"Less than a year after our wedding, she crawled into my husband's bed and forced him to take responsibility. He had no choice but to divorce me!"

"Tell me, doesn't a homewrecking slut like this deserve every drop? And the parents who raised a daughter like this, didn't they deserve exactly what they got?!"

People are quick to pick sides, even when they don't know the truth.

The women passing by started piling on immediately.

"Exactly! A grown woman could do anything with her life, but she's that desperate for a man? Why not just sell herself on the street? Shameless!"

"She always looked so quiet and innocent. I thought she was a decent person. Turns out she's rotten to the core!"

I stared at the smug expression on Kitty's face.

It hit me all at once. This was what she'd meant in her WhatsApp message. Blowing off steam.

Kitty had never liked me, because she knew I'd had feelings for Darren. After they got married, I'd kept my distance. I spent most of my time living at the shop just to avoid any appearance of impropriety. On the rare occasions we crossed paths, I called her "sis" like a good girl and never once stepped out of line. I even swallowed every passive-aggressive jab she threw my way without complaint.

But now? They'd used my feelings. Played me for a fool.

So why should I—why should my family—be the ones dragged through the mud?

For the first time, I didn't want to back down.

I raised my hand to strike, but someone seized my wrist in a crushing grip.

Darren swept a glance over the paint splattered across my body, then frowned at Kitty.

"What the hell is wrong with you now?"

There was no real bite to it. No anger. Meanwhile, his grip on my wrist was iron-tight, as though he were terrified I might actually hit someone.

Kitty pointed at me, her voice dripping with wounded innocence.

"Darren, she's the one who wrecked our marriage. She forced you to divorce me and marry her. All I did was splash a little paint to vent. That's not unreasonable, is it?"

"And then she wouldn't even admit it. She was about to hit me."

"So go ahead, tell everyone right now. Is she the other woman or not? Clear it up, so nobody thinks I'm making this up!"

The crowd murmured in agreement.

"Yeah, you're the one involved. Who's telling the truth here?"

I lifted my eyes and met Darren's gaze.

A flicker of hope stirred in my chest.

But then he spoke.

"That's a private matter. No comment."