The Fallen Son-in-law: Rise To Power

chapter 18

Chapter 18

The crowd in front of the hospital still hadn't completely dispersed. Sunlight was streaming through the glass-enclosed façade of the newly reopened building, and the cameras standing below were flashing.

Reporters had practically surrounded Elvira and Mikhail. Just moments earlier, Monica had suddenly appeared and, in front of everyone, screamed that Mikhail had been cheating on her with Elvira all along. The shock of those words still hung in the air.

Elvira's heart was still pounding. She couldn't understand how everything had suddenly spiraled so out of control. Just moments before, she had been standing beside Mikhail, trying to smile politely until the press conference was over, and now all the cameras were trained on her face.

A reporter thrust a microphone in her direction.

"Miss Elvira, Monica says you've been having a secret relationship with Mikhail for a long time. Do you acknowledge this accusation?"

Elvira felt a lump form in her throat. She wasn't used to speaking in front of so many people, especially in the middle of such a scandal.

Some microphones were thrust almost into her face. The cameras clicked one after another. For a few moments, everything blurred before Elvira's eyes. She could feel the murmurs, whistles, and whispers of the crowd around her, but it all blended into one loud roar.

Her fingers trembled without her realizing it. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but the pressure in her chest didn't ease. Meanwhile, Monica stood a little ways away, staring at Elvira with a direct gaze. A satisfied smile played on the corner of her lips, as if she was just waiting to hear Elvira deny it before hurling another accusation.

Elvira let out a shaky breath and said,

"I… I don't know… anything about that. There's nothing like that between Mikhail and me—"

Before she could finish, someone shouted, "What about—?" The question was deliberately provocative. Elvira's eyes widened. She never wanted to publicly humiliate anyone, especially in a situation like this. She just shook her head and said, "I just want to tell the truth. I have never—"

The murmurs from the back of the crowd grew louder. Some were whistling Monica's name, while others were pointing at Elvira and whispering. The microphones and cameras seemed to move in closer in an instant, completely swallowing her personal space.

By now, Mikhail's inner rage was slowly boiling over. He had stood silently for a few minutes, watching the situation, and he hadn't missed the exhaustion and helplessness on Elvira's face. He could also clearly see that poisonous, satisfied smile on Monica's face. His fists clenched involuntarily. He felt that if he waited any longer, the entire media would paint a picture of Elvira that had nothing to do with the truth.

Another reporter raised her voice and said,

"Mikhail! Will you say something? Monica is saying you cheated on her with Elvira. Do you have a response to that?"

This time, Mikhail couldn't just stand there silently. He slowly stepped in front of Elvira, as if to shield her from the microphones, cameras, and the loneliness. The anger was still written on his face, but there was a clear line of pain in his eyes.

"Stop asking her questions," Mikhail said in a stern voice. Though it was a relatively low tone, the intensity was such that a few people around them fell silent.

But the media, once they have their prey, don't let go. Someone else shouted,

"Then tell us yourself, what is the truth? Is Monica lying?

Mikhail's hand rested lightly on Elvira's shoulder, as if giving her the strength to stand. She glanced at him once, then turned her gaze to face the reporters. The moment her eyes met Monica's, the fear was replaced by an unsettled arrogance—as if she was thinking, No matter what, in society's eyes, she was still Mikhail's legitimate partner, and Elvira was just a third wheel.

Mikhail sighed and said,

"Nothing Monica has said is the whole truth."

At this one sentence, the crowd erupted again. The microphones moved in closer.

"What do you mean, 'not the whole truth'? Does that mean there's some truth to it?"

"Are you admitting that you cheated on Monica?"

"Is Elvira really just a 'friend'?"

The questions pounced on Mikhail all at once. But this time he didn't stop. He began to speak slowly, clearly, as if the truths that had been stuck in his throat for so long were finally coming out one by one.

"I haven't cheated on anyone," Mikhail said in a harsh voice. "On the contrary, I've always been the one cheated on. Monica has broken my trust time and again. I've tried countless times to save everything, but hiding the truth doesn't make it any less real."

