1 The night of our wedding, my A-list actor husband, Damian Hale, left me for a private rendezvous with his ex-girlfriend. When he returned, reeking of alcohol, he held me and whispered her name: Luna Latham. The next morning, Luna posted on her social media: 【Some loves can only be spoken in whispers, hidden by time. I wish you happiness.】 Her fans swarmed the comments, branding me a homewrecker. My agent, Carla, was practically having a meltdown. I scrolled through my phone, completely unbothered. "What's the rush?" I said calmly. "Leak the photos from their hotel room last night. Tell the press it was me, the 'devastated wife,' who caught them in the act." "And remember," I added, "censor the photos, but make sure everyone can recognize that specific watch on Damian’s wrist." … Ten minutes after the photos went live, the social media servers crashed. 【Damian Hale Cheats on Wedding Night】 【Luna Latham the Homewrecker】 【Rachel Reed Catches Husband Cheating】 Three hashtags shot to the top of the trending list. Carla's phone was ringing off the hook. She covered the receiver, her face pale as she looked at me. "Rachel, it’s Damian’s team, and... Mrs. Hale is on the other line." I nodded, gesturing for her to continue. "They're demanding you post a retraction immediately. Say they were stills from a movie, or just friends who had too much to drink and the angle was misleading." A small, cold laugh escaped my lips. "A retraction? Why would I do that?" "I am Damian Hale's lawfully wedded wife. My husband abandoned me on our wedding night, and now I'm expected to cover for his affair with his ex?" "Carla, do I look like some brain-dead saint to you?" Carla was speechless. The door to my suite burst open. Damian stormed in, his eyes shot with blood. He was clutching his phone so tightly his knuckles were white. "Rachel! Are you insane? Do you have any idea what you've done?" He slammed the phone down on the coffee table in front of me. The screen showed the photos I'd leaked. "Why would you do this? Luna is innocent!" he roared. "She was just upset, so I went to have a drink with her. Nothing happened!" I met his furious gaze, my own expression perfectly calm. "Nothing happened? Then why was she wearing your shirt?" "Nothing happened? Then why did you come home, hold me, and whisper her name all night?" The color drained from Damian’s face, then flooded back in a wave of crimson. He looked like he was choking. He clearly hadn't expected me to be listening. "I was drunk!" he yelled, his voice cracking. "I made a mistake! A mistake any man could make!" "Did you have to blow this up, ruin my career, and destroy Luna's life over it? I never knew you were so malicious!" I rose from the sofa and walked toward him. "Damian, you destroyed our marriage. You destroyed yourself. And you destroyed that precious Luna of yours." "Malicious? Compared to you two, I'd say I'm serving justice." "And let me correct you on one thing," I added, my voice dripping with ice. "Not all men make that 'mistake.' Only the ones who can't keep it in their pants. Don't you dare drag everyone else down with you." He trembled with rage, his hand flying up to strike me. I didn't flinch. I just stared at him, my eyes cold and unflinching. "Go on. Hit me. Tomorrow's headline will be 'A-List Actor Damian Hale's Domestic Abuse Scandal.'" "I guarantee you, it will trend even higher than your affair." His hand froze in mid-air before falling limply to his side. Then, the phone rang again. It was Damian's mother, the formidable Eleanor Hale, chairwoman of Zenith Media. The second I answered, her imperious voice cut through the line. "Rachel, delete the post immediately. Then, call a press conference and apologize. Say it was all a misunderstanding." "You will not drag the Hale family name through the mud like this." I leaned back on the sofa, calmly filing my nails. "Mrs. Hale, the one dragging your family name through the mud isn't me. It's your darling son." "On his wedding night, he chose to do this. The fact that I haven't filed for divorce yet is the only respect I'm showing the Hale name." There was a beat of silence on the other end, then a voice tight with fury. "What do you want? Film roles? Money? Name your price. Just make this go away." I blew a speck of dust from my nail. "I don't want anything." "I just want what's fair." Mrs. Hale laughed, a cold, sharp sound. "Fair? In this business, power is fairness. And I have the power." "Don't you forget, Rachel, who gave you everything you have. Without the Hale family, you are nothing." "So drop the naive act. I'm giving you thirty minutes to think it over." "If I don't see a public apology from you in half an hour, you will face the consequences." 2 The line went dead. Carla looked at me, her face etched with worry. "Rachel, she's not bluffing. You know she'll do it." "Those endorsement deals, the script for that blockbuster… Zenith Media pulled all those strings for us." I patted her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. The sky isn't falling." Thirty minutes passed. I posted nothing. Instead, a photo of Luna Latham, weeping in a hospital bed, appeared on her official social media, posted by her team. The caption read: 【Thank you for the concern. I'm alright. Please don't blame anyone. It's all my fault.】 In the photo, she wore a hospital gown, a pristine white bandage wrapped around her wrist. She was a picture of tragic fragility. Instantly, the public narrative flipped again. The hashtag #LunaLathamSuicideAttempt shot to number one, eclipsing everything else. My comment section became a cesspool. An army of self-righteous fans flooded in, cursing me with the most vile language imaginable. 【She tried to kill herself because of you! Rachel Reed is a monster!】 【Damian, divorce her! You must have had the worst luck in the world to marry a woman like that!】 【My heart breaks for Luna. We're here for you, always.】 