Chapter 5

That suppressed moan was exactly what I'd recorded last night by the bathroom window.

Ethan's coaxing, Lily's moans—in the silent living room, they were particularly jarring.

Ethan's face instantly turned deathly pale. The wine glass in his hand crashed onto the table with a clang.

"Chloe! Have you lost your mind? Where did this nonsense come from!"

He shot to his feet, his eyes filled only with panic and violence.

Lily was scared into trembling all over, her face paler than paper. She grabbed Ethan's arm hard, her eyes brimming with tears, her voice carrying a sob:

"Brother, it's not true. Sister-in-law is slandering us. We didn't..."

My parents' faces turned ashen. Dad clenched his fists. Mom stepped forward and grabbed my hand, her voice trembling:

"Chloe, what's going on? Explain this clearly!"

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had also lost their earlier enthusiasm. Mrs. Johnson forced herself to stay calm and sternly rebuked me:

"Chloe, stop this nonsense! Ethan and Lily are siblings. How can you fabricate such filthy lies and ruin their reputations!"

I gave a cold laugh, released Mom's hand, pulled the fake marriage certificate from my bag, and slammed it hard on the table.

"Nonsense?"

I picked up the marriage certificate and flipped to the page with the official seal:

"At the civil affairs bureau earlier, the staff clearly told me this is fake! Ethan's registered spouse in the system is Lily, not me!"

I clicked on the recording on my phone again and continued playing it. The later content was even more explicit—Ethan saying "once Mom and Dad are old, I'll kick Chloe out," and Lily's coquettish jealousy, all clearly audible.

The living room fell into complete silence. The Johnson family's faces turned alternately green and white. Mr. Johnson was so angry his whole body shook. He pointed at Ethan, unable to say a word for a long time.

Seeing she couldn't hide it anymore, Lily simply gave up, released Ethan's arm, and cried out:

"So what if it's true! Brother and I are in love! If you all hadn't disagreed, we would have been together long ago!"

"Chloe is just a shield! A tool you use to deal with outsiders. Why should she get to stand openly by my brother's side while I have to hide in the shadows?"

Ethan stopped pretending too and glared at me viciously:

"Chloe, since you know everything, I won't hide it anymore. Lily and I truly love each other. Marrying you was just a stopgap measure. If you're smart, you'll bow out voluntarily. Don't force me to be rude to you."

Looking at this pair of scum in front of me, I felt nothing but disgust.

I raised an eyebrow:

"Why should I bow out? You deceived my feelings, used me as a shield, even plotted to kick me out once Mr. and Mrs. Johnson died. Did you really think I was a soft persimmon you could squeeze?"

I turned to look at my parents, my eyes reddening:

"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for disappointing you. I almost jumped into this fire pit. But please believe me—today I will get justice."

Dad patted my shoulder, his eyes firm:

"Chloe, don't be afraid. Mom and Dad are here. No one can bully you! The Johnson family deceived you like this—we absolutely won't let this go!"

Seeing this, Mrs. Johnson immediately softened her tone and grabbed my hand pleadingly:

"Chloe, Aunt was wrong. We were confused. Please forgive Ethan and Lily just this once, okay? We'll compensate you. Any amount of money is fine."

I shook off her hand:

"I was deceived by you all for so many years. Can money make up for the feelings and sincerity I gave? Seven years from now, you drove me to swallow pills and kill myself. I couldn't even protect my own child. How will you repay this debt?"

This statement was like a thunderbolt, shocking the Johnson family speechless.

Ethan's face changed dramatically:

"You... how do you know all this?"

I didn't answer him. I just took out my phone and clicked on the recording I'd prepared earlier.

It was the civil affairs bureau staff member's confirmation, plus the confession I'd just recorded from Lily and Ethan.

"Today, either you publicly apologize and compensate me for my emotional damages, or I'll hand over these recordings and the fake marriage certificate to the media and let everyone see the Johnson family's true face!"