Monica's face went pale in an instant. She couldn't understand exactly what Mikhail was about to say, but a strange fear was creeping inside her. She was used to controlling the relationship, changing the narrative, and dodging the truth. But for the first time, she felt that control slipping from her grasp.

"Mikhail, shut up!" Monica shrieked. "This isn't the place to be saying these things. You—"

Mikhail didn't look at her for a moment. His voice grew even harsher.

"I've been quiet for a long time, Monica. Always thinking of your reputation, your family, making myself feel guilty. But today, in front of all these people, what you said about Elvira isn't just a lie, it's utterly vile. So today, I'm going to tell the truth. The whole truth."

Elvira shivered inwardly. She could tell Mikhail's tone was different from before. This was the tone of someone who had been broken for a long time and had finally reached the end of his rope.

The reporters sensed their prey. Some thrust microphones to the front line.

Mikhail said slowly,

"Before Monica's accusations, let me make one thing clear to everyone—there was no 'secret relationship' between Elvira and me. Elvira is my friend. She has been there for me as my doctor, as a colleague, on many occasions. You are twisting that for your own convenience and presenting it to the media, Monica."

Monica stepped forward and raised her hand toward Mikhail, as if to stop him.

"Mikhail, I'm telling you to stop! You don't understand what you're saying!"

Mikhail looked at her for the first time. His gaze was cold, but the resentment in his eyes was clear.

"Do you really want me to stop?" he asked, right there in the middle of the crowd. "Or are you afraid that if I tell everything, everyone will find out who was really cheating whom?"

At that, whispers started up again all around. Some people were live-streaming, while others tried to suppress light laughter. Monica's cheeks flushed red with anger and humiliation.

"I… I was your wife. How could you—" Before Monica could finish, Mikhail's voice grew even tighter.

"Were you ever really a 'wife'?" Mikhail said in a calm but cutting voice. "Our marriage was on paper, but have you forgotten how many times your heart and body went to someone else?"

Elvira stared at Mikhail in shock. She had never heard these details before. She had only guessed that Mikhail's past wasn't happy, but she never imagined the reality was this cruel.

A bold reporter asked in a sharp voice,

"Are you saying Monica cheated on you?"

Mikhail answered without looking away,

"I'm saying that Monica had a child by another man, not once, but twice."

In that moment, it felt like the entire place froze. The microphones shifted, a few cameras trembled slightly, and someone held their breath. In the silence, Elvira could hear Monica's ragged breaths and the pounding of her own heart.

"Lie!" Monica suddenly shrieked. "It's all a lie! You're crazy, Mikhail! You don't even know what you're saying!"

Her sudden scream made a few reporters step back. She lunged at Mikhail as if to silence him, but she couldn't with the cameras and crowd of people all around. Instead, she just glared at him furiously, her chest heaving.

Mikhail said very slowly,

"You know very well I'm not lying."

A reporter quickly asked,

"Can you provide proof? For an accusation this serious, do you have any evidence?"

A strange calm had come over Mikhail's eyes,

As if he'd been waiting for exactly that question. He bowed his head slowly and said, "Yes. I have proof."

Monica let out a low growl. "Mikhail, you can't do this! This is a private matter between us! You can't—"

"When you made those false accusations against Elvira, did you think it would stay 'private'?" Mikhail asked in a cold voice. "You dragged our private matter into the public eye when you staged that drama in front of the media."

There was no shouting in his voice as he spoke, but the quiet intensity was enough to make anyone shudder.

The reporters were now fully prepared. Some were already writing live comments – "Scandal," "Pregnancy by another man," "DNA proof" etc. The murmurs all around reached Mikhail's ears, but he didn't lose his focus.

He pulled a file from the inner pocket of his coat. Though it was thin, the file felt surprisingly heavy. Elvira felt that the file wasn't just made of paper, but also carried the weight of years of suppressed pain and humiliation.

Mikhail gently took out the papers. There were some reports, along with a few pages that looked like printed copies. At the top, in large letters, was the name of a medical lab, and below it were some numbers and information.

