Chapter 4: Three Years of Lies
Back home, my mother-in-law sat me down, her face stern, wanting the whole story from me.
I stumbled over my words. “It’s just… Ryan couldn’t let go of his first love. She came back, and it was like nothing had changed.”
Erica exploded. “Was my brother blind? Amanda’s not even in your league!”
My mother-in-law’s expression softened. “Marissa, why didn’t you tell me what you were going through?”
I stared at my feet. “I didn’t want to ruin your relationship with your son.”
“How long has this been happening?”
“Three years.”
“So, right after you got married? My brother…?” Erica gasped.
“This is ridiculous! Marissa, you’re too good—and too trusting.” My mother-in-law sighed heavily.
Honestly, I’d be lying if I said her words didn’t get to me. Ryan was her son, after all—I was just the outsider here.
But in this moment, she was standing up for me.
Erica’s eyes shone with empathy as she hugged me. “Don’t worry, Marissa. I’ll make things right for you!”
Erica, always scheming, tracked down Amanda’s hometown and printed out flyers exposing her affair with Ryan. She kept it low-key: late at night, she slipped flyers into every mailbox on the block and pinned a few to the grocery store bulletin board. Then she posted the whole story in a local Facebook group, making sure Amanda’s small town knew every detail.
By morning, Amanda’s family was the talk of the town. Her parents and relatives couldn’t set foot outside without feeling a hundred eyes on them. Whispers followed them everywhere—the post office, church, the diner. The humiliation was instant and brutal.
“Now her family can’t even show their faces. Let’s see if Amanda tries to act high and mighty again.”
“Erica, be careful—she might sue you for defamation,” I warned.
“Relax, Marissa. I’ve got video of her demanding the kids be taken by the Lowell family. If she tries anything, I’ll post it everywhere. Let’s see who gets embarrassed then.”
Erica was cool as ever, but I couldn’t shake my nerves.
People pushed to the edge can do crazy things. Who knows what Amanda might pull if she’s desperate?
Amanda disappeared for a bit.
But since she’d already stuck around for Ryan’s money without any official status, there was no way she’d let the Lowell fortune go without a fight.










