The taxi slowed to a stop, and Remi’s heart clenched the moment she looked out the window. There it was — the old house she never thought she’d never return to. The same house her late grandmother had left her before her death, insisting it would one day mean more than Remi could imagine.

Back then, she’d thought it was just a sentimental gift — a relic of a past she was too eager to escape. She had moved on, fallen in love, built a life with Lacy, and believed she’d never have to look back.

But now, standing at the gate with her suitcase in hand and her heart in pieces, the quiet creak of the wind through the trees felt like her grandmother whispering, “I told you so.”

The air carried the faint scent of lilacs from the garden — her grandmother’s favorite. It wrapped around her like an embrace, tender and familiar. For the first time in years, Remi felt something close to peace. Maybe her grandmother had known all along that one day, when the world turned its back on her, this house would be waiting — to remind her who she truly was.

Remi pushed open the rusted gate, its hinges groaning in protest — as if even the house itself hadn’t expected her return. Her heels crunched softly against the gravel as she walked up the path, her chest tightening with every step. The porch light flickered when she tried the switch, casting a faint glow over the familiar front door.

The key still fit perfectly.

The moment she stepped inside, the air greeted her like a sigh from the past — warm dust, old books, and faint traces of lavender soap. Everything was just as she remembered. The floral curtains her grandmother had sewn by hand. The tiny ceramic angels lined neatly across the mantel. The rocking chair that still faced the window, waiting for someone who would never sit there again.

Remi set her bag down and let her fingers trail across the wooden furniture. It’s been years, she thought, a lump forming in her throat. She had been so eager to run toward love, toward a life she thought was better than this quiet, simple place. Yet somehow, this old house still felt more like home than anything she had built with Lacy.

Her eyes drifted to the framed photo on the wall — her younger self smiling beside her grandmother. The memory hit her hard. That was the year she’d promised to chase her dreams. The year her grandmother had told her, “Never let anyone make you small, Remi.”

She sank onto the worn couch, her heart aching with equal parts grief and gratitude. This house, untouched by betrayal or lies, stood as proof that she had once belonged somewhere safe — and maybe, she could again.

Everything was dusty in the house because she had been gone for so long. It wasn't easy to restore it back to neat and tidy, but she did in the end.

The sun had already set by the time she was done cleaning. Then she ordered takeout.

That night, she went to bed without anybody calling her.

*****

Lacy came back late in the night. He saw Ian curled up on the couch with tears on his cheeks. He looked like he was angry and heartbroken at the same time.

"Ian, why are you still awake by now?"

‘Ian should have asleep out by now. What in the world is Remi thinking? Letting our child still awake up this late? She has gone too far’ Lacy thought.

Ian looked up at Lacy, and tears were about to fall. He jumped into Lacy’s arms. "Daddy, mummy said i was not her son at school, and now no one wants to talk to me. People are calling me an ungrateful little twerp!"

Lacy’s heart broke. He gently message Ian’s hair and calm him down. "Don't worry. On Monday, your mom will take you to school and clean up this mess.”

"Really?" Ian asked.

Lacy’s nod made Ian calm down a little bit.

Lacy looked around after putting Ian to bed. Why was everywhere quiet? He usually meet Remi watching movie each time he came back, but why wasn’t she watching movie as usual. Something was off.

"Remi. Remi.” He yelled.

Evie walked out of the kitchen with some warm milk, shuffling. "Mr. Web, Mrs. Web is on a business trip."

"On a business trip? Since when?” Lacy frowned. He didn’t send Remi on a business trip, so which business trip did she go to?

He pulled out his phone from his suit pocket and called Remi. It kept ringing until he was about to lose it. At last, she answered. "Yes?"

Her voice sounded tired. It was clear that she had been sleeping. Lacy was furious.

‘Letting their son stay all alone, what kind of mother was she?’

"Where the hell are you, Remi?" Lacy yelled.

The line became dead silent for a while , and then Remi started laughing. "Why? Are you missing me all of a sudden?”

"This is the last time I’ll ask you, where did you go to? If I remember correctly, I didn’t send you on a business trip, so what nonsense trip did you say you were going?”

Remi laughed and said. "Hang up if you don't have anything better to tell me."

