Claire always kept her whereabouts a secret. I was just her scapegoat, so how could I possibly know where she was?

Gritting my teeth through the pain, I responded as kindly as I could, “She is a grown adult with hands and feet. How could I possibly know where she goes? I am not her mother!”

Not hearing the answer he wanted, Edward’s gaze turned ruthless. He released my hair and slapped me across the face hard enough to make my head buzz. Anger boiled inside me.

But, despite the pain, I couldn’t help but feel... eager.

Oh, you are already angry?

That was just the beginning of his rage. The real fury was yet to come.

Edward was really upset with me. He kept asking me questions and I just kept saying I didn't know. He got really frustrated and started hitting me. He kept saying, "Do you really think keeping your mouth shut will save you?"

As he spoke, he reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone and unlocked it using my face. He began scrolling through my contacts. When he saw the name of my emergency contact, a cruel smile spread across his lips and he dialled the number.

"Hello, darling?" My husband, Daniel Summers’s gentle voice, came through the line. Before I could say a word, one of the bodyguards clasped his hand tightly over my mouth, silencing me.

"Are you Sophie's husband?" Edward spoke, his tone laced with disdain.

"Who is this?" Daniel’s voice raised alarmingly, his calm demeanour replaced by obvious tension.

Looking me dead in the eye, Edward began his cruel taunt. "I'm her ex. Don’t worry, though. I’m married now. I’ve got no interest in her anymore."

Daniel went silent momentarily before replying, "So, why are you calling me?"

"I just thought you’d want to know what kind of woman you married." Edward sneered, continuing, "Back when we were together, she was constantly sneaking around with other men. That’s why I dumped her—she was disgusting."

"Over the years, she’s been leeching off my wife. She’s using our villa to fool around, racking up gambling debts that my wife had to pay off."

"Bet you didn’t know that your wife’s been beaten up by the wife of one of her lovers for being a mistress. Last week, she even had surgery to ‘restore’ herself and guess who was with her at the hospital? My wife. So, tell me—what married woman is trying to give someone their ‘first time’ again?"

"How does it feel to be married to someone that filthy?" he spat. "If I were you, I’d be ashamed to be alive, wearing a thousand green hats like that. I’d end it."

Edward tore me down with those words, dragging my name through the mud. On the other end of the line, Daniel fell into an uneasy silence.

Since we’d been married, Daniel had always been kind to me—honest, gentle and patient. No matter how big our arguments got, he would always take the time to talk things out and smooth things over. But this time, Edward’s words seemed to hit him like a brick wall. He said nothing.

Edward, clearly pleased with himself, ended the call and smirked at me.

"So, still not going to tell me where Claire is?"

One of the bodyguards released his grip on my mouth and I glared at Edward, my voice filled with venom. "You've broken into my home, assaulted me, spread lies. All of this is illegal."

I could feel my anger simmering beneath the surface, an intense hatred bubbling over for this arrogant idiot.

Edward, undeterred, merely scoffed. "Illegal? I'll show you what real lawbreaking looks like."

With that, he turned to his bodyguards and ordered, "Smash the place!"

His men immediately sprang into action, tearing apart my apartment. Within minutes, my once neat and orderly home was reduced to ruins and no single item was left unbroken.

Gritting my teeth, I spat, "You think you can do whatever you want without facing the consequences? You really believe the law won't touch you?"

Edward's sneer deepened. "The law? The law will deal with scum like you. How much have you stolen from Claire over the years? Everything in this apartment was bought with her money. I’m not breaking the law but reclaiming what’s rightfully hers."

His words were filled with righteous indignation, as if he was the hero bringing justice to a wrongdoer.

Glancing at the clock, I realized that there were only thirty minutes left before Claire’s affair—and miscarriage—would happen. The show was about to begin.

Suppressing my fury, I looked at Edward with a sly smile and said, "Why don't you wait a little longer? Your wife will be in touch soon."

Seeing my calm, nonchalant demeanour, Edward grew more agitated. "Still playing games, huh? Today, I’m going to ruin you completely."

He ordered his men, "Take her outside."

The bodyguards dragged me to the entrance of the apartment complex. The commotion quickly attracted a crowd of curious onlookers.

Sensing an opportunity, Edward began loudly broadcasting my ‘sins’ for everyone to hear.

Before long, people gathered around, whispering and pointing at me.

"Can you believe this? A grown woman, still leeching off her pregnant cousin? That's shameless! Her cousin must be a saint to put up with her. I’d have kicked her out long ago if it were me."

"She's the textbook definition of a leeching relative—afraid of you getting rich but eager to take advantage of everything you have. My wife’s cousin did the same thing, ran us into debt and now she’s on antidepressants because of it!"

"How filthy, though! Married, but still sneaking around with models and playing mistress? Living in the same neighbourhood as this kind of woman? Disgusting."

Edward stood tall as the insults flew, revelling in his victory. He sneered at me, "So, are you finally going to give up?"

He thought he had me cornered, expecting me to cave under the pressure. But I just laughed.

"Is this all the great Edward can do? Get some random people from the neighbourhood to shout insults? Big deal. I could move tomorrow, but no one would even remember this. If you want to ruin me, why don’t you get some influencers to live-stream it? That way, maybe you’ll finally achieve what you’re after."

