C235 The Article

The peaceful atmosphere inside Chris's office was a complete contrast to what was happening a few floors above. Inside the Vice Director's office, Samantha Wood sat motionless behind her desk. The computer screen in front of her displayed reports that needed her approval, but nearly half an hour had passed without her signing a single document. Her thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

Ever since Ben's confrontation at the breakfast table, his words had refused to leave her mind. She leaned back in her chair and slowly closed her eyes. "...Did I really make him suffer that much?" The question echoed repeatedly inside her heart. She remembered every night she had cried after marrying Ben. She had tried so hard to hide her tears. She had always believed he was asleep. Yet... He had heard everything.

Every sob. Every whisper. Every time she had unknowingly called Mike's name in her dreams. A bitter smile appeared on her face. "So..." "You knew all along." Her fingers tightened around the pen she was holding. "And you chose to stay silent." She slowly lowered her head. "If that was true..." "How painful must those nights have been?" She imagined Ben lying beside her with his eyes closed, pretending to sleep while listening to his own wife cry over another man.

For a brief moment... Her heart ached for him. "No..." "No one deserves that." She sighed deeply. "Perhaps..." "I really was cruel." Another thought immediately followed. "If he loved me that much..." "Then why..." "...why did Natalie appear?" Her brows knitted together. "It doesn't make sense." "If he had already moved on..." "Why is he still angry?" "If he hadn't moved on..." "Then why search for another woman?" She covered her face with both hands. "Nothing makes sense anymore."

She slowly looked toward the framed photograph sitting on her desk. It was a picture of Monica smiling brightly while holding one of her stuffed toys. Samantha's expression softened immediately. "My little girl..." She gently picked up the frame. "At least..." "I still have you." She smiled warmly before another memory surfaced. Ben's voice echoed clearly inside her mind. "The last hope I had was for you to give me a son..." "Instead... you gave me a daughter."

Her smile disappeared. She stared at Monica's picture for several long seconds. "...How?" "How could someone say that about their own child?" Her eyes slowly became cold. "No..." "If you truly loved me..." "You would have loved Monica too." "She is your daughter." "Our daughter." "Your own blood." She gently stroked the photograph. "To me..." "She is priceless." "I don't care whether she's a girl or a boy." "She's my entire world."

A faint smile returned. "Monica..." "Mommy will never let anyone make you feel unwanted." Not even your own father. Just then. Bzzz... Bzzz... Bzzz... Her phone suddenly vibrated nonstop across the desk. She frowned. "So many notifications?" Curious, she picked it up. Her eyes widened. Dozens of messages. More than a hundred mentions. Almost all of them contained the same sentence. "Vice Director Samantha, have you seen this on Weibo?"

Confused, she immediately opened the Weibo application. The first trending topic instantly froze her where she sat. Former Wood IT Vice Director With A New Lover. Her breathing stopped. Slowly... She tapped the article. Large photographs filled the screen. Ben. Natalie. Walking side by side outside the café. Another picture showed Ben hugging Natalie warmly in the café. Another captured them smiling while leaving together.

Someone had clearly followed them. Below the photographs was another headline. Former Vice Director of Wood IT Company Finally Breaks Free From His Broken Marriage. Her heartbeat quickened. She scrolled further. Then another article appeared. Marriage Crisis? Or Third Wheel? Samantha Wood's Husband Cheated." She continued scrolling. The comments section was far worse.

One comment had thousands of likes. "I heard from one of their house workers that his wife demanded a separate bedroom. He's not even allowed to spend time with his daughter." Another comment read, "Could this be because Samantha became second Vice Director while Ben lost everything?" Another wrote, "Maybe the marriage has always been fake." Someone else added, "Poor Ben. He looked genuinely happy with the other woman."

Another comment defended Samantha. "We don't know the full story. Stop blaming the wife." The replies underneath quickly attacked that opinion. "If she was a good wife, why would another woman appear?" "Men don't suddenly leave happy marriages." "She's probably too focused on power." More comments continued appearing every second. The discussion was growing rapidly. Samantha stared silently at the endless accusations.

While others said "Man always cheat. Maybe he was caught cheating." Not one person knew the truth. Not one person knew about the forced marriage. Not one person knew about Mike. Not one person knew about Monica. Not one person knew about everything Ben had done. Yet thousands of strangers had already judged her. A bitter smile slowly appeared on her lips. "So..." "Just when things become worse..." "...they actually become more worse."

She gently locked her phone and placed it back on the desk. For several moments she simply stared through the office window. Outside, the employees continued walking, chatting and working as though it were an ordinary day. Meanwhile... Her marriage had just become public entertainment. She rested both hands on her stomach and whispered quietly, "What should I do now?" There was no answer. Only silence accompanied her. Samantha truly felt alone.

At that moment, Samantha's phone began vibrating across her desk. She lowered her eyes to the screen but had no desire to answer it. The ringing stopped, only to begin again a few seconds later. With a quiet sigh, she picked up the phone and saw the caller's name, Father. Nicolas Heaps. The moment she saw his name, she already knew why he was calling. The news articles about Ben and Natalie had spread across the internet only moments ago.

Her father must have seen them, and he was undoubtedly calling to ask about it. Samantha's heart grew even heavier. She wasn't ready to explain everything, nor did she have the strength to pretend that everything was fine. Without hesitation, she declined the call. Almost immediately, the phone began ringing again. Unable to find a moment's peace, Samantha took her phone and stood up from her chair and quietly walked toward Sarah's office.

She knocked gently several times before slowly pushing the door open. Inside, Sarah was completely focused on reviewing the joint bank account application that Alicia and Mike had prepared before leaving for Lucia Goods. Seeing Sarah immersed in her work, Samantha quietly turned around, intending to leave without saying a word. "Sister-in-law?" Sarah's voice stopped her. She looked up with a gentle smile. "Are you leaving already? Come in."

Samantha hesitated before asking softly, "Am I disturbing you?" Sarah immediately shook her head. "Not at all. I was just finishing up. Come, have a seat." After sitting down, Samantha remained silent for a moment before finally asking in a troubled voice, "Sarah... did you see the article?" Sarah looked at her with confusion written across her face. "What article?"