Chapter 4

The officer walked over to me, looking me up and down. "You called?"

I nodded, shocked to realize the officer was Evelyn’s nephew.

"Yes, I did. My mother-in-law destroyed my phone, cut up my ID, and locked me out of my bank accounts..."

Before I could finish, Officer Marcus raised his hand to stop me. "You're her son's legal wife, correct?"

"Since you are, this is a domestic dispute. It’s not that I don’t want to help, but we don't interfere in family matters."

"Resolve this among yourselves. Don't waste police resources. We're leaving."

The officers turned to leave. I tried to stop them, but Evelyn grabbed my arm with a vicious grip.

"Still want to run? Let me tell you something, city girl. In a small town, it's all about connections!"

"You can scream all you want, but you can't touch a single hair on my head. Booking me? You're dreaming! Hahaha!"

Brandon sneered. "Stop fighting it, Chloe. Half the town is related to my parents."

"You have to play by our rules here, or you won't survive."

"Even if you go to the bank or the DMV tomorrow, my mom can easily block you."

"With just one phone call from her, you won't get anything done. Just listen to me. Kneel down, apologize to my mom, and we can put this behind us."

He pushed down on my shoulders, trying to force me to my knees. I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

"So you guys are the local bullies, huh? You thought you could control me because I'm alone here!"

Evelyn burst into laughter. "Exactly! What are you going to do about it?"

"Try us if you don't believe it. Let's see when you can get a new ID. Without money and documents, where can you go?"

"Earlier, a simple apology would have been enough. But now, you have to kneel and bow a hundred times before I let you back into my house!"

A hundred times? The old woman had completely lost her mind.

I stared at her, my eyes burning with rage. I wanted to tear her apart.

But HR had informed me that the termination process and house reclamation couldn't be executed until office hours tomorrow morning.

I forced down my anger. "I'll apologize, but I won't kneel."

Brandon begged his mother on my behalf, and she finally agreed.

"Fine. Since you're new to the family and don't know any better, a simple apology will do for now. But do it again, and I won't be so easy on you."

I squeezed out a half-hearted apology, and Evelyn immediately beamed with pride.

A next time? There wouldn't be a next time. Tomorrow morning, I would make this entire family pay!

When we got back to the apartment, I found not only Tiffany but also two strange men sitting in our living room.

I gasped. Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Those are Brandon's cousins. They're staying over. If you don't like it, go sleep on the couch!"

The two shirtless men slowly put on their shirts. I rushed to the bedroom drawer to check my belongings.

The drawer was empty. My wedding jewelry and the cash gifts from my parents were gone.