Chapter 1

I came home early from a business trip, only to find a purple nightgown on my bed. Slinky. Sexy. Definitely not mine.

I demanded my husband give me an explanation.

Jake exploded, slapping me hard across the face. "You're questioning me? I'll kill you, you bitch!"

His parents, Robert and Judy, glared at me with disgust. "How did Jake ever marry a woman like you? Get out of our house, now!"

Stunned, my cheek burning, I stumbled away and called my parents, sobbing.

"Jake cheated! I found a purple nightgown. I'm going to find its owner and take Jake for everything !"

The line went quiet. Then, my always-doting father's voice came through, icy and final."Don't you dare dig into this. Forget the purple nightgown, or you're no longer part of this family."

I was heartbroken and utterly bewildered.

Why did the mere mention of a purple nightgown turn everyone I knew into a stranger?

Just who the hell was Jake's mistress?

A sharp, stinging heat bloomed across my cheek. Then, a wave of pure rage.

Clutching my cheek, my voice trembled with white-hot fury. "You cheat. You lie. And now you raise your hand to me?"

Jake's face was cold. "You're accusing me? Where's your proof?"

I snatched the sexy purple nightgown from the the sheets and flung it at him.

"That's my proof! I hate purple! I have never, ever worn anything like that in my life!"

Jake merely glanced at it, and his expression instantly turned furious.

"You bitch! You shouldn't have touched that!"

His body coiled, and he lunged.

The noise finally crashed through the door. Robert and Judy burst in, their faces going slack with horror at the scene.

Robert lunged forward, hauling Jake back by the shoulders. Judy threw herself between us, her body a shield in front of mine.

"Jake, what are you doing?!" Judy's voice was filled with absolute fury.

I'd been married to Jake for three years, and they had always treated me like their own daughter. The tears I'd been choking on poured out in ragged sobs.

Judy hugged me, constantly reassuring me. "Maya, don't worry. We'll make sure you get justice."

Robert also angrily declared, "You have one chance, Jake. Explain yourself. Or I will deal with you myself!"

Jake looked at me with pure disgust. "This is all her fault."

I wiped my tears, my gaze locking onto Jake's with pure hate. "You're the one who cheated! And when I caught you, you hit me!"

I picked up the purple nightgown and showed it to them.

"This is the proof. That mistress left her clothes on our bed.If my flight hadn't been moved up, I'd still be living in his lie."

Their eyes fell on the purple nightgown. And something in the air shattered.

Judy violently shoved me to the floor.

Her gentle demeanor vanished, and she pointed at me, screaming. "We must have been blind to let a scourge like you into our family!"

Robert also loomed over me, his expression cold and utterly disgusted.

"Jake, divorce Maya right now and get her out of here!"

I was completely dumbfounded.

Jake was the one who cheated, so how dare they treat me like this?

It was clear their act as loving in-laws was just that-an act. Now their true colors were showing.

My hands trembled with anger. "Fine, divorce then! I'll make sure that scum, Jake, leaves with absolutely nothing!"

Jake's expression was dismissive. "We'll see who leaves with nothing."

His parents also looked at me like I was a clown.

Embarrassed, I clenched my fists.

My phone suddenly rang. It was a FaceTime call from my mom.

My parents, David and Brenda, were known everywhere as incredibly doting parents. They had loved me fiercely since I was little.

If they knew Jake cheated and hit me, they'd be furious enough to come over and tear him apart.

"Maya, are you and Jake coming over this weekend? Mom will make your favorite steak."

My eyes welled up, and tears began to fall again.

"Mom, I'm divorcing Jake!"

The next second, my dad snatched the phone, his voice anxious and furious. "Did Jake hurt you? Don't cry, Maya! Dad will make things right!"

I choked back tears. "Jake cheated and hit me, Dad, Mom. I have to divorce him."

A sudden silence fell on the other end of the video call.

My dad's expression instantly turned cold and distant.

"No, you can't divorce Jake!"