Chapter 4
Austin remained silent for a long time before finally lifting his gaze to Courtney.
“After your accident, they sought help from every connection they could find to rescue you,” he said. “But they were scammed and lost all their savings. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop them.
“The day it happened, I was sent to Evermount on an assignment. Before leaving. I stopped by to see them. That evening, I got a call saying there was a fire at their house and they didn’t make it,” he continued.
Austin didn’t explicitly say it, but Courtney understood. Her parents, after being scammed of all their money trying to save her, had fallen into despair and taken their own lives.
Her vision darkened, and an overwhelming calmness settled over her, a strange reaction to the crushing weight of sorrow.
“Courtney!” Austin shouted as Courtney collapsed to the ground with a loud thud, slowly losing consciousness. Her parents words echoed in her mind, one after another.
“Courtney, come back early. Your dad’s making steak for dinner tonight.”
on sleeping in so
in separate rooms,”
“Courtney, can you help me talk to your mom? She’s sulking again. We’re too old for her to keep insisting on
“Courtney, sweetheart, live a good life”
She didn’t know how much time had passed before she suddenly woke up, gasping for air as her eyes darted around the room. This once–familiar home now felt terrifyingly alien.
Austin, perhaps worried about her, hadn’t taken her to a hotel. Instead, he let her stay in the guest room.
It was past midnight. From downstairs, she could hear Austin and Vera arguing.
years!” It was Vera’s voice.
“Why did you let her stay here? Do you still have feelings for her? Austin, I’m the one who’s been with you all these years!”
“Don’t deny it, Austin. You still love her, don’t your she kept going on. “You couldn’t even be bothered to change the house password” “Fine! Since you still love her, I’ll leave. I’ll take Phoebe and go back to my parents house. She doesn’t need to divorce you–I’ll do it! Now that she’s back, our marriage doesn’t matter anyway!” Vera’s voice was loud–deliberately so, Courtney realized.
Five years ago, she had thought that once she returned to Henisburg, the nightmare would end. She had believed that she still had her loving parents and Austin, who adored her.
But everything had changed.
Courtney got out of bed, the immense unfamiliarity of the house suffocating her, urging her to escape. She never imagined that one day, she and Austin would become strangers–strangers so distant it hurt.
As she stepped out of the guest room, she ran into Vera, who was holding her kid and about to leave.
Vera glared at her with unrestrained anger, her gaze filled with blame, as if accusing Courtney of not dying abroad.
“Why did you come back? We were fine as a family before you returned. Why couldn’t you just stay gone? Why didn’t you die out there?” Vera was completely unhinged, shouting at Courtney in a fit of rage.
“Veral” Perhaps overwhelmed by how harsh her words were, Austin lost control for a moment and struck Vera in front of their kid.
Vera stared at Austin in disbelief before turning and walking out the door. “You hit me… You actually hit me for her!”
The kid started crying, wailing loudly and uncontrollably Austin’s eyes were filled with a mix of pain, regret, and uncase
The commotion drew the attention of the neighbors, who came out to watch, some even pulling out their phones to record. “Vera, what’s going on! Why are you and Austin fighting?”
Back when Courtney and Austin had bought this house, it had been an off–plan property. They’d been full of anticipation, eagerly picking up the keys and renovating it together. From an empty shell to a warm home, every nail and screw had carried their love.
But now,
w, this neighborhood was unfamiliar. Five years had passed, and these neighbors were strangers to Courtney. In their eyes, this house–and
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the title of its rightful lady–belonged to Vera.
The suffocating feeling of seeing her entire life’s work and happiness replaced was overwhelming for Courtney.
“Who’s that woman! She’s not… a mistress, is she? one neighbor asked.
“Bad woman! Why did you come to my house! Why are you trying to take my daddy from my mommy? You’re a bad woman! You’re ruining my family!” cried the little girl, her voice trembling with emotion.
It was obvious that Vera had taught her to say such things. Hearing those words from a child’s mouth, the neighbors naturally assumed Courtney was a homewrecker.
“Look at her, all skin and bones. She’s nothing compared to Vera. Austin, don’t be stupid–don’t ruin your good life.”
“Exactly. A woman like this seducing a married man and destroying someone else’s family! Shameless!”
Courtney stood there, frozen in place, a mix of numbness and panic. She turned to Austin, her eyes pleading for help.
This used to be her home. She wasn’t the one destroying someone else’s family. Vera and her daughter were merely taking advantage of the fact Ut Courtney couldn’t speak to defend herself.
She desperately hoped Austin would step up, to explain, to say something–anything–in her defense.
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