Chapter 3

Chad's POV

Instantly, every hair on my body stood on end, and my body went cold. The audio recording had been made on the very day Mom had her car accident.

Anthony was the culprit, with my wife as an accomplice.

I turned around unsteadily, only to find Shelly already standing behind me.

"Chad, you investigated me?" she asked with a frown. Her expression was difficult to read, but there wasn't a trace of guilt in her eyes.

"So, it's all true?" I asked.

How I hoped she would tell me that the audio was fake. Yet, Shelly's eyes darted away for a moment, and she remained silent.

The last glimmer of hope I held vanished instantly.

The next second, she embraced me just as I was on the verge of losing control. In the softest voice, she said the cruelest thing imaginable. "Chad, it's all in the past. Helen is still alive, isn't she? Anthony has a bright future ahead of him."

I stared at her in shock, a painful lump forming in my throat.

The night of the accident, I had tried to rush past the cordon barefoot, but Shelly held me back with all her strength.

Her voice trembled as she reassured me, saying, "Chad, I'm here for you. I'll find the driver who fled the scene. I won't let him get away. Easy now."

I was clutching a broken bottle, and in my grief, I struck out blindly, only to have every blow land on her. The downpour washed the blood away, while she kept murmuring, "It's okay, it's okay…"

I had naively thought that Shelly had already brought the culprit to justice. However, her way of handling it was simply to buy Anthony a plane ticket to Linton so he could lie low.

My blood ran cold, and I couldn't seem to find the words to say anything.

Just then, Anthony burst in, crying as if he had been wronged. "Chad, please stop threatening me with this recording. I'm really afraid I'll lose my job…"

As he spoke, he intentionally exposed his arm, causing the onlookers to gasp at what they saw. His arms were covered in bruises, and knife marks were clearly visible.

With just one glance, Shelly couldn't hide the hurt in her eyes. When she looked at me, her gaze was filled with disappointment. "Chad, is this how you hurt Anthony behind my back? How could you?"

Those crude scars were nothing compared to what Mom had been through. They were nothing compared to the five years of betrayal I had endured.

I laughed maniacally, not even bothering to explain. "If you feel bad for him, let's get a divorce."

I handed her the divorce papers Jennifer had sent. When everyone saw what was written on them, they gasped.

Shelly glared at me, her eyes reddening. "Fine! You want a divorce? I'll give you one! I'll give you three days to change your mind!"

She signed her name without hesitation, shot me a glare, and left while shielding Anthony.

Mocking whispers erupted behind me. They were betting on the day I would go crawling back to Shelly.

Shelly didn't go home that night. Instead, she accompanied Anthony to various banquets, introducing him to her connections in the industry.

I had seen it all before. This was exactly how she had once paved the way for me.

Shelly had already decided to give this year's Most Outstanding Presenter award to Anthony, a newcomer who had only hosted one trial broadcast. With that alone, she could humiliate me in front of the entire city without even lifting a finger. She wanted me to understand that I was nothing without her backing me.

While Anthony's hosting program played on the television, I calmly packed my belongings.

The next morning, an unexpected call from the hospital woke me. "Is this Chad Weston? Y-your mother went missing early this morning."