Chapter 5 The Reckoning

Vanya's grip on Beverly's arm was iron-firm as she marched them both through the restaurant's back exit, her protective fury radiating like heat from a forge. Beverly stumbled behind her, still reeling from what she'd witnessed through that damned window, her legs weak as water beneath her.

"You don't have to see this up close," Vanya muttered, but her steps were determined, carrying them directly toward the parking lot like a warrior charging into battle. "But he needs to be confronted. This ends today."

The afternoon sun beat down mercilessly as they rounded the corner of the building, and there it was the scene that had made Beverly's world crumble through glass now laid bare in excruciating detail.

Diro's expensive car sat with its windows slightly fogged, and inside, Faye was draped across him like a second skin. Her red dress had ridden up to her hips, her body pressed against his with shameless abandon. Her perfectly manicured hand was moving between his legs with practiced expertise while her mouth worked against his neck, leaving lipstick stains like territorial markings.

Diro's head was thrown back against the leather headrest, his eyes closed in ecstasy, his hands tangled in Faye's blonde hair as soft groans escaped his lips. They were so lost in their passion that they didn't notice the two women approaching until Vanya's voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Aren't you married to Beverly?"

The words exploded into the heated atmosphere of the car like a bomb going off. Faye jerked away from Diro so violently she nearly fell off his lap, her eyes wide with shock and something that looked almost like fear. Her lipstick was smeared, her hair disheveled, her dress twisted around her body in a way that left little to the imagination.

Diro's eyes snapped open, his face flushing red as he scrambled to adjust his clothing, his belt buckle clinking as he tried to restore some semblance of dignity. But there was no hiding what they'd been doing, no pretending this was anything other than what it was a public display of adultery so brazen it took Beverly's breath away.

"What the hell" Diro started, but Vanya cut him off with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel.

"You're out here foolicking with your pathetic, worthless side chick while your wife is inside trying to hold herself together?" Vanya's voice dripped with disgust, each word carefully chosen to inflict maximum damage. "You're supposed to be a man, the head of a powerful family, and this is how you conduct yourself? Like some horny teenager who can't keep it in his pants?"

Faye's face went through a rainbow of emotions shock, rage, and something that looked suspiciously like nausea. For all her enjoyment of calling Beverly names, being on the receiving end of such brutal honesty seemed to turn her stomach inside out.

"Diro, sweetheart," Faye's voice was sickeningly sweet as she tried to regain control of the situation, her hand reaching for his arm possessively. "Looks like your mute skank got herself a guard dog."

The words hung in the air like poison, but before anyone could react, Faye was already moving. She exploded out of the car with the fury of a woman scorned, her designer heels clicking against the asphalt as she stormed toward Vanya with murder in her eyes.

Her hand flew through the air, aimed directly at Vanya's face with enough force to leave a mark. But Vanya wasn't Beverly. Vanya didn't stand still and take abuse with silent dignity.

Her reflexes were lightning-quick, her hand shooting up to catch Faye's wrist mid-swing. The impact made a sharp smacking sound as palm met palm, and Faye's momentum carried her forward, nearly sending her tumbling to the ground in her ridiculous heels.

"Did you really think that was going to work on me?" Vanya's voice was deadly calm, her grip on Faye's wrist tightening until the other woman winced in pain.

But Vanya wasn't finished. Her free hand came up in a perfect arc, connecting with Faye's cheek in a thunderous slap that echoed across the parking lot like a gunshot. The sound was so sharp, so definitive, that Beverly actually jumped.

Faye's scream of pain and outrage pierced the air, her hand flying to her reddening cheek as tears of shock and humiliation sprang to her eyes. She staggered backward, her perfect composure shattered like glass against stone.

Beverly stood frozen, her mouth hanging open in shock. In three years of marriage, she had never seen anyone stand up to Faye like that. Never seen someone refuse to be a victim of the Carter family's cruelty.

Diro's face was a mask of fury as he climbed out of the car, his expensive suit wrinkled, his hair mussed from Faye's fingers. But instead of directing his anger where it belonged-at his own shameless behavior-he turned it on the one person who had never deserved his wrath.

