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Chapter_98
Made the Headlines
Everything unfolded just as I had anticipated. Matthew’s scandal quickly became the top story on every major news outlet, his betrayal now a public spectacle. I couldn’t help but admire the skillful way the headlines were crafted. They told the story in such vivid detail, it almost felt as if they were designed to remind me of how powerless I was to stop it.
But what caught my attention was the twist: although I was the victim, I was as much a part of the story as he was. The humiliation was unbearable. The online posts—full of pictures and truths—painted a picture of our once-graceful celebration, juxtaposed with the harrowing reality of the affair. One image showed us hosting our guests in elegance, while another exposed our private failings.
The Murphys’ reputation, already fragile, had been utterly tarnished. Fortunately, I had moved into the Amethyst Apartments, away from the eye of the storm. But even there, the reporters were on my trail, searching for me and Matthew.
When Matthew finally tried to speak, his father interrupted, calling him home. Only Ivanna remained by my side as he left, and I was grateful for her support. That night, I discovered just how ruthless Lauren was.
After suffering the loss of her reputation once, she didn’t hold back this time. She went all in, painting Matthew and his sister’s twisted affair in lurid detail. Each article she wrote seemed to make the scandal grow even larger, feeding the frenzy that had already gripped the internet. The articles spread like wildfire, their impact amplified by the countless netizens hungry for more.
Lauren didn’t stop there. She fed the public with every sordid detail, including one shockingly specific claim: that Matthew and Melanie had already slept together back when she was in high school. And the timing? Right at the moment when Matthew and I were in our senior year of college, supposedly planning our future together.
That revelation crushed me. It felt like a betrayal on a scale I couldn’t have anticipated. While I thought Matthew was “truly in love” with me, he had already been with Melanie long before we even knew the depth of our bond. It wasn’t just painful—it was gut-wrenching.
The news hit me harder than I had expected, and as I thought back on it, I felt sickened. I was ready to put the house up for collateral, but now the very thought of it revolted me. What was worse was the question that lingered in my mind: had Matthew been with me right after being with Melanie? The idea of it made my stomach turn, and I couldn’t shake it.
I considered going to the hospital to check for anything, to see if I had contracted anything from Matthew. Ivanna stayed with me through the night, her presence a balm to my emotional wounds. We shared moments of laughter as I worked through the horror of the truth.
By dawn, I made a decision. My life needed to start anew.
Ivanna drove me to drop Ava off at daycare, and afterward, I took immediate action. I transferred all the assets under my name to different places, sold the car that once belonged to Melanie—replacing it with a more discreet, practical Mercedes. I knew I had to act quickly if I wanted to start fresh, to sever my ties and change my identity.
The locks to my apartment were replaced, and I made sure to protect my interests before Matthew could even begin to address our issues. There was no love left in this marriage, and I was determined to fill that void with material security.
But the most shocking decision I made, the one even Ivanna couldn’t understand, was that I had arranged to meet with Lauren.