All Chapters of Hidden Like a Dirty Secret: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Kevin looked at me as if I'd just told a joke. "Are you kidding me?"I shook my head.His lips pressed into a thin line and his expression went cold, a sure sign he was getting angry. "All this over a pair of Monica's slippers?"My lips moved. I badly wanted to say no.But it suddenly hit me. I'd endured it for three years and swallowed my hurt for over a thousand days, and he'd never seen any of it. Or maybe he'd never wanted to.What difference would it make whether I said it or not?I lowered my eyes. For the first time, I didn't answer him. I simply turned to go back to the bedroom.He grabbed my wrist hard. "Hold on!"Kevin jabbed a finger irritably toward the living room. "You're just going to leave all this?"I followed his finger.Under the light, his finger looked almost glaringly bright. The wedding ring on his ring finger was long gone. There wasn't even the faintest mark left where it had been.He'd taken the ring off the day after we got married. I'd felt a litt

The M-embroidered slippers on Monica's feet bobbed up and down, while I was still wearing a pair of disposable ones.The sizzle of hot oil drifted out from the kitchen.When she saw me, Monica stood up. There was no trace of her taunting from that afternoon, only an air of humble gratitude. "Laurel..."I walked past her and went to the walk-in closet to get my suitcase.Just then, Kevin Russell came out of the kitchen, his tone accusatory. "Laurel, why are you putting on airs? Monica came all the way here to thank you in person. Can't you be a little more gracious?"My gaze swept over him, a spatula in his hand and an apron tied around his waist.In all the time we'd been married, Kevin had never once cooked. He said his sinuses couldn't handle the cooking fumes. He said he was a university professor, and his hands were meant only for holding a pen.But now, for his beloved student, he had a spatula in one hand and a dishrag in the other.His sinus problems, his lofty airs, wer

"Who on earth did you recommend? Who is Monica Lawrence to you? Do you even know this student of yours?"Do you know anything about her past? You didn't know a thing about her, and you still recommended her to the Operations Office! "Now her dirty past has been dug up, and people all over the country are laughing at our university online. They're saying we must be blind to hire a call girl as operations staff!"This university's hundred-year reputation has been destroyed overnight, and it's all thanks to you!"Kevin was chewed out so badly he couldn't get a word in edgewise. By the time he opened his mouth to explain, the president had already hung up.Kevin quickly pulled up the news and scrolled from top to bottom. By the end, he swayed and nearly toppled over.The president hadn't been joking.Monica's history as a mistress to older men had been exposed down to the last detail.In his eyes, Monica had been a pitiful, self-reliant student who'd endured people's scorn day in

That night, the replay of Monica's livestream passed a hundred million views online.The man and woman at the center of the story were caught up in a taboo relationship, and both held positions that made it all the more shocking. The scandal set off a firestorm online.Kevin was beside himself with rage, but there was nothing he could do.Several times, he even thought about going live himself, but in the end, he never went through with it.He couldn't bear the thought of being cursed by thousands on camera. Even more, he was afraid Laurel would see what a wreck he'd become.Weighing the damage his private life had done, the university dismissed him without hesitation, declaring his conduct egregious and barring him from ever being rehired.Overnight, Kevin lost everything. He became a pariah, hounded by abuse and ridicule at every turn.Kevin was completely out of options. All he could do was hide at home all day and drink.…In the blink of an eye, three years passed.I cam