Chapter 98
“Gina… I was wrong Just wait–wait until I get back, I’ll explain everything…”
Christoph murmured my name like a prayer, unaware he was saying it out loud–each syllable like salt on Natalie’s wounded pride. Her jaw tightened so hard she looked like she might break her teeth from clenching.
As soon as the plane touched down, Christoph raced to the Shen family estate.
Even from down the road, he could see something was wrong. A swarm of reporters had descended on the front gate. Cameras flashed wildly, microphones shoved into every possible angle.
“Mr. Rader! Is it true about you and Natalie?“N
“Did your wife know about the affair?”
“Sources say she’s gone–was she forced to leave?“X
“Is it true your mansion has a secret passage connecting to your sister–in–law’s house?”
Christoph’s face turned stormy. Without a word, he shoved past them all and burst into the house.
“Gina!” He called my name, his voice echoing through the vast, empty rooms.
There was no reply.&
Panic bloomed. Christoph tore through the halls like a madman, flinging open every door, checking every corner–but it was all gone.
The wardrobe was empty. My skincare products–gone from the vanity. Even the wedding photo once proudly displayed on the nightstand was missing.
The only thing left was the divorce agreement, lying neatly on the coffee table, signed and sealed like a full stop on a sentence he never imagined ending.
Christoph fell to his knees, as if the weight of it all finally crushed him.
“Sir… The housekeeper approached hesitantly, holding something out with both hands. “Ms. Bloom asked me to give you this.”
It was a letter. Christoph opened it with trembling fingers. Inside… was the diary he’d hidden away in the safe.
On the last page, in my neat, graceful handwriting, was a single line:
“Christoph, wishing you and Natalie a lifetime together, bound for eternity… and may you never break free from each other.“}
Christoph’s hands trembled. He gripped his head in agony, his breath coming in ragged gasps.\
“No… Gina, it’s not like that… please don’t leave me…”
He couldn’t even name the feeling tearing through his chest. Regret? Guilt? Or something far more terrifying–real loss. Outside, the commotion grew louder. Then, cutting through the chaos, came a sharp, piercing voice from somewhere upstairs.
“Guys, I’m live from inside Christoph’s bedroom! Look–there is a secret passage behind the closet!“”
Christoph’s head snapped up. On his phone screen, a livestream went to life–some influencer in a maid’s uniform had snuck inside, selfie stick in hand, giving the world a front–row seat to his personal disgrace.
Moments later, the media stormed past the helpless staff, flooding into the house and charging toward the master bedroom.
Then there it was. The hidden passage, fully exposed.N
“Oh my god… the walls are covered in photos of Christoph and Natalie… this is disgusting!“\
In the chaos, the diary slipped from Christoph’s hand and fell to the floor.
Someone picked it up, squinting at the page, recognizing it instantly. “Wait–isn’t this the journal from the leaks? The one Gina exposed?”
Christoph lunged forward like a man possessed, trying to snatch it back. But the crowd held him off, flipping through the pages faster than he could reach them.”
As they read, expressions twisted into disgust.
One reporter turned away, physically gagging.
The livestream chat exploded. Comments poured in faster than they could load. Viewer count was climbing by the second, already in the millions.”
In the middle of it all, Christoph remained on his spot, helpless, humiliated and completely alone.
When Christoph finally got back to his sensees. He shoved his way through the crowd and snatched the diary from the reporter’s hands. With a furious roar, he tore it to shreds–page by page, piece by piece.
It was far too late though.
The livestream had gone viral. His dirty secrets were no longer locked behind walls or hidden in shadows. They were out in
the open, playing on screens around the world.”
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He couldn’t unsee the truth now carved into public memory.
The reporters relentlessly shouted questions:
“Mr. Rader, was your so–called ‘Platonic marriage‘ just a cover for this scandalous affair?“}
“Did you marry Ms. Bloom just to keep your obsession with your sister–in–law under wraps?”
“Have you considered the damage you’ve done to Ms. Bloom, using her as a pawn in your twisted game?”
Christoph stood frozen under the glare of a hundred lenses, his complexion ashen, sweat beading on his forehead.
He opened his mouth to speak–but no words came.
What was there to say? The photos. The diary. The passageway. Everything Gina revealed was damning, irrefutable.”
His voice cracked, “I… I failed Gina. I hurt her…”
Just like that, the floodgates opened. More microphones. More questions. More chaos.
Yet, the only person Christoph wanted to answer to–the one who truly mattered–was already gone.
