Chapter 1The day after my mom jumped, I found my husband's second family. With my little sister.
I walked in—and there she was.
My "dead" mom, arm in arm with my three-months-pregnant sister.
Smiling. Teaching Farris how to break me:
"I just faked my death. Jensen's drowning in guilt right now."
"Use this. Bring women home. Push her till she cracks."
"Then you and Winnie can finally play happy family."
Next day? Farris had a new female assistant stuck to him like glue.
I started to speak. He shut me down, ice-cold:
"Jensen, drop the betrayed wife act."
"Last time you accused me and your sister? You dumped gas everywhere. Tried to burn us alive."
"And guess what? YOU KILLED YOUR OWN MOM."
I just done.
Stopped asking about the perfume that wasn't mine.
Stopped losing my mind over random women's underwear.
Hell, when I caught drunk Farris moaning Winnie's name?
I brought her pregnant ass home myself.
When Winnie cried that she didn't want her baby born a bastard?
I signed the divorce papers right there. Handed them over.
"Kid needs a dad. Go ahead. Make him yours."
---
Farris ripped them up.
I stared at the torn papers on the floor:
"Yeah, the split isn't fair."
"Your kid's coming soon, so how about I give you more—"
"JENSEN! ENOUGH!"
He cut me off, face going red:
"Three months ago you had a gas can, about to light us all on fire."
"Now your mom's dead and what—you're suddenly fine? Acting all mature?"
He knew Mom faked it.
Knew that on the day she "jumped," I slit my wrists too.
But he just stared at me like I was on trial:
"Jensen, think about your mom. Stop this."
Loved him so much, and this is what I got—him using my dead mom against me.
I took off my ring, voice flat:
"That's exactly why I'm done here."
I slipped the ring onto Winnie's finger.
"Jensen! That's OUR wedding ring!"
"You wore it for five years. You used to flip out if Winnie even touched it."
"Now you're just... giving it away?"
Winnie grabbed the ring, tears falling. Dropped to her knees, started hitting herself:
"My fault. I went after him, made you snap, got Mom killed. I should just die!"
She made a run for the balcony.
Farris caught her, pulled her close, voice going soft:
"Not your fault. We were wasted that night."
"Doctor's waiting. Don't do anything stupid."
Then he looked at me, eyes cold:
"Jensen, apologize to Winnie."
"It was an accident. Nobody did anything to you."
"You killed your mom. Now wanna kill your sister too?"
Even now, they were still playing me.
Guilt's so useful, isn't it?
Makes cheaters look innocent. Turns victims into villains.
I laughed, voice shaking:
"Farris, did my mom really die?"
He froze for a second:
"You know?"
I smiled, stared right at him:
"Know what?"
"That when I wanted to die with my mom, she faked it so you and Winnie could play house?"
"Or that I loved you enough to die, and you used my guilt to make me kiss your mistress's ass?"
Farris panicked for a second, then frowned:
"Jensen, quit twisting everything."
"Winnie's got my kid. I can't just bail."
"I gotta do right by her. That's all this is."
Just like that, my breakdown became a joke.
Always like this.
Even when I did nothing wrong, I was still the bad guy.
But what did I do wrong?
He slept with my sister on our dead child's anniversary.
After Mom's fake suicide, my photo gets turned into a funeral thing. Trends three days.
Company fired me. Friends ghosted me.
Went to the church to light a candle for my kid—someone spit right in my face.
Even grabbed my son's urn and smashed it. Kept yelling: "You killed your own mom? Your kid's in hell now."
I was falling apart. Called Farris twenty-seven times. He never answered.
Showed up at the hospital all bruised up, could barely walk.
There's Farris with Winnie at her prenatal checkup. Mom's right there too.
Watched him walk away. That's when I got it—
None of it mattered anymore.
I got a job overseas. Flight's in three days.
Called about the divorce. Guy sounds confused:
"You sure that's the right person?"
"Mr. Farris is married, yeah. But his wife's Winnie."
Chapter 2
I froze. Went ice cold all over.
Dropped to the floor, grabbing my head, trying to remember what happened that day.
But couldn't. The details were just... gone.
Only thing I remembered—night before, Farris gave me some milk.
Next thing I know, I'm holding a marriage certificate.
I was so happy I didn't even look at it close.
Now I see it—missing the seal.
Staring at this fake certificate that tricked me for five years, I blacked out.
If the marriage I almost died for was bullshit from the start—
Then what was all that pain? All those breakdowns?
What was the point of begging? Throwing away everything?
Was I just some joke?
My blood went cold. Then my lawyer called:
"Ms. Jensen, all those assets? Winnie's name is on everything."
"You're not getting anything in the divorce."
My nails dug into my palm. I started to say—
"That can't be right."
Then I remembered.
Mom offered to handle all the paperwork.
She knew how hard I worked when Farris was starting his company.
Pregnant, living in some basement, eating ramen for three months.
Drank till my stomach bled trying to get clients. Stayed up all night doing proposals.
