After Discovering My Husband's Plan to Seize My PropertyChapter 1
My husband, Chris Graham and I had just returned from a half-month business trip. As I approached our front door, I noticed a woman standing there, the faint scent of tea wafting from her. Her presence was an unexpected jolt to my senses.
"Chris, you're back?" she said with a familiarity that sent a chill down my spine.
It took me a moment to register that she was Hailey, the woman Chris had mentioned more than once, always with a certain fondness. The shock hit me hard, as if the ground beneath my feet had suddenly shifted.
"Godmother made all the dishes we used to love. Come in quickly," Hailey said, her tone as smooth as silk, pulling Chris inside with an ease that spoke of long-standing intimacy.
Inside, the house was filled with the mouthwatering aromas of home-cooked food, but the warmth I usually felt was replaced by a cold dread. My parents-in-law greeted us warmly, their faces lit up with joy. It was as if they were welcoming their own daughter home. But this was my home！
——
Chris looked at Hailey with a tenderness that was once reserved for me. Only after a few moments did he seem to remember my presence.
"Yasmine, come in quickly. What are you doing standing at the door?" he called out.
Hailey seized the moment, her expression turning triumphant as she looked down at me. "Why don't you come in? It's so hot outside. Do you want the mosquitoes to come in and bite me?"
My mother-in-law, Susan, stood by, arms crossed, her face a mask of dissatisfaction. The weight of my luggage felt unbearable, so I dropped it and marched upstairs, my heart pounding with anger and hurt. The house that once felt like a sanctuary now seemed alien, filled with strangers who had taken my place.
"What's gotten into you?" Susan's voice followed me, sharp and accusing. Chris, finally sensing my distress, hurried after me. He grabbed my arm, his touch both familiar and foreign.
"Yasmine, listen to me. Hailey is just staying for a while," he said, his voice pleading.
I whirled around to face him, my eyes blazing. "So you knew she was here all along?"
Chris's hand trembled as he held mine, guilt etched into his features. "I, I just found out too," he stammered, but his eyes betrayed him.