Chapter 2: The Ugly Truth
The restaurant manager rushed over, but the tall man — Ryan Voss — simply raised a hand. “I’ll handle this.”
Sarah looked up at him, still shaking. “Ryan… you didn’t have to come.”
“I told you I’d always protect you,” he said softly, touching her reddened cheek gently. “Even when you begged me to stay away while you handled your ‘mess’ of a marriage.”
Lena’s face turned pale. “Wait… Mark, what is he talking about?”
Mark started sweating. “Baby, he’s lying. Sarah’s just some crazy ex who—”
“Ex?” Ryan cut in with a dangerous smile. “She’s his current wife. The one who’s been paying his rent, his car, his credit cards… while he spent her money on you, Lena.”
Sarah stepped forward, voice tired but strong. “I supported you for three years, Mark. I worked two jobs so you could ‘find yourself.’ And this is how you thank me? By letting your mistress humiliate me in public?”
Lena turned on Mark. “You’re married?! You told me you were single!”
Mark panicked. “It’s not like that! Sarah means nothing. She’s just convenient.”
Ryan pulled out his phone and played a recording — Mark’s voice bragging to his friends about how he was using Sarah’s money while sleeping with Lena.
The crowd’s attitude shifted instantly. People who had laughed at Sarah now looked at Mark and Lena with disgust.
Lena screamed at Mark. “You lying piece of shit!”
Security arrived, but Ryan simply said, “Call the police. Assault and defamation. I have everything on camera.”
Later that night, in Ryan’s penthouse, Sarah sat on the couch wrapped in a blanket, still emotional.
“I feel so stupid,” she whispered. “I stayed because I thought marriage meant something.”
Ryan sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. “You’re not stupid. You’re loyal. And that’s why I fell in love with you the day I met you two years ago — even knowing you were trapped in that fake marriage.”
May you like
Sarah looked up at him. “What happens now?”
Cliffhanger: The next morning, Mark showed up at the penthouse begging on his knees. “Sarah, please! Lena left me. I have nothing. Don’t let him destroy me completely. I’ll change, I swear!”
