Married to the Same Man

"Sorry, honey. Please don't be mad. I'll bring you a gift when I get back."I stared at the text on my phone and let out a long sigh.After five years of marriage, Rupert Hensley and I had finally been blessed with a child. Today was supposed to be the first prenatal checkup, but he was away on a business trip and couldn't make it.Every other expectant mother outside the doctor's office had her husband by her side. I couldn't help but feel the sting of being alone."Are you here by yourself, too?" asked the woman beside me.Before I could respond, she continued, "My husband's on a business trip and couldn't make it. But he promised to make it up to me with a Hermès bag when he gets back."She flicked her long hair over her shoulder, and I saw her profile. Her words might've sounded like complaining, but the smile on her face said otherwise.She went on and on about how great her husband was to her while I listened in silence. When she mentioned her husband was the CEO of a phar

Rupert and I met at a party.It happened to be my 20th birthday, and Dad threw a huge celebration at a fancy hotel, inviting all the big-name families, including the Hensleys.Rupert was five years older than me. He had already taken over his family's company after college.He showed up that day looking sharp, with good looks and a cool, distant vibe that made everyone stop and stare. Many wealthy families jumped at the chance to introduce their daughters to him.From the moment I saw him, I couldn't help but be drawn to his calm, mysterious vibe. I'd never met anyone who looked as good as he did.What really got to me was how kind and gentle he was beneath that tough, distant front he put up.One day, I happened to catch him feeding a stray cat. The look in his eyes was unlike anything I'd ever seen. It was so tender and pure, like something out of a dream.That moment stuck with me, and I just knew I wanted to be around him. But I never had the courage to tell him how I felt.

"You're awake, Janet!" Rupert was sitting by the bed when I opened my eyes, holding my hand excitedly.I felt disgusted. I yanked my hand away and turned my head."The doctor said we lost the baby, Janet," Rupert said, his voice thick with sadness as he tried to reassure me. "But don't let it get to you. We'll try again, and one day, we'll have another little one."I stayed quiet while Rupert continued, "My company's recent project needs the Sangers' help, so I didn't really have a choice but to handle things the way I did today. I hope you're not holding it against me.""Once all this blows over, I'll divorce her and marry you. Isn't that what you've always wanted? After you're feeling better, we can try for another baby and start over. That way—""Are you done?" I cut him off, my patience running out. "The baby didn't just get lost in an accident. I had an abortion."Rupert froze, his face tightening in frustration, and oddly, that gave me a little sense of satisfaction.I sco

I clicked on the link and spotted photos of Rupert and me. Weirdly enough, his face was cropped out so much that anyone who didn't know him would never guess it was him.Some people had even cooked up fake, dirty pictures using my WhatsApp profile image and faked some steamy chat logs. These slanderous videos and articles spread like wildfire through WhatsApp groups within a night.Some explicit videos were taken down, but that only made people hungrier for more. Soon, social media was in an uproar, with everyone in the comments asking for the source.Internet sleuths dug up my personal info in no time and blasted it all over the biggest platforms."Her family is rich, so why would she become a mistress?""You can never truly know a person. Rich kids have twisted values. Maybe she enjoyed it."Amid all the trash talk, I saw a comment that said, "I saw someone who looked just like her at the hospital and took a picture. Does anyone want to see it? I'll post it if someone's interes

Word got out about the celebration party incident, and what had been quietly simmering finally blew up.Everyone knew the CEO of Hensley Group was a two-timing jerk who fooled me into "marrying" him. People laid into Mavis too, calling her a foolish love-struck woman who only cared about undercutting other women."How could that jerk deceive someone for five whole years?"Everyone took my side. Rupert's dirty laundry got aired out, and people kept dragging his name through the mud. Before, he had seemed like a refined gentleman, but now they saw his true nature.People felt sorry for me and thought I'd been treated unfairly. Less than a day later, Hensley Group's stock started tanking, while Dawson Group's stock started climbing.I skimmed through the nasty comments online, then shut the page down without a second thought. Everyone was saying the same stuff, and it didn't matter to me. Besides, I'd already gotten what I wanted.I slept in every morning for a few days. One day, I