Chapter 2

I pushed open the door and pointed at all the furniture in the unit. "Other than the walls, take everything that can be moved. If there's something you can't lift, smash it."

The movers hadn't even started when Bertha rushed over and yelled, "Winona, are you crazy? This is our stuff!"

"Your stuff?" I shoved away her hand as she reached out toward me.

I took out my phone and pulled up the receipt for the TV that cost over $4000.

"Take a good look," I said. "Everything in this house is under my name on the receipts. Since you don't treat me like I own this place, then no one gets to use anything here anymore."

Felix was still holding his half-finished takeout. With a loud slap, the leftover food spilled all over the carpet. Grease splattered everywhere.

"Winona, are you trying to humiliate me? What kind of stunt are you trying to pull with all these outsiders here?" Felix screamed.

"If you dare touch a single thing in this place, you're not walking out of here today!"

He strode over and tried to grab my phone. I stepped back and dodged him.

The locksmith had already taken out a power drill. Then, the harsh grinding sound of metal filled the living room.

Zoe rushed out of the master bedroom. She screamed, and her whole body trembled.

"Felix, he's removing the lock. I haven't even changed yet!"

I took a closer look. She was wearing my new lace nightgown. It was the outfit I had planned to wear on my wedding night.

My anger boiled over.

"Take it off," I growled, staring at Zoe.

"What?" She froze.

"I said, take off the nightgown I bought. Someone like you doesn't deserve to touch my things," I replied.

Felix swung a slap at my face. I turned aside and dodged it, but his fingertips scraped my cheek, leaving a red mark.

"Are you done yet? That's Zoe. She's family!" Felix snapped. "Forget a piece of clothing. If she wanted you to die for her, you'd have to do as she says, too!

"You heartless woman. I don't even know what I saw in you back then!"

Seeing this, Bertha simply dropped to the ground and started wailing.

Slapping her thighs, she cried, "Help! My future daughter-in-law is trying to kill me. Come look. This vicious woman is trying to throw our whole family onto the streets!"

Neighbors gathered at the doorway in small groups, pointing and whispering. Felix looked pleased with himself, as if he held the moral high ground.

He turned to me and said, "Winona, see that? People know right from wrong."

He continued, "Now beg for Zoe's forgiveness, and pay my mom $10,000 for emotional damage. Then we'll call it even."

I looked at the man I had been with for three years and realized I must have been blind.

"Felix, have you forgotten? I'm still paying off your supplementary card." I took out my phone and opened the banking app in front of him.

"Step one, unlink the supplementary card," I said.

"Step two, close all joint accounts.

"Step three, call the police."

I looked at him. My voice was calm. "Breaking into a home and destroying property? None of your family is getting away with this.

The color on Felix's face went from bright red to pale.

"Don't you dare!" he snarled.

"Just watch me," I replied. I held onto my phone with a trembling hand.

Even though I was barely holding it together, I knew it was only the beginning.

I not only had the property deed to this apartment, but also evidence that Felix had been falsifying accounts at his company.

"Call the police? Go ahead, try it!" Felix sneered and shoved me straight into the kitchen.

He then locked the sliding kitchen door behind me.

Through the glass, I saw several of Felix's so-called relatives surrounding the movers.