“Look at her! She’s about to cry. This is hilarious!”
A chorus of laughter erupted, sharp and cruel, cutting through the elegant ambiance of the event hall.
Another woman stepped forward, looping her arm around Jessica’s like they were some sort of united front.
“Do you even know who this is?” she snapped, her voice filled with contempt as her eyes bore into mine. “This is Jessica—Scott’s first love. If she hadn’t left for abroad, do you honestly think you’d have stood a chance with Scott?”
She paused dramatically, relishing the moment before delivering the final blow. “Even a fool should know how to look in the mirror. What could you possibly offer to compare with Jessica?”
I felt my throat tighten and my eyes sting, but I swallowed hard, forcing the tears to stay put. I clenched my fists and held my ground, my voice trembling but steady enough.
“I have a name. My name is Nadia, not ‘fool.’” I straightened my back, meeting their sneering gazes head-on. “I’m Scott’s wife, and you can’t bully me. What you’re doing is rude!”
The words felt strange leaving my lips, almost mechanical, like reciting a lesson I’d memorized long ago. And in a way, they were—Scott had taught me those very words when we were kids.
Back then, when the other kids teased me, called me names, or pushed me around, Scott would always step in, shielding me like a tiny knight.
“You’re not a fool,” he’d say firmly. “You’re Nadia. They’re the ones being rude, not you.”
But today, when I tried to defend myself, my words only made the women laugh louder. Their laughter was cruel, echoing through the room like an oppressive cloud.
“Ha! Everyone, come look—this is Scott’s wife!”
“Oh my God, she’s as dumb as they say!”
“What was Scott even thinking? Marrying someone like her? How does he sleep at night?”
The taunts piled on, one after another until I couldn’t take it anymore. The weight of their ridicule pressed down on me like a suffocating wave.
I shot to my feet, my voice trembling with anger and desperation. “Stop it! Stop saying these things! You’re all horrible people!” I shoved them away, my hands shaking. “Why are you bullying me? I haven’t done anything to you!”
My voice rose higher, cracking under the strain. “If you don’t leave me alone, I’ll tell Scott to deal with you!”
The woman standing beside Jessica scoffed, her expression dripping with contempt.
“Ha, do you seriously think Scott would stand up for you?” she sneered.
“Everyone in town knows Scott is crazy about Jessica. He’d do anything for her.” She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a cruel whisper that cut like glass. “If Jessica hadn’t left for Europe and broken his heart, do you really think he would’ve ever listened to his grandfather and married you?”
Her words struck a nerve so deep that I lost all control. Grabbing the glass of juice in front of me, I hurled it at the floor. The sharp sound of shattering glass echoed through the room, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Go away!” I screamed, my voice raw. “Don’t talk to me, don’t crowd around me!”
Tears streamed down my face as I sobbed uncontrollably, my chest heaving with each breath.
“You’re all horrible people! Every single one of you!”
“Scott! Scott, where are you? Come save me!”
'I’m such a fool. I don’t know how to express my emotions.' The thought echoed in my mind as I sat there, my chest tightening with a familiar, overwhelming sense of helplessness. I didn’t know how to stop the spiral once it began. When anxiety crept in, wrapping itself around me like a vice, I had no idea how to handle it.
Right then, Jessica stepped forward and reached for my hand, her voice soothing, almost maternal. “Nadia, what’s wrong? Nadia?” she said softly. “Don’t cry. It’s okay, it’s okay. Everyone’s just teasing you—they don’t mean any harm.”
She crouched down slightly, trying to meet my tear-filled eyes. “It’s fine, Nadia. Don’t be scared. I’m here.”
But her comforting tone couldn’t drown out the murmurs spreading through the hall.
“Is that Scott’s wife? First time seeing her at an event, and she’s already making a scene," a woman commented.
Another one added, “You don’t know? That’s the woman Donald Kennedy forced Scott to marry. They say she had a high fever as a kid, and it left her… not quite right in the head.”
The one right behind Jessica and Nadia even remarked, “Wow, so it’s true. She really is a fool. What on earth was Grandpa thinking? Jessica seems so much better—reasonable, beautiful, kind…”
Their whispers felt like daggers, each one slicing into me, leaving me raw and exposed. But through my tears, I forced myself to look at Jessica.
At that moment, she leaned in close, her lips brushing against my ear. Her tone shifted, her voice low and dripping with venom, meant for only me to hear.
