Chapter 2

I quickly grabbed my things, hailed a cab, and headed to my in-laws' old, dilapidated house, less than half a mile from ours.

As the car got closer, the neighborhood grew darker, not a single light shining anywhere.

"Why isn't there a single light on?" I blurted out.

"Oh, it's a redevelopment project. Didn't you know? Everyone's moved out. What's a young woman like you doing here? Are you here to pick something up?"

"Redevelopment? No, I had no idea. When did this happen?"

"Just the last couple of months. I heard the compensation money had already hit their accounts, and some families had even moved abroad!"

"What?!"

"We're here. It's really dark, miss, be careful."

The driver was nice enough. I thanked him and got out.

I switched on my phone's flashlight and stumbled my way to my in-laws' old place.

The yard was a mess, and I couldn't see much inside, but it was definitely empty.

Still, I hammered on the door, just to be sure.

Luckily, I had a spare key. I fumbled for my keyring and unlocked the door.

The moment I stepped inside, I jumped. You'd think the place had been ransacked.

The house was a complete disaster, as if a hurricane had swept through it. Pots, pans, dishes—everything was scattered everywhere.

I quickly called Mark and Brenda, but they still didn't answer.

Jake and I rarely contacted his relatives after we got married, so I naturally didn't have their numbers.

I could only reach out to Kevin, his oldest friend. Kevin said:

"His parents got twenty million dollars from the redevelopment project. Jake sold *our* house for six hundred thousand. And his brother Mark, his wife Brenda, and the rest of the family – all five of them – they've gone abroad."

"You... you'd better figure out a place to stay for now. That's all I can tell you."

With that, he hung up.

What kind of sick, twisted plot was this? Had Jake's entire family just abandoned me like this?

I stood there amidst the wreckage of what used to be my life, trying to process it all, utterly incredulous.

Was this real? Just yesterday, we were so happy.

I looked around and suddenly felt a profound chill.

The world was so big, but where was my home?