"When Amber confronted her about it, she wouldn't admit to anything. Amber was furious and said she was going to call the police. That's when Melissa panicked and shoved her. Amber's head hit the corner of the wall, and there was blood everywhere..."
Annabel's eyes rimmed red as she spoke.
"Thank God the ambulance got there in time, or else..."
Melissa immediately jumped to her own defense.
"I was just messing around with Amber! How was I supposed to know she was that fragile?"
"Besides, Mom, the house you bought her? That was Gilbert family money! Every cent the Gilberts have is going to my son eventually. What's the big deal if I borrow the house for a bit?"
Something inside me snapped.
My daughter had been the center of my world since the day she was born. She had never been treated like this. Not once.
And the false misconduct report to torpedo her career? That was the kind of thing that could destroy a person's entire future.
Melissa hadn't gotten the three million she'd demanded, so she'd set her sights on the house instead—and fabricated filthy rumors on top of it.
A cold smile cut across my face.
"Amber was right. This absolutely should go to the police."
"Breaking and entering. Defamation. That's enough for a few years behind bars."
I pulled out my phone and called Jude. "Get to the hospital. You're divorcing your wife."
Before the words had even settled, Melissa threw herself at me.
"Mom, have you lost your mind?! You'd make Jude divorce me over that little money pit?!"
"I gave the Gilbert family a son! Are you throwing me out AND abandoning Noah?!"
I held my daughter closer and stared Melissa down, my voice like ice.
"Your mother might see you as a burden, but my daughter is not one."
"And stop using that child as a bargaining chip. I'm Amber's mother first and Noah's grandmother second."
"You laid a hand on my daughter right under my nose. That's a slap to my face. I don't care if you bring your son, the Pope, or God Almighty into this—it won't save you."
Annabel shielded Amber too. "That's right! Amber is the light of Mrs. Gilbert's life. She is nobody's burden!"
Melissa whipped around and slapped Annabel across the face.
"You're the help! What gives you the right to talk about your betters?!"
Annabel clutched her cheek, too stunned to speak.
I raised my hand and slapped Melissa right back.
"Annabel has been with this family for twenty years. She watched Amber grow up. She's family—not 'the help.'"
"Melissa, you'd better watch yourself. Push me any further, and I will make your life a living hell."
Melissa pressed her palm to her cheek, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Mom, you hit me? Over a servant?!"
She yanked out her phone and made a call.
Jude hadn't even arrived yet when Melissa's parents and brother came storming in first.
Her mother marched into the emergency room, dropped herself onto the floor, slapped her thighs, and started wailing at the top of her lungs.
"My poor baby girl! How did she end up married into such a heartless family?!"
"They knocked her up before the wedding, and now that she's given them a son, they want to throw her out on the street! Is there no justice in this world?!"
Melissa played along on cue, sobbing and shoving her swollen red cheek in front of her mother for inspection.
Her brother stood off to the side, jabbing a finger in our direction.
"You Gilberts have gone too far! My sister gave you people a son, and this is how you repay her?!"
A crowd of patients and visitors had already gathered in a ring around us, whispering and pointing.
"That mother-in-law is awful. She looks so put-together, too. You'd never guess."
"Right? The girl just had a baby and they're already kicking her out. What kind of people are these?"
"I feel so bad for her! Someone should do something!"
I smiled coldly.
I'd lived long enough to know a cheap circus act when I saw one. Did they really think this kind of gutter-level theatrics would rattle me?
They wanted to paint me as the villain? Fine. I'd own the role. No point in holding back when the mud was already flying.
I walked over, grabbed Melissa by the collar, and yanked her close.
Crack. Crack. Two slaps, one from each side.
Melissa tried to fight back. Every time she did, I pinned her down again.
I hit the gym three times a week. Did they really think this old body was an easy target?
Just then, Jude arrived.
Melissa's entire demeanor shifted in an instant. The cold indifference vanished, replaced by the look of a drowning woman spotting a lifeboat. She rushed over and latched onto his arm, sobbing like her world was ending.
"Jude! You're finally here!"
"You're not going to listen to your mother and divorce me, right?!"
"If you dare go through with the divorce, I'll tell everyone our little secret! I'll drag you straight to hell with me!"
