Chapter 55: The rumors
The news of Elena’s alleged affair spread through the city like wildfire.
Photographs of her dining with Elias went viral overnight. Social media exploded.
People discussed nothing but this. The comments section was flooded with insults.
’She is a shameless, two-timing bitch.
’Mr. Sinclair is handsome, rich, and successful. How could she cheat on him?’
’She is a witch, playing around with men. It’s so disgusting.’
’A woman like her doesn’t deserve him.’
’She was living in luxury and still wasn’t satisfied.’
’Poor Mr. Sinclair. He engaged the wrong woman. He should break up with her right away.’
’She looks innocent, but she’s actually disgusting.’
’Imagine humiliating your boyfriend publicly like this.’
’She is destroying the Sinclair family’s reputation.’
’Someone like her should be ashamed to show her face in public.’
Elena stared at her phone, eyes burning with unshed tears, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment and resentment.
Each hateful comment felt like a dagger.
"Elena!" Elias came over, worry written all over his face.
She didn’t look up. Her gaze remained fixed on the screen. Her fingers curled around the phone tightly.
Elias sat down beside her. "Stop looking at that. Let me handle this."
When Elena lifted his eyes at him, there was only coldness.
Elias was stunned for a moment. He had expected to see fear, shame, and helplessness in her eyes.
"Noah did this purposefully," she said. Her voice was frighteningly calm. "He wants to play dirty. And I’ll make it dirtier."
Elias narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I want to hold a press conference," she said decisively.
Elias nodded. "As you wish."
At Noah’s villa...
"Wake up, Noah..." A violent tug on his arm jolted him awake.
His eyes snapped open.
Catherine was standing by the bed, looking furious.
"Mom?" His voice was rough from sleep. "Why are you here so early in the morning?"
His head throbbed. He rubbed his sleepy eyes as he sat up.
"Early?" Catherine thundered. "It’s almost noon. And you are still sleeping while the entire city is laughing at us? You didn’t care about what was happening out there."
Noah rubbed his aching forehead. Confusion filled his face. "Why are you so worked up? What on earth has happened?"
"What happened?" Catherine repeated with utter despair. "The news of your wife cheating on you is all over social media. Every major media outlet is reporting it."
"What?" Noah felt chills on his back.
"Look for yourself." Catherine shoved the phone into his hand. "Your father is furious. People are mocking the Sinclair family."
Noah watched the photographs in a daze. It was from the restaurant last night.
"Who did this?" he muttered. "Who dares to slander my wife?"
He threw the phone away.
The device hit the opposite wall and clattered on the floor into pieces.
"My phone?" Catherine screamed. She looked at the broken pieces for a moment, then turned her glare to Noah. "Why did you vent your pathetic anger on my phone?"
Noah didn’t listen to her. He took his phone from the side table and dialed Evan.
"Hello," Evan said anxiously. "You finally called me. I’ve been trying to reach you all morning. But you never answered."
Noah let out a suppressed groan. He regretted getting drunk last night.
"Have you seen the news?" Evan asked. "Everyone is attacking Elena online."
"I want a favor," Noah hissed. "Take those posts down immediately. Find out who uploaded those photos. I want every person involved to pay for dragging the Sinclair family into this."
"I tried," said Evan. "But I couldn’t get the original post removed."
"What?"
"It’s gone too far now," Evan continued. "The photos are everywhere. It’s pointless."
Noah’s face contorted in rage. His stare became resolute. "Do something." His tone became ruthless. "Pull every string you have. If you need to bribe someone, do it. I don’t care how much it costs. I want those photographs erased."
"I’ll try again."
The call was disconnected.
A steely look entered his eyes. ’Whoever is behind this will pay dearly.’
"These rumors have damaged the reputation of this family enough," Catherine started. "I thought Elena was sensible, calm, and pious. But she was secretly seeing another man."
Disappointment crossed her face.
"This is not true," Noah snapped. "She is not having an affair. She is only jealous, trying to get my attention."
"What?" Catherine squinted at him. Then her stare turned cold and distant. "You knew your relationship with Tessa would ruin your marriage. Now you see the result. The Sinclair family has become a joke."
She shrugged. Then she lifted her chin arrogantly. "Since she chose to disgrace this family publicly, we should cut ties with her. Divorce her."
Noah stared at her in stunned silence. He struggled to process what he had heard.
The irony almost made him laugh.
Elena was no longer his wife. Technically, she could be with anyone else, and it had nothing to do with the Sinclair family.
But Noah refused to give up. He would never let her go.
"You want me to divorce her?" he hissed. "You and Dad forced me toward her back then. You drove Tessa away from me and made me marry Elena. And now you want me to divorce her."
Catherine clenched her fists, making her heart steel. "I do like Elena. She was only ten when she came to this family. I watched her grow up."
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "She was radiant, pure, and kind—perfect for this family. That’s what I thought."
The softness in her gaze vanished the next second. "But she betrayed you and ruined the family’s name. She can no longer be the daughter-in-law of this family. You should let her go."
"Never..." He growled. "She is my wife. No one can come between us."
"Then what do you plan to do?" Catherine yelled, throwing her hands in the air. "You already got Tessa pregnant. Do you want the Sinclair family’s child to be born as a bastard?"
Noah reeled from the impact of her words.
"How? How did you know? Who told you about it?" With each word, his voice rose.
"I met Tessa," she revealed. "I intended to drive her away. But she said she is carrying your child."
Noah’s breath came fast and shallow. He had never intended to have a baby with Tessa. That baby had been an accident.
He had decided to raise the child in secret, never letting his parents or Elena find out. But a secret couldn’t remain buried for long, and he learned it very well.
"You love Tess," said Catherine. "You always wanted to be with her."
She let out a weary sigh. "I talked to your father. He is ready to accept Tessa and the baby. We’ll hold the wedding soon."
"Wedding?" Noah looked horrified. "No... You can’t do this to me. You can’t force me to leave Elena."
"Then why did you bring Tessa back in the first place?" Catherine’s patience snapped. "You were happy with Elena. Your marriage was stable. Everything was going fine. She was pregnant."
Tears of frustration gathered in her eyes. "But you were never satisfied. You wanted to be with Tessa."
Her chest heaved with barely restrained emotion. "We are fulfilling your wish. Shouldn’t you be happy?"
Happy?
Noah sat frozen.
Yes, he wanted to be with Tessa. After all, she was the woman he loved. But now... the thought of marrying her brought him no joy.
Because Elena was gone. She was with another man.
How could he be happy?
"Mom... Elena is the woman I married," he said, his voice trembling. "She is the daughter-in-law of this family. No one can take her place. No one."