Housewife Gone Wild

Chapter 5

I knew Yvonne was faking her stomachache to manipulate Jared and me. She was young, but already such a schemer, and had totally played me for a fool in my previous life.

I texted Jared back: [Take her to the hospital yourself.] Then I tossed my phone aside and turned back to the movie’s ending.

Jared didn’t bug me after that. When the credits rolled, a couple of guys pushed their way towards me. One bumped into me, and his face went bright red.

Melissa was about to give them an earful, but I squeezed her hand gently and said, “It’s fine.”

The guy stammered an apology, smacked his friend, and they hightailed it out of there.

Melissa grinned and nudged me. “Guess pretty girls make guys go brain–dead. Victoria, Jared’s seriously lucky. Bet the second he laid eyes on your face and body, he was dying to get you into bed, huh?”

My cheeks heated up–I was the one dying for it. Too embarrassed to say that, I just smiled and said, “You’ll get it when you have a boyfriend.”

“Get what?” Melissa blinked.

“Time passes, and even the hottest girl stops turning her man’s head eventually. Don’t pour your whole heart into love,” I said softly.

“I get it. Lately, I’ve been handling several divorce cases. Those wives are all stunners, and yet the guys still strayed. Can you believe that?” Melissa bit the words out.

I let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t pin too much hope on men.”

Melissa must’ve picked up on something, her face etched with concern as she asked, “Jared… has affairs?”

Jared had just started dating Tracy, and hardly anyone knew about it. As his wife, I didn’t want word getting out. Though

got back home late, and yet

her back. Yvonne was half–asleep but perked up when she

me help you

my mom away. “Grandma,

bolted over and latched onto

smacked her lightly. “Who taught you to say

sniffled, lips trembling as she stepped back.

the stairs. “Victoria, why did you snap at her the moment you walked

A kid that age saying stuff like that?

from the TV. She’s too little to know what ‘cheating‘ even means,” Mom said, sounding stern. “Kids have

late–go to bed.” I said it like I meant it. But deep down, I knew Yvonne’s upbringing needed a total reset. Better she resented me or ignored me now than for me to pour out all my love,

Jared was at the top, holding a sobbing Yvonne. It looked like he’d

look up at the father–daughter duo. A faint smile

whimpered, clinging tight to Jared’s neck. With a pitiful pout, she accused me, “Mom’s trying to kill

climbing. “If a little slap could kill you, then you’re just

comfort her. “Go to your room. I’ll

coddling her, Yvonne shot me a snooty glare, then

Instead, I went straight to our bedroom, sat at the vanity, and started removing

cascaded down my back–no styling, no fancy updo, just natural loose curls that exuded an

In my previous life, I’d tried so hard to be sweet, but he’d just brush me off, saying he was

Glancing back over my shoulder, I caught him staring off into space. “What did you want to

She’s just a little kid. Even if she did something wrong, a few words would’ve been enough. You don’t hit a child in the face–she has