Seven Years of Marriage with Jake novel Chapter 81

Chapter 2

Jessica's whereabouts had always been a mystery, and Richard suspected I knew something.

But honestly, how could I possibly know where she was?

I could only respond defensively: "She's an adult. I can't keep track of her all the time. I'm not her babysitter!"

Richard's expression darkened. He released my hair and slapped me hard, causing my ears to ring and my cheek to burn.

Despite my anger, I felt a flicker of anticipation.

This was only the beginning...

Seeing my defiance, Richard gripped my chin and said: "Do you think I can't handle you just because you refuse to talk?"

He grabbed my phone, unlocked it using my face, and scrolled through my contacts.

Finding my husband James's number, Richard smirked and dialed it without hesitation.

The phone rang.

"Hello?"

James's familiar, gentle voice answered.

I tried to speak, but a bodyguard covered my mouth.

"You must be Mary's husband," Richard said coldly.

"Who's calling?"

James's tone was tight with concern.

Richard looked at me defiantly and said: "I'm Mary's ex. But don't worry, I'm married now and have no interest in her."

James was silent for a moment before asking: "Why are you calling me from her phone?"

"I just wanted to give you some information about your wife."

"She's been living a chaotic life. While she was with me, she was also seeing other men behind my back."

"I found it disgusting and ended our relationship."

A breeze fluttered the curtains outside, making a soft rustling sound.

"For years, she's been living off my wife's support, using our villa for her affairs, and indulging in gambling. She even pressured my wife into maxing out my credit cards to cover her debts."

"You might not know, but your wife was attacked by the wife of her lover."

"Last week, she had surgery for virginity restoration and made my wife stay with her in the hospital. Tel me, why would a married woman need such surgery if not for saving her 'first time' for someone else?"

"Don't you feel embarrassed being married to someone like that?"

"It's quite pathetic how you endure all this betrayal. If I were you, I would have left long ago."

Richard's words were harsh and piercing, each one cutting deep.

James was silent for a long time.

James and I had always shared a close bond. He was honest, kind, and treated me with great care.

Even when we argued, he was patient, calming me down and gently explaining things, never tiring of making things right.

But this time, it seemed Richard had angered James so much that he had nothing more to say.

Richard hung up the phone, a smug grin on his face.

"Well? Still not going to tell me where Jessica is?"

Richard seized the moment to loudly proclaim my 'crimes' to the gathered crowd.

Before long, everyone was pointing and whispering about me.

"This is outrageous. At her age, still exploiting a pregnant cousin —she's clearly taking advantage of her! It's only because her cousin is too kind-hearted that she hasn't been thrown out already. If it were me, I'd have kicked her out long ago!"

"She's the worst kind of parasite-resentful of the poor, envious of the rich, lazy, and always sponging off others. My wife was ruined by her cousin and is now drowning in debt and on antidepressants!"

"Such a woman is a leech, preying on anyone she can. Anyone who encounters her is bound to be unlucky!"

"And she's dirty too-married but still chasing after male models and being a mistress. Just living in the same neighborhood as her is bad luck."

The crowd's insults were harsh and unrelenting, painting me as a villain.

Richard looked at me with disdain and taunted: "Wel? Still going to keep defying me?"

He thought he had me cornered and was waiting for me to give

I sneered: "Is this really all a billionaire like you can do? The people in this neighborhood can rant all they want, but it's meaningless. I can just move, and this will all be forgotten."

"If you really want to ruin me, you should get some social media influencers to stream this live. That might actually hurt my reputation."

Richard's face darkened, and he clenched his teeth: "Fine, I'll do that!"

With that, he made another call.

I felt a growing sense of anticipation.

Let it escalate.

The bigger the spectacle, the better.

Let the whole world see the scandal of your family!