A thick silence blanketed the room after the lawyer's read, leaving the everyone in stunned stillness.
The lawyer looking to be in his early forties paused, glancing curiously at the assembled guests, uncertain about how to continue.
Then Mrs. Shen erupted, her voice cutting through the silence like a knife. "What nonsense!" She shouted, her fists pounding against her thighs in outrage. "I have no daughter named Athena. And I'm sure he didn't impregnate any idiot outside!"
But you did, Athena thought bitterly, a sharp edge of truth underlying her silence. Mrs. Shen had taken many lovers during her husband's frequent absences, seeking solace in the arms of others whenever Mr. Shen was called away for work.
Athena had never disclosed this scandalous affair to her dear master, but she suspected he was painfully aware of his wife's indiscretions—a situation that had only come to a halt after a car accident left her with ugly scars that marred her face.