"On Monday, you’ll be taking Ian to school. And tell the teachers you made a mistake by telling them Ian wasn’t your son.”

"That will be the last thing I’ll do. So all of a sudden, you want me to act like his mother? When he said he wanted Bernice as his new mom, didn’t you agree? Since I’m such a devil and Bernice an angel, I’ve already grant him his wish to make her his mother."

“Remi, shut the fv*k up. You’re only acting this way because Ian chose Bernice to come to the school competition instead of you. You know Bernice isn’t okay, she explained that being around kids helps her recover faster. Have you ever asked yourself why Ian chose Bernie over you? He….”

Remi felt a tickling in her nose and used a tissue to get rid of it. Even though she wasn’t used to Lacy’s harsh remarks, they still hurt like a bee, bringing back that old ache in her heart. Her voice broke, and a twisted smile spread across her face. "Lacy, I never knew you were so good at blaming others. Your mom made it such that Ian and I don't get along. If Bernice recovers or not is none of my business as long as she’s still having an affair with you and stealing my son from me.”

"Shut up.” Lacy yelled angrily.

"You also shut the fv*k up.” Remi yelled back at him. “Also before I forgot, I left a very important document with Evie, get it from her and make sure to sign it. Don’t ever call me except to tell me you already signed it.”

Bip. Bip. Bip.

She ended the call without waiting for his response.

Lacy gulped down hard and looked at Evie. "Did Remi gave you any documents to give me?”

After a moment, Evie’s brain clicked. She put the steaming milk down, went to her room and brought back a brown envelope.

"Mrs. Web said it was very important and you sign it. Here sir.” Evie said and handed the envelope to Lacy.

When Lacy took it, he suddenly remembered Remi trying to give him something before. What could it be?..

He opened the envelope, read through the content of the file, and his face went dark.

Divorce papers? Remi was asking for a Divorce.

Seeing Lacy's sudden expression after reading, Evie wondered what was on the documents.

Lacy read more and found out that Remi was giving up on custody of Ian. His face turned ghostly white with rage, and he ground his teeth. "Well done, Remi. You're amazing!"

.....

The next day was Saturday. Remi was attempting to get some extra sleep when her phone started ringing and texting like crazy, disturbing all her pleasant dreams. It was Mason calling.

"Ms. Puth, we need you to come to the office right away!" Mason said.

"Hey man, it's the weekend. A holiday, for crying out loud! This may wait till Monday unless someone dies."

"No ma'am! This is a real mess. If we don't fix it right away, you could go to jail!"

Remi sat on the bed immediately with sleep leaving her eyes. Mason was typically very calm. Even if aliens came, he wouldn't worry. So this had to be an important thing.

"Okay, i'm coming." Remi grabbed her things and jumped into a cab straight to Web Group.

Mason was performing the anxious shuffle at the door. The knot in his stomach finally came loose when he saw Remi.

"What's going on?" Remi inquired, getting right to the subject.

Mason rubbed his head. "Hey, remember that supplier at Barry Mall? They filed a complaint saying you took bribes and gave them bad materials. The project manager is in Mr. Web office right now. They're thinking about calling the police." Mason told her everything on the way up.

When Remi heard the claims, her eyes widen in disbelief. "No way! I've never taken a single cent."

"Ms. Puth, that's not going to work. They have proof. No one else will buy it, even if Mr. Web and I ride for you. Don't worry, you'll see soon enough." Mason looked quite serious as they walked inside Lacy's office.

The man who bought the goods and project manager were giving each other dirty looks inside. Lacy was sitting in his chair with a blank look on his face. The air was thick with tension.

"That's her right there! She wanted a five-percent kickback, or she'd cancel my supply contract." The man was furious, and his eyes were flaming with rage as he pointed at Remi.

The middle-aged project manager gave Remi a death gaze and asked the supplier, "Are you sure it's her?"

"Yes, I can recognize her from afar too." the mam pouted, turning up the heat.

These guys had their narrative down pat, which made Remi look very suspicious. With construction going on and materials already on site, problems with the foundation may cause the structure to fail the inspection and put the whole place at risk of falling down. Everyone was going to get in trouble if that went wrong, even Lacy.

