THE REVENGE OF LADY QIN

Chapter one: I thought I had a near-perfect relationship, just me and my husband Theo. But that all changed as I came home today. I opened the door to my bedroom, and there they were, tangled up in each other, completely oblivious to my presence: Theo, my husband, and Mei, my sister. The betrayal washed over me like a tidal wave, anger bubbling up so fast I could barely breathe. “What the hell is going on here?” I yelled, my voice bouncing off the walls, as they scrambled to cover themselves. My dark hair, tied properly this morning, fell across my face in untidy waves. My blue eyes wobbled. Theo glared at me, completely unapologetic, pulling a sheet over his waist. “Do you ever knock?” he barked, as if I was the intruder in my own house. My fists clenched at my sides, and I took a shaky breath, but before I could respond, his mother, the always-ready-to-criticize Mother-in-law, appeared in the doorway. “Do I knock?” I yelled, tears threatening to fall. “What’s all this shouting about, Ava?” she asked, folding her arms, her eyes already dripping with judgment. “Ma, look…” I said, already choking with tears. Theo is in bed with my sister! How could you guys do this? My sister looked away, her brown hair covering parts of her face. Theo was just casually buckling his belt. “And so?” I turned around to my mother-in-law, seeing the expression on her face. “What?” “You're disturbing my son’s peace… How many times do I have to tell you, a husband has needs? Maybe if you weren’t so useless, he wouldn’t have to—” A bitter laugh escaped me. “Are you seriously blaming me for this?” Mei, who by now dared to sit calmly on the bed as if nothing had happened, smirked. “Honestly, Ava, you should be grateful. If it weren’t for me, Theo would have left you ages ago. I’ve kept him…satisfied. You should be thanking me, not barging in here like a maniac.” Her words sliced right through me. I felt my chest tightening, my hand raising before I even realized what I was doing, and then—smack! My palm collided with Mei’s cheek. Her eyes flashed with fury as she lunged at me, nails out, and before I knew it, we were tumbling down the short flight of stairs outside the bedroom. Pain shot through my leg as I hit the floor, sharp and unrelenting. I struggled to sit up, clutching my throbbing knee, as Mei picked herself up effortlessly, brushing a few stray hairs out of her face as if nothing had happened. Theo’s eyes flickered over me for the briefest moment, but instead of helping me, he rushed to Mei’s side. He didn’t even glance at me. Didn’t ask if I was okay. Just turned his back, leaving me on the cold, hard floor. “Unbelievable,” I whispered, blinking back the sting of tears. I reached into my bag, fingers shaking as I dialed for an ambulance. I couldn’t bring myself to look at either of them as I waited. I had been through so much in this marriage, but this—this was it. This was the moment that ripped the veil from my eyes. My perfect marriage? No, it was not perfect. At the hospital, I lay there as the nurse finished patching me up, replaying every moment that had led me here. My parents had loved Theo. They trusted him, and even let him take over Branson’s Electronic and Manufacturing Industry—BEAMI Corp. They had believed he’d take care of me, and keep me happy. Instead, he had stolen everything. My parents’ company, my inheritance, my freedom. He’d cut me off from my friends and family, keeping me under his control. When my parents died, he hadn’t even let me attend the funeral. I’d lost everything, and all I’d gotten in return was betrayal. Lies. Pain. No more. I couldn’t be this weak, naïve woman anymore. I couldn’t live like this. The decision was clear. I would leave Theo and make him pay. And if I was going to pull this off, I needed a plan, a strong one. And a lawyer.