“Exactly! These kinds of people ruin lives for money!” someone yelled.

“Even if that scammer’s already dead, her family’s still here! They should pay for what she did!” another one shouted.

“They all deserve to rot in jail!”

The air was hot and ugly, filled with the smell of sweat, phones raised high to catch every second of my humiliation.

And right in the middle of it? Victor.

He stood there, calm and proud, soaking in every camera flash like it was applause. That twisted little smile on his face said everything. This wasn’t justice for him. It was a show. His show.

I’d seen him win cases before, but never like this. Never with this much hunger in his eyes. It wasn’t about the truth anymore.... it was about Ivy, about proving he was her hero. He’d forgotten why he became a lawyer. Forgotten what it meant to fight for what’s right.

He just wanted me gone. And he wanted the woman he loved to look innocent.

Beside me, my grandma’s face turned pale. Her hands trembled as she grabbed his sleeve. “Victor,” she said, voice shaking, “how can you talk like that? You’re lying. You know what really happened. You think your grandmother would be proud if she saw this?”

He yanked his arm away. “Don’t you dare use my mother to guilt-trip me!” he snapped. “She’s not here, and even if she was, she’d understand the truth. So stop defending Marielle. You’re only embarrassing yourself.”

My grandma flinched, her hand falling back to her side.

He looked at me then, chin high, voice booming for the crowd. “I’m divorcing Marielle. I’m done with her lies, her drama, her obsession with dragging innocent people down. I’m a lawyer and I stand for fairness and truth. The truth is, she refuses to move on because she wants money and attention. She’s been milking someone's death for sympathy long enough.”

He looked so sure, so self-righteous, that the crowd began clapping.

I stared at him for a long moment, my heart slowly breaking apart.

“Victor,” I said softly, “are you really okay with destroying a dead woman’s name just to protect the one who killed her?”

His eyes flashed cold. “I’m not destroying anyone,” he said. “I’m telling the truth. Something you clearly have no concept of.”

I nodded slowly. “Then keep telling your version of it,” I whispered. “I just hope one day you won’t regret what you said today.”

He gave a short, bitter laugh. “Regret? You think I’ll regret standing up for justice? You’re delusional, Marielle. The only ones who’ll regret anything are people like you... people who lie, who cheat, who manipulate sympathy to get money.”

He turned back to the cameras and jabbed a finger at me. “You all see her? She’s still trying to twist the story, make herself look like the victim. This—” he pointed to me like I was dirt “—is exactly what’s wrong with this world. No guilt. No shame. Just crocodile tears.”

The crowd murmured, agreeing, some even shouting things like, “You tell her, attorney!” and “Expose her!”

And then, right on cue, Ivy stepped forward with perfect timing, eyes red and watery. Her voice cracked just enough to sound real.

“Marielle,” she said softly, “you’ve always hated me. But I never imagined you’d go this far. You act like I killed someone on purpose.” She sniffled, letting her lips tremble. “But maybe… maybe you planned this all along, didn’t you? You and that two woman? You two set it up, but something went wrong, and they ended up dead. Is that it?”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Even the livestreamers stopped talking for a beat.

Then she turned toward the cameras and said, “That must be why she’s been obsessed with me—why she won’t stop harassing me. Because she’s afraid the truth will come out.”

It was like she’d dropped a bomb.

Someone in the back shouted, “Yeah, that makes sense!”

Another one added, “She must’ve been part of it! Why else defend them?”

And just like that, the rumor became truth. The crowd’s anger reignited, louder than before, spinning faster, crueler.

Anna grabbed my arm and yelled over the noise, “Marielle! Don’t listen to them! You didn’t do anything wrong!” Her eyes were filled with tears and rage. “Victor, how can you let her say that? How can you just stand there while they tear your wife apart?!”

Victor didn’t even look at her.

Ivy pressed herself closer to him, whispering something I couldn’t hear. He nodded like she was the only voice that mattered.

I looked at the man I once trusted with everything: the man who’d sworn he’d protect me no matter what and realized he’d already buried me alive with his lies.

And this time, no one was coming to save me.

The next few minutes felt like hell.

The crowd kept chanting, throwing things. Rotten vegetables, eggs, even empty bottles. Some of them laughed when one hit my shoulder. My ears were ringing, and for a second, I couldn’t even tell if it was from fear or from the noise.

Then Anna screamed.