Lacy kept his poker face as he looked Remi over. She felt like a stranger now, even though it had only been a day.

"Mr. Web, I didn't do it." Remi looked Lacy in the eye and didn't move.

The man lost it and pointed a finger at her. "Bullshit! You want to blame me for all of this? I never agreed to this! You made me sign off on it with all those promises. Now the project manager has the goods, and you're trying to get out? No way!" He pulled out his phone and put it in Lacy's face. "Here are the transfer receipts, Mr. Web."

Lacy looked at the records, and his expression turned dark like a storm cloud. "Remi, what's going on with you?"

Remi bit her lip and looked at the TV. The account details were hers, but she didn't recall getting the money. Suddenly, she realized something.

She tilted her head and smiled. "Very smooth, Mr. Web. Do you want to pin a crime on me before I leave?"

Lacy's face contorted, and his eyes became sharp with heat. In a split second, those exquisite features become horribly ugly.

"You think I'm behind this? Unbelievable. Can't clear your name? Then let's do things by the book," Lacy responded, raising his hand.

Mason, who was standing close, speed-dialed someone. A few minutes later, two police officers came in.

One of the officer came up to Remi. "Ms. Puth, we need to talk to you about financial crimes. Please come with us."

Remi was going to lose it. 'So that's how Lacy plans to keep me from leaving him: by framing me for fraud. This might ruin my career. Or worst, send me to jail. I have a great husband indeed'

"Seven years of pretending you care, Lacy, and I'm just seeing the real you now." Remi yelled, turning around to follow the cops.

Lacy's fists turned white-knuckled under the desk as he watched her leave. He turned to the man who bought the goods, his voice cold. "You sure Remi asked for kickbacks? She makes millions a year. Why would she risk it all for that little bit of money?"

The mam was stiff and started to sweat. He couldn't look Lacy in the eye and kept stumbling over his words.

The project manager dived in to protect himself. "Mr. Web, I understand. You don't want to believe Ms. Puth is unclean. I felt the same way at first. But really, that makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, she's an orphan who didn't have anything. When people like that see money..."

Lacy's gaze turned deadly. "Orphan?"

"Nothing? " The project manager quickly realized he'd made a mistake and said, "That's not what I meant! But we have receipts, Ms. Puth is guilty. Mr. Web, you need to consider about the other workers..."

The coldness around Lacy became stronger, and he smiled dangerously. "Oh, thanks for the heads-up. Of course I will. The person who is messing up will have to pay the price."

Then he waved them away with a flick of his wrist for them to leave, but Mason stayed, looking very bewildered.

"Mr. Web... Ms. Puth would never stoop that low for a little money. That doesn't make sense. Like, who would have thought that the wife of the president of the Web Group would be dumb enough to get caught? over a bad bribe? Please rethink. Someone clearly went all out to get her put in jail."

Lacy leaned back. "I know. But she's been too self-centered recently. This is just a wake-up call for her. She hasn't had to work hard enough to forget her place. Is she trying to trick her way into getting what she wants? I'll show her what happens when I don't protect her."

"But Mr. Web. She..."

"Get lost now." Lacy yelled.

Mason had no option but to walk away.

A headline shot to the top of the trending list hours later. [Remi Puth, the Web Group's business development manager, is in a scandal about financial crime]

The Web Group was trending for all the wrong reasons in only one afternoon. Mason's stomach was in knots as he watched the narrative go from bad to worse. His phone was ringing off the hook with calls from different companies. He ran inside Lacy's office like his butt was on fire.

Lacy hardly looked up from the files in front of him, and his voice was calm. "What's got you all worked up? Is Remi still in jail, or did she find a means to get out?"

Mason pushed his phone into Lacy's face. "Ms. Puth's arrest is all over the news! Now everyone is doubting every project she ever worked on."

Lacy scowled, which was an obvious sign that he was upset. "What's Remi up to? Is she attempting to get back at us?"

Mason shook his head. "Mr. Web, the police got her. The police are probably still questioning her. She can't plan this kind of thing."

Lacy's face relaxed. "That makes sense. She doesn't have the guts either. I helped her get to where she is now. What is her status? If she's not behind this trending mess, I guess she still cares about her job. That divorce? Just a trick."