Chapter 10%
“Why did you marry Ms. Bloom in the first place? If you never loved her, why ruin her life?”
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“Why did you marry Ms. Bloom in the first place? If you never loved her, why ruin her life?”
“Do you even know where she is now? Did she disappear because she couldn’t take the pain?”
“Do you think your late brother would be proud of what you’ve done?”
Each question hit Christoph like a punch to the gut. He was exposed and bleeding inside.
He stumbled backward, crashing into the coffee table. The divorce papers fluttered to the floor, his signature glaring back at him like a cruel joke.
“No… it’s not like that…” He muttered, voice trembling. “I never meant to hurt her. I never wanted to actually lose her…”
Yet, memory doesn’t lie. He could see it all so clearly now, that day in college when he first approached her under false pretenses. The wedding day, when she smiled at him like he was her whole world. Five years of quiet loyalty, of unwavering love of him taking it all for granted.
What had he given her in return? Lies. Betrayal. Humiliation.
Something inside him snapped. Christoph dropped to his knees, right there in front of the rolling cameras, tears streaming down his face.
“Gina, please… I was wrong. Come back to me…”
The flash of cameras was relentless, capturing every second of his unraveling. The mighty CEO, broken. Humiliated. Begging.”
“I mean it–I know I messed up. I never should’ve used you. Never should’ve hurt you like that….”
But no apology could turn back time and no amount of public shame could undo what he had done.”
The reporters stared at each other, stunned into silence. None of them had expected this–Christoph Shen, the famously untouchable CEO, now kneeling on the floor, publicly begging for forgiveness.
Someone hesitantly broke the tension with a question that hung heavy in the air, “Mr. Rader… are you saying you actually loved Ms. Bloom?”
Christoph froze.
Love? He had never truly asked himself that. Not when he used her. Not when he married her out of convenience. Not even when she begged him to look at her–really look at her.”
Now, as pain tore through his chest like glass, he didn’t know what it was. Guilt? Regret? Or was this what love was supposed to feel like, too little, too late?W
His lips parted, but no answer came. Because he didn’t know.
Just then, Natalie burst through the doorway, Jill right behind her. “Christoph!” Natalie shrieked, grabbing at his arm. “Get up! Stop humiliating yourself like this!”
He shook her off coldly. He said with hollowness, “Get out.”
Natalie’s eyes widened in disbelief, frozen in place. In the next second, Christoph reached out and yanked her down beside him, forcing her to kneel.!!
Reporters gasped. Cameras clicked like thunder.
“You were part of this too,” he growled. “We both betrayed Gina. If I’m on my knees apologizing, then so are you.”
1.“”
Natalie looked stunned, mascara streaking down her face. For the first time, she realized -he wasn’t just broken. He was done pretending.”
He held Natalie down with trembling strength, refusing to let her stand. His eyes, bloodshot and wild, turned directly to the
nearest camera.
“Gina… I know you’re watching this mess somewhere.“}
“It was me. It was all my fault. I wronged you.“”
“But no matter where you are now, I’ll find you. This time, I’ll be the one chasing you. This time, I’ll be the one loving you.”
A hush fell over the room, the only sound the soft, persistent clicking of camera shutters.
Natalie went ghostly pale. She clung to Christoph’s arm like a lifeline, her manicured nails digging so deep into his skin they drew blood.”
“Chris, are you insane?!” she shrieked, completely unraveling.”
“Do you even hear what you’re saying? We had a plan–we agreed-“}
But Christoph tore his arm free from her grasp and stared her down. “A plan? You mean the one where you kept being my dirty little secret, while Gina stayed behind to take care of your baby?”
Natalie’s mouth opened, then shut–speechless. Before the silence could settle again, Jill stormed in, panic in her voice. She waved frantically at the security guards.
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But Christoph tore his arm free from her grasp and stared her down. “A plan? You mean the one where you kept being my dirty little secret, while Gina stayed behind to take care of your baby?”
Natalie’s mouth opened, then shut–speechless. Before the silence could settle again, Jill stormed in, panic in her voice. She waved frantically at the security guards.
“Get these reporters out! This is a private family matter!““}]
But no one moved. The press wasn’t going anywhere. So Jill, breathing hard, turned to the camera with a plastered smile and tried to salvage what was left.
“Please, everyone, don’t be fooled. My son isn’t like this! All these lies were cooked up by that whore Gina! She’s the one who told Christoph to take two wives. She begged him to sleep with her in exchange!“%
The room collectively gasped. And just like that, Jill’s words ignited a wildfire online she’d never be able to put out.
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