Chapter 2: First Straw

Aria’s pov

The room smelled of sex and expensive cologne,his cologne to be precise.

Mia squeaked, scrambling for the sheet like it could erase what I’d just seen.

Ethan pulled out, grabbing a robe from the chair. “Babe, wait,it’s not what it looks like.”

I finally found my voice after the long minutes of silence as I watched them trying to cover their nakedness. “Then what is it?”

He stepped closer, hands up like I was a wild animal. “It was nothing babe,I just got hooked up with the stress from the launch. It’s just one stupid mistake, Mia means nothing to me ,You’re the one I love.”

Mia whimpered behind him, clutching the sheet to her chest.

I let out a short,bitter laugh. “Nothing you say? Ethan,were fucking my secretary like a whore in a hotel room while I stood outside like a fool at my own company launch.”

“It was a slip babe,it won’t happen again,I promise,” he insisted, voice dropping to that coaxing tone he used when he wanted something. “Come on, let’s talk. We can fix this.”

I shook my head. “No.”

His face hardened. The charm cracked. “Fine,you want the truth Aria? You pushed me to do this.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You were always glued to that damn laptop,” he spat. “Coding, debugging, tweaking the game, night after night.

You neglected me, Aria,my needs. A man has needs, and you weren’t there for them.

What was I supposed to do? Stay celibate while you play tech genius?”

The words hit like slaps. “You’re blaming me for your cheating?”

“I’m saying you weren’t a wife. You were a roommate with a laptop.” He stepped forward, towering over me. “Now get out. I have a launch to finish.”

He grabbed my arm hard and shoved me backward into the hallway. The door slammed in my face, the lock clicking like a gunshot.

I stood there, chest heaving, the corridor lights blurring,what the hell was going on?When did my perfect husband turn into this horrifying monster?

Then something snapped.

I turned and ran ,not away, but back toward the elevator, then down the stairs because waiting felt like dying. My heels clacked on marble, echoing in the stairwell.

I burst into the lobby, breath ragged, dress wrinkled. People stared but I didn’t care.

I grabbed the microphone from the DJ who immediately cut off the music.

“This is my company!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, voice cracking through the chatter. “DreamForge Studios is mine! Ethan Caldwell stole my ideas, my code, my dream,he’s a thief and a cheat!”

The room fell silent for a minute,heads turned and suddenly silent whispers filled the room, phones came out taping as I raged in pain.

Security moved in fast ,two burly men in black suits .

“Ma’am, you need to leave.”

“I’m the founder!” I shouted again, tears hot on my cheeks. “He stole everything!”

They didn’t listen. One took my elbow, firm but not cruel, and escorted me out through a side door into the humid night. The red carpet blurred behind me.

Rain started falling,soft at first, then harder,it was as if the whole heavens was against me today.

I stood under the awning until a cab pulled up. I climbed in, gave my address, and curled into the corner seat.

The driver glanced in the mirror but said nothing.

When I got home, I kicked off my heels, peeled off the dress like it was contaminated, and stood under the shower until the water ran cold.

Then I crawled into bed, still damp, I cried until my throat was raw.

How could Ethan be this cruel,we have been married for three years and this?, nothing would have prepared me for this.

I cried continuously till sleep finally took me.

******

Morning light stabbed through the curtains like knives.

I stood lazily from bed and faced the mirror which was by the right.I looked a mess,eye sore,hair ruffled and last night make-up smeared all over my face.

My phone buzzed endlessly on the nightstand,hundreds of notifications.

I grabbed it with shaking hands.

The first thing I saw was a trending hashtag; #DreamForgeDrama

Posts everywhere.

“Some crazy chick , apparently Ethan’s wife ,crashed the DreamForge launch last night yelling she owns the company , Ethan Caldwell is a king, ignore the hater.”

“Saw the video, girl looked unhinged. Probably a jealous ex or something.”

“Calling herself the founder? Slut alert. Ethan deserves better than that mess,I don’t know why he married the bitch in the first place.”

“Protect Ethan at all costs! This liar is trying to ruin his big night.”

Screenshots of my outburst circulated like wildfire. Someone had posted on an anonymous account and it was going viral

My face went red, tear-streaked.

Comments called me desperate, unstable, a gold-digger who couldn’t handle success.

One post from an anonymous account;”Heard she was sleeping around in the office too. That’s why he dumped her.”

I scrolled until my stomach churned.

They didn’t know and they obviously didn’t care.

Ethan was the golden boy, the charming CEO who just dropped a hit game and I was the villain in their story.

I dropped the phone and buried my face in the pillow.

Then almost immediately a knock on the door came soft at first, then firmer.

I dragged myself up, wrapped in a robe, eyes swollen.

I looked through the peephole. A man who looked like he was in his mid-twenties in a plain suit stood in front of the door holding a manila envelope.

I opened the door a crack. “Yes?”

“Miss Aria Thorne?”

I nodded.

“Documents for you.” He handed me the envelope and walked away without another word.

I shut the door, leaned against it, and tore it open.

“Divorce papers.”

Ethan’s signature is already there,bold, final.

“Grounds; Irreconcilable differences.”

A note clipped to the front: “Sign and return. Let’s end this cleanly.”

“What in the actual fuck?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep