Alex confirmed, shattering any last illusions. I suddenly found it all horribly funny. My sharp, calculating mother-in-law, who looked down on me for being from the country and pushed her son to marry up, ended up being scammed out of her life savings by a far more skilled con artist. If this wasn’t karma, I don’t know what was.
“Alex, what are you going to do?”
I looked at him. Alex’s eyes grew sharp and cold.
“I was going to let her off easy for the sake of our families, but now that she’s dragged you into this and humiliated you, she’s crossed a line. Don’t expect me to be merciful.”
He looked at me, his gaze serious.
“Ella, I need your help. We’re going to put on a show of our own, and we’re going to take back everything they owe us with interest. Do you dare?”
I looked into his deep eyes, which reflected my own battered but defiant image. I thought of Carol’s cruel face, Mark’s heartless expression, and Lily’s triumphant smirk. Why should they get away with it? Why should I be the one trampled underfoot while they lived their happy lives built on deceit? No, I wasn’t going to take it. The weak, submissive Ella was gone. The moment I walked out that door, she died. The woman standing here now was a phoenix, ready to rise from the ashes.
I lifted my head, meeting his gaze. The fear and tears in my eyes were replaced by a steely resolve I’d never felt before.
“I dare. Tell me what I need to do.”
A small approving smile touched Alex’s lips.
“Good,” he said. “Step one, you’re going back to that house.”
“What?”
I was stunned.
“You have to hit rock bottom to be reborn,” Alex said, his eyes like the deep sea. “Go back and pretend you’re completely broken. Act remorseful, even subservient to Lily. Make them lower their guard. That’s the only way you’ll get the crucial evidence.”
“Step two, I’ll give you some money. Use it to transform yourself inside and out. From this day forward, you are no longer a housewife chain to a kitchen. You’ll learn about finance, about law, about everything that can make you strong. You will become someone they could never dream of reaching.”
“Step three, and this is the most important part.”
He paused a playful glint in his eye.
“At the perfect moment, I will appear in a way they never expect. and you, Ella, will be the leading lady of this spectacular show.”
Listening to his plan, my dormant heart began to beat wildly, not with fear, but with excitement. I could already picture their shocked, regretful, and desperate faces when the truth came out.
“Okay,” I nodded firmly. “I’ll do it.”
That night, Alex and I talked for hours. Like a master strategist, he laid out every step. I was to be the sharpest weapon in his arsenal, aimed directly at the enemy’s heart.
The next morning, I returned to my so-called home, looking utterly defeated. Carol opened the door. She was surprised to see me. Then she crossed her arms, her face a mask of scorn.
“What are you doing back here? Weren’t you so full of pride? Couldn’t make it on your own, so you came crawling back.”
I kept my head down.
“Mom, I was wrong,” I whispered, my voice trembling with feigned desperation. “I was just upset yesterday. Please don’t kick me out. I don’t know how I’ll survive without this family.”
I made sure I looked exhausted with dark circles under my eyes, and a vacant stare the perfect picture of a woman broken by reality. Carol, who always responded better to submission than defiance, bought it completely, seeing me so humbled, fed her ego. She looked me up and down, her expression softening slightly into one of superior pity.
“H, so you finally see sense. A little late for that.”
Though her words were harsh, she stepped aside to let me in. Mark and Lily were on the sofa eating breakfast. They were acting intimately. Lily was even wearing one of Mark’s button-down shirts, her long bare legs crossed provocatively. When he saw me, Mark frowned.
“What are you doing here again? I told you to get out.”
Lily just watched a smirk playing on her lips, enjoying the show. I ignored Mark and walked straight to Carol. Then I dropped to my knees. The move stunned everyone in the room. Mom, I grabbed her legs, tears streaming down my face. The performance was so convincing, I almost believed it myself.
“I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have talked back to you or argued with Mark. Please, just forgive me this once. I’ll do anything you say. I’ll be your servant. Just please don’t make me leave.”
Carol’s vanity was immensely satisfied. She cleared her throat and patted my head like I was a dog.
“All right. All right. Stop all this crying. It’s good that you know your place.”
She paused, glancing at Lily.
“But things are different now. You need to ask Lily if she’s willing to let you stay.”
The old witch, she wanted me to humiliate myself in front of the other woman. I bit back a cold smile and crawled on my knees over to Lily.
“Lily, no, Miss Evans,” I said, looking up at her with tearfilled eyes. “It was my fault. I was selfishly holding on to Mark. Please find it in your heart to forgive me. Ask Carol and Mark to let me stay. I can be the housekeeper. I’ll do all the work. I just need a place to stay and something to eat.”
Lily clearly hadn’t expected this. The smuggness on her face was impossible to hide. She crossed her legs, looking down at me like a queen surveying her conquest.
“Oh, Ella, what are you doing? Get up.”
She said the words but made no move to help me.
“Well, I’m not a monster. Since you’ve put it that way, I can’t just throw you out on the street.”
