Chapter 5 I knew Yvonne was faking her stomachache to manipulate Jared and me . She was young , but already such a schemer , and had totally played me for a fool in my previous life . I texted Jared back : [ Take her to the hospital yourself . ] Then I tossed my phone aside and turned back to the movie's ending . Jared didn't bug me after that . When the credits rolled , a couple of guys pushed their way towards me . One bumped into me , and his face went bright red . Melissa was about to give them an earful , but I squeezed her hand gently and said , " It's fine ." The guy stammered an apology , smacked his friend , and they hightailed it out of there . Melissa grinned and nudged me . " Guess pretty girls make guys go brain - dead . Victoria , Jared's seriously lucky . Bet the second he laid eyes on your face and body , he was dying to get you into bed , huh ? " My cheeks heated up - I was the one dying for it . Too embarrassed to say that , I just smiled and said , " You'll get it when you have a boyfriend . " " Get what ? " Melissa blinked . " Time passes , and even the hottest girl stops turning her man's head eventually . Don't pour your whole heart into love ," I said softly . " I get it . Lately , I've been handling several divorce cases . Those wives are all stunners , and yet the guys still strayed . Can you believe that ? " Melissa bit the words out . I let out a bitter laugh . " Don't pin too much hope on men . " Melissa must've picked up on something , her face etched with concern as she asked , " Jared … has affairs ? " At that point , Jared had just started dating Tracy , and hardly anyone knew about it . As his wife , I didn't want word getting out . Though I no longer cared about him , I had to save my face . " I don't think so , " I said . I got back home late , and yet the living room light was still on . My mom was pacing around the living room with Yvonne on her back . Yvonne was half - asleep but perked up when she heard the car . She slid off Mom's back and darted to the door , waiting for me . My mom walked over to coax her . " Honey , let me help you get to bed . Your mom still needs to take a shower . " " Not Grandma ; I want Mommy , " Yvonne whined , shoving my mom away . " Grandma , go upstairs and sleep . Leave me alone . " I parked the car and walked into the living room . Yvonne bolted over and latched onto my leg . " Mommy , you're home so late . Were you cheating ? " I smacked her lightly . " Who taught you to say that garbage ? " Yvonne clutched her cheek , tears spilling over . " You hit me ? " she sniffled , lips trembling as she stepped back . Then she turned and ran upstairs , sobbing like her heart was broken . Mom looked shocked , glancing between me and the stairs . " Victoria , why did you snap at her the moment you walked in ? She was waiting for you . Go easy on her ." I smiled at Mom . " Did you hear her ? A kid that age saying stuff like that ? She needs a little discipline , and then she'll learn . " " She probably picked it up from the TV . She's too little to know what ' cheating ' even means , " Mom said , sounding stern . " Kids have feelings too , you know . Slapping her will just hurt her . Don't do it again . " " Got it , Mom . It's late - go to bed . " I said it like I meant it . But deep down , I knew Yvonne's upbringing needed a total reset . Better she resented me or ignored me now than for me to pour out all my love , only to get betrayal and hatred in return . I climbed the stairs . Jared was at the top , holding a sobbing Yvonne . It looked like he'd been waiting just for me . I stopped in my tracks , tilting my head to look up at the father - daughter duo . A faint smile played on my lips , but it didn't reach my eyes . " What , she's been spinning stories again ? " " Daddy , my cheek hurts so bad , " Yvonne whimpered , clinging tight to Jared's neck . With a pitiful pout , she accused me , " Mom's trying to kill me , isn't she ? " I continued climbing . " If a little slap could kill you , then you're just wasting oxygen . " " Victoria , we need to talk , " Jared said . Then he set Yvonne down , crouching to comfort her . " Go to your room . I'll be there in a minute to read you a bedtime story ." With Jared coddling her , Yvonne shot me a snooty glare , then stomped into her bedroom and slammed the door . I didn't follow Jared to his study . Instead , I went straight to our bedroom , sat at the vanity , and started removing my earrings . I was wearing a sleek , tight dress . My thick , long hair cascaded down my back - no styling , no fancy updo , just natural loose curls that exuded an effortless charm and allure . Maybe Jared had got tired of me . In my previous life , I'd tried so hard to be sweet , but he'd just brush me off , saying he was worn out from work and needed to crash early . I sat on the white chair , looking sultry and confident . Glancing back over my shoulder , I caught him staring off into space . " What did you want to talk about ? " I asked . " Why did you hit Yvonne today ? She's just a little kid . Even if she did something wrong , a few words would've been enough . You don't hit a child in the face - she has feelings too , you know . " I let out a small " Hmm , " then stood up . Leaning back against the vanity with my hands braced behind me , I met his gaze . " Guess you didn't hear what she said to me . " " No matter what she said- " " She said I came home late because I was cheating . " I cut him off , a faint smile playing on my lips . " Honey , cheating's no small thing . If that gets out , it'll trash both our reputations ." Jared's frown deepened . The word " cheating " clearly struck a nerve - his face darkened . After all , he was the one who was cheating . Still , he made excuses for her . " Yvonne's little ; she doesn't get what that means . " I held up my hands . They used to be slim and elegant , but years of constant work had worn them down . I stared at my fingers , my voice steady . " She's already acting out at her age . " If I don't get her under control now , she'll be a total nightmare when she's older . If you think my approach is too harsh , why don't you try raising her ? " 2/3 Jared got mad at my dodging the blame instead of owning up . " Victoria , what are you even saying ? She's your daughter . It's your job to raise her right . " I nodded . " I get that . When I'm disciplining her , stay out of it . You can be the fun dad , and I'll be the strict mom . Just don't criticize me - I don't want her to resent me . " Jared froze . For the first time , his perfectly handsome face looked rattled . Realizing he couldn't win the argument , he turned to leave . " Go take a shower , " he said . " I'll be in after I tuck Yvonne in ." I paused . He said he'd " be in " ? Was that supposed to be some kind of favor to me ?