Chapter 1 Shattered Bonds

• I, Clare Miller, was returning from grocery shopping when I saw a car parked by the roadside. Inside were a man and a woman, passionately kissing as if no one could see them.
• I looked closer and realized it was our car. The man inside? My husband, Larry Fields.
• Though I already knew about his infidelity, witnessing it firsthand was a completely different story. Without hesitation, I hurled all the eggs I had in my hands at the car and charged forward, ready to tear into the cheater.
• Larry caught sight of me, froze in fear, and quickly locked the car doors before driving away in a hurry.
• The car grazed me, knocking me over. Covered in smashed eggs, I ended up lying on the road, wailing and pointing at the fleeing car. "That’s my husband and his mistress!" I shouted.
• People stopped to watch, some pointing fingers, while others recorded videos with their phones. The incident went viral online. Some criticized the unfaithful pair, while others mocked me, calling me fat and unattractive, saying it was no surprise my husband cheated.
• This house was no longer a home.
• My twins began skipping school, idolizing celebrities, and rebelling with constant fights.
• This month marked the third time I was called to school. The homeroom teacher sneered and said, "Maybe you should consider whether you’ve been a good influence on your kids. Cody’s a boy, he needs to spend more time with his father."
• The first two times I got called, I could still manage to take them to a fast-food restaurant, calmly asking about their issues. But this time, I took them straight home.
• Amber Fields, my daughter, fiddled with her brightly colored nails and shouted at me, "You wouldn’t understand even if I told you! Stop embarrassing me at school!"
• Cody Fields, my son, kept his head down, focused on his game, cursing nonstop. "Damn it, marksman! Stop stealing my buff!"
• For thirteen years, I devoted all my time and energy to raising them, only to end up with their disdain, rudeness, and coldness.
• "Come on and help me with the dragon!" Cody yelled into his mic before cursing again.
• I strode over and snatched his phone. Cody, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, screamed and pounced at me.
• Pain shot through my body as I fell backward, slamming hard against the wall.
• Cody glared at me and cursed. "Serves you right for taking my phone! Why didn’t you just die? When you tried to grab Dad’s phone, he should’ve beaten you to death!"
• A year ago, I started noticing changes in my husband. He paid more attention to his appearance, began exercising regularly, and often smiled foolishly at his phone. Once, I called him to eat, but he was so engrossed in his phone that he didn’t hear me.
• When I leaned closer to look, he quickly hid the screen, looking guilty. I confronted him, and he snapped impatiently, "It’s work-related. You wouldn’t understand."
• I threw a tantrum and tried to grab his phone, but he punched me in the face, dragged me by the hair from the bedroom to the front door, and shouted, "Get out! This is my house!" Amber and Cody saw everything. After that, they started yelling at me too.
• Sitting on the floor, I asked Cody in a cold voice, "Say what you just said one more time."