“That must be what happened. Otherwise, who would expose themselves like this in public unless they had some strange kink?”
“Young people these days just don’t learn. Back in the day, this kind of thing would’ve gotten her paraded through the streets, maybe even tossed in the river to drown. At least we live in a society governed by law now…”
Their voices were loud enough that Jennifer could hear every word. She tried to press her face against the iron gate, but with more and more people gathering to watch, she couldn’t decide whether to cover her body to stave off the cold or to shield her face in shame. In her panic, she switched tactics, pleading again toward the door. “Mr. Grant, I’ll never do it again. It’s all my fault. Please, just give me a piece of clothing, and I promise you’ll never see me again. I… I’ll even go to Mrs. Grant and apologize. I’ll help you fix things between you two…”
At that moment, regret overwhelmed Jennifer. She had already gotten so much from Samuel. Even if she couldn’t
+25 BONUS
Chapter 15
become his rightful wife, it wouldn’t be hard to reinvent herself as a socialite and find another wealthy man. But now, with her reputation at stake, everything she had hoped for could vanish.
Jennifer cried uncontrollably, unaware that although her words hadn’t reached Samuel’s ears, they were loud and clear to the growing crowd. The looks they gave her quickly shifted from suspicion to disgust.
One person sneered, “So she got kicked out by the man, huh? What a shameless woman! She deserves this!” “Being kicked out by the actual wife is one thing, but by the man himself? That’s a failure at being a mistress.” “The family living in this villa looks rich. She must’ve been after money the whole time.”
“If I were the one who got into such a miserable situation by being a mistress, I’d have thrown myself in front of a car by now…”
The spectacle of a mistress being humiliated in public wasn’t rare, but it was rare for things to escalate to the point where the man himself actually kicked her out.
The crowd got more and more into it, with some even pulling out their phones to video call friends and family, broadcasting the scene live.
Jennifer covered her face, trembling with fear. But through the gaps in her fingers, she saw the judgmental faces of the onlookers. They were all different ages and types–everyone seemed to be enjoying her misfortune.
The anger she had felt at Samuel’s treatment of her flared up, but now it was fueled by the mockery and contempt from strangers. She couldn’t even care about hiding her face anymore. In a rush of frustration, she shot back at the crowd.
“What do you know? I’m not a mistress! The person who isn’t loved in a relationship is the mistress, not me! Love isn’t about who came first or second! He’s married and still wanted to be with me–that just proves I’m more irresistible!”
