Chapter 2 Meet Me At The Courthouse Immediately!

Only then did Elin faintly remember the fragments of last night. As she had been roughly cast onto the bed, a wave of nervousness had washed over her, her body tensing.

"Just relax."

The voice that murmured in her ear was rich and resonant, strikingly different from Dean's cold one.

"How... how did this happen?" Elin stammered, her eyes wide as she surveyed the chaotic spread of photos across the bed, her face drained of color.

Who was this man she had unknowingly shared her night with?

"Mrs. Knight, it's rumored you and Mr. Knight have been friends since childhood. What led you to cheat on him?"

"Was it all for a fleeting thrill?"

The reporters hounded her without mercy, their questions piercing the air like arrows, cameras flashing, capturing her every moment of vulnerability.

"Leave me alone! All of you, just leave!" Elin's voice broke as she desperately swatted at the air, trying to shield herself from the relentless swarm of reporters.

Yet, they encircled her like vultures, unyielding.

One particularly bold reporter probed, "Mrs. Knight, with so many marks of affection visible, did your encounter with this mystery man last all night?"

As she was bombarded by their relentless inquiries, Elin's resolve crumbled, and with a heart-wrenching cry, she collapsed.

Across the street, silent and unobserved, a black Maybach lingered.

The rear window gradually descended, unveiling the silhouette of a man with a detached, cold demeanor. His eyes, piercing and intense, fixed on Dean as he stepped out of the hotel, encircled by a swarm of reporters. The man's expression darkened.

"Dean... be gentler..."

Elin's voice, sweet and tender, seemed to resonate in his ears. He brushed his fingertips together, savoring the phantom sensation of her warmth that seemed to cling to his skin.

Dean, the adopted son of the prestigious Walsh family, was the president of the formidable Infinity Group. The Walsh family was Elin's maiden family.

Shortly after, the man's composed tone filled the car. "Dig up everything on Dean Knight."

"Understood, sir."

In the blink of an eye, headlines such as "Elin Knight Caught in Secret Rendezvous Behind Husband's Back" and "Scandal: Elin Knight's Alleged Affair" splashed across various media outlets.

The footage showed Dean intercepting her, with Elin's moments of vulnerability laid bare for all to see, sparking a media storm.

The Infinity Group, a jewel in the Walsh family's crown, saw its stocks tumble, teetering on the brink of disaster due to the scandal.

Disgraced, Elin returned home with the assistance of a loyal servant.

Her personal phone number, now public, was bombarded with relentless calls and messages, rendering her phone a constant, unusable buzz. In desperation, she borrowed the servant's phone to reach out to Dean, longing to clarify the truth.

Yet, Dean remained unreachable, ignoring every plea for contact.

In her solitude, Elin plunged into cold waters, scrubbing her skin fervently. Despite her efforts, the lingering scent of the man from last night haunted her, a cruel reminder of her plight.

She was haunted by the memory of Dean's cold departure, a wave of desolation overwhelming her, and tears threatening to fall.

Why had things taken such a turn?

Elin couldn't gauge how much time had elapsed when the phone perched on the shelf suddenly rang. She snatched it up in haste. "Honey..."

"Meet me at the courthouse immediately!" Dean's voice was terse and urgent before the line went dead.

Only then did Elin realize she had spent most of the evening submerged in the bathtub.

With a sense of urgency, she leaped from the water, hastily threw on some clothes from her closet, and dabbed on makeup while speeding towards the courthouse, trying desperately to mask her exhaustion and the unnatural paleness of her face.

She was determined to clear the air with Dean. The thought of a divorce was unbearable.

As Elin approached the courthouse, her eyes quickly found Dean. He stood there like a statue in a sharp black suit, his features carved in frost.

Not a single reporter was in sight-a clear sign Dean had kept them at bay.

"Baby, please, just hear me out," Elin implored as she darted towards him, clasping his hand, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "I received a text last night claiming you were at the Orchid Hotel with another woman. Your phone's location seemed to confirm you were there, so I had to see for myself..."

Dean responded by calmly presenting his phone, the screen displaying a timeline of his whereabouts from the previous night, his stare as cold as steel. "I was simply escorting a guest to her room. I left within ten minutes."

As Elin's gaze fell upon his documented alibi, her legs trembled, threatening to buckle under the weight of her dread and confusion.

Had someone deliberately deceived her last night?