audience.

When Beth saw that I wasn't reacting at all, she sidled closer to provoke me.

"Jill, why do you look so unhappy? Is it because you mind how close Lewis and I are?"

"Don't worry. We grew up together. If I'd wanted him, do you think you'd have ever had a chance to marry him?"

Lewis glared at me when I didn't respond to Beth.

"Jill, you've been giving attitude ever since you got here. Beth is a guest. What's with the tantrum?"

"If you're going to keep acting like this, get out. You're not welcome in my home."

I let out a cold laugh.

"A kept man thinks he can bark at me? I bought this house. If anyone's leaving, it's you."

Lewis went silent.

Seeing him put in his place, Beth jumped to his defense.

"Jill, how can you talk to him like that? You're husband and wife—your house is his house too!"

"He's a grown man. Where does that leave his dignity when you say things like that?"

Dignity?

Back when I was blinded by love, I would have died to marry Lewis.

But the gap between the Fox family and the Whitney family was significant.

Many people whispered behind his back that Lewis was a kept man, a live-in son-in-law to the Foxes.

To protect his pride, I walked on eggshells around him, terrified that my generosity would make him feel like I was giving him charity.

And what did my self-sacrifice get me? He used my money to keep a mistress, and his whole family played me for a fool.

Lewis patted Beth's shoulder.

"Stop arguing. What do you want to eat? I'll cook for you."

Lewis never set foot in the kitchen at home.

But watching how naturally he moved, it was clear he'd cooked for Beth countless times before.

He knew her preferences and dietary restrictions by heart.

Beth slowly leaned toward me.

"Jill, sure, you have money, but your parents gave you all of it. It's not like you earned it yourself. Aren't you just living off your family too? What right do you have to talk about Lewis like that?"

"His family may not be wealthy, but he became CEO of Stellar Tech on his own. He even arranged jobs for so many of his relatives. What right does a parasite like you have to criticize the pillar of the Whitney family?"

Stellar Tech?

That was the company I'd given Lewis a few years ago.

I'd been wondering why Stellar Tech hadn't shown any progress over the years.

Now it was clear—Lewis had turned the company into a retirement home for his family.

I immediately had my assistant look into it.

What I found was staggering.

For the past few years, Stellar Tech had been nothing but an empty shell.

From management to security, every position was filled with people Lewis had brought in through the back door. The employees spent their days eating and drinking at the office, doing no actual work.

Embezzlement. Misappropriation of funds.

Lewis had dug himself another grave.

He had no idea what was happening. He set down a plate of Beth's favorite dishes in front of her.

Then Beth dropped a bombshell.

"Lewis, I'm scared of the dark. Will you sleep with me tonight?"

"Are you insane? What are you saying?"

The plate slipped from Lewis's hands and shattered on the floor.

"Get out of here right now!"

He grabbed Beth's arm, ready to throw her out.

Tears instantly spilled down Beth's cheeks.

"Why are you yelling at me? You used to be so good to me!"

"I'm pregnant! I'm just afraid that having nightmares might hurt the baby!"

Lewis froze mid-motion.

My mother-in-law rushed over to steady Beth.

"Sweetheart, why didn't you tell us you were pregnant? Did we scare you just now?"

It clicked instantly—I knew exactly whose child she was carrying.

"Ever since I got pregnant, I've been having nightmares. The doctor said it might be because I've been alone too much. I just wanted Lewis to keep me company. When I was little and scared of the dark, he was always the one who protected me."

Lewis's face darkened, but he eventually walked over to me.

"Jill, Beth is pregnant. We can't be hard on her."

"I'm just sitting by the bed to keep her company. I won't do anything inappropriate."

My voice was cold. "If you stay with her tonight, you can kiss the company goodbye."

"Jill Fox!"

My mother-in-law shot to her feet, jabbing a finger in my face.

"Give you an inch and you think you're somebody! This is my house. You're my son's woman. Just because he's been good to you doesn't mean you can walk all over the Whitney family!"

"Son, ignore her!"

She ushered Lewis and Beth into the bedroom.

"It's marital property anyway. So what if she takes the company? She'd still have to split the money with you."

Beth followed them inside. Before closing the door, she shot me a smile—its meaning unmistakable.

The rest of the Whitneys retreated to their rooms.

I pulled out my phone. The livestream had crossed a hundred thousand viewers.

[Holy shit, this is insane.]

[So this streamer is not only a homewrecker, but she's playing "kissing cousins" with the cheater right in front of his wife?]

I carried my phone toward the bedroom.

Through the door came the rustle of clothes being shed.

"Honey, did you miss me?"

"You little minx—you're still pregnant. Don't tempt me."

"Once you have the baby, I'll find an excuse to divorce Jill!"

Beth laughed loudly. "Will she really give you half her assets?"

"Of course. I'll tell her the family forced me to divorce her because she couldn't have children. She'll feel guilty and compensate me."

"Speaking of which, those birth control pills you gave me really worked. All this time, and Jill's stomach hasn't shown a single sign."

The comments exploded.

Half of them were getting filtered for profanity.

I shoved the door open and aimed the camera at the two bodies tangled on the bed.

"Smile for the camera."