Chapter 4
996 Words
Bridget's POV:
I froze in shock. Before I could even process what had happened, another slap landed hard across my face.
That woman pointed at me and shouted, "You look young and pretty, but you're nothing more than a shameless tramp!"
Hearing the commotion, Amiel rushed out of the private room and immediately stepped in front of me, shielding me from the crowd.
Only then did I finally snap back to reality.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded.
Several middle-aged women shoved screenshots of chat logs in my face.
"What else do you have to say?" one of them snapped angrily. "How could you share something so private online? You're disgusting."
I glanced at the messages.
The private details were all mine.
But the way the messages were written…
The tone, the wording, the style—It sounded exactly like Patricia Dalton.
A wave of fury washed over me.
Suppressing my anger, I promised them I would get to the bottom of everything before turning and marching straight into Ryan's private room.
The moment Ryan saw me, panic flashed across his face.
But as soon as I began questioning him, that panic disappeared.
I grabbed Patricia by the arm.
"You did this, didn't you?" I demanded. "You impersonated me online and used my identity to chat with those men. That's illegal, Patricia. I can call the police and have you arrested."
Patricia's eyes immediately reddened with tears.
"It wasn't me," she protested pitifully. "Bridget, lots of people know those things about you. I'm not the only one."
I was so furious that I immediately reached for my phone.
Before I could dial, Ryan snatched it from my hand.
"Stop throwing accusations around," he snapped. "Why couldn't it have been you? Maybe you were lonely and started talking to random men online yourself."
I stared at him in disbelief.
After all these years together… this was what he thought of me?
He trusted the woman he met later in life more than his own wife.
My chest tightened painfully.
The hurt was so overwhelming that when one of the women slapped me again, I barely reacted.
"What else do you have to say?" she yelled. "I'm furious! At my age, I had to find out my husband was cheating. What am I supposed to do with my family now?"
Someone edited together a video and uploaded it online.
In the clip, every accusation against me was exaggerated and amplified.
Soon, I became the target of cyberbullying.
People dug up my address.
They leaked my phone number.
No matter where I hid, endless insults and abuse followed me.
The constant attacks nearly drove me insane.
Amiel was dragged into the scandal, too.
People claimed that anyone who associated with me couldn't possibly be a decent person.
Because of the incident, both of us were suspended from work.
Gritting my teeth, I spent days organizing evidence.
Just as I was preparing to report everything to the police, Ryan arrived with Patricia.
Avoiding my gaze, Ryan spoke first.
"Let's end this here," he said. "Patricia already admitted she was wrong. She came clean to me and even offered to apologize to you personally. The stuff online will fade soon enough. Stop dragging another person into this."
The last thread of restraint inside me snapped.
I raised my hand and slapped him across the face.
The c***k echoed through the room.
"You expect me to be called a tramp for the rest of my life?" I shouted. "Ryan Rothwell, the nerve you have. What makes you think I'll listen to you? I'm reporting this to the police!"
Ryan's expression instantly darkened.
"What else do you want?" he demanded. "Patricia was just being immature. Do you really have to destroy her life over this?"
I let out a cold laugh.
Sacrificing my life and my best friend's life to protect herself?
In her dreams!
Ignoring him, I moved toward the door.
Ryan stepped directly into my path.
"The account Patricia used was registered under your identity," he said coldly. "If you go to the police, I'll testify that you were the one using it. Things are finally starting to blow over. If you keep pushing, your situation will only get worse."
He paused before continuing.
"And you know as well as I do that there's very little evidence proving Patricia was responsible."
I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms.
My voice trembled despite my efforts to stay calm.
"You love her that much?" I asked. "You're willing to destroy me for her? Ryan... how can you be this cruel?"
Ryan frowned impatiently.
"You're overthinking this again," he said. "I just don't want another person getting hurt. What's done is done. The sooner everyone moves on, the better. You still have me. Patricia has no one. If the online attacks got worse, something bad could happen to her."
Patricia stepped forward and faked a remorseful expression.
"Bridget," she said softly, "I really didn't mean for things to get this bad. I just thought it was funny at the time. I'm sorry."
At that moment, I regretted everything. I regretted meeting Ryan, regretted loving him, regretted spending years of my life with him.
I took a deep breath, but all my strength vanished.
My knees gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor.
The door wasn't locked.
A tall, broad-shouldered man suddenly entered the room.
He bent down, helped me back to my feet, and said firmly, "Don't worry. I have plenty of ways to prove she did it."
- Writer
