Chapter 3

3.

The call went through almost immediately.

Maeve started wailing into the phone. She kept her voice just loud enough for everyone around us to hear her.

"Asher, please come quickly. Willa… she doesn't believe me. she's accusing me of impersonating Nina's mom. She's demanding to see the files and making a huge scene. The registrar is so upset."

She wiped her tears while her shoulders shook with fake sobs.

On the other end of the line, Asher's voice boomed. He sounded furious. "Willa is out of her mind! Tell her to stay right there. I'm coming!"

The words "out of her mind" echoed through the entire admissions hall.

Every pair of eyes was fixed on me. They were filled with sympathy and disgust.

But the sympathy wasn't for me. It was for Maeve.

Maeve hung up and looked at me timidly.

"Willa, Asher is on his way. Please don't be angry anymore. He's just worried about me."

With those words, she was basically announcing her intimacy with Asher to the whole world.

I was shaking with rage.

Less than ten minutes later, Asher stormed into the room.

He didn't even glance at me. He walked straight to Maeve, pulled her into his arms, and started whispering sweet things to comfort her.

"Maeve, it's okay. I'm here. Who hurt you?"

The sight of them together felt like a hot blade in my eyes.

Maeve buried her face in his chest and choked out, "Asher, Willa misunderstood me…"

Only then did Asher turn around. He looked at me with pure hatred and impatience.

"Willa, haven't you had enough? I told you to stay home and rest. Why are you here acting like a psycho?"

He acted like he hadn't just lied to me on the phone twenty minutes ago.

Asher never cared about my career. To him, my job was just a bunch of boring academic titles he didn't understand. All he cared about were the numbers in my bank account.

I used to try to share my achievements with him, but he'd always shut me down with a "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Nobody understands that science crap."

His total lack of interest in my world was the shovel he was using to dig his own grave today.

I watched this man's pathetic performance like I was observing a specimen about to be dissected.

I pointed at Maeve and asked, word for word, "Asher, why is she here? Why did the teacher say she is Nina's mother?"

Asher frowned. A flicker of panic crossed his face, but it was quickly replaced by rage.

"Maeve is my cousin! She's being kind enough to help out. What's your problem? Enrollment is complicated. You're always buried in your work. When have you ever cared about Nina? Now you have the nerve to come here and interrogate people?"

His ability to flip the script was truly impressive.

I laughed, though it felt like my heart was breaking. "I don't care about Nina? Asher, how many PTA meetings have you actually attended? I was the one who sat through every single one of her extracurricular trials. I spent sleepless nights organizing her portfolios! And now, you bring this woman here to steal my daughter's credit and blame me?"

The whispers in the crowd grew louder.

"Oh, it's the classic wife vs. mistress drama."

"Look at how he's protecting the mistress. The wife is so pathetic."

Asher's face turned grim. He stepped closer and hissed through gritted teeth, "Willa, let's talk at home. Do you really have to embarrass yourself in public?"

"Oh, Asher, don't worry."

"In a minute, I'm going to show you what 'embarrassing yourself' really looks like. And it's going to happen right in front of the people you'd least expect."

"If we don't clear this up today, nobody is leaving! I want to see that file!"

My persistence made Asher lose it completely.

He suddenly turned to the crowd and shouted, "Everyone, don't mind her! This is my ex-wife! We've been divorced for a while, but she can't accept reality. She's had a mental breakdown and hallucinates that we're still together! She's clearly having an episode today!"