He Called It For My Good I Left

Chapter 3

The fresh scab came off with a rip, taking a layer of skin with it, and blood poured down my chin.

"Take a good look!"

She seized my wrist and forced me to face the ugly photo on the fridge. "This face. You might be able to live with it, but can the Weaver family?"

Blood hit the tile, drip, drip, one drop after another.

Shaking from the pain, I looked up at Spencer.

He didn't move. He frowned, and pity flashed across his face. But he didn't say a word.

He was letting Jasmine humiliate me.

A short laugh escaped me. He had once helped me get past my insecurities, and now he was letting someone else knock me right back down.

I was about to wrench free of her grip when his phone rang. It was his mother.

"Spencer, honey, Mr. Hale's 70th birthday dinner is tomorrow night, and the whole Weaver family has to be there. As for your wife's face, you saw at the wedding how many people were whispering behind our backs. If word gets out, it'll hurt the family's reputation. But it's lucky Jasmine's back. She's so poised and well-mannered. Could you take her instead this time?"

A chill ran down my spine.

Even my mother-in-law, who had always doted on me, had started looking down on me.

I looked at Spencer. He stood there holding the phone, his gaze skittering away.

A glint of smugness crossed Jasmine's face before she plucked the phone out of his hand, her voice sweet enough to rot your teeth. "Don't worry, Mrs. Weaver. I'll be there. Whenever Spencer has an event, I'll make sure it goes smoothly."

The next day, I was dragging my suitcase around the bedroom, packing, when the TV in the living room cut to a breaking news alert.

"Jasmine Suspected of Being the Other Woman in the Weaver Marriage!"

Before I could react, reporters swarmed the front door. Camera flashes went off nonstop, and lenses were jammed in my face.

"Ms. Gibbs, there are rumors online that Dr. Monroe has been interfering in your marriage, using her role as the family's cosmetic surgeon to get close to Mr. Weaver. Is that true?"

"Weaver Group's stock plunged as soon as the market opened today. There have been rumors for a long time that you and Mr. Weaver are estranged and faking a happy marriage. Do you have any comment on your three years of marriage?"

I thought of how coldly Spencer had treated me lately, and how often he took Jasmine's side. I wanted to set the record straight.

A second later, the household staff and security guards rushed forward and hauled me into a utility room without a word. A strong hand clamped down on my arm, leaving me no room to break free.

"Carmen," Spencer said, in a tone that allowed no argument, "I'll have the PR team draft an official statement. You're going out there to set the record straight. Tell everyone the reports are false and that she's innocent. Jasmine's reputation can't take a single scratch."

Jasmine clung to his arm, sobbing.

I stared at the two of them and laughed.

Everyone online was calling her a mistress. And what he was scrambling to fix wasn't how I'd been treated. It was her reputation.

When the statement was placed in front of me, I found it laughable.

Official Statement on Recent Online Rumors.

Dr. Jasmine Monroe is a longtime friend and physician to the Weaver family. The so-called "homewrecker" allegations are completely false and defamatory.

Mrs. Carmen Gibbs is currently recovering from surgery at home. Dr. Monroe will attend the Hale family's birthday dinner on her behalf.

In black and white, every word cut like a knife.

So in their eyes, I wasn't sick. I just wasn't fit to be seen.