Chapter 2 Betrayal
1023 Words
The whole house was in chaos because Dad was suddenly taken away by the police.
When I entered, I saw my usually fragile mom sitting on the couch, her face in her hands, crying.
"Oh my God, we’ve never done anything wrong! Why is this happening to us?"
"Please, get my husband back!"
She was surrounded by relatives who had come to comfort her.
Even my younger sister, Jenny seemed to understand the severity of the situation. Her eyes were red, but she fought back the tears.
She quietly comforted Mom.
"Mom, I believe God won’t let any good person suffer injustice! Dad will be back soon, I’m sure of it!"
Hearing their voices, I choked up and rushed to their side.
"Mom, Jenny... I’m sorry I’m so late..."
When Mom heard me, she suddenly looked up, and I saw the fiery anger in her eyes.
The flames were burning fiercely, as if they would burst out and consume me!
She quickly stood up, raised her arm high, and slapped my face.
It happened so fast!
I didn’t even have time to react before my face was already red and swollen!
The pain made my tears spill out instantly. I wobbled and nearly fell to the ground.
"Mom! What did I do wrong? Why are you punishing me so severely?"
Not just me, even Jenny was shocked by Mom’s actions.
"Mom! Why are you hitting Jessica? This has nothing to do with her! Why are you being so unreasonable?"
Jenny had grown up with me, and seeing me being slapped, she jumped up in a panic and tried to pull Mom away.
I looked at my sister, but I still didn’t understand what was happening.
I wanted to turn to the relatives for help, but they were glaring at me as if I were an enemy!
Their eyes made me feel a chill run through me, and my heart trembled.
Everything that had happened today had already drained me, and now I felt even more helpless and miserable.
What did I do wrong? Why is everyone treating me like this?
"Jessica, I never thought you could be such a shameless woman! You actually teamed up with Frank to send your own father to prison! You’re so heartless!"
My cousin, whom I’d only met a few times, suddenly jumped up and angrily pointed at me.
What?
When did I team up with Frank?
Even if I had a good relationship with Frank, I would never hurt my own father!
"Such a huge thing happens at home, and you didn’t even come back all night! Did you go out with that bastard? What did you do? Don’t you feel guilty?"
My second sister, Kelly followed, looking at me with disgust.
As if I were some kind of garbage.
"No... I don’t know what happened!"
I wanted to explain, but no one was willing to listen.
"Jessica! Having a daughter like you is a disgrace! If you hadn’t been foolish enough to give Frank the company’s files, how would Dad have been taken away by the police?"
Even my second uncle, who used to dote on me, joined in accusing me.
Just yesterday, I had been the one held in the family’s hands, and now, in a flash, I felt completely isolated.
My heart ached, and I wanted to scream and cry in front of everyone, but all I could do was calmly look at them, my eyes filled with disappointment.
I never imagined that when I was at my lowest, not a single relative who usually treated me well would care. Instead, all I got were unfounded accusations and insults.
Only my younger sister, Jenny, was concerned about my well-being. She tightly hugged me.
"Jessica, I know this has nothing to do with you. They’re just talking nonsense!"
For the first time, I felt a bit of comfort. No matter how hypocritical everyone else was, Jenny still chose to believe in me.
I extended my arms and hugged Jenny, gently patting her head.
Then, I glared fiercely at everyone.
"Get out! You’re not welcome in my house! I’ll handle my own affairs! Get out!"
Even the kindest person can learn to be strong in the face of adversity, learning to protect themselves and their family with a fierce exterior.
I kicked everyone out and gradually calmed myself down.
Dad was the president of a construction company, and our family was well-respected in the area.
We were once part of the upper class, living a carefree life.
But no one ever expected that Frank would transfer all the company’s funds and report Dad to the police for illegal activities.
That’s why Dad was taken away by the police, and this caused the arrest of many officials and businessmen. My father was implicated.
It’s likely he won’t be back for a while.
Even more frustrating was that after Dad was arrested, the company he had built over many years was immediately dismantled by Frank.
The businesses and connections were completely taken over by him, leaving our family with nothing but enormous debts—numbers too big for me to even fathom.
Now, even the villa we live in is about to be taken away. We are about to become homeless.
And all of this happened because of me?
I was so stupid, only focusing on Frank.
I never really thought about why he was always asking about Dad’s company.
He had been using me from the start. He never liked me!
As the realization hit me, tears flooded my eyes uncontrollably.
I hated Frank, but I also hated my powerless self. I trusted him too much, and now my once happy family was destroyed because of it!
I sat on the carpet, crying uncontrollably, when Frank stepped into my house.
In his high-end suit, his handsome face seemed even sharper under the light.
This was the man I had loved for so many years—the one who destroyed my family!
Now, seeing him, there was no trace of admiration left in my heart.
I just wanted to leap at him and ask why he did this.
- Writer
