Stella watched as the security guards approached, and with a desperate voice, she shouted, “This woman is trying to hurt me! Take her away!”
But Mrs. Smith wasn’t intimidated. “Go on, then!” she taunted. “I haven’t done a thing! I’m just here to speak my mind!”
She turned to point at Stella with accusatory fingers. “Instead of dragging me away, why don’t you take this vile, shameless woman who’s seducing married men?!”
The harsh words hit Stella like a physical blow, draining the color from her face. “Mrs. Smith, please listen,” she said, trying to keep her composure. “You can ask Ruby. She’ll tell you that I’ve never had anything to do with your husband. I’m just her tutor! I spend all my time with her, not him. She’ll know if anything was wrong.”
Although Stella’s words made sense, Mrs. Smith’s suspicion didn’t fade.
Stella pulled out her phone, her hands trembling slightly. “Look, here’s my number,” she said, showing it to Mrs. Smith. “Why don’t you send a message to the ‘Ella Steele’ on your husband’s phone? See if it shows up on mine.”
Mrs. Smith hesitated, her eyes narrowing, but she eventually took Stella’s phone and typed the message. As the seconds ticked by, Stella’s phone remained silent.
Mrs. Smith scowled. “This is some sort of trick!” she accused. “You probably have another phone!”
Stella shook her head. “I don’t! Think about it, Mrs. Smith. If your husband were having an affair, would he really save the other woman’s real name in his phone? Wouldn’t he try to keep it hidden?”
As Stella spoke, something clicked in her mind. She glanced at the phone number that had been labeled as “Ella Steele” and quickly dialed it herself.
The sound of a phone ringing echoed through the room, and everyone turned toward the source of the noise. In a flash, Joyce’s hand shot into her handbag to silence the ringing phone. But her fingers fumbled, her nerves making her panic, and the phone kept ringing, louder and louder.
All eyes shifted to Joyce.
“Isn’t that your phone, Joyce?” someone remarked, pointing at her.
Joyce turned pale, her face losing all color. Frantically, she dug through her bag, her fingers trembling as she tried to silence the phone. When she finally managed to retrieve it, she put it on silent mode, but not before everyone saw the truth unfolding before their eyes.
“Excuse me… I’ll take this call somewhere else,” Joyce stammered, her lips quivering. Her attempts to escape were evident to everyone, and while the crowd continued to stare at her, Stella’s eyes sharpened in suspicion. She moved quickly, pushing through the crowd to block Joyce’s path.
Without giving Joyce a chance to flee, Stella grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
“Give me your phone!” Stella demanded.
“What? Why would I give it to you?!” Joyce sputtered, trying to wriggle free, her face flushed with panic. She never expected Stella to catch up to her so quickly.
Stella didn’t reply. Her grip tightened, and in one swift motion, she yanked Joyce’s phone from her hand. Stella glanced at the screen and saw, with a cold realization, that Mr. Smith’s number had just called her.
Stella’s gaze was steely as she turned back to Mrs. Smith, holding up Joyce’s phone. “Take a look at this,” she said, her voice firm but controlled.
Mrs. Smith’s face went pale as she took the phone from Stella. She stared at the screen, her eyes widening with disbelief. After a long pause, she shakily called her husband’s number again.
The ringtone echoed through the air, sending a jolt through the crowd. Joyce’s face, which had been flushed with anger only moments ago, now went sickly green as the realization set in.
The truth was undeniable.
Mrs. Smith’s fury reached a boiling point. Her hands shook with rage as she turned on Joyce, her eyes burning with betrayal. Before Joyce could even react, Mrs. Smith slapped her across the face with all the force she could muster.
“You vile, revolting witch!” Mrs. Smith hissed through gritted teeth. “How dare you make a fool out of me?!”
Joyce stood frozen, stunned by the slap and the realization that her manipulation had been exposed for all to see.
Skip to content