Chapter 3 False Accusations

Ariana's POV

"Let's get you to the car." Dee helps me off the bed and throws my hand over my shoulder as we walk out of the room and the hospital.

Three days go by quickly and I am discharged from the hospital.

In that short while, I try to eat as much as I can to please Dee. Every time that the doctor had to rush in because I was having an episode, I saw the life drain from her.

Her Husband, Trevor Clint, came once to visit me too and told me that they had prepared my room in their home and I could stay for as long as I'd like.

They are really kind, and I don't want to disappoint my friend, but at the same time, my heart is in shambles.

Dee is still holding on to me as she tries to put the key into the lock. I have told her several times that I can stand on my own but she wants to have none of it.

We finally get into the house and Dee collapses on the chair from exhaustion. I sit beside her, too, and we just lay there for a while.

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened?" She asks and I flinch.

In all this while, I still haven't been able to bring myself to tell Dee the full story. I don't say anything and she sighs, getting up from the chair.

"I have to go to work soon, I got a text that a new client is in. Your room is the room at the end of the hallway on your right. There's food in the refrigerator and Trevor made some spaghetti earlier. Put it in the microwave and heat it."

She looks at me and raises a brow and I nod at her. She grabs her keys off the table and steps out, not before placing a kiss on my head.

I walk over to the kitchen, heat the spaghetti-like she told me to, and walk to the room she pointed out for me.

The room seems just fine for me to stay in and I slump on the bed with the plate in my hands. After the first few spoons, I lose my appetite and drop the plate beside me.

I turn to my overnight bag and pull out my phone.

Dee took it away from me after that day in the hospital and refused to give it back ever since.

I turn it on and scroll through my messages. Some are from business associates, my architectural team, and the press, all asking the same questions about Dominic and me.

My hands tremble as I enter the news app. The trending topic is my name and there is a video attached to it. I click on the video and it's a press conference.

I click on the video and Dominic's face appears on the screen.

The murmurs of the crowd die down as he clears his throat.

A journalist steps forward. "Mr. Lancaster, what happened between you and your wife?"

Dominic exhales deeply, shaking his head as if he's in pain "It's unfortunate, really."

"Ariana and I have been facing some difficulties for a while now but... I never imagined things would end like this."

End like what? My fingers tighten around my phone.

Another journalist shouts from the back. "Sir, there are rumours that she was hospitalized. Is that true?"

Dominic runs his hand through his neatly styled hair, giving a small smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

"Yes, she was, but I had no idea till later. You see, Ariana made choices that put both our company and our marriage at risk."

I blink. What?

The crowd of journalists murmur and their microphones pushed closer to him.

"What do you mean, sir?"

Dominic breathes in deeply before speaking. "Ariana was involved in leaking confidential company data to a rival firm. I only found out after extensive internal investigations. My legal team is looking into the matter, but I can confirm that we are in the process of our divorce."

My chest feels tight and I can't breathe.

"Are you saying she committed corporate espionage?"

"Do you have proof?"

"Will you be pressing charges?"

Dominic raises a hand, silencing them. "I don't want to make this uglier than it already is. Ariana was my wife, and despite what she did, I still wish her the best."

My stomach twists into a knot.

He's lying.

He's painting me as a traitor. I feel sick.

I throw the phone onto the bed as if it burned me and it bounces before falling to the floor with a loud crack.

Anxiety begins to fill me as my heart races.

I can't go outside.

Not after this.

-

For days, I don't step out of my room. I barely eat.

Dee knocks on my door, but I ignore her more often than not.

The media runs with his story. Headlines scream my name. The internet is worse, with strangers calling me everything from a snake to a gold digger, commenting cruel words under my post that I had to make my account private.

My dms aren't safe either. My social media accounts are flooded with hate.

Traitor.

Liar.

Dominic gave you everything, and you repaid him by stabbing him in the back?

I curl into myself, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Dee isn't having it.

On the fourth day, she barges into my room, yanks the blanket off me, and plants her hands on her hips.

"That's enough, Ariana."

I don't respond.

She sighs, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I know it hurts. I know you feel like the whole world is against you. But you need to get up."

I shut my eyes. "What's the point?"

Dee grabs my hand. "The point is fighting back. Dominic is trying to ruin you. Are you going to let him?"

"I don't even know where to start." My voice is hoarse.

"Then we start by finding a loophole." Dee squeezes my hand. "Talk to your lawyer, Ariana. Find out where you stand."

I nod slowly, taking what she said into consideration.

-

I booked an appointment the next day.

Dressed in sunglasses and a hoodie, I slip into my lawyer's office. The receptionist eyes me with pity before leading me to a conference room where my attorney, Mr. Jensen, waits.

He doesn't sugarcoat it.

"Dominic made sure you have no claim to anything." He flips through the company papers that I had in my possession, his expression grim.

"You signed away any rights to the company, the house, everything."

I sink into my chair. "That can't be right. I helped build that company."

"You did," he agrees. "But legally, you don't own a single share. He cut you out completely."

My hands tremble. "So what do I do?"

Mr. Jensen sighs. "We can fight, but it'll be long and costly. The best-case scenario? You walk away with whatever assets are in your personal accounts. The worst?" He hesitates. "You lose everything, including your reputation."

My reputation is already in ruins.

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Thank you for your time."

As I leave the office, cameras are waiting.

The moment I step outside, they surround me.

Microphones are shoved in my face, cameras flashing wildly.

"Ariana! Did you really sell company secrets?"

"Are you planning to retaliate?"

"Dominic said he wants to settle amicably. Will you accept his terms?"

I try to push through, my heart racing.

"She's just a bitter ex-wife," someone sneers.

"She just wants money!" another voice shouts.

I keep walking, head down, my breath ragged.

By the time I reach Dee's car, my hands are shaking. I slam the door shut, gripping the steering wheel as I try to calm down. My ears ring with their voices, their accusations.

I pull away from the curb and drive home, my vision blurred with unshed tears.

When I reach Dee's house, something is sitting on the front porch.

A parcel?

I step out of the car slowly, my legs weak beneath me. With trembling hands, I pick up the package, my name is written on it in and the handwriting looks familiar.

Dominic.

I already know what it is before I open it.

Inside, stacked neatly, are divorce papers. Every page bears his signature.

I flip to the last page.

A sticky note is attached.

_Sign it and make this easier on both of us._