Chapter 1

I thought being unknowingly tangled in an affair was the wildest thing I ever went through.

When my boyfriend's mother-in-law barged into my office and screamed at me, I could only blame myself for being blind and falling for a jerk.

What I never saw coming was that after I made up my mind to ditch him, the shady secrets lurking in his clingy family left me speechless.

1

"Shameless tramp, how dare you play the other woman!"

A middle-aged woman stormed into our office and pointed at my nose, letting loose a torrent of insults.

I froze, totally lost. What was this all about? When did I ever shamelessly become the other woman?

"You wrecked our Yolanda's marriage. Do you think Clint is a man you can mess with?"

Her smug look made it seem like she wanted to swallow me whole.

I finally got it. She was accusing me of being a homewrecker.

I crossed my arms over my chest, showing her I wasn't scared.

Her loud yelling quickly drew every coworker in the office over.

They all watched like it was some big show, whispering behind my back, loving the drama.

I noticed the crowd and started to feel nervous.

Normally, I wasn't one to mess with. If I couldn't handle some young girl, couldn't I take on a woman in her forties or fifties?

But with colleagues I saw every day around me, I didn't want to make a huge scene.

"You fucking bitch, you've got Clint so hooked he doesn't even come home. Aren't you ashamed, breaking up someone else's love?" She even swung a slap at me as she ranted.

Luckily, I reacted fast and blocked it.

"Ma'am, what are you going on about? Who's the other woman? Clint and I were just dating. I didn't steal anyone's man."

I knew I couldn't lose my cool right then. Whoever backed down first would lose the upper hand.

"You didn't keep your son in check, and now you're blaming me? Why not say Clint cheated while married? Maybe your home life was so bad he went looking elsewhere?" I fired back with a sarcastic jab.

"You, you," she sputtered, furious, and grabbed the pen holder off my desk, chucking it at me.

"Security! Security! Someone's causing trouble here. Get her out now!"

Things had gone beyond just words to physical attacks, which worked out perfectly for me.

What a clown. She needed to get out of my sight fast after humiliating me like that.

I wasn't sad so much as pissed off.

This was completely unfair.

As security hauled her away, she kept cursing me in some dialect, looking vicious.

The supervisor stepped out of his office, told everyone to get back to work, and gave me a sharp look.

I knew I was in trouble and braced for a scolding.

Sure enough, he said I hurt the company's reputation and caused a mess, suspending me for a week and cutting a month's attendance bonus.

I wanted to cry but couldn't. Dealing with a loser like Clint cost me money, got me insulted, and left me personally attacked. Was I born to be everyone's punching bag?

I stumbled out of the supervisor's office in a fog. Not one person checked on me.

It felt like I was the marriage-wrecker who deserved all this.

I could only sigh at how vicious rumors were and slunk out of the building.

I stared at the busy crowd outside and suddenly had no idea where to go.

Living with Clint then, just thinking of his clean-cut face made me sick.

What a guy, trying to scam my money while he had a wife, calling me "baby" all the time.

Did he even have a shred of shame?

The more I thought about it, the madder I got. I decided I had to confront him.

No way could I just let this slide.

2

I met Clint online while gaming. Some random guy joined my team out of nowhere.

I told him over voice chat to leave since I wasn't teaming up.

He replied through his mic, asking to play a few rounds, saying it was no big deal.

His voice was soft, and since I was a sucker for nice voices, we ended up playing a bunch of games together.

Later, we swapped WhatsApp and sent each other photos.

I never dreamed I'd meet a guy who looked so clean-cut, like the senior I crushed on in high school.

Two weeks later, I confessed to him. I figured I hadn't dated much, so being bold might pay off.

He hemmed and hawed, saying he'd never been in a relationship and needed time to think.

I said okay, and we met up in person, making sure neither of us was a catfish.

I dressed up nice, and Clint's eyes lit up when he saw me. I thought he was just shy around pretty girls and gave him a playful shove.

To my surprise, he hugged me and whispered sweet things in my ear.

Since I'd made the first move, I took it as his answer, and we started going out.

He suggested moving in together but said he had no money, asking me to cover the rent.

I thought it was fine. I could earn the cash, and as long as we had love, it didn't matter.

Little did I know, I'd turned into the other woman everyone despised.

It was an ending I never saw coming.

I took a taxi back to the apartment I rented and burst inside.

Clint was sprawled on the couch, scrolling his phone, looking sloppy with none of the youthful vibe I first saw in him.

"Clint, you piece of trash! How dare you cheat on me? Did you think I was an idiot?"

I didn't care about his feelings and let my anger rip.

"Huh?" Clint jumped, obviously thrown off by my outburst.

He knew he was guilty and mumbled, "I didn't, honey, I swear."

He called me "honey" so sweetly. How many others had he used that on?

Ignoring his own wife to mooch off me, what a move.

He thought his decent looks let him get away with anything.

That day, I decided to set things right.

"Get out! I don't want to see your disgusting face again. Your mother-in-law showed up at my office. What do you have to say?"

I marched into the bedroom and tossed his clothes out. He'd lived off me. Why should he be comfy?

"It's gotta be a mix-up. You're my first love. How could I be married? Some crazy person must be out to get me, making a scene at your office. I swear I don't know anything."