"These," Mikhail said, looking at the reporters, "are the DNA test results for the child Monica had an abortion."

A second, breathless silence fell over the room. A few reporters moved forward quickly, but froze, as if they themselves weren't sure what to do next—ask questions first, or look at the papers.

Monica's eyes were fixed on the papers. Her pupils had shrunk, her lips were dry. She said very softly,

"You… you still have those reports?"

Mikhail answered without looking at her,

"Yes. Maybe I shouldn't have kept them, maybe they weren't memories worth holding onto. But today I realized I was wrong for not considering that you'd bring me to this point. Now it seems keeping them wasn't a mistake."

A reporter cautiously asked,

"Are you saying the test results indicate the child was not yours?"

Mikhail pulled a specific page from the file and held it up.

"It says right here—paternity excluded. Meaning, no genetic match. I was not the father of that child."

As soon as he finished speaking, an involuntary "oh" escaped from several people nearby. Everyone was slowly trying to process the truth.

A whirlwind of thoughts raced through Elvira's mind. She realized Mikhail wasn't just trying to clear his name; he was breaking a long-standing chain that had trapped him in a habit of self-condemnation.

Monica suddenly lunged forward, trying to snatch the paper from Mikhail's hand.

"This is fabricated! It's all a lie! Do you think you can ruin my life with some papers?"

Mikhail's grip was firm. He didn't let go of the papers. Instead, he held them up a little higher, so the cameras could get a clear view.

"These reports are from the clinic you went to, remember?" Mikhail said in a calm voice. "I was still by your side then, even after knowing everything, I wanted to hold on to you. But you changed again. You did the same thing a second time. Another man's child… and another abortion."

Every word was like a sharp weapon. The color drained from Monica's face. She stumbled back, as if someone had pulled the air from her lungs. Tears welled in her eyes, but they were not tears of guilt, but a mixture of humiliation and fear.

The reporters couldn't stay silent. One asked,

"Monica, is this true? Do you have anything to say?"

Another thrust a microphone in her face and asked,

"Are you admitting that you had an abortion, and that the child was not Mikhail's?"

Monica's lips trembled, but a part of her still couldn't believe that Mikhail would speak against her like this.

"Don't open your mouth; always take his guilt as your own failure, and live by blaming yourself."

Mikhail said again,

"I've always wanted to save this relationship. I thought maybe everyone makes mistakes. But today you stood in front of me, questioned the character of Elvira standing beside me, tried to make her out to be the 'criminal.' The day you first said you were going to carry someone else's child, I still tried to save you. But not anymore."

His gaze turned to the entire crowd.

"Everyone, listen. The woman accusing me of infidelity is the one who has cheated on me repeatedly. She had the child of another man twice, and both times, she had an abortion. Today, I'm not just defending Elvira; I'm also setting the record straight about myself."

A strange silence fell after he finished speaking. Some cameras were still rolling, red lights flashing, but the sounds seemed to have faded, even the horns of distant cars sounded muffled.

Monica said in a trembling voice,

"Mikhail… how could you? Do you think people will believe you?"

Mikhail looked at her for a moment. There was pain in his eyes, but no weakness.

"Whether anyone believes it or not, the truth doesn't change," he said calmly. "And one more thing, Monica—I had no desire to say more than what I did today. If you hadn't dragged Elvira's name into this, I would never have wanted anyone to know about this humiliation of yours. But you crossed that line."

Monica just stared, her mouth agape, for a moment. It was as if no sound could come from her throat. Tears finally streamed down her face, but she could no longer find any words to save her own image.

Elvira stood back, watching everything. Tears welled in her eyes, but not from her own humiliation, rather from the raw exposure of Mikhail's long-held pain. She understood that the truth was always liberating, but that liberation was often bloody.

A reporter asked one last question,

"Mikhail, are you willing to show us those DNA reports?"

Mikhail nodded and said,

"Yes, but within the bounds of privacy. I don't want these papers turned into cheap gossip."