Chapter 4 Mistakened for His Mistress

Eric remained quiet for a long time before finally meeting Kelly's gaze. His voice was heavy with sorrow, "After your accident, your parents desperately sought help to save you. They trusted the wrong people and were scammed, losing everything they had. No matter how much I tried to convince them, they wouldn't listen." He paused as if struggling to continue. "That day, our hospital called me away to Stoneville. Before leaving, I visited them. But that night, I got a call. Their house had caught fire. They ... they didn't make it." Though Eric hadn't said it outright, Kelly understood. Her parents had been tricked out of their life savings while trying to save her. In their despair, they chose to end their lives. Her vision blurred, and as an overwhelming sorrow crashed down on her, a strange numbness settled in its place. "Kelly!" A dull thud echoed as she collapsed to the floor, slipping into unconsciousness. As the world faded, her parents' voices filled her mind. "Kelly, come home soon. Your dad's grilling your favorite steak tonight." "Kelly, help me talk to your mom. She's mad at me again and says I'm sleeping in the guest room tonight." "Kelly, my sweet girl... stay strong, okay? You've got so much ahead of you." ... When Kelly finally came to, her breaths were shallow and uneven. She blinked, scanning the room as an unsettling realization sank in—this place, once filled with warmth, now felt foreign and cold. Eric must have been worried about her. Instead of booking a hotel, he let her stay in the guest room. It was already late. From beyond the door, she could hear Eric and Regina arguing. "Why did you let her stay here? Do you still have feelings for her? Eric, I've been with you all these years! Don't lie to me! You still love her, right? You couldn't even bother changing the password! Fine. If she's so important to you, I'll leave. I'll take Faye with me. Kelly doesn't need to divorce you—I will. Now that she's back, our marriage doesn't mean anything anymore!" Regina's voice was sharp, deliberately raised so Kelly would hear every word. For five years, Kelly had believed that coming back to Seaville would put an end to her suffering. She thought she still had her parents' love and Eric's devotion. But nothing was the same. Kelly got out of bed, the stifling unfamiliarity pressing down on her. The thought that she and Eric could become strangers had never crossed her mind before. As she stepped out of the room, she nearly bumped into Regina, who was storming off with Faye in her arms. Regina's glare was full of resentment, as though blaming Kelly for simply being alive. "Why did you come back? Everything was fine before! You should've just died out there!" Regina snapped, losing all restraint. "Regina!" Eric's temper flared. Before he could stop himself, he struck her in front of Faye. Maybe he thought how cruel her words had been. Regina's face twisted in shock. She stared at Eric, disbelief flashing in her eyes before she turned and stormed out. "You hit me for her!" Faye wailed, her sobs piercing the night air. Eric stood frozen, his expression torn between guilt, regret, and unease. By then, the noise had drawn the attention of the neighbors. Some had even pulled out their phones to record. "Regina, you and Eric always get along well with each other. What happened?" one of them asked. Kelly glanced around. When she and Eric had first bought this place, it had been an unfinished pre-sale home. The two of them had worked together to fit out it, carefully picking out every detail, from bare walls to cozy corners. Back then, there weren't many residents in the neighborhood, and she hadn't met most of them. Now, five years later, to those people, Regina was Eric's only and one wife. The realization that someone else had taken over the life she had built was suffocating. "Who is that woman? Is she a mistress?" a neighbor murmured. "You're a witch! Why did you come? Why did you steal Daddy from Mommy? You're ruining everything!" Faye's tearful voice rang out, making the situation even worse. It was obvious an adult had fed her those words. And since even a child was accusing Kelly, the neighbors easily assumed she was the mistress. "Look at her—she's so scrawny! How could she ever compare to Regina? Eric, don't be an idiot and throw away your life over this." "Exactly! It's disgraceful to ruin a family like this. Shameless!" Kelly stood frozen, overwhelmed by shock and helplessness. She turned to Eric, searching for some kind of defense. That's the pot calling the kettle black. I've never seen anyone so shameless before... Both Regina and Faye were using her aphasia against her, knowing she had no way to fight back. All Kelly could do was hope—hope that Eric would step in and tell the truth.