The Price of Assumptions

My brother calls me his princess and transfers money to me as allowance; his wife-to-be misunderstands and thinks I'm his secret lover. She crashes my new apartment, which I've lovingly decorated, with a group of friends and family.

"I can't believe you're someone's secret lover when you're so young! I'll teach you a lesson on your parents' behalf! I'm going to spread your illicit relationship online so your teachers and classmates will all know how shameless you are!"

They trash my new apartment and rip my clothes off. Then, they make sure to get my student ID in the scene as they record me getting bullied.

My brother rushes over, his eyes red and bloodshot. "Have you guys lost your mind? How dare you bully my sister!"

It was the finals that week. I came to my brother's new home with a stack of textbooks, hoping to study hard in a quiet environment for the upcoming exams.

I had just flipped open my book for a few minutes when someone knocked on the door rapidly. I assumed that the plants I ordered were being delivered, so I opened the door without a second thought.

"Look, everyone! This is the face of the mistress Claude has been seeing in secret!"

As soon as I opened the door, a phone on a selfie stick was practically shoved in my face by a short woman with heavy makeup. Behind her was a large crowd of people.

"Who are you? You must have the wrong door," I stated with a frown.

Before I could finish, they barged in, pushing me inside along with them.

"Hmph. You're the one Claude has been having an affair with, huh? She's not even that pretty!"

The group of women shot hostile glares at me, and I felt very apprehensive. A wave of unease washed over me.

"Why are you trespassing into private property? Please leave immediately!" I shouted at them.

Anxiously, I tried to grab my phone, but a tall woman with wavy hair snatched it away before I could reach it.

"Did you want to call for backup? Like I'd let you!" She glared at me with a spiteful expression. Then, she shrieked, "How dare you try to steal my fiancé from me, you mistress? I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

Before I could even process what she meant when she mentioned the words "mistress" and "fiancé", I was slapped hard across the face. The force of the slap stunned me.

"Look at that innocent expression she's putting on. See how good she is at putting on a show. This is the type of woman men always fall for and have an affair with!" the woman who slapped me spat hatefully.

She then massaged her palm and continued hurling accusations at me. "Stop pretending! Don't try to deny that you know Claude! Can you swear to God that you're not his mistress?"

Claude Stark was my brother. Why did she keep claiming that I was his mistress? Every penny I spent was from the funds that my mother left for me.

"Yes, I know Claude. I'm his sister!" I shot back angrily.

No one had ever hit me before, so my anger flared up. I screamed at the crowd of unruly women, "Now that you know that Claude is my brother, get out of here this instance!"

"You shameless vixen! That's what all mistresses claim to be when they're exposed!" the woman sneered, digging her nails into the side of my cheek that she had slapped.

My eyes stung with tears from the pain, but I couldn't push her hand away.

"Julia, look at this place. It's so big and luxurious. Claude sure is generous to this vixen," one of the women commented.

Julia? The name rang a bell. I pushed her hand away forcefully and covered my aching cheek.

"Are you Julia Durand, my brother's girlfriend?" I asked.

Upon hearing my words, the crowd grew even angrier.

"You know Julia is Claude's girlfriend, yet you still chose to come between them! Look at this shameless piece of work, everyone," the short lady exclaimed, shoving her phone in my face again.

I knew she was live-streaming. In my anger, I knocked her phone to the ground. "Put away your phone! I'm not a mistress. Julia—"

Before I could finish, the woman who was live-streaming kicked me in the stomach. I stumbled and doubled over in pain.

"I'm Claude's sister. I'm his real sister!" I blurted, my voice strained with pain and anger as I clutched my stomach.

Everyone froze and looked at Julia. "Does Claude have a sister?"

Julia's face fell as she answered, "Yes, he does have a sister."

"Could we have made a mistake? If we hit Claude's sister, we're done for…"

As the crowd of women started doubting themselves, a voice rang out. "She's lying. She's not Claude's sister at all."