Half a month later, Eugene came home from a work dinner one night, drunk, fumbling with his shoes.
I took his suit jacket from him, and the moment I did, I saw it—a faint pink lipstick mark on the inside of his shirt collar.
I knew that shade too well.
In my last life, Margot had used this exact lipstick to leave her marks on Eugene, letting me find them on purpose, stirring up my emotions one step at a time until everyone was convinced I was a paranoid, jealous wife.
I stood in the entryway holding the shirt, waiting for him to sober up.
Eugene took a sip of water, looked up, saw the shirt in my hands, and his face changed in an instant.
"What are you doing with my shirt?"
"This lipstick mark. Whose is it?" I held the shirt up, my voice calm.
His eyes darted away. He tugged at his collar and lied without missing a beat. "Probably some female client brushed against me at the dinner tonight. An accident."
"Can you stop being so paranoid?"
I smiled at him, mocking. "What female client leaves lipstick on the inside of your collar?"
"Eugene, when you lie, could you at least put some effort into it?"
That set him off. "Can you stop making a scene over nothing?"
Rosamond naturally took his side, laying into me, scolding me for being suspicious.
Right then, the doorbell rang.
Margot stood outside, a soup thermos in her hand, her makeup flawless, nothing like the shabby, worn-down girl she'd played before.
"Auntie, Eugene, Jasmine." She stepped in timidly and set the thermos on the table. "My mom's surgery went really well, so I made some black chicken soup and came to thank you all…"
As she spoke, her eyes flicked, seemingly by accident, to the shirt in my hands, and she immediately lowered her head, her voice going smaller. "I'm sorry. Did I come at a bad time?"
"Were you two fighting? This is all my fault…"
"What does it have to do with you!" Rosamond grabbed her hand at once, aching with sympathy. "Some people are just petty and love stirring up trouble over nothing!"
"Margot, don't take it to heart. Come, sit."
Margot's eyes reddened instantly. "Jasmine, please don't misunderstand Eugene."
"This afternoon I ran into him downstairs at the company and told him how my mom's follow-up went. Maybe I brushed against him then without meaning to."
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have stood so close…"
Rosamond shot me a hard glare and said in that snide tone of hers, "See? See? I told you it was a misunderstanding!"
"You just had to twist it into something ugly. Why do you have to be so small-minded?"
Eugene let out a breath too, and said to me impatiently, "Hear that? It was an accident."
"Jasmine, chasing shadows every single day. Is it fun for you?"
I watched the three of them play off each other, like watching a cheap little farce.
I looked at Margot with a cold smile. "Your mom just had major surgery. Instead of staying at the hospital with her, why are you off finding my husband every day?"
"Dressed up like that, too. Who knows what you're really after?"
Margot's face filled with wounded outrage. "Jasmine, how can you say that about me?"
"I just wanted to thank Eugene in person. He's the one who found me the best doctor. I can't even repay him enough, how could I have any other intentions…"
I gave a cold snort. "Gratitude that lands on his collar? Gratitude that arranges a chance meeting every single day?"
"Margot, you take my money to pay for treatment, then turn right around and go after my husband. Do you have any shame left?"
"I didn't!" She shook her head, sobbing, covering her face, her shoulders heaving violently. "Jasmine, if you hate me, I'll just leave, but you can't slander me like this!"
"I'm a girl from the countryside. My good name matters more to me than my life…"
Eugene pulled Margot behind him, his face livid, and shouted at me, "Have you had enough?"
"Look at the state she's in, and you're still going after her for no reason at all!"
"I think you're just jealous. You can't stand to see anyone else do well!"
Rosamond chimed right in, shrill. "For our family to end up with a daughter-in-law as small-minded as you, we must have terrible luck going back generations!"
"You can't even find room in your heart for a girl as pitiful as Margot. Are you even human?"
Three mouths turned on me, every word an accusation, as if I were the one who'd done something wrong.
I said flatly, "Fine. I'm jealous. I can't stand anyone."
"So I'll ask Miss Henson not to set foot in my home again, and not to seek out my husband on her own."
"After all, avoiding the appearance of impropriety—surely Miss Henson understands that much?"
Margot nodded through her tears, her voice choked. "I understand, Jasmine. I won't come again."
"I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
And with that, she covered her face and ran out crying.
Eugene shot me a vicious glare and chased after her.
Rosamond stormed into the kitchen, slamming things around, cursing under her breath the whole way.
I stood alone in the empty living room, took out my phone, and pressed stop on the recording.
