Jennifer had often sent these twisted justifications in messages to Isabella, trying to provoke her, convinced that this tactic would work. But Isabella had never once responded, making her believe that her strategy was actually effective.
What she didn’t know was that Isabella simply didn’t waste time on people who weren’t worth it.
The crowd listening to Jennifer’s rant initially looked confused and shocked, but soon, they couldn’t help themselves and burst into laughter. It was the first time many of them had heard something so ridiculous in
person.
Jennifer heard the laughter growing louder around her and realized she had put her foot in her mouth. She wished she could just disappear into the ground, but there was no escape.
To make matters worse, someone in the crowd seemed intent on stirring things up further. A voice rang out, loud and mocking, “If love has no first or second place, that man must truly love you, right?”
Through gritted teeth, Jennifer snapped back, “Of course, he truly loves me!”
The truth was, she didn’t believe in true love at all. If love had any real power, Isabella wouldn’t have lost everything in the divorce and vanished without a trace.
What Jennifer truly believed in was money–where the money was, that was where love was.
The onlooker’s mocking question came back, even more derisive than before: “Oh, really? Then why is he letting you stand here on the street, looking like a fool?”
Jennifer was caught off guard, stammering for a response: Because… because he…”
Before she could finish, someone cut her off. “Isn’t it obvious? He treated you like a toy, something to amuse himself with. And now, he’s bored. Wake up already.”
“Yeah, even a stranger in this situation would at least give you something to wear.”
“This mistress is really something. She thought she could benefit from the man, but it turns out she’s just been played with. You still think you can replace his wife and become the legitimate one?”
“Women need to be independent and strong. Otherwise, ending up like this is no different from a public humiliation parade.”
Every word they spoke struck her like a hammer, each one landing a blow deep in her heart.
Slowly, it dawned on Jennifer–she had been delusional all along. Samuel had probably never seriously considered marrying her.
