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?”

As his wife, I didn’t want word getting out. Though I no longer cared about him, I had to save my face.

yet the living room light was

half–asleep but perked up when she heard the car. She slid off Mom’s back and

her. “Honey, let me help you get to

my mom away. “Grandma, go upstairs and sleep. Leave me

over and latched

taught you to say that

tears spilling over. “You hit me?” she sniffled, lips trembling as she stepped back.

between me and the stairs. “Victoria, why did you snap at her the moment you walked in? She was waiting for you. Go

A kid that age saying stuff like

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

it. But deep down, I knew Yvonne’s upbringing needed a total reset. Better

top, holding a sobbing Yvonne. It looked like he’d been waiting

father–daughter duo. A faint smile played on my lips, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “What, she’s been

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

little slap could kill you, then you’re just wasting

to comfort her. “Go to

Jared coddling her, Yvonne shot me a snooty glare, then stomped into her bedroom and slammed the

Instead, I went straight to our bedroom, sat at

my back–no

sweet, but he’d just brush me off, saying he was worn out from work

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

wrong, a few