Chapter 3 Chapter 3

WRITER'S POV

A freelance photographer named Jake Harlan sat in his beat-up car across the street, holding a coffee and hoping for any celebrity gossip after covering a late-night event. He wasn’t expecting much, Just another slow moving day.

Then he saw her.

The same woman he had been observing since he saw her crying last night.

He knew she would bring sweet news as he had been following her, and discovered she entered Mr Mendez's room.

“Jackpot,” he muttered, checking the images. He recognized her now. Diva Thompson, wife of that businessman Bennett Thompson. This was gold. He sent the photos straight to a tabloid contact with a quick message: “Age-gap hotel scandal? Married woman sneaking out after overnight with older man. Room 57 confirmed.”

Within an hour, the photos were uploaded. By midday, they spread like wildfire across the internet. Headlines popped up fast:

“SHOCKING: Diva Thompson Caught Leaving Luxury Hotel Room With Mystery Older Man!”

“Bennett Thompson’s Wife in Steamy Night Stand? Photos Don’t Lie!”

Social media exploded. Comments flooded in. “Disgusting age gap!” “Poor Bennett!” “She looks like she got exactly what she wanted.”

The pictures were shared thousands of times. Someone even matched the hotel records and confirmed the rumors, saying a single young lady is caught between two business men, one … her husband, the other… Mr Mendez the famous 49 year old billionaire.

Jake leaned back in his seat, smiling as his phone buzzed with payment notifications. Just another beautiful Tuesday.

—

DIVA'S POV

I drove home in a complete daze. My hands gripped the steering wheel really tight that my knuckles turned white.

Every red light took forever to change.

I kept replaying the night in my head, the stranger’s hands, his voice, the way he made my body surrender in Pleasure even while my heart was breaking. And then the horrible moment I realized who he was.

When I finally pulled into our driveway, I stepped down, ready to pack my things and leave this burden of a marriage.

I walked inside on shaky legs. Bennett was in the living room, pacing back and forth with his phone in his hand. His face was red with anger.

The TV was on in the background, already showing the first news reports with my blurry photo plastered on the screen?.

What the hell was happening??.

“You fucking whore!” he shouted the second he saw me.

I flinched but stood my ground. “Bennett, please. Let me explain…” I said unconsciously.

“Explain?” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. It was rather cold and mean. “The whole world saw you leaving that hotel room this morning. Room 57. With some old man in it.”

Tears filled my eyes again. “You were with Lira! I saw you two together. On our anniversary!! She insulted me.. your wife and you did nothing, instead you kissed her Infront of me!!”

He stepped closer with blazing eyes. “So you decided to get revenge by fucking someone old enough to be your father? Pathetic. No wonder you can’t get pregnant. You’re too busy being a slut.”

His words cut deep into my skin. I tried to walk past him toward the stairs, but he grabbed my arm hard.

“Don’t you dare walk away from me!” he yelled.

I pulled back. “Let go! You hit me before when you were angry, but I won’t let you do it again. We’re done, Bennett. I heard you call her your lady and I saw everything.”

That was when he snapped. His hand flew out and slapped me hard across the face. The force sent me stumbling into the wall. Pain exploded in my entire cheek.

“You think you can just leave?” he growled, coming after me. “After embarrassing me on live television? They’re already calling me for comments. I’m going to tell the world what a worthless, barren wife you are.”

I touched my stinging face, anger rising up fast inside me. For three years I had taken his coldness, his insults, his hands when he was in a bad mood. No more!!.

I stood up straight. “Go ahead. Tell them. But I’ll tell them the truth too. You’re the one who’s been cheating with my best friend. You’re the one who hits me. You’re the one who called me barren every single day while no medical result confirmed…”

“Shut up!” He raised his hand again.

But this time I was ready. I grabbed a vase from the side table and smashed it on the floor between us as glass shattered everywhere.

“Don’t you touch me again!” I screamed. “I’m leaving. I’m done being your perfect little housewife. You never loved me. You only wanted someone to control and hurt.”

Bennett stared at the broken glass, surprised I finally fought back. “You’ll regret this, Diva. I’ll destroy you. Divorce papers will be ready by tomorrow. On live TV if I have to. Everyone will know what a disgusting slut you are.”

I didn’t wait to hear more. I ran upstairs, threw some clothes into a bag, grabbed my important documents and a little cash I had hidden. My cheek was really red as I looked in the mirror quickly. A red handprint was already forming. Another bruise to add to the collection.

When I came back down, Bennett was on the phone, talking loudly to someone. “Yes, I want it public. Tell them my wife cheated with an old man. Make sure they mention the age difference. Disgusting, right?”

I walked past him without another word. He tried to block the door, but I pushed him hard.

“Move,” I said coldly. “Or I’ll call the police right now and show them my face.”

He stepped aside, sneering. “Go then. No one will want you after this. Not even your precious daddy…. And looking at his face, he reminds me of lira's dad… isn't he your father's best friend?. Disgusting bitch!!.”

I got into my car and drove away from the only home I had known for three years. Tears blurred my vision, but I kept driving. The radio played the news about the scandal, making me switch it off completely.

My phone was blowing up with notifications, missed calls from my father, hateful messages from strangers online, even some from Lira.

I parked at a quiet lookout point overlooking the city and just sat there for a long time. I thought about the night with Uncle Mendez. The way he held me and the way he made me feel beautiful and wanted for the first time in forever…. It felt disgusting to know he is the one but my body trickled each time I remembered it.

I touched my sore cheek and whispered to myself, “You’re going to be okay, Diva. You have to be.”

But deep down, I knew the worst was only beginning. The internet was already tearing me apart. Bennett would make sure of it.

I started the car again and drove toward the only place I could think of… a cheap motel on the edge of town. I needed time to breathe. Time to figure out how to survive the storm I had created out of anger.