He Took the Pain With Him When He Left Chapter 07

He Took the Pain With Him When He Left Chapter 07

The next morning, Derek held a press conference.

He wore a dark suit. Serena sat beside him dressed in white. She spoke to the cameras with red eyes, pleading for mercy on my behalf.

“Vivian just couldn’t accept the truth for a while. I hope everyone stops attacking her. After all, she’s still pregnant.”

Someone asked about the father of my baby.

Derek paused, then said flatly, “The child is mine. I made a mistake, and I take responsibility. But my mistake doesn’t give her the right to hurt my wife.”

With one sentence, he positioned himself as the honest husband. And cemented my role as the homewrecker.

Halfway through the press conference, the main screen went black.

Then the full mall footage started playing.

Everyone saw Derek hand me the chili water himself. They saw Serena hiding behind a pillar, phone raised, waiting for me to lose control before running out laughing.

The audio even caught their conversation beforehand.

“She’s most self-conscious about her body now. Get as many angles as you can—it’ll be hilarious.”

“What if something happens to her?”

“She’s tough. She won’t die.”

—

The murmurs in the room grew louder.

Then the screen switched to the bodycam footage recorded at Serena’s home. She waved the marriage certificate around, gloating.

“I bet she wouldn’t notice the fake seal. And she didn’t. She went home with that fake certificate, happy as ever.”

Then Derek’s voice: “It was just a bet.”

The reporters erupted.

“So Ms. Vance had no idea you were married?”

“Did you forge government documents to secure Vance Group’s investment?”

“You deliberately gave a pregnant woman chili water and filmed her humiliation—and then claimed she staged it herself?”

Serena’s composure cracked. She grabbed Derek’s arm.

“That’s not true! The videos were edited. Vivian set us up!”

But Hart was already onstage with a notary.

“All of the footage was extracted directly from the original recording devices and has already been notarized and preserved as evidence. Additionally, Ms. Vance went into emergency labor last night due to placental abruption. She is still not out of danger. Her baby was premature—not a pregnancy used to force marriage, but a direct result of Mr. Hawthorne and Ms. Mills’s actions.”

The livestream comments flipped instantly.

—

“This isn’t a prank. It’s assault on a pregnant woman.”

“Using someone’s private humiliation as a bet and then calling her the mistress? Disgusting.”

“A fake marriage certificate for three years. How could she have known she was the other woman?”

Serena tried to cut the stream.

The doors opened.

Financial investigators walked in, followed by Hawthorne Group board members. The lead director slammed a resolution in front of Derek.

“Because you submitted fraudulent marriage documents, the Vances have initiated recovery proceedings. Your pledged shares are now subject to liquidation. The board has voted to permanently remove you from all positions at Hawthorne Group.”

Derek shot to his feet. “That’s impossible! The fidelity agreement never took effect. Vivian has no right to touch my shares!”

Hart met his gaze.

“We’re not activating the fidelity agreement. We’re enforcing the anti-fraud guarantee you signed personally to secure Vance Group funding. You didn’t just forge a marriage certificate, Mr. Hawthorne. You fraudulently obtained nine billion yuan in real investment funds from the Vance family.”

Security confiscated his phone. As they led him out, he panicked.

“I want to see Vivian! Get her here! This is between us—she can’t do this to me!”

—

No one answered.

The cameras followed him all the way to the door.

He’d once relied on the Vances to secure his position as Hawthorne heir. Now, under the eyes of the entire country, he was being driven out of his empire.

—

I watched the livestream from my hospital bed. My father sat beside me, his hand resting on mine.

“You did well,” he said quietly. “Better than I expected.”

“I learned from the best,” I replied, not taking my eyes off the screen.

Derek was still shouting as the security guards escorted him out. Serena was crying, but this time, no one was comforting her.

The comments were no longer on my side or against me. They were simply on the side of the truth.

Hart called a few minutes later. “Ms. Vance, it’s done. The board has voted unanimously. Derek Hawthorne has been removed from all positions. The forensic accountants are already going through the books. We should have a complete picture of the fraud within the week.”

“Thank you, Hart.”

“Also—Elena Crawford called. She says she has more evidence. The witnesses she mentioned are ready to testify. She wants to know when you’re ready to move forward.”

I glanced at the NICU door down the hall. My daughter was still fighting. Still breathing. Still here.

“Tell her I’ll call her tomorrow. Right now, I need to be with my baby.”

I hung up and looked at my father.

“Dad. I think this is just the beginning.”

He nodded slowly. “I know. But you’re not alone, Vivian. You never were.”

For the first time in months, I believed him.