Damian called again. This time, his voice was choked with tears and raw hatred. "Rachel, Luna tried to kill herself! If anything happens to her, I swear I will never forgive you!" "Are you happy now? Are you satisfied?" I listened quietly to his tirade until he exhausted himself. Then, I spoke, my voice soft but lethal. "Damian, do you really think the world revolves around your tragic little love story?" "She cries, and it's my fault. She checks into a hospital, and I'm the one who pushed her." "What about me? I'm your wife. The one you two conspired to humiliate. Am I just supposed to take the abuse? To swallow my pain and say nothing?" "Go to the hospital. Stay by her side." "And when you do, tell her to commit to the role next time. That scratch on her wrist looks like a paper cut. Today's audience isn't that gullible." My defiance was the final straw. The Hales declared war. The next day, the official social media account for the blockbuster film I was set to star in announced that I had been removed from the cast, citing "personal conduct issues that have caused a negative social impact." One by one, my high-end endorsement deals released statements terminating our contracts. Carla held the termination letters, her hands shaking. "It's over, Rachel. It's all over. Mrs. Hale is going to blacklist us completely." Overnight, I went from being one of Hollywood’s brightest rising stars to a reviled outcast. Damian sent me a text. 【Is this what you wanted? I gave you a chance, Rachel.】 【Get out of my house. Now. My lawyer will be in touch with the divorce papers.】 I looked at the message and laughed. Get out? This mansion, the one with the deed in my name, was a wedding gift from my parents. I texted back one word. 【You.】 He must have lost his mind, because he showed up minutes later with two bodyguards in tow. "Rachel, don't push your luck! This is a Hale property! You have no right to be here!" he snarled, pointing a finger at me with an air of supreme arrogance. I remained seated on the sofa, watching his little performance with amusement. "Damian, darling, has playing pretend for a living addled your brain? Open your eyes and read the name on the deed." "This is my pre-nuptial property. It has absolutely nothing to do with you or the Hale family." Damian froze, completely stunned. He obviously had no idea. Behind him, Luna Latham leaned weakly against the doorframe, a perfectly calibrated expression of shock and hurt on her pale face. "Damian, let's just go," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It's clear she doesn't want us here. Let's not make her angry." She tugged at his sleeve, the perfect damsel in distress. Damian looked at her, his eyes overflowing with adoration and pity. He turned back to me, his gaze venomous. "You wait, Rachel. You will pay for what you've done today." "I will make sure you never work in this town again!" I stood and walked calmly towards them. "Fine by me," I said with a smile. "I'll be waiting." 3 My gaze shifted past Damian, landing on Luna. "Ms. Latham, the next time you decide to stage a suicide attempt, you should probably have a medical report to back it up." "Otherwise, faking an illness for sympathy… people might think you're pathetic." Luna’s body went rigid, her face turning an even more ghastly shade of white. Damian immediately shielded her with his body. "Shut up, Rachel!" he roared. "Don't you dare say another word to her!" I watched his white-knight routine, finding it utterly absurd. "Hurt her?" I let out a cold laugh. "The person who's truly hurting her is you." "You're the one who gave her false hope. You're the one who let her believe she could walk all over me to get what she wanted." "You, Damian, are the root of this entire tragedy." The Hales' blacklisting was swift and brutal. All of my projects were canceled. My team was forced to disband. Only Carla remained by my side. The online hate campaign against me was relentless. Extremist fans doxxed me, throwing paint on my front gate and sending me anonymous death threats. Carla called the police, but it was useless. They were like flies drawn to blood; for every one they shooed away, another dozen would appear. Meanwhile, Damian and Luna were thriving. They attended a charity gala together, and in front of the cameras, Damian looked at Luna with boundless affection. "I will handle my personal affairs as quickly as possible," he announced to the press, "and give Luna the official status she deserves." The internet erupted, celebrating their "epic love story." And I was cast as the villain, the evil ex-wife standing in the way of their happiness. Mrs. Hale called me again, her tone dripping with the condescending pity of a victor. "Do you regret it now, Rachel? I told you, you're no match for me." "But I'm feeling generous. Kneel and beg me." "Then, post a public apology, taking full responsibility. Admit you were jealous of Luna and maliciously started these rumors." "Do that, and I might consider leaving you with a shred of a career." Her words were so preposterous I could only laugh. "Mrs. Hale, have you forgotten my last name?" My father is Robert Reed. Though long since retired from the front lines, his name still commands immense respect in the world of finance. My mother is one of the country's most celebrated artists, a master whose students are scattered throughout the art world. I was never some helpless vine who needed the Hale family to survive. The only reason I hadn't used my family's connections was to preserve a final ounce of dignity—for myself, and for the man I once loved. But it was clear they didn't want it. Mrs. Hale's voice turned to ice. "It seems you're determined to be stubborn." "Then don't blame me for being ruthless." "Rachel, I will teach you the true meaning of despair." After she hung up, my father called. His voice was as calm and steady as ever. "Rachel, you've been wronged." "Do whatever you feel you must. Your father will always be your strongest shield." Tears welled in my eyes. The pain and humiliation I had bottled up for days finally burst forth. "Dad," I choked out, "I'm okay." After the call, I wiped my tears and dialed another number. "Interested in a business proposition?" A low, smooth laugh answered me. "An invitation from Ms. Reed? I'm always interested." "Tell me," the voice purred, "how do you want to play?"
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