Page 6 of The Wife Deception
"Her last boyfriend accused her of poisoning him."
"Was there any truth to that story?" It wasn't the first time hearing it. It had been a huge scandal a couple of years ago that had even reached my ears. I had not believed it at the time. The sensationalism with which the entertainmentnews had reported it made me think they were taking liberties with the truth.
"Unfortunately, yes." Kelly pointed to my phone. "Check the police report I've just sent you."
I grabbed the phone and opened his latest message. It was a Monaco police report written in French that detailed the drugs found in his system and allegations made by the ex-boyfriend that she had given them to him in a drink.
"Concerning."
"I mean, it's his word against hers," Kelly said, "And he's a certified addict, so really who can say, but, like you said, concerning."
"Fuck." Did I marry a black widow?
Kelly chuckled. His deep baritone voice reverberated in the walls of the office. He rarely found humor in anything and that he was finding it in my situation was somewhat comforting. "You could still get an annulment. It's only been hours."
"And destroy any hope I have of getting W. Burgess? No. KMVH wants it too, and if I blink, they'll get it."
"Did Caiden get the same deal?"
"No, that was reserved for me. The old man knew I was desperate and would agree to anything. I need to know what exactly he wants out of this."
"On it," Kellysaid, standing up.
I got into my work as soon as he left. There were a few strategy reports that needed looking into, and some spending that needed my approval. Two hours later, I was still deep in the weeds of a marketing budget when my phone pinged. Once. Twice. Then a fourth time that made me wonder what could be going on.
The family group chat was abuzz. Ivy had posted a photo of me and Aelin on the courthouse steps. We are both descending the steps side by side. The angle makes it seem like we're holding hands. Fuck. So she had called the paparazzi on herself that little…
Carey:
Um…Care to explain Nolan?
Ivy:
Is there anything that needs to be explained? Someone got hitched!
I rolled my eyes. I had planned on telling them in my time. Preferably this weekend.
Thalia:
Congratulations?
Levi:
Looks fake. Has to be Photoshop or AI.
Raine:
Nope. That's a real photo. Ivy, where didyou get it?
Ivy:
It's all over social media.
She then posted a link that led to a website with the same image and the headline:He's off the market, ladies. And Insane Aelin is the one who got him.I skimmed the story. It was basically talking about the speculation online of us getting married, a brief and snarky summary of Aelin's past scandals, and then a few comments at the bottom.
"Ain't no way. Why does she always get the good guys?" one commenter said. "Until I see the marriage certificate with my own eyes, I won't believe it!" another said. "Typical man behavior. All they see is a hot piece of ass. I give this marriage two weeks, max."
I returned to the group chat. Not that much better. They were no longer arguing whether it was real and were now arguing who would contact me first.