Night before the wedding, Mom held a knife on Farris. Made him swear he wouldn't screw me over.
Then took all my stuff. Said she'd put my name on everything.
I believed her.
But she put Winnie's name down.
I looked at what my lawyer sent. Hands shaking.
Said thanks. Went to pay him—
All my accounts? Frozen.
I had sixteen dollars left. And twenty-eight cents.
About to call the bank when I heard Mom laughing in the other room.
She walked in with Winnie. Both smiling. Farris came in behind them with some ultrasound.
Winnie stood there between them:
"Mom, Jensen tried to push me off the balcony today."
"But her cards—isn't freezing them kinda much?"
Mom didn't even care. Just kept pouring soup for Winnie:
"She's got too much cash. That's why she's acting crazy."
"You stay safe, she gets what she needs each day."
"Plus Farris was just scared you'd have it rough when he was starting out. You two would've been together. She just got in the way."
Farris paused. Then nodded.
Gently touched Winnie's hair, told her not to worry. He'd handle it.
My nails broke skin. Blood everywhere.
It was fake. All of it, from the beginning.
The ten years I thought were happiness?
Just a con they ran so Winnie could live easy.
Winnie married Farris. Winnie owned our assets.
I couldn't breathe. Stumbled, knocked over a vase.
The crash made them look up.
Farris rushed over first. Saw my bloody hand, grabbed the first aid kit without thinking.
Saw my phone open to my bank account. His face went cold:
"Jensen, it's just a card. Seriously?"
"Once Winnie has the baby safe, I'll unfreeze it."
Loved him ten years. Never got one honest word.
I laughed. Then cried. Shoved my phone in his face:
"Farris, don't bother."
"Five years married with a fake certificate. All my money's gone."
"Your life? None of my business."
Chapter 3
Dead silence.
Farris's hand stopped mid-air.
Winnie started crying, walked over:
"I told him I'd kill myself if he didn't marry me. Mom put everything in my name to protect me."
"Jensen, it's my fault. It's all my fault."
Before I could do anything, Farris pulled Winnie behind him.
Looked at me like I might hurt her:
"You got a problem? Take it up with me. Leave her alone."
Mom slammed her hand on the table:
"Jensen, we're family. Why's this such a big deal?"
"Winnie can't make money like you. She gets the assets. So what?"
"You're the older sister. Just go earn it back."
Big deal?
I said it again. That's when I lost it.
I looked at Mom. Tears came down:
"Mom, you don't get it. Every cent you gave Winnie? I almost died for that money."
"I was twenty-five when we got married. All my blood work was bad. The ER doctors knew who I was."
"Took three years just to get pregnant with Andy. And you all made me lose him."
Two years ago, Farris said he'd leave early for my doctor's appointment.
I walked into his office. Found him with my sister on his desk.
Our wedding photo fell off. Hit the floor. Broke.
My marriage broke too. And the baby I'd been waiting eight years for.
I lost it. Grabbed a knife. Was gonna take them all down.
Mom stopped me. Cut her own hand. Made me look:
"Jensen, don't throw your life away for what they did."
Farris got down on his knees.
Said he'd never do it again. Swore on our ten years. Kept begging, eyes all red.
I said okay.
God, I'm stupid.
The day we buried Andy, they fucked again.
Right there. At my kid's grave.
Couldn't breathe. My lips wouldn't stop shaking.
"Andy's been dead two years. Why won't you let it go?"
Mom slammed the bowl down:
"Winnie's pregnancy's not going well. Some lady told her she needs good energy or whatever."
"Andy's grave is nice. We're tearing it down. Winnie needs it."
Everything in me went cold. I saw red:
"Over my dead body. You touch his grave, I'll kill you."
Winnie grabbed my hand. Holding her stomach. Eyes red:
"Jensen, just a couple months."
"Your kid's dead. Why can't you let mine be okay?"
Her nails dug in. I pushed her.
Winnie stumbled back. Hit the floor. Grabbed her stomach, screaming:
"Mom! Farris! Save my baby!"
"Jensen's trying to kill him!"
They freaked out. Before I could say anything—
Farris shoved me. Hard. I went down. Mom slapped me.
"Winnie's pregnant and you do this? You're evil!"
"Should've let you die at that hospital!"
She meant when she faked her death and I cut my wrists.
Farris didn't stop me back then. Just smiled. Cut his own wrist:
"Jensen, I don't wanna live without you either."
But now? His hands were shaking, holding Winnie.
Walked past me. Looked at my face for a second. Didn't say Mom was wrong.
That's when I knew.
He wished he'd let me die. Wished he hadn't given me the chance to hurt Winnie.
Didn't have it in me to explain anymore.
Took my last sixteen bucks. Got a cab to Andy's grave. Just wanted to get my kid and go.
But the whole place was destroyed. Andy's ashes? Gone.
Some workers there digging around:
"They blew up the grave. Took the ashes for some curse thing. Poor kid can't even rest."
"What'd they do to piss someone off that bad?"
