When the World Turned Against Them

Chapter 25: When the World Turned Against Them

The headline went live at 08:17 a.m.

“CEO’s Contract Marriage Exposed: Inside the Billionaire’s Fake Love Deal.”

Aaliyah saw it on her phone before she even got out of bed.

Her stomach dropped.

The article was detailed. Too detailed.

Photos. Legal language. Contract excerpts. Anonymous insider quotes. Even private dinner photos she didn’t remember being taken.

Her hands started shaking.

Downstairs, the mansion erupted into chaos.

Phones rang. Staff whispered. Security rushed through halls. Ethan’s assistant was shouting into her headset.

Ethan burst into the living room, his face pale as he read the article.

“Amara,” he said through clenched teeth.

Aaliyah came down the stairs slowly, her face drained of color.

“They know everything,” she whispered.

Ethan crossed the room in three strides. “I’m handling it.”

“No,” she said, stepping back. “This isn’t just your reputation. It’s my life.”

She held up her phone. “They’re calling me a gold digger. A paid bride. A nobody who sold herself for luxury.”

His chest tightened. “None of it’s true.”

“But it’s what the world will believe,” she said, tears streaming freely now.

Outside, reporters were already gathering at the gates.

Cameras flashed through the iron bars.

Ethan grabbed his jacket. “We’ll release a statement.”

“A statement won’t fix humiliation,” she cried. “Or shame.”

She looked at him, broken. “This is why I never wanted this life.”

He reached for her, but she flinched.

“I can’t breathe here,” she said. “I feel trapped again.”

“You’re not,” he said desperately. “You’re free. Remember? You can leave.”

Her sob caught in her throat.

“That’s the problem,” she whispered. “Now I finally can.”

Silence fell between them.

She ran upstairs, grabbing a suitcase, hands shaking as she threw clothes inside without care.

Ethan followed her. “Please don’t do this.”

“I need space from the world,” she said. “From cameras. From contracts. From your name.”

She paused, her voice breaking. “From us.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s over,” he said.

“It means I don’t know who I am inside this marriage anymore,” she replied.

He stood helpless as she zipped the bag.

At the door, she turned back to him.

“I don’t hate you,” she said. “That’s what hurts the most.”

Then she walked away.

Hours later, the mansion was silent.

Too silent.

Ethan stood in his office, staring at the press screens.

Stock prices dropping.

Board members furious.

Public opinion divided.

But none of it mattered.

He had lost her.

And Amara stood in her penthouse, watching the news with a satisfied smile.

“They always leave,” she whispered. “Always.”The headline felt like a punch to the chest.

Aaliyah stared at her phone, rereading the words as if they might change if she blinked.

“CEO’s Contract Marriage Exposed: Inside the Billionaire’s Fake Love Deal.”

Her ears rang.

The article wasn’t just gossip—it was surgical. Dates. Legal terms. Anonymous quotes that sounded far too familiar. Even pictures from the restaurant the night before, zoomed in on Ethan’s hand covering hers.

Her fingers went numb.

This wasn’t an accident.

Someone wanted to destroy them.

She scrolled.

Gold-digger.

Paid bride.

Strategic asset.

Each word carved into her chest.

Downstairs, the mansion erupted into controlled chaos. Phones rang nonstop. Staff moved too quickly, eyes lowered. Security rushed to lock down the gates as voices rose outside.

Ethan’s assistant burst into the living room. “Sir, reporters are already at the gates. The board is calling an emergency meeting.”

Ethan didn’t answer.

He stood frozen, phone in hand, reading the same article over and over, rage building with every line.

“They leaked the contract,” he said darkly. “Only one person had access after the amendment.”

Aaliyah came down the stairs slowly, her legs weak, heart cracking with every step. When she reached the bottom, the room fell silent.

Ethan looked up—and his world tilted.

Her face was pale. Her eyes empty.

“They know everything,” she whispered.

He crossed the room instantly. “Aaliyah, listen to me—”

She stepped back.

The distance hurt more than any headline.

“They used my name,” she said, voice shaking. “My face. My life.”

“I’ll fix this,” he said desperately. “I’ll release a statement. I’ll sue—”

She laughed, a broken sound. “You can’t sue humiliation away.”

Outside, camera flashes lit up the windows. Voices shouted her name. Her name.

For the first time since marrying him, she felt truly exposed.

“They’re calling me a fraud,” she said. “Like I sold myself.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched. “You didn’t.”

“But that’s the story now,” she replied softly. “And stories like this don’t care about truth.”

A staff member rushed in. “Sir, the press is demanding a comment. They’re asking if the marriage was ever real.”

Ethan snapped, “Get them out.”

Aaliyah flinched.

“Was it real?” she asked quietly.

The question stopped him cold.

He walked toward her slowly. “It is. It always was—”

She shook her head. “Not to them. And not to me anymore.”

Her voice cracked. “I tried to believe I could survive your world. I really did.”

She looked around—the chandeliers, the marble floors, the place that never felt like home.

“But this… this is what it does to people like me.”

He reached for her. She stepped away again.

“I can’t breathe here,” she said. “Every wall feels like it’s closing in.”

“You’re not trapped,” he said. “You’re free. I made sure of that.”

Tears filled her eyes.

“That’s the cruel part,” she whispered. “Now I finally can leave.”

Silence crushed the room.

Slowly, painfully, she turned and went upstairs.

Ethan followed, helpless.

“Aaliyah, please—”

She didn’t answer.

In the bedroom, she pulled a suitcase from the closet. Her hands shook as she packed—clothes folded without care, memories left behind.

“Don’t go,” Ethan said hoarsely. “Not like this.”

She paused, gripping the edge of the bed. “If I stay, I’ll disappear again.”

“I need you,” he admitted.

She looked at him then, really looked.

“And I needed you when the world wasn’t watching.”

The words broke him.

Downstairs, the sound of shouting grew louder. Reporters were pressing against the gates. Social media exploded. Her name trended worldwide.

She zipped the suitcase shut.

At the door, she turned back one last time.

“I don’t hate you,” she said. “I think that’s why this hurts so much.”

His eyes burned. “I love you.”

The words came too late.

Her breath hitched—but she didn’t step back.

“I need to love myself more right now,” she whispered.

Then she walked away.

Hours later, the mansion felt like a tomb.

Ethan stood alone in his office as stock prices dropped, calls went unanswered, and the board demanded blood.

But none of it mattered.

Because she was gone.

Across the city, Amara watched the news from her penthouse, a glass of wine in hand. Satisfaction flickered across her face—until her phone buzzed.

Evidence linking Amara Voss to the leak is under investigation.

Her smile faltered.

“No,” she muttered.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Back in a quiet guesthouse miles away, Aaliyah sat on the edge of an unfamiliar bed, suitcase unopened.

For the first time, she cried—not for the marriage, not for the scandal—

But for the woman she almost lost trying to survive someone else’s world.