Return Home Turmoil

Chapter 1

I’d barely gotten back to the States with my son when my little brother’s influencer girlfriend went full-on psycho, accusing me of being a homewrecker.

She and her posse of online “friends” stormed my house.

“You think you can steal someone’s husband and get away with it? As long as I’m breathing, you’re not getting near him!”

“You should’ve known this was coming the second you decided to sleep with another woman’s man.”

“Your mama didn’t teach you manners? Well, we’re here to help.”

They were waving signs with crazy slogans and smashing everything they could get their hands on.

Once they’d finished their tantrum, I texted my assistant.

“Get Ethan out of my house. Now!”

“Those antique vases they just trashed cost me thirty grand, but honestly, compared to the paintings in the other room, it’s chump change.”

“No apologies accepted. I want restitution, and I want them in jail.”

“He’s an adopted kid who got a taste of the good life, and now he thinks he’s royalty!”

…

I’d just gotten my son, Max, to sleep and was heading out of his room.

Maria, my housekeeper, told me there was some kind of “wife shaming” livestream happening right outside our complex.

She showed me the feed on her phone. A bunch of people were standing at the entrance.

Two of them were holding a banner that read, “Homewreckers Must Pay!”

These influencers were worked up, yelling the most disgusting stuff.

Especially this one woman in front, whose face was bright red with fury.

“Okay, followers, this is the first time I’ve seen a woman this shameless! If we get a million likes, we’re busting into her house!”

I’d only been back in the country for a couple of weeks, but I knew livestreams were a thing. I just didn’t realize people had time for this crap during the day.

There were already a hundred thousand people watching.

The comments were flying.

“Whoa, they brought out the big guns! This is gonna be good!”

“That chick messed with the wrong people. Several of them are major influencers. Her name’s mud now.”

“Ladies, take note: If you’re gonna be a side chick, you better be ready for the consequences.”

“Why aren’t they yelling at him? He’s the one who cheated!”

I really didn’t care.

I was about to give Maria her phone back when I spotted a familiar face on the livestream.

My brother’s girlfriend, Chloe, stepped out of the crowd.

When she saw the comment about yelling at him, she started to cry.

“Ethan’s a good man! We’ve been together for ten years. This woman drugged him one night, took advantage of him, got pregnant, and then ran off. Now she’s back, demanding money and trying to steal my life!”

“These days, these women are so manipulative. Pulling the ‘surprise pregnancy’ card? It’s low!”

Chloe’s got over five million followers, so most of the people watching were her fans.

They filled the screen with messages of support and disgust at the “homewrecker.”

I frowned.

What the hell was going on?

I left for college when I was sixteen, and after that, Mom said the house was too quiet, so she adopted Ethan.

I’ve barely been back since then, maybe five times max.

I really don’t know Ethan that well.

But he seemed to like me, he always texts me, sends me pics of Max and stuff.

Ethan and Chloe got married last year, but I’d just had Max, so I couldn’t make it to the wedding.

I gave Maria her phone and went to call Ethan.

If this was true, I’d get him a lawyer to take care of this crazy woman.

The phone hadn’t even started ringing when my front door burst open.

Suddenly, a mob of people from the livestream were inside my house.

Before I could even figure out what was happening, they were shoving their phones in my face.

“Everyone, look! This is the shameless woman who trapped a man with a baby!”

“Wow, she’s old and plain. No wonder she had to resort to this! Chloe’s way better looking!”

The insults came thick and fast.

Chloe pushed her way to the front.

Seeing her gave me a little hope.

“Chloe, what are you doing here?”

Chloe scowled. “You know my name?”

I nodded. “I’ve seen your pictures. There’s been a mistake.”

I didn’t even get the words out before Chloe kicked me in the stomach.

“Mistake, my ass! You knew he was taken, and you slept with him anyway! You’re so desperate for money, you’ll do anything!”

I doubled over in pain.

Then, someone slapped me across the face.

“Bitch, you deserve that! You’re destroying a family! You have no morals!”

I was confused and angry.

I took a breath and tried to explain.

“Chloe, you’ve got the wrong person. I’m not some homewrecker. I’m Ethan’s sister.”

I thought that would make her stop, give her pause.

At least make her call Ethan and ask him to confirm who I was.

Instead, she slapped me again.

“You can’t even lie properly! My husband’s an only child of a billionaire. He doesn’t have a sister.”

Then Chloe clapped her hands.

Someone produced two posters covered in printed-out text messages.

It was all the money Ethan had sent me, and the pictures I sent him of Max.

Chloe turned to me. “You think you can get away with this? As long as I’m alive, you’re never getting near him.”

I was silent.

Ethan hadn’t told Chloe he had a sister.

I guess in a way, he didn’t have one.

Not really. He didn’t even have parents, originally.

But he said he was the billionaire’s only son.

I realized he hadn’t been honest about things because I was out of the country.

