Chapter 4

Since she was after our family's money, I couldn't keep turning a blind eye.

I decided to go to Miranda's neighborhood and ask around.

Miranda lived in the Maplewood Estates complex on the east side of town.

An old complex where residents ran into each other constantly. Nothing stayed secret.

I went on a weekday morning and sat near the entrance for a while.

Several elderly ladies were sunbathing outside, chatting animatedly.

I struck up a conversation, saying I was Miranda's cousin.

"Miranda? She's not home. Probably out shopping again."

A woman with permed hair was very friendly. "Are you looking for her?"

"Nothing urgent. I just heard she's been doing well lately. Thought I'd come see her."

"Doing well? That's an understatement!"

A plump woman nearby jumped in. "She's been living large lately.

A while back, she bought a gold necklace—thick one too—and parades around the complex with it.

Last month she bought several new outfits. Said they were some brand name. Not cheap, anyway."

Another woman joined in:

"And that's not all. Just the other day she told me she's planning to buy three properties all at once. Said Ethan's paying for them."

My heart dropped.

Three properties?

"Her brother's that rich?" a short-haired woman asked.

"She said her brother got into a car accident and received a huge settlement, plus what he'd saved over the years. It's quite a lot."

I gripped my bag tighter, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Doesn't her sister-in-law have a say in buying properties?"

"Sister-in-law?"

The short-haired woman curled her lip, lowering her voice with a gossipy expression.

"Miranda said her sister-in-law isn't clean. She's been cheating."

My blood ran cold.

"She said her brother only has one daughter—just a worthless little girl.

The kid looks less and less like her father as she grows.

Right now she's young enough to fool people, but when she gets older, anyone with eyes will see she's not his biological child."

The woman next to her added fuel to the fire:

"That's right, that's right. Miranda also said that once her brother figures it out, he'll kick that woman out sooner or later.

Then the family assets will go to her son, and her brother won't be deceived anymore."

My nails dug into my palms.

I circled the complex again, asking several groups of people.

The convenience store owner, the vegetable seller at the market—everyone said roughly the same thing.

Miranda was spreading rumors all over that I was cheating.

That my daughter was illegitimate.

That I should leave with nothing.

That her son Leo would inherit all our family assets.

She painted me as promiscuous and my daughter as worthless.

And these rumors spread through the complex like wildfire, known by everyone.

When I walked out of the complex gates, I was so angry my legs felt weak.

I sat on a bench by the roadside for a long time, my heart pounding, my chest tight.

I'd endured for so long, given in again and again, and she just kept pushing, bullying me to death.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts to find a name—Sarah Collins, a college classmate who worked as a family law attorney at a local firm.

When she answered, I didn't bother with pleasantries.

"Sarah, I want to consult about divorce."

There was a pause on the other end.

"Are you serious?"

"I'm serious."

"Alright. Tell me the situation."

I took a deep breath and told her everything from start to finish.

After hearing it all, Sarah told me to first get clear on the property situation—insurance policies, savings, real estate—go through everything.

Regarding whether Emma was Ethan's biological child, Sarah told me the most powerful evidence would be a paternity test.