“Grandma!”

I turned just in time to see her stumble. Grandma’s hand went to her chest, her face turning white. Her knees buckled, and she fell hard onto the sidewalk.

Everything around me stopped moving for one terrible second.

“Grandma!” Anna shouted again, running to her. I dropped to my knees beside them, my heart pounding so loud it drowned out the crowd.

“Grandma, can you hear me?” I said, shaking her arm. She didn’t answer. Her lips were turning blue.

No one came to help. They just kept recording, their phones pointed at us like we were entertainment.

My hands were shaking so bad I could barely pull out my phone.

“Please, please,” I cried into the receiver. “She’s not breathing. Please send an ambulance, please! She’s not breathing!”

Anna was sobbing beside me, covering Grandma with her jacket, whispering through tears, “Please wake up, please wake up…”

Someone from the crowd laughed.

“Look at her acting again!” a man yelled. “Her whole family’s full of scammers!”

“Yeah, cry for the camera, lady!” another shouted.

I ignored them and pressed down on Grandma’s chest, counting under my breath, praying she’d gasp, move, anything.

“Come on, Grandma, stay with me,” I whispered, my tears falling on her shirt. “Please… please don’t leave me too.”

Behind us, I heard Victor’s voice. Calm. Cold. Almost bored.

“That’s enough for today,” he said. “She has no face left anyway. Let her save her pathetic grandma.”

Ivy tugged on his sleeve like she always did, her fake voice soft and innocent. “Victor, are you sure you should just let her go like that? After all the trouble she caused?”

He didn’t even blink. “We’re done here,” he said, wrapping his arm around her. Then they walked away like royalty, the crowd parting for them, cameras following like they were the heroes walking off the stage.

When the ambulance finally arrived, the sirens were the only sound that didn’t feel cruel. Paramedics pushed through the people shouting for space. I helped lift Grandma onto the stretcher, my clothes sticky with eggs and dirt.

Anna clung to my arm, crying so hard she could barely breathe. “Marielle, she’s gonna be okay, right? Tell me she’ll be okay.”

I couldn’t answer. I just nodded even though I didn’t believe it.

Behind us, the crowd was still talking, still streaming. “Serves her right,” one woman said. “Karma’s fast.”

We climbed into the ambulance, the doors slamming shut, cutting off the noise but not the ache.

In the hospital hallway, I sat there. My hair stuck to my face. My body felt cold, but my mind was still burning. Every insult from that crowd replayed in my head like a loop I couldn’t stop.

A nurse came out after what felt like forever. “She’s stable for now,” she said softly. “But she had a major heart attack. We’ll need to monitor her closely.”

I nodded and whispered, “Thank you,” but my voice barely came out.

....

That night, I sat beside Grandma’s bed. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow, the heart monitor beeping slow and steady.

I took her hand and whispered, “I’ll fix this, Grandma. I’ll make them pay. I’ll prove it was them.”

My phone buzzed on the table. My name was still trending. Still being cursed.

I opened the screen. Hateful comments. Fake stories. Videos of me crying edited with dramatic music and lies.

[Scammer wife caught pretending again!]

[She even used her grandma now!]

[What kind of monster is she?]

My throat burned. I wanted to throw the phone, but I didn’t. I just stared at it until the tears blurred the words.

Then I whispered, voice trembling but sharp, “They wanted to bury me alive. Fine. Let’s see who ends up buried first.”

Right then, my phone rang.

I looked at the name.

Gideon.

My ex. The man I once loved for four years before I married Victor.

I stared at the screen for a long time before answering.

“Marielle,” his voice came through, calm but serious. “I saw everything.”

I swallowed hard. “Then you know,” I whispered.

“I know,” he said quietly. “And I’m coming.”

That night, it felt endless. I didn’t sleep. I just sat there by Grandma’s bed, watching her chest rise and fall, counting each breath like it could be her last.

Anna woke up early for school. She didn’t even finish her breakfast. She looked at me with red eyes.

“Marielle, I’m going to school now,” she said softly. “I don’t really want to, but I have an exam today. If anyone bothers you again… please, call the police this time.”

I tried to smile at her. “I will. Go now. Take care, Anna.”

When she left, the room went quiet again. The smell of the hospital hung in the air; antiseptic, sadness, and something that felt like grief soaked into my clothes.

An hour later, the door opened.

