Watching Diego stand against me, all to protect the one who killed his own father, I felt another wave of sorrow for my father-in-law.
Forget it. Since even his own son had chosen this path, what more could I, an outsider, say?
I took a deep breath and said each word clearly, “This marriage, I will divorce no matter what.”
Diego’s anger exploded. He ripped the divorce papers into pieces and threw them into the air, gritting his teeth.
“So you’re this eager to leave me? Fine! I’ll give you what you want! But remember, even if we divorce, it will be on my terms. I’ll make sure you’re ruined, left with nothing!”
“I’ll also make my father see clearly that the daughter-in-law he cherished is nothing but a cruel woman, using her own father’s death to squeeze money through lawsuits!”
Through the falling scraps of paper, I caught the vicious, unbending look in Diego’s eyes, and the faint, almost hidden smile at the corner of Jessie’s lips.
In the end, I said nothing. I turned and walked out of the law firm.
When I returned home, I quietly began packing my luggage. Dragging my suitcase downstairs to the entrance of the residential complex, I was suddenly surrounded by a large crowd.
Each one held up a camera or phone, frantically recording me.
“Look, it’s her! She incited her elderly father to fake an accident!”
“After her father was struck and killed while scamming, she tried to use his death to extort money. When extortion failed, she went to court to cheat for compensation! She even forced a young girl fresh out of college into depression, nearly driving her to suicide several times!”
“Luckily, her husband is a righteous lawyer, helping reason, not kin, always standing for justice, protecting the innocent. Otherwise, who knows what that poor girl would have suffered under her hands!”
“And now, because her husband refuses to collude with her, she threatens him with divorce, even packed her bags to leave!”
The sharp accusations echoed without end. Through the crowd, I caught sight of Jessie and Diego’s gloating faces.
So this livestream was the method Diego chose to ruin me?
The effect was instant. Reporters at the scene shouted accusations, while insults flooded through major livestream rooms.
“Damn, this woman’s real trash, selling her own father’s life for money!”
“With a daughter like her, no wonder the old man didn’t live long.”
“Her dad wasn’t good either, why else would he scam? Serves him right to die!”
Public opinion spread like fire. In no time, my photo shot to the top of trending searches across the internet.
“Beast daughter,” “plague,” “scammer dog”, all kinds of labels stuck to me, becoming the name people knew me by.
With the livestream hosts stirring things up, the crowd on the street turned restless, throwing eggs and rotten vegetables at me.
Stepping over the trash at my feet, I pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of Diego.
“Diego, must you really push things this far?”
His brows drew together, but before he could speak, Jessie, her eyes full of tears, spoke first.
“Aurora, even though your father has passed, these days haven’t been easy for me either! I beg you, please let me go, stop holding on to me!”
A trace of pity flashed in Diego’s eyes, but when he looked at me, his voice turned cold.
“Aurora, all of this, you brought it on yourself. Your father died in that car accident because he was scamming. You shouldn’t keep suing and making life hard for Jessie.”
“Jessie’s new car was wrecked by your father. She’s already kind enough not to demand you pay for the repairs, yet you keep pressing on without end. With such a cruel daughter, no wonder your father died early!”
The moment Diego’s words fell, my father suddenly stepped out from the crowd and looked straight at him.
“Who died?”