"This is your fault," he snarled at Beverly, his voice shaking with rage. "You brought your friend here to cause trouble. Vanya is a bad influence on you, filling your head with ideas about standing up for yourself."

Beverly's hands moved frantically, trying to sign that she hadn't planned this, that she'd tried to stop it, but Diro wasn't interested in her explanations.

"You're done working here," he continued, his voice growing louder with each word. "I won't have you learning these... behaviors from her. And since you want to cause scenes in public, you can walk home. In those heels. Consider it punishment for disobeying me and bringing your friend into our business."

The cruelty of it hit Beverly like a physical blow. The restaurant was miles from the Carter mansion, and her work shoes-required by management to be heels-would turn the journey into torture.

"Get in the car, Faye," Diro commanded, already moving toward the driver's side. "I have business to attend to."

Faye didn't need to be told twice. Despite her throbbing cheek, she practically skipped to the passenger side, her face lighting up with vindictive joy. She paused before getting in, turning to face Beverly with a smile that was pure malice.

The wink she gave Beverly was slow and deliberate, a gesture of complete triumph. Her smile stretched wide across her face, showing every perfectly white tooth as she basked in her victory. She had won-again. She got to ride home in luxury while Beverly faced punishment for crimes she didn't commit.

"See you later, mute skank," Faye whispered, just loud enough for Beverly to hear before sliding into the car with feline satisfaction.

The engine roared to life, and within moments, they were gone, leaving Beverly and Vanya standing in the parking lot like survivors of a natural disaster.

"One hour," Vanya said quietly, staring at the spot where the car had disappeared. "He gave you one hour to walk home in heels, and he drove off with the woman who was just..." She couldn't finish the sentence, her voice trailing off in disbelief.

Beverly stood motionless, her entire world tilting on its axis. This was her life. This was her marriage. Her husband could publicly humiliate her with his mistress, blame her for being upset about it, and then abandon her to walk miles in painful shoes while he drove off with the same woman who had just degraded her.

The sun beat down mercilessly, already promising that the walk ahead would be agony in more ways than one. But the physical pain would be nothing compared to the knowledge that in Diro's eyes, she was worth less than the woman who called her a skank.

Vanya's phone buzzed. Then again. And again.

"Beverly," Vanya's voice was strange, tight with something Beverly couldn't identify. "You need to see this."

She held up her phone, and Beverly's blood turned to ice in her veins.

The Instagram post was already live-the photo Vanya had taken of Beverly looking beautiful in her work uniform. But the comments section had become a battlefield of vicious attacks.

"This is what happens when mutes try to look normal. Pathetic."

"Someone should tell her husband his wife is embarrassing their family."

"Why is she even allowed to work? Shouldn't she be locked up somewhere?"

Comment after comment, each one more brutal than the last. And at the bottom, the most recent addition that made Beverly's knees buckle:

"Don't worry about the mute skank. She's about to learn what happens when charity cases get too comfortable. -F"

Faye. Faye had somehow found the post and unleashed her followers on Beverly like a pack of rabid dogs.

But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was the response that had just appeared, posted less than thirty seconds ago:

"She's not my problem anymore. Do whatever you want. -D"

Diro. Her own husband. Giving his mistress permission to destroy her on social media while the entire world watched.

Beverly's hands shook as she read the words again, hoping she'd misunderstood, hoping this was some nightmare she could wake up from. But there it was, his username, his profile picture, his public abandonment of her for everyone to see.

"Beverly?" Vanya's voice seemed to come from very far away. "Beverly, breathe. You're scaring me."

But Beverly couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't process the level of betrayal she was witnessing. Her husband hadn't just chosen another woman-he'd publicly thrown her to the wolves and given them permission to tear her apart.

The phone slipped from Vanya's hands, clattering to the asphalt as Beverly doubled over, her stomach heaving with the realization of what this meant.

Faye hadn't just won. She'd annihilated her.

And Diro had helped her do it.