Chapter 5

"Mr. Reeves," I said, my voice cold as ice, "Send the formal legal notice. And submit the request for a division and full accounting of our marital assets. Also, I want the proceedings open to the public."

…

The legal notice hit the Callahans like a bomb.

Mason stared at the letter, his fingers shaking uncontrollably.

He never expected the quiet, obedient wife who cooked his meals for five years to actually file for divorce and demand a division of their marital assets.

"She’s lost her damn mind!" He paced back and forth across the living room. "Where is a jobless housewife even getting the money for a top-tier lawyer?"

Hannah leaned in close, resting her cheek against his shoulder, a calculated glint flashing in her eyes.

"Mason, don't panic," she coaxed softly, unlocking her phone and showing him a photo, "Take a look at this."

On the screen was a shot of me and Leo Sullivan, sitting in the lobby of Elite Capital, going over files.

Whoever took the picture had been smart about the angle.

From that perspective, Leo leaning forward to point at a spreadsheet while I tilted my head down made us look like we were locked in an intimate embrace.

Hannah’s voice turned dripping venom.

"She’s obviously been cheating on you for a while, and this guy is her new sugar daddy! Mason, stop worrying and sue her for infidelity and hidden assets!"

Her cheeks flushed with cruel excitement as she painted the picture.

"Think about it! If you prove she cheated, she's legally at fault! She won't get a single cent of your money and she'll walk away with absolutely nothing! Let's see how cocky she acts then!"

Mason’s eyes lit up, grabbing onto the idea like a lifeline.

"Yes! Sue her!" His eyes burned with terrifying intensity. "I'm going to let the whole world see what kind of trash Sophie really is!"

Driven completely reckless by revenge, he unlocked his phone and scrambled through his contact list.

"That reporter from the Daily Gazette... And that viral scandal blogger! I'm giving them all the trial details! I want a public hearing!

"I want her pinned to a stake in front of this entire city!"

The night before trial.

Mr. Reeves, my lawyer, pushed a media report across the desk, looking grim.

"Sophie, the press is ugly," he warned, "They bought off sensational news outlets and paid bots to push the narrative."

I flipped through the pages. The headlines were filled with words like gold-digger, cheater, and homewrecker. The internet was completely ruthless, drowning the comments in threats and hate.

Five years ago, a smear campaign like this would have broken me.

Now, it just felt pathetic.

My phone vibrated with Mason's final ultimatum: [See you in court. I'm going to show you what happens to people who betray me.]

My thumb tapped the screen, sending back a single word.

[Fine.]

…

The courtroom was packed to maximum capacity.

Rows of camera lenses were pointed straight at me like searchlights.

Mason sat across the aisle, wearing a look of total victory.

Hannah sat right in the front row of the gallery as a "star witness," her eyes brimming with provocation.

The gavel struck, opening the session.

Mason’s lawyer attacked immediately, casting the zoomed-in photo onto the massive projector screen in the middle of the room.

"Your Honor, my client accuses the defendant, Sophie Bennett, of engaging in an illicit extramarital affair while still legally married!"

The moment the image hit the screen, gasps and quiet whispers erupted from the gallery.

Flashbulbs burst across the room in a blinding wave of white light.