The Secret in My Husband’s Sofa Chapter 03

The Secret in My Husband’s Sofa Chapter 03 The Morning After

I didn’t want to put Malcolm out, so I had him drop me at a hotel where I checked in.

I lost track of how late it was when I finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.

The next day around noon, a sharp knocking at the door jolted me awake.

The moment I opened the door, a swarm of people pushed inside.

One reporter shoved a recorder in my face. “Ms. Winslet, why did you ask Mr. Donovan for a divorce at the christening?”

“There’s a rumor you cheated during the marriage. Is that true?”

“You’ve been by Mr. Donovan’s side since he started his company. Now you’re being this cold to him. Don’t you feel any shame at all?”

Flashbulbs popped in front of my eyes, and recorders and microphones jabbed inches from my face.

The crowd held up their phones, livestreaming and filming everything.

Every one of them looked desperate to drag some juicy scandal out of me.

The commotion drew more onlookers in no time.

Once they caught up on the story, the onlookers turned disgusted looks on me, too.

One female reporter elbowed her way to the front, her voice sharp.

divorce

“Ms. Winslet, sources say Mr. Donovan slept in another room throughout your recovery after the birth. Were the cracks in your marriage there long before today? Was bringing up at the christening planned all along?”

Their questions made it clear that someone had recorded everything I’d done yesterday and posted it online.

The story had exploded across the internet.

In a single night, I’d become the villain every corner of the internet loved to hate.

I didn’t need to guess who had done it.

It could only be Vivian.

I looked at the countless cameras and spoke in a level voice. “I have nothing to explain.”

My answer sent the crowd into an uproar.

A voice rang out from the crowd. “Holy crap! If I hadn’t seen this with my own eyes, I’d never believe a woman like this existed. She stuck with him through the grind, and now that he’s made it big, she wants out?”

Someone else jumped in. “Not hard to guess. She’s got another man for sure. Probably wanted more in bed after the baby and Mr. Donovan couldn’t keep up.”

A third agreed. “You know what? You might be right! I really feel bad for Mr. Donovan. When that kid grows up and finds out who his mother is, he’ll be mortified.”

Just as the chorus of insults was drowning me, my parents arrived on the scene behind Adrian.

Gone was the fury from yesterday. Adrian’s face now showed only worry.

He pushed through the crowd to my side and spoke softly. “Olivia, are you OK?”

I looked into the love in his eyes, shook my head, and stayed silent.

Watching this, Dad couldn’t hold back. His voice turned stern. “Olivia, your mother and I thought about this all night, and we still can’t make sense of why you’d suddenly turn on Adrian.

“I’m starting to wonder myself, is there actually someone else?

“So last night, we rushed a paternity test through. Adrian is the baby’s biological father. How could you even ask for a divorce?”

As he spoke, Dad dropped the paternity report at my feet.

I bent down and picked the report off the ground.

Mom kept trying to reason with me. “Olivia, Adrian saw the livestream of the reporters and the online attacks. He was so worried something would happen to you that he rushed straight over. Even his parents couldn’t stop him.

“He’s always thinking of you. You can’t keep hurting him like this.

“Be reasonable. Hurry up and apologize, admit you were wrong, and put this behind us.”

But Mom and Dad’s heartfelt pleas didn’t move me at all.

Right there in front of the whole crowd, I tore the paternity test to shreds.