"I genuinely thought of you as family, yet you treated me like a fool.
"Did you really think I'd stand here without proof? I know all about Josh buying her a car, getting baby supplies, and even mortgaging our property to buy her a house!"
Zara was in a panic then.

She just wanted a grandson. She treated her son's mistress like a goddaughter, thinking it would not raise eyebrows.
She assumed Josh was on the same page, but to her shock, he was ready to buy Jasmine a house.
She nudged her silent son, desperate for his denial.
"Son, is what she's saying true?"
I pointed at Josh's shifty eyes and let out an icy laugh. "Is that even a question? You just promised to make a public apology and pay me back double. Time to cough it up.
"Alright, now that it's clear I haven't taken a dime of his money and have actually been the one paying out, are you all happy?"

I did not even glance at Zara's pale face as I pressed her. "Come on, keep your word. Everyone's watching. You wouldn't want to back out now, would you?"
With the way Josh was acting, Zara had to get the picture.
Her voice turned syrupy sweet as she clutched my hand, trying to get on my good side.
"Chloe, I've always appreciated how you've taken care of our home. I was wrong this time, and I'm sorry.

"We're family, aren't we? Let's not air our dirty laundry for all to see, okay?"
I stayed silent, just giving her a frosty look as she fawned over me.
If I had not pulled out that proof earlier and had actually spent even a cent of Josh's money, she would not be putting on that act.
Especially since her plan was to see me crash and burn.
They had been so cold-hearted toward me; why should I hold back?
The crowd that had been against me was then coming to my defense.
"So we were just being played?"
"That old lady might not look like much, but she's crafty, trying to get us to turn on her daughter-in-law online?"
"How low can you get? She's a person too, but the old lady's backing her son's affair and trying to bleed her daughter-in-law dry. Pathetic!"
Fuming with rage, Zara decided to throw in the towel.
"Chloe, I really do see you as a daughter. That was why I said what I did.
"If you want to take this further, then I have to ask: what if you're the one with a man on the side?"
She was playing a risky game, hoping I was all talk and had no real proof.
The place went quiet, eyes shifting from Zara to me, everyone anticipating another bombshell.
Too bad for them; they were about to be let down.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled to a recent photo, the one from Jasmine's son's birthday party.
"Remember, the kid's four, right? The pre-school's at..." I trailed off, careful not to spill too much about the little one.