Mason couldn't believe how calm Lacy was even though things were getting worse. He pushed on with anxiety. "Mr. Web, people are asking us to look into everything Ms. Puth has done. We're getting a lot of pre-sale returns, and it will cost us a lot of money to have another inspection."

Lacy didn't care. "Don't be afraid if you have nothing to hide. If this little drama has you racing in here and screaming like a chicken with its head cut off, you might want to think about this job again."

Mason stopped talking right away. 'I wonder whether Mr. Web is just doing what he's doing with Remi out of pure spite. Years of being forced to marry, and he loves making her life miserable.' He thought.

"Got it, Mr. Web. I'll tell the PR to get ready for the investigation."

Lacy's face went dark just as Mason was about to take his phone from him. Mason had clicked on a livestream by mistake.

Remi was leaving the police station, and reporters were crowding around her like vultures. She had a calm smile on her face that made her look like she didn't nothing wrong. A towering person next to her was acting as a bodyguard, obscuring cameras on all sides. They were talking in low voices.

Lacy's cheeks became red as soon as he saw the guy. It was Finn Garvey, the person he had the most trouble with in business. His business rival for years now. The live conversation from

people watching was going completely crazy.

[Hey, look at this! Word is that Remi is free to walk because Finn Garvey pulled some strings]

[For real! He gave her lawyer some game-changing proof! He's a hero]

"Wait, isn't Web Group's business development manager already married? Where is her man? Wait a minute... is Finn her husband? Seeing the way he even got her out quick, I wouldn't be surprised if he's her husband." Someone said amongst the crowd.

"Stop with the cap. Finn has been single for a long time. Remi has a husband."

"Then who is Mr. Garvey to Ms. Puth?" Another person asked.

Lacy's eyes went killing mode when he saw Remi and Finn get intimate on live. 'She is definitely attempting to get me upset, just like when she talked about the divorce.' He thought.

"Could Mr. Garvey be her secret lover and now been exposed?"

Finn turned and smacked the camera with his arrogant grin, as if he could smell the drama. "Y'all need to calm down with the speculations. I'm not her secret lover or whatever; Ms. Puth just deserves better."

Lacy's anger reached its peak. What does Finn think he is, showing off like that?

He typed in the comments in a fit of arrogance, "Her husband is Lacy Web." His comment stood out from all the comment.

[Oh my God! No way in hell!]

[Stop it! Web Group is run by Lacy Web. Do you really think you can make up things like that? If truly she's married to Lacy, wouldn't he be the one to bail her and not let her be in the hands of another man. Her secret lover allegedly though]

[Exactly. With the way both Mr. Garvey and Ms. Puth are close, I can't help but think they'll make a great couple. Mr. Garvey didn't even hesitate to get her out and you're saying she's married? Oh please cut the crap]

[Even if Ms. Puth is already married. Team Garvey all day-look how close they are]

After reading through the comments, Lacy threw Mason's phone back at him with his jaws clinched. These individuals are crazy!

Lacy yelled, "Get your ass to the station and bring Remi back here."

Mason stood there in shock. Then he took out his phone to view the webcast, but he accidentally opened Instagram.

Remi's updates were right in front of him. Her resignation post, together with Finn's comments, drove Lacy crazy.

Lacy's face got dark. He rushed up and got his coat. He yelled at Mason, "I'm coming with you."

Reporters were all over Remi outside the police station, shoving their mics in her face and showing no respect for her personal space.

"Ms. Puth, you're in the news for some white-collar crime, and our sources say it's true. If this sticks, Finn can't help you. What is going on between you two?"

The sticky questions made everyone eager to hear Remi's response. People were looking at Remi like she was on trial. But she didn't even move. She confidently pulled out her phone to show the chat logs.

"Listen, I'm here because a factory owner says I received bribes and gave them bad products. But look at these-just his dramatic loss in money, no more dirt. The police were able to get the data back. I didn't remove anything. Finn not posting my bail today doesn't mean I wouldn't be free in less than 24 hours anyway because I'm clean!" Her voice was loud and clear, cutting through the stress.

Someone in the back started to throw shade. "Please, who doesn't have a fake account these days? Do you really think those simple receipts will get you out of trouble? Are you kidding me?"