My mother-in-law's mouth dripped with apologies, but she placed every meat dish within Lewis's reach.
Lewis, meanwhile, was glued to his phone. He thought he was being subtle, but his face practically glowed with that lovesick grin.
The moment my chopsticks reached toward the dish in front of him, she clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"Jill, dear, I've told you—we don't have much money left this year. Unlike some pampered princesses, we have to be careful with our food."
Lewis nodded beside her. "Perfect timing, actually. Weren't you just saying you wanted to lose weight?"
Rage surged through me like wildfire.
I gripped the edge of the table. Then I flipped it.
Soup and meat splattered across the Whitneys' designer clothes.
"If I can't eat, none of you will either!"
"Jill!" My mother-in-law shrieked, lunging at me. "Who raised you to be this disrespectful in your husband's home? I'll teach you a lesson today!"
I didn't hesitate. My palm cracked across her face.
"I feed this entire family. You're biting the hand that keeps you alive. One more word and I'm divorcing Lewis on the spot."
The living room went dead silent.
My mother-in-law's face cycled through shades of red and purple—quite the show.
Lewis paused, then walked over to me. "Jill, Mom hasn't been feeling well lately. She lost her temper. Don't take it personally. Whatever you want to eat, I'll have her make it fresh."
I turned and walked into the bedroom.
Divorce alone wouldn't be enough. I wanted to destroy them all.
Beth was still streaming. I watched Lewis's burner account pop up in her chat.
He dropped a hundred carnival gifts in one go.
Charged to my card.
I swallowed my fury and switched to an alt account.
[Hey streamer, your boyfriend treats you so well! You should surprise him with a secret visit~]
Lewis had already left the stream. Beth saw the message and faltered, deflecting with nervous chatter.
But I steered the chat exactly where I wanted it.
[Yeah! I bet your boyfriend misses you too.]
[Why does it seem like she doesn't want to go? Is this whole thing scripted?]
As the comments spiraled out of control, Beth gritted her teeth.
[Okay, babies~ I'll go.]
That evening, the Whitneys' doorbell rang.
Lewis went to answer it. When he saw who was standing there, he froze like he'd been struck by lightning.
My mother-in-law scrambled after him, panic written all over her face.
Beth spoke first. "Auntie! Cousin! I came to wish you a happy New Year."
Lewis recovered quickly. "Jill, this is Beth. A cousin of mine."
My stomach turned. I ignored them.
By now, Beth's comment section was blowing up—viewers demanding she go live so they could watch the romance unfold in real time.
But Beth made excuses. Bad signal. Rural area.
When I didn't acknowledge her, she must have thought her cover was solid. She plopped down right next to me.
The perfume clinging to her was unmistakable—my limited-edition bottle, the one I'd left at that apartment.
"Sister-in-law, I've heard so much about you from my cousin. Seeing you in person, though..." She tilted her head. "He always said you were beautiful, but honestly? You're kind of... ordinary."
She let out a theatrical sigh. "I guess love really is blind."
Her gaze slid to Lewis, syrupy and deliberate.
"I'm so jealous of you, sister-in-law. If I had a boyfriend like my cousin here, I'd be smiling in my sleep."
Then she pouted at Lewis, demanding he peel an orange and feed it to her.
"Don't mind me, sister-in-law. I've been clingy with him since we were kids."
Oh, I didn't mind at all.
The moment she'd walked through that door, I'd slipped my phone into my pocket.
Livestream running.
