She sat on the edge of the bed and clutched the sheets until her knuckles were white. She felt a deep fear that the lies had finally destroyed the trust in her marriage.
Two days passed in a blur of anxiety and silence. During that time, Edith was busy calling every relative in the Higgins family tree.
Cassandra received a nasty message from Wesley’s aunt accusing her of being a gold digger. A cousin posted a status on social media about people who play the victim to get attention.
Even a local neighbor sent a voice note saying that Cassandra should be ashamed for upsetting an elderly woman. It was terrifying how quickly a lie could become the official version of events.
Suddenly, Jenna remembered a crucial detail about the eviction. “The house across the street has a doorbell camera, doesn’t it?”
Cassandra looked up with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. The neighbor, Mrs. Gable, ran a small baking business and had installed cameras after a recent delivery theft.
Jenna went to speak with Mrs. Gable later that afternoon. It turned out that Mrs. Gable had seen the entire event from her porch.
She had already saved the footage on her computer just in case Cassandra needed it. The video didn’t capture every whisper, but it clearly showed Edith throwing the suitcase and pushing Cassandra.
The high-quality microphone had also captured one specific, cruel sentence from the mother-in-law. “If my son isn’t here, you are leaving even if your water breaks right here on the concrete.”
Cassandra’s hands shook as she watched the footage on Jenna’s laptop. Jenna wanted to send it to Wesley immediately, but Cassandra told her to wait.
She wanted to see Wesley’s face when she told him the truth in person. She was tired of everyone else narrating her life story for her.
That night, Wesley finally appeared at Jenna’s front door. He looked exhausted and was still carrying his work bag from the long drive home.
He froze when he saw how pale and fragile Cassandra looked. His eyes dropped to her belly and then moved back to her face with a look of confusion.
“Is the baby okay?” he asked with a trembling voice.
“Almost not,” Cassandra replied.
The word “almost” seemed to pierce right through him. Wesley walked into the small living room while Jenna stood by the kitchen with her arms crossed.