The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 46: Scandal Exposed

Chapter 46: Scandal Exposed

Rachel Royce was so absorbed in her mobile game that she didn’t even notice Tristan Sterling coming downstairs.

It wasn’t until Lisa Lawson spoke up, "Sir, are you heading out?"

Hearing this, Rachel Royce lifted her gaze toward Tristan Sterling. ’Rushing out at this hour,’ she thought. ’Who else could he be going to see but Claire Ainsworth?’

She lowered her eyes and looked away, pretending she hadn’t seen a thing.

Tristan Sterling drove to find Claire Ainsworth.

He arrived outside the villa.

Claire Ainsworth was already waiting for him at the gate. When she saw him arrive, she pulled open the car door and got in.

After spending a short while in the car, they got out and entered the villa together.

Once in the living room,

Jane Sullivan saw him and said with surprise, "Tristan?"

Tristan Sterling replied, "Sorry to come by so late. I’m here to see Suzanne."

Jane Sullivan nodded lightly. "Thank you for making the trip, Tristan."

Claire Ainsworth led Tristan Sterling upstairs.

"I’m going to talk to Suzanne. You go spend some time with your mother."

Claire murmured in agreement. "Okay."

When Tristan Sterling opened the door and went in, he was hit by the strong smell of alcohol.

Suzanne Sullivan looked up at the person who entered, rubbing his temples. "What are you doing here?"

Tristan Sterling sat on the sofa, his eyes sweeping over the pocket watch Suzanne held in his hand, one he always carried with him. "What happened?"

Suzanne Sullivan picked up his glass and took another drink, clearly unwilling to talk about it. "It’s nothing," he said.

Tristan Sterling looked at him. "It’s because of that sister of yours."

Suzanne Sullivan’s fingers tightened around his glass. After a long moment, he said, "Do me a favor."

Tristan Sterling listened, waiting for him to continue.

"I heard a couple of days ago that my father’s company went bankrupt last year. The old family villa was sold to pay off debts. I want to know how they’re doing now."

Tristan Sterling said, "So that’s why you had a conflict with Mrs. Ainsworth."

He knew Suzanne Sullivan’s situation. Although he was being vigorously groomed by Chairman Ainsworth as the successor to the MK Group and had been granted significant power, the ultimate authority still rested in Chairman Ainsworth’s hands.

More importantly, Mrs. Ainsworth and Chairman Ainsworth also had a son, but their youngest was only twelve years old.

For years, Suzanne Sullivan had been trying to break free from Chairman Ainsworth’s control, secretly cultivating his own power base.

Suzanne Sullivan didn’t hide anything further. "If they’re in trouble, help them out on the quiet. I’ll owe you one."

Tristan Sterling replied, "Since it’s come to this, I can look into it for you."

Suzanne Sullivan poured him a glass of alcohol and handed it to him. "Thanks."

Standing at the door, not having left, Claire Ainsworth overheard their conversation.

She had always thought her mother only had one son in Suzanne. She never imagined he also had a sister. Recalling Suzanne’s attitude toward her when they were children, she now wondered if it was because he was thinking about his other sister all along.

At this thought, the color drained from her face.

Tristan Sterling drank a fair amount with Suzanne Sullivan and ended up staying the night there.

He didn’t leave the villa until after breakfast the next morning.

Claire Ainsworth saw him out. She looked at the man, her expression serious. "Tristan, there’s something I’d like to ask you."

"What is it?"

"..."

As for whether Tristan Sterling returned last night, Rachel Royce neither knew nor cared. In any case, he wasn’t there when she woke up in the morning.

「Two days later.」

The doctor examined Rachel Royce and recommended that in three days, she should be admitted to the hospital to await delivery.

The doctor reported his findings to Tristan Sterling.

All the necessary arrangements had been made at the hospital.

During this period, Madam Sterling, Sylvia Shannon, and Evelyn Fitzwilliam all paid a visit to the villa.

Everyone in the Sterling family was eagerly awaiting the birth of the family’s only girl.

However, late that night, while everyone was lost in sweet dreams, a scandalous news story suddenly broke.

The subject of the exposé was none other than Tristan Sterling.

Headline: Cedarwood Capital CEO Suspected of Cheating During Wife’s Pregnancy.

The article was accompanied by two photos. One was an intimate shot of Tristan Sterling and Claire Ainsworth in the car from that night. The other, taken during the day, showed Claire seeing Tristan off with a lingering, reluctant embrace outside the villa.

The faces in the photos were blurred, but the man’s exceptionally fine physique was still visible. Even with a blurred face, his handsome features could not be completely concealed.

Anyone who knew Tristan Sterling would recognize him in an instant.

Once the report was published, it was like a bomb dropped on the financial world, setting off an immediate explosion of gossip.

The story spread like wildfire through the night.

Everyone was shocked. Tristan Sterling was married? How had there not been the slightest rumor of his marriage? Who on earth had managed to marry this unattainable flower of the financial world? Who was his wife? And he was cheating on her during her pregnancy?

People scrambled to dig up information privately.

All sorts of tidbits and rumors flew wildly across hundreds, even thousands, of private group chats. It seemed nothing was more important than watching the drama unfold.

Under the article, a comment from a user named "BeatADrowningDog" was particularly conspicuous: "It’s not as simple as just cheating. He parades his mistress around, stoops so low as to target his own father-in-law’s company, and has stressed out his wife so much that the baby is showing signs of premature labor. His wife is at home about to give birth, and he’s still staying out all night, completely ignoring her. Who could possibly be more heartless?"

This reply was clearly written by an insider.

The comment was quickly upvoted to the top, followed by a flood of questions from the gawking masses.

But the user who posted it didn’t reply to any of the questions.

Then, another highly-rated reply was pushed to the top. This user claimed: "That woman is no saint, either. She used her pregnancy to climb the social ladder. She’s fat and ugly—what normal man would actually like her?"

This comment reignited the crowd’s gossipy fervor.

"BeatADrowningDog," who hadn’t intended to reply again, saw this and immediately fired back: "So the man who can’t keep it in his pants is the one who’s right? Your words are disgusting—you must have a diet of rotten fish. Why don’t you post a picture of yourself? I’d love to see what kind of fairy goddess you are."

The two of them immediately started arguing.

Clearly, the other user was no match for "BeatADrowningDog."

But then the other user seemed to bring in paid commenters and backup. They began a vicious tirade against the wife, even digging up information about her family and slinging insults at them, saying demeaning things like her family were social climbers who had sold their daughter.

They even posted a photo of Rachel Royce at a yoga studio—a deliberately unflattering shot. Although her face was pixelated, they argued that her figure and bearing were in no way worthy of Tristan Sterling, asking, "What’s the difference between her and a fat pig?"

The initially curious onlookers ended up witnessing a public pile-on against the wife.

The mob mentality took hold. Learning of the wife’s family background and seeing the photo, many were convinced she wasn’t worthy of a single hair on Tristan Sterling’s head. It made them more willing to believe that she had trapped him into marriage. ’With such a disgusting woman,’ the sentiment went, ’it’s no wonder Tristan Sterling cheated.’

Just like that, his affair became justifiable.

The wife, on the other hand, was now seen as the despicable one for occupying a position that didn’t belong to her.

...

Lately, Rachel Royce had been waking up frequently in the middle of the night. She slept poorly, and once awake, she found it difficult to fall back asleep.

Tonight, while scrolling through her phone, she happened upon the scandalous news story.

Rachel Royce stared at the photos in the article, stunned. After what felt like an eternity, she tapped on the comments section with a trembling finger.

Her eyes were met with an overwhelming flood of vicious insults.

And then, a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen.