Chapter 3

With a small smile, Emelie handed her phone to Ezra and Kaitlyn. "Mr. and Mrs. Horton, I just got married. The wedding is set for two weeks from now. Look, this is the wedding ring my husband picked for me. I love it." The room fell silent once again due to the incredulous news. Ezra and Kaitlyn stared at her, struggling to find their words. After a long pause, Ezra stammered, "Emelie, are… are you being serious?" Before Emelie could answer, Anthony said curtly with a gloomy expression, "Enough. It's fine if you want to pull this joke on us. But bringing this nonsense to Mom and Dad is crossing the line." Marcelo's ever-present smile vanished. "Emelie, this is getting old. Stop joking about this." Connor impatiently set his cutlery down and said, "Twice you've claimed to be married. How's that even possible? You still have that love letter in your drawer. It's meant for—" Anthony and Marcelo's expressions faltered immediately. Losing their cool, they anxiously grabbed Connor and demanded, "What love letter? Who's it for?" Connor shrugged them off. He avoided their gaze and answered awkwardly, "I didn't read it, okay? I wouldn't dare. How would I know?" Emelie let out a bitter laugh. Yes, she had written a love letter. And yes, among the three brothers, there had been someone she once loved. But that was all in the past. Even before she'd gotten married to Tyler, she had already made her choice. Now, it was no longer worth discussing. Emelie was about to speak when Melissa suddenly gasped in surprise. "Ms. Richmond, isn't that ring just an image you found online? I saw it in a magazine. It's one of a kind and worth a fortune. Who on earth did you marry?" Emelie's mind went blank. She hadn't known the ring was so valuable. As for Tyler's identity, she truly didn't know much and had no explanation to offer. Before she could say anything, Stephanie came in with a pot of soup. After exchanging a subtle glance with Melissa, she gave an almost imperceptible nod. The next second, Stephanie pretended to lose her grip and deliberately tipped the steaming pot. "Careful!" Anthony, Marcelo, and Connor immediately moved to shield Melissa. On the other hand, Emelie was left defenseless. "Ah!" The scalding soup spilled all over Emelie, and she cried out in pain. Her skin turned glaring red, and the agony made her eyes well up with tears. Noticing the smug satisfaction in Stephanie's gaze, Emelie shook with anger and bellowed, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Stephanie froze for a moment before tears started streaming down her face. "Ms. Richmond, how could you accuse me? I know it's my fault for spilling the soup, but you can't just slander me!" Melissa stepped out from the brothers' protective circle and stood resolutely in front of Stephanie. She said tearfully, "Ms. Richmond, my mom and I may be poor, but we have dignity and pride. We won’t tolerate your insult. If you think so little of us, we'll leave!" Melissa then turned to take Stephanie's hand, and the two left together. Anthony glared at Emelie and reprimanded her in fury, "Emelie, Stephanie's been diligently serving us. It was just an accident. Why did you accuse her? Can't you stop being so selfish and willful?" Marcelo frowned and looked at her with disappointment. "Melissa is kind-hearted like her mother. Why would they purposefully harm you for no reason?" Connor snapped in condemnation, "Even if Stephanie did it on purpose, so what? It was just soup. Did you have to drive them away over it?" Emelie felt overwhelmed by countless emotions. Tears filled her eyes, but none of them cared. They merely glanced at her coldly before running out to chase after Melissa. It wasn't until the three of them were gone that Emelie felt the full force of the pain. A large patch of her skin burned fiercely. She tried to stand up, but the ache made her body sway, and she collapsed onto the ground. "Emelie!" Ezra and Kaitlyn rushed to her side to help her up and then hastily took her to the hospital. When Emelie woke up, the first thing she saw was Ezra and Kaitlyn by her bedside. Seeing her awake, Kaitlyn wiped away her tears and gripped Emelie's hand tightly as she apologized. "Emelie, we checked the security footage. Stephanie did it on purpose. We knew they had ulterior motives, but we didn't expect it to be this bad. "Don't worry. We'll make Anthony, Marcelo, and Connor apologize to you. They'll see Melissa's true colors. And please, don't say you're married again just to spite us." Emelie shook her head weakly. "Mrs. Horton, it's not a lie. I really am married." She reached into her handbag and pulled out a bank card and a delicate gold necklace she'd prepared, placing them in Kaitlyn's hands. "This is all the money I've saved over the years. It should cover what I've spent while staying with your family. As for this necklace, it's the family heirloom you said was meant for your future daughter-in-law. I can't accept it anymore. Please, take it back." Staring at the items, Kaitlyn finally realized Emelie wasn't joking. Ezra couldn't help asking once more, "Emelie, are you really married? Please don't lie to us." Emelie nodded firmly. "Yes, I'm married."