Chapter 4

“I think that little bitch has a man on the side, so she cooked up an excuse to file for divorce.”

“I'm a mom of two. When my breasts got engorged it was awful, and back then my best friend had no milk either, so I nursed her baby too. What kind of garbage is she making out of that?”

“A woman like this just makes drama day in and day out. Whoever married her is cursed with the worst luck.”

In no time, the whole internet was tearing me apart.

My personal information was leaked. Someone dumped red paint outside where my parents lived, and they had no choice but to hide out in the countryside.

Those people boycotted my company too, saying they wanted to see me go bankrupt.

My assistant came in, deeply worried, and said, “Ms. Chandler, because of the divorce situation, consumers are boycotting our products, the stock price is crashing, a lot of clients are canceling orders, the warehouse is stacked to the ceiling with unsold goods, and the factory has had to shut down. If we don't do something, I'm afraid the company will……”

I clutched at my hair in pain and waved a hand. “I'll find a way to handle it.”

I made a call and asked my lawyer, Dean Walker, to come over.

“Clyde Rowe, the divorce hearing is set for next Monday.”

Dean then handed me a document and sent over several videos as well.

I thanked him from the heart. “Thank you.”

“What are you talking about? If you hadn't jumped into the water and saved me that time, I'd be dead.”

Dean gave me a playful wink and left.

I looked through those documents and videos, and my face went dark in an instant.

Just as I'd suspected. Clyde Rowe really was that kind of man.

Once the truth came out, it would drop every jaw in the room.

In the days leading up to the hearing, I kept getting hit with personal attacks from countless people online.

My phone was buried under messages, the company's stock kept hitting its limit-down, products piled up in mountains, the bank came knocking to demand repayment, and even froze my working capital.

The storm was gathering. If I couldn't win this case, the company would go under, and I would fall all the way into the pit, scraping by at the bottom for the rest of my life.

At last, the day of the hearing arrived.

Crowds of people came to watch, filling the gallery, and among them were plenty of media influencers there to livestream it.

Many people held up their phones to watch the stream, waiting to see me made a fool of.

The judge called the court to order, and after both sides' lawyers gave their statements, Clyde looked at me and said to the judge, “Your Honor, I'm not the one at fault in this marriage, and our daughter was just born and can't be without her mother. I don't want a divorce.”

The judge nodded and said to me, “Under the law, if you don't have solid evidence, the divorce can't be granted.”

Hearing this, Clyde looked at me with satisfaction.

“Honey, stop making a scene. Let's not divorce, all right?”

“Look how sweet our daughter is. Can you really bear to leave her without a father this young?”

The daughter in her arms slept soundly, with no idea her mother had given her up.

“No.” I refused.

“My husband, Clyde Rowe, cheated during our marriage. I demand an immediate divorce, and that he leave with nothing.”

Clyde stared at me in disbelief, his voice choking. “At work, I'm with you at the company. The moment I'm off, I go straight home to take care of the family. When I have free time I only game with Wade and the rest of my buddies, or grab a backyard barbecue downstairs. You know all of this.”

“And you're saying I cheated? Are you even human?”

At that, the people who'd come to watch instantly erupted.

“Mr. Rowe looks like a model husband. How could he possibly cheat?”

“I think this little bitch has a man on the side, that's why she's making up an excuse to divorce.”

Online, plenty of viewers watching the stream cursed me too, saying I was biting the hand that fed me and lower than a dog.

I'd become like a rat in the street, with everyone screaming to beat it down.

Even my father took Clyde's side. He looked at me and said, “Turn back now, and I'll still claim you as my daughter.”

My mother, aching for me, said, “Willow, maybe just let it go?”

“Dad, Mom, they've ground me into the dirt. I can't just let it go.”

“Everyone, I have evidence. Once you've seen it, you'll understand why I want this divorce.”

I looked at the judge, took out a tablet, and pulled up a video for everyone to see.