The Secret in My Husband’s Sofa Chapter 05

The Secret in My Husband’s Sofa Chapter 05 The Twist

At Malcolm’s words, the courtroom went dead silent.

Malcolm slid a USB drive into the courtroom’s playback system. He opened a folder labeled ‘Evidence’ that held multiple video files.

He clicked on one, and a shot of my living room flashed onto the big screen.

Adrian was sprawled facedown on the couch in loose loungewear, his body rising and falling with each breath. The angle caught every subtle tremor running through him.

At first, the footage seemed unremarkable. A few minutes in, his movements turned restless and picked up speed until he finally reached over and grabbed a tissue.

Silence fell over the courtroom. The crowd traded uncertain glances.

“This is…” The judge’s brow furrowed.

In the gallery, people couldn’t help murmuring to each other, their eyes full of confusion.

On the screen, Adrian’s face had flushed deep red, and sweat dotted his temples. He was clearly in the middle of something he wouldn’t have wanted witnessed.

Charles and Hazel sat beside the plaintiff’s table, and the sight set their faces burning red. They looked away in embarrassment, fingers white-knuckled around the hems of their clothes.

Adrian shot up from his seat, his voice shaking. “You… you actually installed cameras in our house?”

The crowd erupted into chatter.

A gasp came from the back. “Oh my god, what is he doing?”

A laugh broke out. “You really have to ask? Any guy would get it. If you don’t, you’re probably not one yourself.”

Another voice piped up, full of glee. “Ha, never thought Mr. Donovan would have to take matters into his own hands like that.”

Vivian shot to her feet. “Adrian, even now, are you still going to cover for her?”

Vivian wore an expression of pure anguish, as she could barely bring herself to speak.

Adrian stared at her, dazed and at a loss, as though her words hadn’t quite registered.

She turned toward the jury, her voice rising sharply. “Don’t let her fool you! This video isn’t what you think!”

Adrian still hadn’t recovered from the shock when Vivian, fists tight, drove her point home. “Adrian only does this because he loves Olivia too much!”

Vivian’s voice cracked with sobs, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Olivia hemorrhaged badly while giving birth. The doctors said she was too depleted for any intimacy for at least six months. Adrian saw her suffering and couldn’t sleep at night, but he’s still a normal man.”

She drew a deep breath, then pointed at the image on the screen. Her voice choked, but every word came out crystal clear.

“He was so afraid of losing control and hurting Olivia that he bought that couch to sleep on. When he couldn’t hold back, this was his only way out. He didn’t dare tell her, scared she’d feel humiliated and blame herself!” The courtroom exploded again.

Adrian’s face went crimson.

Mom and Dad turned shocked eyes on me, while realization dawned on Charles and Hazel’s faces.

To everyone watching, that reaction sealed Vivian’s version as the truth.

Vivian wasn’t done, and her voice was thick with hurt.

“He sleeps on that couch so he won’t wake Olivia and the baby. He won’t let her near it, so she won’t find out. He works himself ragged to buy her supplements and hire the best help. Everything he does is for Olivia!”

A wave of sighs rolled through the gallery, and every eye that turned to me was full of disdain.

“Mr. Donovan really is devoted. A man like him could have any woman he wanted.”

“Mr. Donovan’s a real man, handling things himself just to spare his wife.”

I rose slowly from my chair and looked around the courtroom.

Every eye on Adrian was full of sympathy. The ones turned on me looked at me like I was some kind of shrew.

The judge banged her gavel to restore order, then turned a stern look on me. “Defendant, what do you have to say to these accusations?”