Chapter 14 Playing Dirty
Caroline leaned in close, her voice a sly whisper.
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“You didn’t like Michelle back then, and now you can’t stand me. Since no one Caleb marries ever satisfies you, why don’t you marry him? That way, you can keep your precious son all to yourself forever, and I can get my divorce without having to see your disgusted face every day.”
Brianna had braced herself for something serious, not this humiliating jab.
She trembled with rage, her polished veneer crumbling as she raised her hand to slap Caroline.
“You uncouth little brat! Who gave you the right to talk to me like that? If you hadn’t shamelessly seduced my son, someone like you wouldn’t even be qualified to stand in front of me, let alone become his wife!”
Caroline flinched back, feigning a flicker of fear.
That dodge lit a fire under Brianna.
Her face twisted with fury as she lunged forward and slapped Caroline hard.
A sharp crack echoed, red fingerprints appearing on Caroline’s delicate cheek.
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Chapter 14 Playing Dirty
The nearby servants froze at the scene.
Caroline’s eyes widened, brimming with tears. Her voice quivered as she stammered, “Brianna… why would you hit me?”
“Do I need a reason? You deserved it!” Brianna snapped.
“What’s going on?” Caleb’s icy voice cut through from the hallway.
Brianna’s expression faltered, and she quickly dropped her hand.
Suddenly, it hit her. Caroline had provoked her on purpose.
Caroline didn’t bother explaining. She just shot Caleb a tearful glance and bolted.
Caleb’s brow furrowed. He started after her, but Brianna grabbed his arm.
“Leave her be! She spewed filth to provoke me, and now she’s playing the victim in front of you! That girl’s gotten crafty. She’s even scheming against her elders!”
“What did she say?” Caleb asked, his tone frosty.
Brianna faltered, unable to repeat it, and simply changed the subject.
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“Just a bunch of garbage, trust me. Anyway, how’d things go with your grandpa? Since she’s so desperate to ditch you, why not let her go? A woman with such a devious mind will eventually bring trouble to the family.”
Caleb gave her a flat, chilly look. “I never thought about getting a divorce. Drop it, and don’t bring it up again.”
On the other side, Caroline looked at the video she had just recorded on her phone and smiled triumphantly.
She flipped open X and spotted a nasty comment.
[Are you and Caleb actually married? No way you deserve him!]
Caroline blurred out the hater’s ID, took a screenshot, and posted it with old photos of Caleb with Michelle and Dominic, plus a snap of Michelle’s Instagram.
Her caption was short and simple.
[A Personal Statement: Addressing Recent Events and My Marriage–Time for Truth]
Within ten minutes, the comments section erupted.
The hashtags “CalebCheats” and “MichelleTheMistress” shot up the trending list.
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Search hits for both kept climbing.
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Instantly, Caroline became the internet’s sympathy magnet.
People were eating it up—the evil MIL, the cheating husband who threw her in jail. The sympathy train was rolling hard.
The comments flooded in hot and heavy.
[Team Anthony all the way! Her hubby’s such a snake!]
[I looked into her projects. She’s a rockstar at work. Why put up with this crap? Dump those losers and divorce already!]
[Mr. Perfect? More like Mr. Cheater. Get out while you can, Caroline!]
[He’s blocking the divorce? Not cool. Let’s back Caroline up!]
Caroline didn’t have time to bask in the support. She dialed a number fast.
“Has he gone to the hospital yet? If you snag any pics, send them over as soon as possible. This is huge!”
On the line was Wilfred Olson, the PI she hired to tail Caleb.
She knew after revealing the Martin family’s betrayal to Walter, Caleb would figure it out.
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She felt he’d rush to the hospital for Michelle once he knew.
If her plan worked, the hashtags would explode.
Better yet, if Wilfred caught Caleb and Michelle together, she’d have solid proof of his cheating, and divorce would be a slam dunk.
Wilfred sounded cocky. “Relax, I’m on him like glue. Right now, he’s…”
He suddenly hushed his voice. “Wait, do you live on Lake Avenue?”
Caroline’s stomach tightened. “What’s up?”
“He’s not at the hospital! The car took a turn toward Lake Avenue… He’s heading for the Lakeshore Community! He’s already inside!”
Just then, Edwin’s cold voice suddenly came from the other end of the phone.
“Who are you photographing? Hand over the camera!”
Caroline hung up and wiped the call log in a flash, her heart pounding like a drum.
Less than five minutes later, a thunderous banging rattled her door.
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Chapter 14 Playing Dirty
Caleb’s voice sliced through, cold as steel. “Caroline, opeenthe damn door!”
She held her breath, pretending no one was home.
“Don’t bother hiding,” he growled. “Three seconds. Open up, on I’m kicking it down. You know I don’t mess around.”
He started counting, but before he hit three, the lock clicked.
Caroline yanked the door open. “This is breaking and entering! Even if you’re my husband, you can’t just barge in!”
Caleb’s face was a storm cloud. He clutched a stack of photos and stared her down. “Oh, you know the law now? What about stalking and snapping pics? Do you think that’s legal? Explain these.”
He flung the photos at her. She didn’t catch them, and they scattered across the floor.
614
They were all shots Wilfred had taken of Caleb over the past few days. Some of them were from just minutes ago.
Caleb’s eyes glinted with menace as he slammed the door shut and grabbed her by the throat, dragging her into the living
room.
“I take you to Martin Manor, and you put on a show to stir the
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pot. What’s your game? Are you so desperate for me to find out
that I almost married Michelle?”
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