Chapter Three

The Cheating Scandal 

Ariana’s POV 

Morning came too quickly.

I woke up to the incessant vibration of my phone against the bedside table, the notification sound cutting through the little sleep I’d managed to steal.

My head throbbed faintly as I reached for the phone, my eyes still heavy with sleep and my mind totally unprepared for what came next.

When I finally tapped at the screen, I was met with an endless streak of notifications. Dozens of them.

My brows knitted in confusion as I unlocked the phone, only for the screen to flood with messages, missed calls, and headlines that made my blood run cold…

“Frostech ceo’s wife in secret affair with rival business mogul!”…. “Ariana frost caught with Desmond Hunt!”

My breath literally caught in my throat.

“No…” I gasped in disbelief.

My fingers trembled as I tapped one of the articles. Suddenly, images loaded. And then my heart dropped into my stomach.

There were endless images of Desmond Hunt and I, locked in what looked like a private moment outside a hotel.

But there was one problem… I didn’t recall ever taking those pictures with Desmond. I’d never even formally met the man. Regardless, the photos seemed real enough.

I staggered to my feet, my heart slamming violently against my ribs.

“This can’t be true… what the hell?”

That instant, the door burst open and I flinched. I turned to see Sebastian standing there, his presence filling the room like it always did… especially when he was upset.

His once-familiar brown eyes were now dark as he gazed at me with a stare capable of boring holes through me.

“Explain.” He just said, pointing at the tab in his hand.

The tab which I could see from where I stood, held pictures similar to the ones I had been viewing on my phone. 

Immediately I knew Sebastian was moments away from rage. I shook my head quickly, clutching my phone like it was proof of my own innocence.

“Sebastian, I… I just saw it. I don’t know what this is, but it’s not real. All they are saying is not true at all…”

“Not real?” he repeated, his voice rising slightly as he stepped closer. “With him? Desmond Hunt?!”

“Yes!” I insisted, my voice cracking despite my effort to stay calm. “You know I would never do something like that. And not with him, not with anyone!”

“Then how would you explain the pictures?”

I froze where I stood.

“By all means, Ariana, explain to me these pictures of you and him going into a hotel and leaving together!” he roared.

I didn’t have an answer for him. Because I myself was struggling to understand what was even happening. And the silence that followed was enough to condemn me.

“I didn’t do this,” I said again softer, more desperate. “You have to believe me, Sebastian.”

He laughed. He actually burst into laughter. As if any of it was funny. The laugh was a cold sound that sent a chill down my spine.

“Believe you?” he echoed. “After everything I’ve seen with my own two eyes?”

My chest tightened. “I… I” I stammered, the right words to utter completely lost to me.

I stared at him, searching his face… almost begging silently for him to believe me. I searched for any doubt or hesitation, anything that suggested he wasn’t completely convinced of the scandalous news.

But there was nothing. Only anger and disgust. As if this… this scandal had given him exactly what he needed.

“You thought you could go behind my back with my enemy and not get caught, didn’t you?” he continued, his voice far more dangerous now. “Well, I hate to break it to you. The entire city is talking about it, Ari!”

“No…” I said, almost yelling as I stepped forward. “Sebastian, please. This isn’t what you think. Someone is doing this on purpose. Can’t you see? This is the work of our enemies…”

“And what? You just happened to end up in bed with one of them?” he cut in sharply.

“I did not sleep with him!”

“Then prove it.”

The words hit a wall. Because in truth, how could I? How do you prove that something which seemed so true never actually happened?

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not in front of him. I didn’t want to be weak, I wanted my husband to believe me.

“I’m your wife,” I said quietly, my voice finally trembling. “Doesn’t that count for anything?”

A long pause passed between Sebastian and I, before he spoke again, answering my question.

“No. It doesn’t when my wife is out there sleeping with the enemy!”

With that, he turned away from me and started to walk out. The silence he left behind hadn’t even settled before the door flung open again.

I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. Because I already knew. There was nothing Sebastian did that his mother didn’t blindly support him in. 

“Disgusting.” Isabelle’s voice cut through the room.

I closed my eyes briefly, calming myself down before turning back to face her. She stood there in all her cold elegance as she looked at me like I was something filthy.

“I always knew you had it in you, Ariana,” she continued, shaking her head slightly. “From the very beginning, I knew you would bring shame to this family!”

My hands clenched at my sides. “I didn’t do this!”

“Oh, spare me your silly excuses,” she snapped. “The entire world has seen those pictures, darling. Do you take us all for fools?”

“It’s a setup,” I insisted, my voice tightening. “Someone is obviously trying to ruin me… or Sebastian…”

“What a convenient excuse,” she cut in, her eyes narrowing. “Tell me child, was it worth it? Throwing yourself like some cheap whore at Sebastian’s biggest rival?”

“I did not sleep with Desmond Hunt!”

The woman’s expression suddenly darkened, but instead of angry outburst, something that looked much like pleasure or satisfaction flashed across her face.

“Oh well, whether you did it or not hardly matters now,” she said coolly. “The damage is already done.”

My breath hitched.

Of course. That was all that mattered to her. Reputation, power, control. Never the truth. Never me.

“You don’t belong in this family,” Isabelle added coldly. “And after this little stunt of yours, I assure you, you won’t be staying much longer. I won’t let you drag this family name through mud!”

I met her eyes then, and probably for the first time, I didn’t feel small before her. Because now I saw it clearly. They wanted me gone, and now they finally had their excuse.

***

By noon, my name no longer belonged to me. It belonged to the news headlines.

Every stranger who spoke about me talked like they knew every inch of my life. And the worst part? There was nothing I could do to stop it.

I was in the kitchen when Sebastian called for me. When I entered the living room, he was standing near the fireplace, a set of documents in his hand.

His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his posture that made my stomach turn.

“Come here.” He said without turning.

I walked toward him, each step becoming heavier in my shoes.

“What is it?” I asked quietly.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he held out the documents toward me.

“Sign them.”

I frowned slightly, taking the papers from his hand. Then I realized what it was, and my world stopped. Divorce documents.

The words I read blurred in my eyes for a second before returning back to focus.

I let out a slow, shaky breath. “You’re divorcing me?”

“It’s necessary.”

“Necessary? Necessary for what?” I asked, my voice shaky.

“For the good of the company,” he replied coldly. “This scandal

is already affecting FrosTech’s reputation. I won’t let it go any further.”