Accused of Affairs, Guilty of Being Blind

To help Melanie boost her numbers, Matthew spread rumors that I'd slept with multiple men and had seven miscarriages.The endless online abuse that followed drove me into depression. When I couldn't take it anymore, I told Matthew I wanted a divorce.He chucked the divorce agreement on the floor, leaned back in his chair, and frowned."It's just news. Once the scandal dies down, who's even going to remember you? Besides, you're still Mrs. Glover. No one's going to mess with you."Every time I tried to confront him about it, he'd brush me off with the same dismissive excuse.I scoffed. "That's exactly what you said at the last banquet, when Melanie showed up in jeans and a t-shirt, and you made me give her my gown."Right there in front of everyone, Matthew made me strip down, turning me into the butt of every joke at the banquet.The media pounced on it, twisting the story into something even nastier. A wave of cruel headlines followed, and the nonstop online abuse sent me spira

I stirred awake, still groggy and heavy with sleep. My pillow was soaked. I must've been crying in my sleep.At some point, Matthew had slipped back in without me noticing. The second he saw me packing my suitcase by the door, his face tightened with frustration."Aurelia, how much longer are you going to drag this out?"I turned away, splashed some cold water on my face, and scrubbed away the dried tears. Then I put the divorce agreement in front of him again."I'm moving out for a few days. When are you going to sign this?""Seriously? You want to divorce me?" Matthew's face dropped, his stare cold as ice. "Just because of some made-up news story? I know it's fake, and I wouldn't even judge you, so what's with the whole divorce thing?"I just stared at him in silence.What a joke. As if his opinion meant anything to me.After a while, he asked, "Did my mom call you and say something? Just hold on a little longer, alright? Mel's up for a performance bonus at work."Once she g

Matthew had been coddled his whole life. No one had ever laid a hand on him. His jaw tightened, and he spat out the word "Well" three times."Let's see how far that attitude of yours really gets you, Aurelia."Melanie broke into loud, theatrical sobs, wailing that I'd ruined her face. She even demanded compensation.I scoffed. "That face? Please. It wasn't worth a dime to begin with.""Aurelia Sorensen!" Matthew barked, pulling Melanie into his arms. "Shut that filthy mouth of yours!"And with that, his hand came up, ready to slap me.I grabbed his wrist mid-swing and smacked him hard across the other cheek.Now both sides of his face were on fire. He yelped, shoved Melanie off him, and staggered to the sink, frantically splashing cold water on his face.When he glanced up at the mirror, he saw three nasty red scratches running down his neck, left by my nails."Aurelia! What the hell is wrong with you? I'm your husband!""Oh, now you remember? Where was all that husband talk

I blocked every way Matthew could reach me. There was no way for him to get to me now.Lately, the media had been all over him, churning out headlines like "Glover Group Busted for Tax Evasion", "Matthew's Affair Exposed", and "Fake Products Linked to Glover Group".Every time I checked my phone, his name was right at the top three on the trending list.I wasn't just sitting on my hands either. I'd been flooding inboxes with my resume, and bit by bit, the interviews started coming in.I was at home, going over my interview prep, when the door flew open with a kick. Matthew barged in, grabbed me by the collar, and yanked me up."Why'd you stab me in the back, Aurelia? What did I ever do to deserve this? We built Glover Group together, and now you're tearing it apart with your own hands. Doesn't that break your heart?""Break my heart?" I blinked at him. "What did I ever get out of that company? Why should I give a damn?"His grip slackened. The fire in his eyes wavered, then fade

Three days after Matthew was taken into custody by the tax authorities, the case against him for tax evasion was all but airtight.With extensive documentation in hand, Glover Group now faced more than just a suspension of business and steep financial penalties. Matthew himself was likely headed for prison.Tax fraud was only the tip of the iceberg. Investigators had also uncovered evidence that he paid off officials to secure Melanie's position and faked her academic credentials.The scandal had since erupted online.I unlocked my phone and scrolled through the latest news, amused by what I saw.I had to hand it to the internet. These people really know how to dig. It only took a few days for them to dig up everything on Melanie.Back in high school, she'd dated some thug, ended up pregnant, and stole class funds to pay for an abortion. The school caught wind of it and expelled her immediately.Melanie had even drugged the director of the TV station just to sleep with him and s