Len felt troubled after Paula's words, he couldn't concentrate at all. As they gathered at the dining table, he glanced at her.
With her attention fixed on the housemaids arranging the food on the dining table, Paula did not even glance in his direction.
With a smile on his wrinkly face, Grandfather Bertram arrived a few minutes later.
"Do you still hear from your Father, Paula?" He asked and Paula nodded her head.
"I do sometimes."
After getting married to Len, Paula never really heard from her Father and Family except Melissa who would do anything to get on her nerves.
However, if they needed something, they'd ask her for help using the fact that she was married to Len Bertram, one of the richest men in the city.
Since her mother's passing, Paula had grown accustomed to their cruel treatment and would regularly attend family get-togethers.
But attending a family gathering isn't really a good thing for Paula because her stepmother and Melissa would always find a way to ridicule her and make people say how useless she was as the first child of the Maillet Family.
"You should always talk to your Father, okay? Don't mind his actions" Grandfather Bertram said.
"Thank you, Grandpa" Paula smiled.
Len was becoming even more agitated. How could she abort her pregnancy and have the mind to smile like that?
He even threatened her with a divorce, to which she replied that she no longer gave a damn.
Len was irritated and exhausted.
What gave Paula that confidence that he couldn't divorce her?
As they were about to eat, Len's phone rang. He stood up to answer the call and two minutes later, he came back to the dining room.
"Melissa is coming, I asked her to come," Len said, intending the words for his Grandfather.
He glanced at Paula who didn't even spare him a glance.
"Why is she coming? Did I invite her to my house?" Grandfather Bertram questioned. He didn't seem too pleased with the fact that Melissa was coming.
"She's coming with my Mother" Len uttered before sitting down. "They said they had something to show us."
With a sneer, Grandfather Bertram took a spoonful of food and put it in his mouth.
Paula clenched her spoon as she ate. Even though she appeared unfazed, she was in fact flustered.
Her mother-in-law and Melissa were coming?
Great!
A spiteful mother-in-law and a conceited sister-in-law who appears concerned but is really the devil dressed in sheep's clothing... God knows what they are going to talk about.
While Paula ate, her heart pounded wildly against her rib cage, waiting for them to arrive.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, she tightened her grip around her spoon.
"You slut!"
Paula closed her eyes, hearing the voice of her Mother-in-law. She turned her head, her eyes meeting with Melissa's pretentious gentle gaze.
Even though her gaze was gentle, it carried a hint of mockery as if she was meaning to tell Paula, she had finally won.
Paula had a bad feeling.
"You still dare to eat after cheating on my Son! You shameless bitch" Anna, Len's Mother yelled.
"Mother, what are you..."
"Paah!!" Before Paula could say anything more, she was smacked across the cheeks.
"What is the meaning of this, Anna? Why are you causing commotion in my home?!" Grandfather Bertram roared and got to his feet. His voice was filled with agitation.
"Father! I'm really sorry for this" Anna collected herself. "I just found out that Paula was cheating on my Son. I couldn't control myself when I came in."
"What do you mean cheating? I will never cheat on Len!" Paula cried, still feeling the impact of the slap.
While saying that, Paula's gaze shifted to Len as if asking him to clarify this mess.
However, Len's gaze hardened as their gaze met.
"Mother, what do you mean?" Len approached his Mother but was pulled back by Melissa.
"We saw it Len, we saw the video," Melissa said, her voice laced with faux sadness. "I didn't believe it at first cause I never thought my big sister would do that kind of disgusting thing but it's true. Paula, why did you do this? Why? Can you please explain this to us? I don't want to believe my big sister would do this!"
Tears streamed down Melissa's face as she held Len's hand. With a sophisticated touch, she caressed his body and used his shirt to dab at her tears.
Paula believed she was losing her mind. What the hell was Melissa talking about?
"What do you mean? Explain so I can understand. I will never cheat on Len! Even if he's not nice to me, I will never" With a voice filled with anguish, panic, and sadness, Paula sobbed.
"Explain better! You can't just accuse someone without evidence" Grandfather Bertram was getting impatient. He didn't like the commotion at all.
"There's evidence" Anna uttered, reaching out to her phone. She played a video and showed it to them.
In a video, Paula was seen getting intimate with another man. They were both naked in bed.
Grandfather Bertram averted his gaze from the video, his expression darkening. It was unbelievable to him.
Paula was having sex with another man?!
"I swear this is not me! This is not me!!!" Tears were streaming down Paula's fragile cheeks as she screamed. "Len, I swear I would never do this. This video is fake."
The disappointment on Grandfather Bertram's face was palpable but it can't be compared to the emotions on Len's face.
Paula sensed that everything in her world was collapsing, and she felt herself collapsing along with it.
Pain, sadness, fear... It looked as though Paula was going to lose her mind due to the jumble of feelings. She couldn't handle it anymore, it was too much. She could not bear the agony that made her feel like something was pressing down on her.
Paula saw Melissa's lips curve into a smile but it was only for a second.
Paula ran towards her frantically, "Melissa! I know you did this! I swear, I will kill you!"
However, before she could reach Melissa's side. A slap landed on her cheeks and she collapsed to the floor.
For a moment, Paula couldn't hear anything except the sound of bells.
"You dare to touch her?" Len yelled. "You whore! I don't want to see you anywhere around us anymore. Leave now! Pack up your belongings in my home as well. I don't want to see you anymore."
Paula became aware that Len was the one who had slapped her at this precise moment.
"Len, did you just slap me? You slapped me?" Paula questioned breathlessly. She spoke in a tone that was both hurt and shocked.
However, she received no reply.
She got up off the chilly floor, turned away from everyone, and left the house without looking back.
The next morning, a parcel arrived at Len's home. It contained divorce papers that had already been signed.
But ever since then, Paula was never heard of.