Chapter 5

I knew Yvonne was faking her stomachache to manipulate Jared and me. She was young, but already such a schemer, and had totally played me for a fool in my previous life.

I texted Jared back: [Take her to the hospital yourself.] Then I tossed my phone aside and turned back to the movie’s ending.

Jared didn’t bug me after that. When the credits rolled, a couple of guys pushed their way towards me. One bumped into me, and his face went bright red.

Melissa was about to give them an earful, but I squeezed her hand gently and said, “It’s fine.”

The guy stammered an apology, smacked his friend, and they hightailed it out of there.

Melissa grinned and nudged me. “Guess pretty girls make guys go brain-dead. Victoria, Jared’s seriously lucky. Bet the second he laid eyes on your face and body, he was dying to get you into bed, huh?”

My cheeks heated up – I was the one dying for it. Too embarrassed to say that, I just smiled and said, “You’ll get it when you have a boyfriend.”

“Get what?” Melissa blinked.

“Time passes, and even the hottest girl stops turning her man’s head eventually. Don’t pour your whole heart into love,” I said softly.

“I get it. Lately, I’ve been handling several divorce cases. Those wives are all stunners, and yet the guys still strayed. Can you believe that?” Melissa bit the words out.

I let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t pin too much hope on men.”

Melissa must’ve picked up on something, her face etched with concern as she asked, “Jared… has affairs?”

At that point, Jared had just started dating Tracy, and hardly anyone knew about it. As his wife, I didn’t want word getting out. Though I no longer cared about him, I had to save my face. “I don’t think so,” I said.

I got back home late, and yet the living room light was still on.

My mom was pacing around the living room with Yvonne on her back. Yvonne was half-asleep but perked up when she heard the car. She slid off Mom’s back and darted to the door, waiting for me.

My mom walked over to coax her. “Honey, let me help you get to bed. Your mom still needs to take a shower.”

“Not Grandma; I want Mommy,” Yvonne whined, shoving my mom away. “Grandma, go upstairs and sleep. Leave me alone.”

I parked the car and walked into the living room. Yvonne bolted over and latched onto my leg. “Mommy, you’re home so late. Were you cheating?”

I smacked her lightly. “Who taught you to say that garbage?”

Yvonne clutched her cheek, tears spilling over. “You hit me?” she sniffled, lips trembling as she stepped back. Then she turned and ran upstairs, sobbing like her heart was broken.

Mom looked shocked, glancing between me and the stairs. “Victoria, why did you snap at her the moment you walked in? She was waiting for you. Go easy on her.”

I smiled at Mom. “Did you hear her? A kid that age saying stuff like that? She needs a little discipline, and then she’ll learn.”

“She probably picked it up from the TV. She’s too little to know what ‘cheating‘ even means,” Mom said, sounding stern. “Kids have feelings too, you know. Slapping her will just hurt her. Don’t do it again.”

“Got it, Mom. It’s late – go to bed.” I said it like I meant it. But deep down, I knew Yvonne’s upbringing needed a total reset. Better she resented me or ignored me now than for me to pour out all my love, only to get betrayal and hatred in return.

I climbed the stairs. Jared was at the top, holding a sobbing Yvonne. It looked like he’d been waiting just for me.

I stopped in my tracks, tilting my head to look up at the father-daughter duo. A faint smile played on my lips, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “What, she’s been spinning stories again?”

“Daddy, my cheek hurts so bad,” Yvonne whimpered, clinging tight to Jared’s neck. With a pitiful pout, she accused me, “Mom’s trying to kill me, isn’t she?”

I continued climbing. “If a little slap could kill you, then you’re just wasting oxygen.”

“Victoria, we need to talk,” Jared said. Then he set Yvonne down, crouching to comfort her. “Go to your room. I’ll be there in a minute to read you a bedtime story.”

With Jared coddling her, Yvonne shot me a snooty glare, then stomped into her bedroom and slammed the door.

I didn’t follow Jared to his study. Instead, I went straight to our bedroom, sat at the vanity, and started removing my earrings.

I was wearing a sleek, tight dress. My thick, long hair cascaded down my back – no styling, no fancy updo, just natural loose curls that exuded an effortless charm and allure.

Maybe Jared had gotten tired of me. In my previous life, I’d tried so hard to be sweet, but he’d just brush me off, saying he was worn out from work and needed to crash early.

I sat on the white chair, looking sultry and confident. Glancing back over my shoulder, I caught him staring off into space. “What did you want to talk about?” I asked.

“Why did you hit Yvonne today? She’s just a little kid. Even if she did something wrong, a few words would’ve been enough. You don’t hit a child in the face – she has feelings too, you know.”

I let out a small “Hmm,” then stood up. Leaning back against the vanity with my hands braced behind me, I met his gaze. “Guess you didn’t hear what she said to me.”

“No matter what she said-”

“She said I came home late because I was cheating.” I cut him off, a faint smile playing on my lips. “Honey, cheating’s no small thing. If that gets out, it’ll trash both our reputations.”

Jared’s frown deepened. The word “cheating” clearly struck a nerve – his face darkened. After all, he was the one who was cheating.

Still, he made excuses for her. “Yvonne’s little; she doesn’t get what that means.”

I held up my hands. They used to be slim and elegant, but years of constant work had worn them down. I stared at my fingers, my voice steady. “She’s already acting out at her age.

“If I don’t get her under control now, she’ll be a total nightmare when she’s older. If you think my approach is too harsh, why don’t you try raising her?”

Jared got mad at my dodging the blame instead of owning up. “Victoria, what are you even saying? She’s your daughter. It’s your job to raise her right.”

I nodded. “I get that. When I’m disciplining her, stay out of it. You can be the fun dad, and I’ll be the strict mom. Just don’t criticize me – I don’t want her to resent me.”

Jared froze. For the first time, his perfectly handsome face looked rattled. Realizing he couldn’t win the argument, he turned to leave. “Go take a shower,” he said. “I’ll be in after I tuck Yvonne in.”

I paused. He said he’d “be in“? Was that supposed to be some kind of favor to me?