“Oh, I forgot to pick the newspaper,” she said upon seeing a folded newspaper near the doorstep. She picked it up and put it on the kitchen counter before preparing to make herself a refreshing cup of tea.

Once it was ready, Amanda sat at the kitchen table and unfolded the newspaper, expecting to scan through the headlines like always. However, today was different.

The newspaper had something shocking for Amanda. It had a photo of her father, Robert, standing beside his young new fiancée, Clara. It was an announcement of their future wedding events.
As she looked at the photograph, the pain of her father’s long-ago abandonment resurfaced sharply. It reminded her of the time her father broke his promise of always being by his wife’s side. He left his wife when she fell sick and never returned.

The pain and anger buried beneath years of determination had suddenly resurfaced. Amanda touched the silver stud in her ear as she thought of her mother. These were the same studs her mother had gifted her on one of her birthdays.

“Betrayal is nothing new to you,” Amanda whispered to herself as a plan began to take shape in her mind. Seething with hurt and betrayal, she decided to confront her father.
Early the next morning, she approached his house, a well-kept property that starkly contrasted her humble beginnings. She hid behind a large oak tree, waiting for the right moment.

Soon, the front door opened, and her father stepped outside. Behind him was the woman from the newspaper, Carla, who quickly kissed him goodbye.
“Oh God,” Amanda whispered and looked away. She couldn’t stand the sight of her father kissing another woman.

Amanda watched as Robert and Carla got into their respective cars and drove away. Once they left, Amanda stepped out from her hiding place and scanned the exterior of her father’s house. She wanted to find a way to enter the house.

“The window!” Amanda whispered as soon as her eyes landed on an open window on the house’s second floor. She had spent a lot of time climbing trees during her childhood, so entering the house from the window was not difficult for her.
In no time, Amanda found herself inside her father’s bedroom. With deliberate movements, Amanda approached the bed, her hands trembling slightly as she began to disturb the neatly arranged covers.

Then, she removed one earring—a simple piece, yet laden with meaning—and placed it on the bed. It was meant to sow seeds of doubt and discord. She quickly exited the house through the window and waited for the right moment to implement her next move.

Amanda watched from her hiding spot as Carla returned home, her heart pounding with anticipation. Moments later, her father’s car pulled up, and he entered the house with an air of contentment. A few minutes later, Amanda headed towards the door and rang the doorbell.
“How can I help you?” Carla asked, opening the door.

“I’m here to see Robert. Are you his maid?” Amanda inquired, feigning confusion.

“No, I’m his fiancée,” Carla responded, showing her engagement ring.

“Fiancée? That scoundrel! He told me I was the only one in his life!” Amanda exclaimed.

Carla, puzzled, denied Amanda’s claims. When Robert appeared, he too denied knowing Amanda, but she persisted, “Oh, but you knew me very well a few hours ago, didn’t you?”

Carla, now furious, believed Amanda’s lie.