While I was raising chickens in the country, my husband, Jasper Coleman, was involved with other women in the city. He played too recklessly and ended up having a pair of twins.

Behind my back, he threw a lavish hundred-day banquet for them downtown.

I turned up with two of the wildest roosters I owned, ready to 'congratulate' my dearest husband somehow.

And when the moment he saw me, Jasper's face turned pale.

His whole body stiffened as he rushed over and muttered under his breath, "What are you doing here?"

I gave him my brightest smile and lifted my voice so everyone could hear.

"You might not know better, but I do! Since your chickens laid you two chicks, shouldn't I bring you two chickens as gifts? After all, you are what you eat."

——

Jasper's expression darkened.

He lowered his voice to a growl. "Don't make a scene. Leave now. I'll explain everything when I come back tonight."

He tugged at my arm, trying to shove me toward the door.

Instead, I shoved the roosters right into his chest and raised my voice again. "I told you, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here to give a congratulatory gift!"

The wild birds went wild in his arms, thrashing their wings and screeching nonstop.

Cluck, cluck, cluck.

They just wouldn't shut up.

Annoyed, Jasper lowered his arms. The roosters dashed off, wings flapping wildly as they sprinted through the banquet hall, leaving chaos and feathers behind. Then things got messy when they pooped on his suit. His face twisted with disgust as he grabbed a wet wipe and scrubbed frantically.

I sneered.

"Dirty, is it? You think this is dirty? These wild chickens are very clean. You're the first man ever to hold them. Much cleaner than the ones you picked for yourself."

The angrier I got, the sharper my words cut. Crying and begging to know why I wasn't enough? That wasn't me. I raise chickens for a living, and if I lost to a chicken, that would be the real humiliation.

So this fight? I refused to lose.

"Katie, who are you really cursing here?"

At last, my husband's mistress, Bianca King, snapped. She straightened her back, puffing herself up like the lady of the house, and shot me a glare.

"Just because I've kept quiet doesn't mean I'm a pushover. Jasper and I have been sparing you some dignity. Don't mistake courtesy for weakness."

She cradled the twin girls like prized trophies, her eyes gleaming with smugness as she looked down at me. That woman always had a sharp tongue that could turn black into white.

They'd warned me back in the village: 'Once a man has money, he changes. Go to the city while you can, they'd say. Stick by Jasper's side, don't let another woman enjoy the shade of the tree you planted.'

However, my mother-in-law, Joanne Coleman, had been paralyzed for eight years, and she desired the peace and quiet of the mountains.

And what about me? I was convinced that childhood sweethearts could last, that love could survive any storm. I genuinely thought Jasper would remain faithful.

Not in a million years did I think he'd cheat—let alone with Bianca King, the girl who grew up in the same village as us.

After high school, she had run off to the city and started selling herself.

Before that, she and I were inseparable, best friends who shared everything. I still remember her trying to talk me into her 'plan.'

"What's the point of girls going to college? Ultimately, you'll get a job making three to five grand a month. We're pretty—why not use our looks while we're young? In just a few years, we could earn millions. Then, when we've had our fill, we marry some honest guy. Isn't that perfect?"

Bianca's words reached Jasper's ears that day.

I remembered how furious he had been, his face red, veins bulging as he cursed her.

"You're nothing but a parasite, a maggot crawling in the sewers. Twisted values like yours are disgusting. I don't want Katie being friends with someone like you ever again!"

Who would've thought that same righteous, sun-kissed boy would one day fall for her?

It was all a complete joke—one that not only humiliated him, but me too.

When did I first realize the two of them were together?

When Bianca was two months pregnant.

I could stay there calmly today because over the past eleven months, I had turned every drop of rage into cold, hard reason.

It's still fresh in my mind the day I went into town to see Jasper.

As always, he drew me into bed, clinging to me for over half an hour.

Every time it was over, Jasper would fall asleep almost instantly.

I would quietly gather our clothes scattered across the floor and toss them into the washing machine. Out of habit, I always checked the pockets before washing.

One night, I pulled out a bottle of unsealed folic acid.

That bottle alone turned me into Sherlock Holmes.

I secretly went through Jasper's phone, and what I found confirmed everything: endless chat logs with Bianca.

Shopping records showed luxury goods worth millions. Credit card records showed a house and a luxury car—all bought for her.

Like every cheating man, he drowned his mistress in endless indulgence.

And when I had broken my leg in the mountains, begging him to drive me to the hospital, he was busy taking Bianca up to the Rockies to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom, swearing eternal love to her in flowery vows.

When I was bent under the weight of my mother-in-law, caring for bedpans and cleaning up after her in the hospital, he was with Bianca in Paris, renting the most expensive love suite, hiring ten servants, never leaving the room for a month, proudly recording how they had unlocked 108 different positions.

He used my hard-earned cash to pamper his mistress and play with investments as I worked my fingers to the bone raising and selling chickens to make a living.

Now, all the guests at the party were gathered, staring at me—the woman who had suddenly appeared. Their eyes were filled with a curious, almost eerie gaze.

I gave a cold laugh.

Slowly, without haste, I reached into my bag and pulled out my marriage certificate with Jasper. "You ignored the law, living with another woman's husband, having children in his name. Tell me, who's really the one being shameless here?"

Bianca's face drained of color. She turned to Jasper with a pitiful look, playing the classic manipulative damsel act, baiting his instinct to protect her.