His face darkened and with a clenched jaw, he muttered, "Fine, I’ll give you what you want."

He picked up his phone again and I couldn't help but grin internally.

Perfect.

The bigger the scene, the better. Let the whole world see the filthy truth behind your perfect little family, Edward.

Edward’s influence was no joke. Within minutes, a crowd of online streamers gathered at the scene, each holding up their cell phones and live-streaming at me.

“Hey, everyone, huge news coming your way! See this woman? Don’t be fooled by her plain appearance—on the inside, she’s rotten to the core!”

“For years, she’s leeched off her cousin. Whenever she ran out of money, she’d go to her pregnant cousin for more. This poor cousin, with her big belly, was treated like a personal servant—running errands, shopping and even picking her up when she was drunk.”

“And did she show any gratitude? No! She lived extravagantly on her cousin’s dime, using her cousin’s money to fund everything—she even turned her cousin’s villa into a place to shack up with her boy toys! Oh, and she maxed out her cousin’s credit card to pay off her gambling debts!”

“And get this—her private life is a mess! She’s married, but she’s still out there sleeping around. Besides the guy she’s keeping in the villa, she’s seeing who knows how many others! She even had surgery to ‘repair herself’ so she could pretend to be pure for more men. I heard she’s been treated for PMSs more than ten times! Unbelievable!”

The streamers fed the fire, adding absurd details to my so-called crimes. Lies and half-truths painted me as a monster. For a time, all the major live broadcast rooms were filled with abuse against me:

“I'll go, her cousin and husband are too miserable, they're stuck with this kind of shameless bitch!”

“Oh my god, this is called a woman, this is a walking tumor!”

“That's right, isn't it harmful for this kind of person to live in this world?”

Public opinion fermented quickly and my photo, in an instant, on the whole network hot search!

Before I knew it, hashtags like “Leeching Cousin,” “Poisonous Relative,” and “Public Transport” (a disgusting label implying I was ‘used by everyone’) flooded the internet.

As the live streams spread, the people surrounding me grew more hostile. The emotions of the onlookers were also pushed up and they couldn't help but start throwing eggs and rotten vegetable leaves at me. Some of those who were eating nearby even directly smashed the beer bottles in their hands in front of me.

As if I were a lamb to the slaughter, I stood in a pile of garbage and was subjected to a lot of verbal abuse.

And then, through the jeering crowd, a familiar face appeared—my husband, Daniel Summers.

Seeing him, my heart swelled with hope. Daniel had been my rock for years, always there to support and soothe me when I hurt. He was my refuge, my safe harbour. I stumbled towards him, desperate to fall into his arms and find solace. But just as I reached him, he pushed me away—hard.

Caught off guard, I lost my centre of gravity and fell directly backwards onto the ground, shards of glass from broken bottles digging into my palms and legs. Pain surged through me, but my heart, however, was stabbed deeper and hurt more.

Even Daniel does not believe me anymore?

“Sophie,” he began, his voice laced with disappointment and disgust. “I never imagined you could be like this.”

His words hit me like a slap. “I’ve treated you like a treasure for years, fulfilling your every wish. I’ve never once raised my voice at you, never let you feel a single moment of suffering. When your health was poor, I learned how to make nutritious meals for you, care for you and even keep you warm at night so you wouldn’t catch a cold. And how do you repay me? By leeching off your cousin, gambling and ruining your reputation—and mine.”

“The body I worked so hard to nurture, you’ve thrown away in disgusting, shameful acts. You’re not just degrading yourself, Sophie—you’re trampling on our marriage.”

Daniel, always the gentle soul, was now shouting at me, his voice cracking with disappointment. His words stung more than the physical pain in my legs.

I opened my mouth to explain, but Daniel slapped me across the face before I could speak.

“Don’t you dare say my name,” he seethed, “you don’t deserve to.”

Then, without hesitation, he pulled off his wedding ring and threw it at my feet.

“We’re getting a divorce.”

Daniel’s cold, unfeeling rejection pierced my heart. His slap wasn’t just physical—it shattered the last remnants of my hope. I stood there, numb, as the world seemed to collapse.

Edward, basking in my misery, sneered. “So, Sophie, how does it feel to be utterly ruined? You, with your insatiable greed and filthy ways, don’t deserve anyone’s love. You certainly didn’t deserve the kindness my wife gave you. Thankfully, I saw through you early on. Having anything to do with you was the biggest mistake of my life.”

Edward’s words were like nails in my coffin, driving me further into the ground. The crowd, the streamers, the world all turned on me, showering me with hate. I was finally breaking down when Edward’s phone rang. The name on the screen flashed: Claire Sullivan.

He answered immediately. The moment the call connected, a sobbing filled the air.

“Honey... I... I lost the baby.”

In an instant, Edward’s smug expression dissolved. “What happened?” His voice shook with panic.

Through her tears, Claire replied, “It was Sophie! I tried to talk some sense into her about all the men she’d been seeing and she shoved me! I fell... I lost the baby because of her!”

Her words hit like a bombshell. As for me, standing at the centre of this storm, I could only think one thing:

Finally. The end was near.