Clint dropped to his knees, grabbing my legs, looking ready to bawl.

Even then, he thought I was dumb. Couldn't I tell a lie from the truth?

"Get off me! We're done for good. I won't ask for a penny back. Just leave my place now. Clint, you didn't pay a fucking dime for this apartment!"

I said it through tears, my voice breaking as they rolled down my face.

Why did my real love end up wasted, just a mirage?

I gave so much and got nothing back.

Right then, I made up my mind to cut him off completely.

3

After a week on my own, I thought I could get back to my normal work life.

But unbelievably, Clint pulled the same stunt and caused a ruckus at my office again.

At first, he begged me not to dump him, saying he couldn't live without me.

Yeah, right. I wasn't falling for that sob story. My best friend had already chewed me out, telling me to wise up about guys.

That week, I rubbed my eyes clear and knew I wouldn't get tricked again.

When Clint saw I wasn't budging, he dropped the act and got nasty.

"Elissa, don't play innocent with me. I know your type, dressing all flashy at work to hook guys. Every time we went out, I was too embarrassed to call you out. Don't you have any self-respect?"

He ditched his sweet act and showed his ugly fangs.

"You dare dump me? Look in the mirror, you old hag. Who'd want you besides me? Thinking of finding someone new? You're out of your mind, you tramp."

Every word was a dagger, aimed at trashing my name at work.

I snatched a glass off my desk and smashed it at him.

Did he think I was a pushover? I'd crack his head open.

"How dare you come to my office and spread lies? I already cleared things up with my coworkers. You won't ruin me. And don't kid yourself. Plenty of guys want me. I'm not the desperate one. A married man? You make me sick."

My coworkers jumped in to help kick Clint out, agreeing a jerk like him in the office was bad news.

Seeing his pissed-off face made me grin.

Thought he could take me on? He was way out of his league. He had no leg to stand on and wasn't half as smart as me. What did he have to fight with?

But Clint wouldn't quit. He hung around the stairwell, shouting about all my supposed flaws, calling me a slut and worse.

That day, I realized he could sling such filthy words, wiping out the last bit of respect I had for him.

I dialed the cops. If this kept up, I'd lose my whole month's pay.

What would I live on then?

I wanted him to face charges for scamming me, pretending to be single to take my money, and disturbing the peace.

Thought I'd let him off easy? No chance.

The cockier he got now, the worse I'd make it for him later.

Love wasn't a game for him to trick me with. This wasn't just dirty play, it was a full-on violation.

4

The police showed up fast and hauled Clint to the station.

I went along to give my statement.

With not enough proof, they could only hold him a few days for harassment, not charge him.

As I walked out, I shot him a hard stare.

From then on, I wouldn't give him the time of day.

Seeing him slouched in a chair, hands cuffed, gave me a quiet thrill.

But knowing he couldn't be hit harder killed that buzz quick.

I had to make him pay.

I kicked off my revenge plan.

What mattered most in taking someone down? Evidence.

I shelled out big bucks for a private investigator to track Clint's every move.

I didn't buy that he wouldn't slip up eventually.

Once he did, the PI would snap his dirty moments, handing me solid proof.

Then getting him in legal trouble would be a breeze.

The investigator sent me daily photo updates.

Weirdly, Clint didn't go back to his wife's place but crashed with a friend instead.

He just stepped out for groceries or a walk, living pretty easy.

That didn't add up. It was way off. It was like Clint knew I was watching.

From what I knew, he wouldn't play it so straight. He'd hit up a bar or something.

But sticking with it paid off. After a week, the PI dug up some real dirt.

Turned out, Clint married into his wife's family, using his good looks to win her over easy.

He got a small allowance from her each month, enough to party with.

For some reason, a year into marriage, he got bored of that life and started trolling online for other girls.

And I was the dumb fish that bit.

The PI also found out he'd conned a bunch of girls before, using bold moves to hurt them and take their cash, always slipping away clean. Quite the pro.

I blew up hearing that. So he was a repeat offender. No wonder he faked it so well.

I slept next to him every night and never suspected, and his wife didn't care he was gone all the time.

If I didn't take down this top-tier scumbag, more women would end up wrecked like me.

But by then, I'd hit a dead end on leads and couldn't find hard evidence.

Every day, I either worked or racked my brain on how to punish Clint, feeling stuck.

Just when I thought my plan was toast, a sudden twist flipped everything.

5

I figured this was just me versus Clint, but a text from an unknown number changed the whole game.

The sender said she was Clint's wife, Yolanda. She felt awful about what happened and wanted to meet to apologize in person.

Well, yeah! Look at the crap her husband pulled!

I hated Clint, but I had no beef with his wife since she'd never crossed my path.

I almost turned down the meet-up, but then I thought, wasn't this a golden chance to get inside the enemy's lines?

I couldn't pass that up. Maybe I'd dig up something big.

I texted back quick and gave her my WhatsApp.

We set up a meeting at a quiet coffee shop, perfect for a real talk.

I got there early, ordered a drink, and sipped it slow.

"Sorry I'm late. Traffic was bad. I'm Yolanda."

The sharp, professional woman who walked up caught my eye.

Yolanda's beauty wasn't loud. It was calm and steady, totally different from my vibe.

"Hi, I'm Elissa." I greeted her.