C07
“Then show us the proof!” Darren demanded. “The doctor said Miss Russell needs rest. Why would she ever ask
to meet a homewrecker like you?”
“Why are you defending her? You must be her secret lover!” Tamara accused, defending herself.
10:2
Trapped in a Marriage Fueled by Revenge
I was about to respond when Clive suddenly stormed in, his eyes burning with rage, and struck Tamara across the face. The force of it whipped her head to the side, leaving an angry red mark on her cheek. Tears then welled up
in her eyes while shock and disbelief written all over her face.
“Clive, why would you do this to me?” she whimpered.
Clive barely spared her a glance before his sharp gaze flickered between me and Darren. Then, his expression
turned ice–cold as he looked back at Tamara.
“I told you I never wanted to see you again. Did you think I was joking?”
Panic flashed across Tamara’s face. She reached out, trying to grab the sleeve of his coat, but he shook her off without hesitation. She stumbled and fell to the ground.
“Clive, I love you! She–she’s cheating on you! You should divorce her!”
However, Clive ignored her entirely. Instead, he turned toward the surrounding reporters and spoke in a clear, commanding voice.
“I know Tamara invited you all here. But think carefully about whether this is the kind of trouble you want to get involved in. If you’re looking for a headline, write this: NeoXtreme has officially terminated Tamara’s endorsement
contract.”
Then he turned to his assistant and instructed “Trina, contact Legal. We’re suing Tamara for financial damages. Also, blacklist her from any future endorsements and partnerships.”
Hearing those, Tamara was a mess, sobbing as she clung to Clive’s leg. She never thought he–who had once
showered her with love–would treat her like this.
“Clive, no! Please, I was wrong! You can’t do this to me!”
The reporters, of course, didn’t miss the opportunity. Their cameras captured every second of her humiliating breakdown.
By the time Darren wheeled me back to my hospital room, the news had already exploded online.
[The Original Wife Outsmarts Rising Star Mistress–Tamara Falls From Grace!]
[Vicious Young Actress Gets What She Deserves–Career and Reputation in Ruins!]
[NeoXtreme Officially Ends Partnership with Tamara–Legal Action Incoming!]
Clive walked in shortly after, turning off the TV with a remote. He hesitated before looking at me, his voice unusually careful.
“Courtney… I swear, I didn’t know she was coming…”
But before he could finish, Darren suddenly swung his fist, landing a solid punch to Clive’s face.
“Now you want to explain? Where the hell were you when she was sick and being bullied?” Darren sneered, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Now that it’s all over, you want to act like her hero? Too late! She doesn’t need your protection anymore–I’ll take care of her from now on.”
Clive wiped the blood from his lip and replied with a strained voice, “Darren, I’m her husband.”
Darren smirked and pulled a document from his pocket, throwing it at Clive’s chest.
“Not for long. She signed a will and legal declaration three months ago. From now on, I have full authority over her affairs.”
14
Clive clenched his fists. “And who the hell do you think you are? You’re just the son of some orphanage director! You have no right—”
“Oh? And what right do you have? A piece of paper saying you’re married? That’s rich, Clive,” Darren shot back. “You didn’t even trust her. You blackmailed her into marriage by threatening to cut off funding for the orphanage! And after that, what did you do? Did you ever treat her well?”
“I… I didn’t know-”
10:30 AM
Trapped in a Marriage Fueled by Revenge
“Of course, you didn’t know! Did you even bother coming back to see her? She begged your parents to adopt you, did you know that? No, because you never asked. You thought she abandoned you? You never once came back to find her. If only you had, even just once, my dad would’ve told you the truth.”
For years, I had wanted to tell him the truth myself. But every time I saw the way he looked at me–with disgust,
with resentment–I never found the right words.
Darren turned to me, then back to Clive. “From now on, wherever Courtney goes, I go. You don’t get to take her
anywhere.”
Clive’s lips trembled. He looked like a man who had just watched his entire world crumble, trying to grasp at
pieces that were already slipping through his fingers.