Knowing she was being lied to, I tried to reason with her. “Chloe, you should really ask how many kids this ‘billionaire’ actually has.”

You wouldn’t have to look too far.

Loads of my parents’ friends live here.

“Oh, you’re trying to trick us into leaving so you can run away, right?” Chloe spat. “You might be able to fool Ethan, but you’re not fooling me.”

The influencers were quick to jump in.

“She looks like trouble, she’s full of schemes.”

“What’s wrong with this person? Why does she have to ruin other people’s lives?”

Besides them, the livestream was full of insults.

“I’m calling Ethan,” I said.

I reached for my phone, but someone grabbed it.

Chloe smashed my phone on the floor, shattering it.

“You’re unbelievable! You’re gonna call my husband? You think you can play the victim and get him on your side? I’m telling you, even if he comes, he’s not gonna side with you!”

I looked at the broken pieces of my phone, and my patience snapped.

“Chloe, do you realize what you’re doing? You’re committing a crime. I’m giving you one last chance. Leave.”

“This is a joke! This homewrecker is threatening the wife!”

Someone in the crowd yelled.

“She couldn’t afford this house and all this stuff without him, and since your mama didn’t teach you, I’m gonna.”

Chloe’s face darkened.

She grabbed an antique vase and threw it to the ground.

The sound of breaking porcelain sent the mob into a frenzy.

The influencers started smashing everything they could find.

They were destroying everything I owned, and I could feel myself getting angrier and angrier.

The mob had wrecked the living room, but that wasn’t enough. They piled into my library.

One of them took out my paintings, pulled out a lighter, and tried to set them on fire.

I warned him.

“Those paintings are priceless. You can’t afford to pay for them if they burn.”

He paused, looking uncertain.

Chloe saw this and grabbed the lighter, holding it to the paintings.

“You think they’re priceless? I have cash, I can pay for them.”

After burning the paintings, they ran into my wardrobe.

These influencers might not know art, but they knew designer stuff.

One of them held up a handbag, surprised. “Isn’t that a diamond Himalayan Birkin? How does she have this? Is that vase real?”

Another scoffed. “She probably stole it.”

“What if it belongs to the billionaire? He’s supposed to be a collector.”

Chloe froze.

She’d been married for a year but hadn’t seen my parents a few times.

Even at the wedding, my mom didn’t go.

Chloe had asked Ethan about them.

Ethan had said my parents didn’t like her career.

Chloe got angry.

“Even if it’s my father-in-law’s, so what? I’m sure he won’t defend a woman. Besides, he’s gonna die sooner or later. When he does, all this stuff is our’s.”

I rolled my eyes.

Ethan’s adoption hadn’t been official, so our family’s money was protected by an ironclad prenuptial agreement.

He didn’t even live here.

When we’d adopted him, he didn’t have anyone, but he wanted to stay in his original house.

Chloe knew nothing about Ethan’s situation to say that.

After she said that, they started smashing things again.

The livestream was even more chaotic.

“Chloe is a queen, women with money don’t take the crap.”

“It’s so satisfying watching people like her beat someone like her.”

“I don’t think that’s enough, the things they’re destroying are nothing.”

Chloe noticed that comment and looked at me.

Her eyes were like knives.

I didn’t know what was going to happen, I just looked at everything and started to try and talk them out of this. “The things that you are destroying will be worth hundreds of millions, I advise you to stop, otherwise you will not only not be able to pay for it, but also go to jail.”

After I said that, there was silence.

When I thought my words would finally do something.

Chloe turned to the phone. “My family, the upcoming footage cannot be broadcast, my fans can get closer into my fanbase, then you can know what’s going to happen.”

After she said that.

The livestream was turned off, she looked back at me with a cold smile.

I saw the smile.

I knew things would get bad, I wanted to get to the closest phone and dial the emergency services.

But a couple of people went straight for me.

Someone kicked me in the knee.

My legs gave way, and I fell to the floor.

“On your knees!”

Chloe came up and grabbed my hair, taking scissors and cutting it all off.

After I saw my hair, I couldn’t help but scream.

“Chloe, you’re crazy!”

I tried to move, but those people were holding me.

Chloe was holding the scissors. “I can hear you’re swearing.”

With that she started to cut the clothes that I was wearing.

I could only try and cover everything up as much as possible.

But they slapped me in the face.

“The you, you know you’re a b*tch, what happened when you were sleeping with another woman’s husband?”

“This will be the you’re future for sleeping with people.”

As they were beating me up, someone stopped them for a moment.

“Don’t hit her too hard, she can go to a hospital.”

Chloe got up from me. “You can praise the law system for saving you.”

When I felt that everything had passed.

Suddenly the door to the second floor was open.

My son, Max, came out, saying. “Mommy.”

Someone heard.

Pointing in his direction. “Look! It’s the mistake.”

Chloe started to glare.