For a second, I thought it was Gideon. My heart jumped. But no. It was Victor. And right behind him, Ivy.

Both of them looked fresh, glowing, dressed like they just came from a morning jog.

Victor walked straight to the table and threw an envelope down. It hit the wood with a loud slap.

“It’s done,” he said coldly. “I already signed. You won’t get a cent from me.”

I looked at the papers, then at him. “Fine,” I said. “I don’t want your money anyway.”

He scoffed, crossing his arms. “Oh please. Of course you do. That’s all you’ve ever wanted. You’ve been using my name, my money, my reputation. Even dragging Ivy through the mud just for attention.”

I swallowed hard but didn’t reply. I just picked up the pen, signed my name, and pushed the papers back toward him. My hand didn’t even shake.

“There,” I said. “Now you can go play happy couple in peace.”

Ivy stepped forward, putting on her usual soft, trembling voice. “Marielle, I’m… I’m so sorry. I didn’t want things to end like this. I never wanted your grandma to get hurt. Please believe me.”

I stared at her for a moment. Then I let out a small laugh. It sounded cracked and dry.

“You’re good, Ivy. You should’ve been an actress.”

Her eyes glistened. “I mean it, Marielle. I really do.”

“Then cry somewhere else,” I said. “I don’t need your fake pity.”

Victor moved between us and put his arm around her waist. I couldn’t stop staring at that hand. The same hand that once swore to protect me, now holding her like I was the stranger.

He glared at me. “That’s enough. Don’t waste your tears on her.”

I took a deep breath. “Get out, Victor. From now on, there’s nothing left between us. I’ll just remember you as someone who died a long time ago.”

His expression turned dark. Without a word, he pulled out his wallet, grabbed some cash, and threw it at my face.

“Take it,” he said. “That’s all you’re worth.”

The bills scattered across the floor. They fluttered down around my feet like trash. I didn’t even look up. I just listened to their footsteps as they walked out, closing the door behind them.

The silence that followed was worse than their words.

I knelt slowly, picked up the bills one by one, and smoothed them flat. My hands didn’t shake. I gathered every single piece, slipped them back into the envelope, and sealed it shut.

Then I called a delivery rider. My voice didn’t break once.

“Please send this to Victor’s firm,” I said. “He forgot something disgusting here.”

And when the rider asked what it was, I just said quietly, “His soul.”

.....

Victor’S POV

The hospital parking lot was still wet from last night’s rain when we stepped out. I was about to open the car door for Ivy when she suddenly went pale.

“Ivy?” I said, frowning.

She didn’t answer. She clutched her stomach, turned aside, and threw up all over the concrete.

“Hey, hey, easy,” I said, catching her before she fell. Her skin felt cold, her body trembling. My heart jumped to my throat.

Without thinking, I scooped her up. She was so light, fragile like she’d break if I didn’t hold tight enough. I ran back inside, shouting for help.

“Doctor! Somebody help! She’s sick!”

A nurse led us to a small room. The doctor came in, calm like he’d seen this a thousand times. He checked her pulse, asked her a few questions, and then did a quick ultrasound.

The screen flickered. He smiled faintly and looked at me.

“Sir,” he said, “your wife is pregnant.”

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. The words hit me harder than anything I’d ever heard. Pregnant.

I felt something burst open inside me. Relief, joy, shock? it all came at once.

Ivy stared at the doctor, her face blank with disbelief. “Wait, I’m not his wife,” she whispered. “I’m not—”

I stopped her, pressing her hand against my chest. “You will be,” I said. “Soon. You’re carrying my child, Ivy. Do you understand what that means? I’ve wanted this for years. You gave me a miracle.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Victor, what if Marielle fights back? What if she ruins everything again? I don’t want to end up in jail. I’m scared. I’m really scared.”

I cupped her face, forcing her to look at me. “Listen to me. No one is touching you or this baby. I’ll protect you. I don’t care what it costs. I’ll talk to Grandma and Wendy. They’ll be happy for us. You’ll see.”

I pulled out my phone and called Grandma first. It rang and rang. No answer.

“That’s weird,” I muttered. “She always picks up.”

Ivy rubbed my arm gently. “Maybe she’s just resting. She’s been through a lot too.”

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “Maybe she’s busy in her greenhouse. You know how she gets when she’s tending her flowers.”

Then I called Wendy. Same thing. No answer.

For a second, I felt a strange chill.