Meanwhile, Jasper lunged for the marriage certificate, but I flicked my wrist, leaving him grasping at air.

He glared at me, his voice low and furious.

"I told you not to make a scene. Don't you understand?" Jasper said authoritatively, as if I were just one of his employees, and he was the boss giving orders.

I laughed coldly, my gaze locked on him.

Had he forgotten?

Back then, he was nothing more than a puppy at my feet. Now he's still a dog, just fawning over someone else's woman, but he seems to forget that the same water that lifts a boat can also sink it. I built him up, and I could tear him down completely.

"Why do you keep saying I'm making a scene? Isn't it kind of tradition—back in the day, if a husband messed around, the other woman would at least show some respect to the wife? I even brought her two chickens to take care of her health. I'd say that's more than generous for a first wife," I said, calm and controlled, not yelling or whining, but every word landed like a knife, cutting through their pride.

Jasper's face grew darker, sweat beading cold across his forehead.

The guests' whispers swirled, fueling his shame even more.

Someone muttered aloud, "So the twins are illegitimate, then?"

Bianca broke into tears, clutching the children, looking every inch the helpless victim. "Jasper, I don't want to make things difficult for you. The children and I shouldn't have existed in the first place. I'll take them and leave."

She intentionally directed her tear-filled eyes at me, appearing as if I had bullied her past her limit.

"I'm not looking to start a fight, but I can stay out of your way. You can have Jasper. I ask that you stop smearing me and not drag my kids into this."

With that, she turned as if to leave, playing her retreat-to-advance game.

And sure enough, Jasper fell for it. Panic flashed across his face as he hurriedly pulled her and the babies into his arms.

The picture they made looked like a happy family of four.

He glanced at me, eyes conflicted, then raised his voice.

"If you have a problem, take it on me, Katie. Don't bully Bianca. We've been separated for a long time, the divorce is already in process!"

"You just want more money. I can give you more. Just apologize to Bianca," Jasper insisted.

I never expected to see Jasper display this kind of face. To protect Bianca's reputation, he actually had the nerve to shift the blame back onto me.

So I went along, replying, "Fine. I can apologize. Tell me, how much will one apology cost me? If you're willing to pay up, I'll apologize until you're broke."

Jasper's frown deepened. He clearly hadn't expected me to flip his little script like that.

Bianca couldn't keep her mouth shut when the second sum of money came in.

She put on that pitiful, wounded act and whined, "Jasper, I don't want her apology. She wouldn't mean it anyway. Just make things clear with her today. Save us the trouble of her stalking us and spreading lies. I don't want my children influenced by someone like her."

Of course, the onlookers jumped right in with their commentary.

"Looks like she just doesn't want the divorce. Trying to wring more money out of Mr. Coleman by causing a scene," one woman muttered, shaking her head.

Across the room, another voice piped up. "Seriously, how could some farm girl be worthy of Mr. Coleman? Look at her! Does she really think she's all that?"

Even further back, someone else chimed in, nodding toward Bianca. "She's throwing dirt at another woman just to save her skin. Calling someone a whore? That's disgusting."

Jasper put on an air of generosity, speaking with forced calm. "Go home for now. I'll give you an explanation. I won't let you be wronged."

He even motioned for me to leave, like he was the magnanimous one.

My smile for him was forced, the kind that comes from a wounded heart.

"Jasper, over a chicken, you treat me like this? Remarkable," I replied.

Bianca's face twisted with fury. She let out a shrill cry and snapped, "Who are you calling a chicken? That's too much. You're the real chicken!"

Someone in the crowd, eager to stir the pot, shouted half-jokingly, "Is there really someone out there doing that for money?"

I raised my hand and pointed straight at Bianca, my voice ringing out so every single person could hear. "She is a prostitute! She's been doing it for five years—plenty of men and money."

"Enough!" Jasper's roar cut through the air.

Veins throbbed at his temples, and the fury in his eyes locked on me like a final warning not to push him over the edge.

Bianca collapsed into a dramatic sob, choking out her words. "You're trying to ruin me and the babies! You've spread rumors about me since we were kids. I give up, okay? Just leave me alone!"

Then, like clockwork, she played the same old retreat-to-advance game. "Jasper, I'll raise the children myself. As long as you're with me, Katie will call me a prostitute. How can I live like that?"

And Jasper, of course, still shielded her.

He clutched her tight and jabbed his finger at me, shouting, "You're the prostitute! Do you not know why I want a divorce? Because of you, because of what you do! Stop talking nonsense!"

For a moment, I froze.

Jasper's words sliced through me, leaving a dull, tearing ache in my chest, like my heart had been ripped into pieces.

Then Joanne's voice cut through, sharp as a whip.

"Katie, my son has treated you well enough, yet you're so unchaste, sleeping with so many men, being a free whore. You betrayed the marriage and ruined my son. What right have you to accuse him? You slut!"

This was the same woman I had cared for eight years ago when her legs were paralyzed. I had bathed, fed, carried her bedpans, and nursed her back to health. Now she stood tall and, with a single sentence, drove an invisible blade straight through my chest.

My mother-in-law's accusations shifted the tide.

The crowd wavered, their gazes sharp and accusing, and suddenly it was me they saw as the whore who slandered others to cover her own filth. Every pair of eyes felt like a knife stabbing into me.

Then Jasper, still acting all high and mighty, grabbed my arm.