Chapter 6

Nora kept banging on the door and shouting, and the neighbors could no longer pretend they didn't hear.

They cracked their doors open just enough to peek outside.

Mary Nelson, a neighbor who was friendly with Nora, immediately gasped.

"Oh my God, what happened to you? Why are your face and hands all bruised? Who did this to you?"

Nora looked at Mary like a savior, almost moved to tears.

She pointed at me and yelled, "She's the one who did it.

"She spends all of Daniel's money on useless luxury items. I only said a few words to her, and she hit me!

"Look, my face and hands are all bruised from her!

"I'm so old. How can I stand this kind of abuse from her?"

People love gossip. Soon, several other neighbors came out to watch the drama unfold.

They looked at her, bruised and battered, and then at me, who appeared completely unharmed. They believed her words, and one by one, they shot me looks of disgust.

Mary started accusing me, "She's your husband's mom. How could you abuse her?

"You're just a stay-at-home wife. How can you be so shameless to spend all your husband's money?"

Two other neighbors also started murmuring about me, "She's really a wolf in sheep's clothing. She seemed so gentle, but who would have thought she'd be so cruel to her husband's mom?"

"Daniel's really pitiful, marrying a woman like her. What bad luck!"

"If I were Daniel, I'd break her legs and lock her in the house to make her reflect on her actions. What kind of wife hits her husband's mom?"

"I've always said she's not a good woman. Look at how she dresses up so brightly every day. She probably has an affair!"

Listening to their slander, Nora almost laughed out loud.

I felt my face go dark, barely holding back my anger.

I was about to shout back at them when the elevator dinged. Daniel walked out from inside.