The Marriage She Turned into War novel Chapter 220

Lately, I'd been going through the motions and keeping up appearances for Abigail.

Even though she hadn't been home for days, I still played the dutiful husband. Every morning, I sent her a cheerful "good morning" text and every evening, I called her to report on my day.

To outsiders, we probably seemed like the perfect couple—inseparable, madly in love.

But I knew the truth. Abigail didn't love me. She never did.

Everything between us was just an act.

She needed me to play the role of her devoted husband to protect her reputation, especially as her entanglement with Joshua grew more obvious. I was her buffer, her cover story.

I thought as long as we both stayed in character, things would go smoothly.

But then, a bombshell hit the tabloids.

A paparazzi photo of Abigail meeting a famous actor late at night in a hotel spread like wildfire.

The actor's PR team scrambled to do damage control, insisting they were only discussing scripts and investment opportunities.

But the backlash came quickly.

Discussing a script with the lights off? Really? What kind of "glow-in-the-dark" script were they working on?

The public wasn't buying it, and the explanations fell flat.

The narrative shifted as the story gained traction, and I became the scapegoat.

Suddenly, I was painted as a freeloading husband, living off Abigail's wealth and refusing to let go of her despite her alleged multiple attempts to divorce me.

They even claimed I had threatened her with self-harm to keep her from leaving.

Hanson had always been kind to me, and as my mentor, I owed him a lot. There was no way I could turn him down.

"Of course," I said. "I'll call Silas and make the arrangements right away."

After the call ended, I pulled out a suit from my closet.

The tailored suit, which had once been a perfect fit, now hung loose on my frame. The toll my illness had taken on my body was glaringly obvious—I'd lost so much weight that I barely recognize myself in the mirror now.

I didn't have time to buy new clothes, so I had to make do.

Taking a deep breath, I adjusted my tie and straightened my posture before calling Silas to confirm our plans.

Once we set a meeting time, I hailed a cab and headed to the venue for the evening's event.