The Twins and My Escape to Freedom

I returned home late at night, shocked to see Edgar waiting for me on the porch.

I had expected this, but part of me thought he’d continue his nonsense and spend the night with Grace when he didn’t find me at home.

“Why are you so late?” he asked, his expression anything but friendly.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I walked inside, removed my coat, and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Though honestly, I couldn’t care less if my husband starved tonight. Let’s be real, couldn’t he just order food with my money?

Edgar followed me, sighing audibly a few times as though trying to figure out how to get me to stop being mad at him. Good—at least he knew he’d screwed up. Not that it mattered much. Just seeing his face was enough to ruin my mood again.

“Sharon, are you still upset with me?” he asked.

I turned to face him, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. Seriously? Did he really need to ask?

“Sharon, please don’t act like a child. You know Grace is my cousin. She’s an orphan, and I’m all she has.”

“Oh, I know, Edgar.”

Edgar smiled, clearly thinking I’d let it go. He walked over and hugged me from behind while I busied myself with dinner. I let him have his little moment, pretending I’d forgotten about everything that happened earlier.

“Grace is hosting a welcome-back party tomorrow at her house,” Edgar said casually. “She invited you too, so you need to apologize to her.”

“Why should I apologize?”

Edgar let go of me and moved to stand beside me as I set the table.

“Do you not realize how rude and disrespectful you were to her at the office? You verbally attacked her.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize she’d feel that way,” I said flatly.

Edgar snorted. “Whatever. Just make sure you attend and apologize to her. And one more thing—don’t cause any trouble at the party. I know how your mind works, Sharon.”

I hummed in response, letting him leave for the bedroom to freshen up. Meanwhile, I ate dinner alone, a storm of emotions brewing inside me. He didn’t care about my physical or emotional state after his abuse and harsh words earlier. Of course, why would he? The man had made it clear—he wanted my money, not my feelings.

---

The next day, we arrived at Grace’s house around noon.

The place was packed, despite Edgar once telling me Grace didn’t have any family. Well, maybe she had a lot of friends. Sure, that made sense.

Edgar wrapped an arm around my waist, playing the perfect husband in front of the crowd. He even kissed the top of my head when Grace came over to greet us.

“Welcome, Sharon!” she said cheerfully.

I forced a smile. She acted like nothing had happened, like she wasn’t sneaking around with my husband just yesterday.

Grace suddenly grabbed my arm, forcing me to engage with her.

“Sharon, I hope you’re not still upset about yesterday,” she said sweetly.

Upset? Was she really asking that after shamelessly flaunting her affair with Edgar? Disgusting.

“Come on in! I’d love to introduce you to some of my friends. You don’t mind, right?”

Edgar glanced at me, silently urging me to go along with Grace’s little show. I sighed, gently prying her hand off my arm before walking inside like I owned the place.

Looking around the lavishly decorated house, I couldn’t help but wonder—was this house bought with my money too?

Inside, the atmosphere was even livelier, filled with Grace’s friends and Edgar’s acquaintances. I felt like a stranger in the middle of it all. And oddly enough, Edgar hadn’t invited his family—people who, if Grace were really his cousin, would also be her family.

Grace led me to a group of her friends.

“Hey, everyone! Can I have your attention for a moment? I want to introduce you to someone amazing—my cousin-in-law, Sharon Wright. She’s a famous designer!”

“I’ve never seen her in the news or on social media. Is she really famous?” one woman in a maroon dress said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Behind her, two other women whispered to each other, smirking. Something about this whole situation felt off.

“Why do you think I care about your opinion?” I said, my voice calm but sharp. “I don’t need your validation to be successful.”

I walked away, unwilling to waste my time on their petty comments. But Grace wasn’t done with me yet. She followed me as I searched for the bathroom.

“Sharon, wait!” she called, grabbing my arm again. I sighed, pulling away from her grip.

“Don’t listen to them,” she said. “You’re right—they don’t matter.”

“Oh, really?” I said, folding my arms. “You brought me into their nonsense in the first place, Grace.”

“I didn’t mean to,” she said, her voice soft and apologetic. “I’m sorry... I guess you’re still angry with me.”

“Good. At least you’re aware, Grace.”

“You shouldn’t say things like that, Sharon,” she replied, her tone suddenly sharper. Her innocent facade cracked for a moment.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I can’t help how I feel,” she said. “You know, Edgar treats me so carefully. How could I not fall for him?”

“Are you confessing your sins to me, Grace?”

“We both know who the real problem is here, Sharon Wright.”

I raised an eyebrow and let out a dry laugh. She was pathetic, really—beautiful, but tragically stupid.

“I don’t care about your feelings or your affair. Just leave me alone, Grace. Unless you want to end up like Edgar.”

Grace’s smirk returned. “There it is. That arrogance of yours. Don’t you see? That’s why Edgar strayed from you.”

“Why would I care? He never loved me to begin with.”

“You’re so naive, Sharon.”

“And you’re absolutely disgusting, Grace Simon.”

“Shut your mouth!” Grace snapped, attempting to slap me. But I caught her wrist mid-air and yanked it away, shoving her back with enough force to make her stumble.

Grace cried out, falling to the floor dramatically just as Edgar appeared in the hallway.