Chapter 2

"Chloe, I know Ethan is gone, but he promised me before he died that this house was meant for me and Prince."

Lily was cradling her Ragdoll cat, which had just given birth.

She was wearing a pair of men's slippers—the ones Ethan used to wear.

They were way too big for her, making her look desperately small and fragile.

I had just walked in from City Hall with the stamped death certificate in my hand.

Looking at this woman in her pure white dress, I almost laughed.

Last night, Ethan had sped through red lights to play vet for her cat. He rammed his car straight into a construction truck, and his body was so torn up they could barely piece him back together.

His body wasn’t even cold yet, and she was already on my doorstep demanding my house.

"Miss Zhao, if memory serves, this house is my matrimonial home," I said, kicking off my heels and staring her down.

"You’re trespassing. I can call the cops right now."

Lily flinched and took a half-step back.

The Ragdoll cat in her arms, Prince, hissed at me, baring its sharp teeth.

Right then, my mother-in-law, Eleanor, rushed out from the living room, shielding Lily behind her.

"What do you mean, call the cops? I invited Lily here," Eleanor glared at me, her eyes full of hostility.

"Ethan just passed away, and you’re already trying to kick out the person he cared about most? What kind of monster are you?"

Watching Eleanor protect Lily like a mother hen, a chill ran through my chest.

My husband had been dead for less than twenty-four hours. His own mother didn’t care about her son's death; she only cared about his mistress.

"Eleanor, Ethan was my legal husband. This house is marital property," I said calmly.

"She’s an outsider. Why is she moving in with a cat?"

Eleanor sneered, pulling Lily over to sit on the sofa.

"What marital property? Ethan paid the down payment, and his name is on the deed."

"Lily has been living in a tiny rental—it’s pitiful. And Prince just had kittens; they need a big house to run around in."

"Ethan cherished Lily and Prince more than anything. Now that he’s gone, as his mother, it's my job to take care of his family."

*His family.*

I swallowed the words, tasting the sheer irony.

I had been married to Ethan for five years. Eleanor had nagged me every single day to get pregnant, never giving me a single kind look.

Now, she was calling a mistress and a cat "her family."

Lily gently stroked the cat, her eyes welling with tears.

"Chloe, I know you hate me. But before Ethan passed away, he sent me a Snapchat audio. He said the only thing he couldn't bear to leave behind was me and Prince."

"He told me to move in. He said this house would only be a real home if I was in it."

She pulled out her phone and tapped an audio file.

Ethan’s familiar voice echoed through the living room.

"Lily, don't be scared. I'm on my way. Prince giving birth is a huge deal—how could I not be there?"

"Once things settle down, I’ll clear out the penthouse so you and Prince can move in. I won't let you suffer anymore."

Ethan’s voice in the recording was so tender it could melt.

He had never once spoken to me like that.

Whenever I was sick with a fever, he would just throw a "drink some water" at me and head out to play video games with Lily.

I looked at Lily’s pathetic yet smug face, and the disgust inside me almost boiled over.

"And?" I picked up my glass of water and took a sip.

"You think a Snapchat audio gives you the right to steal my house?"

"Who’s stealing? This was meant for Lily!" Eleanor slammed her hand on the coffee table.

"You cursed him! If you hadn't been so cold to Ethan all the time, would he have driven out in the middle of the night?"

"You killed my son! Get the hell out of here right now. This house has nothing to do with you!"

Eleanor pointed at the front door, her spit practically flying in my face.

I set my glass down, looking at the two of them playing their little roles.

I had known about Ethan and Lily for a long time. I just didn't realize they could be this shameless.

"Eleanor, even if the deed is in Ethan's name, I've been paying the mortgage."

"If you want me to leave, fine. Write me a check for the last five years of mortgage payments and renovations, and I’ll walk out right now," I said coldly.

Lily bit her lip, tears spilling over right on cue.

"Chloe, why do you have to be so aggressive? Ethan just died, and all you can talk about is money."

"Is his life worth less than a few dollars to you?"

She lifted the cat to cover her face, sobbing dramatically.

"Oh, Prince, look... this is the woman Ethan married. She has no heart."

"Poor Ethan... only we truly loved him."

Watching her cheap performance made my stomach turn.

I said nothing and just watched them put on their show.

Because I knew this was only the beginning.

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