Chapter 5

The screen above the stage, meant for celebratory montages, now blared with my most intimate moments. My face, flushed and vulnerable, filled the gigantic display. The video footage, recorded in confidence, a fleeting attempt at closeness in a desolate marriage, was now being projected for hundreds of judging eyes. The whispers started immediately, a wave of snickers and gasps that washed over the ballroom. I felt the blood drain from my face, my knees threatening to buckle.

He did this. Edwardo did this. The realization hit me with the force of a physical blow, leaving me breathless and cold. This wasn't an accident. This was a deliberate act of public humiliation, orchestrated by my own husband.

The room, filled with the city's elite, blurred into a kaleidoscope of mocking faces. I could feel their eyes on me, dissecting, judging, savoring my mortification. My body grew stiff, frozen in place, a statue of shame. The air was sucked out of the room, leaving me gasping for breath. The laughter, the whispers, they were a physical assault, beating down on me, crushing me.

Edwardo stood next to Cassie, his hand casually resting on her back. He watched the screen, an almost imperceptible smirk playing on his lips. Not a flicker of remorse. Not a hint of concern for my public destruction. He didn't care. He was enjoying it.

A primal scream built in my throat, but it never escaped. I had to stop it. I had to. With a surge of adrenaline, I pushed through the suffocating crowd, my eyes fixed on the screen. I tripped, my bandaged arm throbbing, but I didn't stop. I reached the stage, ignoring the security guards trying to intercept me. My good hand fumbled for the remote, anything to make it stop.

Cassie, her face a mask of feigned concern, stepped forward, blocking my path. "Oh, Blair, darling, don't make a scene. It's just a little video. Edwardo was only trying to show everyone what a... loving wife you were." Her voice was sickly sweet, dripping with venom. She leaned in, her eyes sparkling with malicious glee. "He said you were getting too comfortable. That you needed to be put back in your place."

My vision tunneled. I ignored her, pushing past her, my fingers scrambling for the screen controls. I hit a button, any button. The video flickered, then mercifully, went black.

A hush fell over the crowd.

Edwardo, his face unreadable, stepped forward. He put a protective arm around Cassie, pulling her closer. "Blair, what was that? Are you trying to ruin Cassie's birthday?" His voice was cold, accusing.

"Ruin her birthday?" I laughed, a raw, broken sound. My eyes burned with unshed tears. "You just ruined my life! You publicly shamed me! How could you?"

He looked at me with disdain. "You brought this upon yourself. You were getting out of line. And Cassie... she was distressed. She needed to be reassured." He turned to the crowd, his voice smooth and authoritative. "My apologies, everyone. A minor domestic disturbance. Cassie is deeply upset by this unfortunate incident. Rest assured, I will handle this. And Blair will cooperate fully. Her brother is still awaiting federal charges for his assault on Cassie. I will not tolerate any further disrespect."

He then bent down, cupping Cassie's face in his hands. "Don't worry, darling. I'll make sure this never happens again. I'll protect your reputation." He kissed her forehead, a clear message to everyone in the room.

I stood there, my world crumbling around me, my dignity stripped bare. He had done it. He had chosen her. Over me. Over Ben. Over everything. With one final, searing look at the man who had been my husband, I turned and walked out of the ballroom, head held high, though every fiber of my being screamed in agony.

The next few days were a living hell. The video went viral. My face, my most private moments, were plastered all over the internet. Comments, vicious and cruel, flooded every social media platform. My family's company, Moreno Corp., was targeted. Our website was hacked, our social media accounts bombarded with vile messages. My personal accounts were flooded with hate.

I tried to fight back, to delete the videos, to report the accounts. But it was a losing battle. For every video I had taken down, ten more popped up. The internet was a hydra, and I was just one woman, bleeding and broken.

I sat in my empty house, the silence deafening, the echoes of laughter and whispers filling my ears. My phone buzzed again, another news alert. More articles about Edwardo Steele's "devotion" to Cassie Shields, and the "shameful past" of his estranged wife, Blair.

I closed my eyes, a single tear escaping. I was drowning.

That's when I called him. Edwardo. My voice was shaky, but the anger was a cold, hard knot in my stomach. "How could you, Edwardo? How could you leak that video?"

His voice was calm, almost bored. "It's a matter of public record now, Blair. You made a scene. Cassie was very upset. She felt threatened by your continued presence in my life."

"Upset? Threatened?" I choked out, a hysterical laugh escaping my lips. "She attacked me! She faked her injuries! And you publicly humiliated me for her sake?"

"She's fragile, Blair. You wouldn't understand." His voice hardened. "And you deserved it. You were becoming a nuisance."

"A nuisance?" My voice rose, trembling with rage. "I was your wife! I stood by you for three years! I endured your coldness, your cruelty, your disgusting phobias! And you repay me by destroying my reputation, my family, everything I have?"

"You signed the contract, Blair. You knew what you were getting into." He paused, a chilling silence on the line. "And you forget, Ben Pena is still awaiting federal charges. Are you willing to risk his future for your pride?"

The threat, cold and calculated, hit me hard. Ben. My brother. He was using him against me. Always.

"You're a monster, Edwardo," I whispered, the words heavy with disgust.

"Perhaps. But I am a monster with leverage." His voice was utterly devoid of emotion. "Now, do you understand? Or do I need to make it clearer?"

Just then, his phone rang in the background. I heard Cassie' s tinkling laugh, faint but unmistakable. Edwardo' s attention immediately shifted. "One moment, Blair."

He answered the other line, his voice softening, a warmth I had never experienced. "Cassie? Darling, what's wrong?"

I heard a muffled cry, then Cassie' s voice, shrill and panicked. "Edwardo! It's Ben Pena! He's here! He's attacking me again! He's going to kill me!"

My heart stopped. Ben was in the hospital! He couldn't possibly be there! She was lying!

"What?" Edwardo' s voice was filled with frantic concern. "Where are you? What happened?"

"He broke into my apartment! He's... he's hurting me! He's going to throw me off the balcony!" Cassie shrieked, her performance chillingly convincing.

My phone clattered from my numb fingers. I sank to the floor, my mind reeling. Another fabricated assault. Another accusation. All to turn Edwardo against us even further. She was a master manipulator.

Edwardo' s voice, now a roar, filled the room through the speakerphone. "Blair! What have you done? What has your brother done?" He didn't wait for my answer. "I'm coming, Cassie! Hold on! I'm coming!"

The line went dead.

I lay there, curled on the cold floor, the horror slowly seeping in. Edwardo would believe her. He always believed her. He would come for Ben. He would destroy us completely.

Just then, I heard the crunch of tires on my driveway. The front door burst open. Edwardo stood there, his face contorted with a fury so intense, it made my blood run cold. His eyes, usually so controlled, were wild, burning with a terrifying rage.

He saw me on the floor, curled into a ball. He didn't pause. He didn't ask. He simply stared at me, his lip curling in disgust, as if I were the very embodiment of the contamination he so abhorred. "You disgust me, Blair," he spat, his voice laced with pure loathing. "Get out of my sight. You and your criminal brother are beyond redemption." He turned and stalked out, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed through the empty house, a final, chilling pronouncement.