He Framed My Dad, I Married His Rival

Chapter 2 Provocation and Sabotage

Morning sunlight streamed through the window when a courier arrived at my residence.

Sealed inside the delivered envelope was a divorce agreement, fully signed by Orion himself.

A text message followed shortly after.

Orion: [You wanted a divorce, so here it is. Take a day to think it over. I am not as narrow-minded as you are.]

Amused by his arrogance, I picked up a pen and signed my name without the slightest hesitation.

I snapped a photo of the signed document and sent it back to him.

On his end, the input indicator flickered for a long time.

Eventually, only a single question mark appeared on the screen.

I set the phone aside, feeling lighter than I had in months.

By afternoon, the doorbell rang again.

Orion stood on the doorstep with Juliet at his side.

Luxury gift boxes hung from her arms, and she wore the high-end custom evening dress Orion had gifted me on our wedding anniversary—a designer piece worth one hundred thousand dollars.

"Sylvia, I have come to apologize to you on behalf of Mr. Frost," she said in a sweet tone.

She explained with a pitiful expression, "That pink diamond was a gift from a client. I only borrowed it to wear for the gala, which led to your misunderstanding."

Orion's voice turned stern as he issued a command. "Apologize to Juliet. She is your junior schoolmate and also the most promising new talent in my firm. I will not allow rumors to harm her reputation."

I met his gaze steadily. "Okay."

In full view of the two of them, I deleted the old comment from the social media post.

A look of relief washed over Orion's face, and his tone softened noticeably. "That is more like it. After all, we were husband and wife. I will treat your outburst as jealousy and a petty tantrum. I know how upset you are. I will find ways to make your father's life easier in prison."

Triumph glinted in Juliet's eyes. "Mr. Frost, you mentioned holding mock court drills before. Why not use Sylvia's father's case as defense teaching material? It could even help Sylvia through this hard time."

My fingers tightened into clenched fists.

'To use my father's wrongful conviction as teaching material? Her malice knows no bounds.'

A fond smile spread across Orion's face. "What a wonderful idea."

His phone rang just then, and he stepped aside to take the call.

Juliet immediately sidled up to me, twisting her wrist to display the pink diamond on her finger. "Mr. Frost says diamonds suit young women like me far better."

Her gaze drifted to the canvas placed on my desk. "Oh, you're still painting?"

That artwork was my entry for an international art competition, the last hope I had of raising funds for my father's legal fees.

Before I could react, she stumbled slightly, and a cup of coffee spilled across the canvas.

Dark brown liquid soaked through the paper in an instant, destroying three months of my dedicated work.

"I am so sorry, Sylvia! You have no spare time for painting now anyway. Why not sell your art supplies to scrape together more money for legal fees?" Her apology sounded hollow and fake.

I stared at the ruined painting in silence.

Pulling out my phone, I captured photos of Juliet and the damaged canvas without a word.

Petty bickering was the last thing on my mind.

Grabbing my handbag, I turned and walked out the door.

"Where are you going?" Orion called after me.

I did not glance back.

*****

In the days that followed, Orion and Juliet appeared frequently across major media outlets. During interviews, Orion hinted that his wife suffered from unstable mental health and praised Juliet for supporting him both at work and in daily life.

"Juliet is an exceptionally talented lawyer and an incredibly considerate young woman," he told reporters.

When asked about the friction between Juliet and me, he let out a long sigh. "Sylvia has been under tremendous stress lately. She has grown rather emotional. Juliet has shown great tolerance toward her."

Legions of online trolls flooded social platforms soon after, spouting malicious remarks nonstop.

Yet I remained completely unfazed by the slander.

Secretly, I began recruiting underappreciated lawyers from Orion's firm to join my newly established company.

Orion's call arrived soon after, his voice sharp and irritable. "Juliet says you have been bullying her. When did you become so cruel?"

My voice held an eerie calm as I held the phone. "My father's art gallery has been shut down after malicious complaints to the authorities. It was the last lifelong pursuit he had left."

A brief silence fell on the other end of the line.

False concern laced Orion's next words. "A gallery can always be reopened. I know you are hurting. Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. I will spend the day with you."

I rejected his offer outright.

Even so, he showed up at my door the next morning.