Beyond the Divorce

The day I left Foswood, my alleged scandalous photos had suddenly flooded the internet.

Ivanna, Lauren, and Carol all knew about my return and called me to tell me what was going on.

I looked at Atlas. "You knew about this, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"What was the point of telling you? It was within my expectations, and the paparazzo behind this has already been caught." Atlas looked indifferent, continuing, "She can make all the fuss she wants." Scrolling through my phone, I saw the published pictures. They did seem carefully crafted.

There were some old photos from a long time ago-pictures of me meeting Atticus in Rivendell, me with Arnold, me and Ardie in Solaris, and me meeting Fred. This indicated that they had been monitoring me for a long time.

And the angles of these photos were highly questionable. They looked more intimate than they actually were. But among these photos, one drew my attention...

It was a recent picture taken in my office, capturing a very casual moment. But it had now become an intimate photo as the angle was very suggestive.

This photo was taken on the day I bumped into Ryan when he came into my office. He had been afraid I might fall, so he held me and asked if I was okay. The picture had been captured right at that moment. I showed it to Atlas and asked, "Atlas, what do you think about this picture?"

I asked him that because he was my husband, and he was well aware of Ryan's feelings for me. My question had another implication. I was asking him about the angle of the photo. Although I asked one question, it had two meanings.

He glanced at it and said without hesitation, "This photo was taken in your office. If there were no other people involved, it can only mean something fishy's going on in there. I'll send someone to thoroughly check your office tomorrow. It's been hard to do anything these past two days since you weren't here, and I wasn't sure what you would think."

I understood what he meant, but I was still surprised. It seemed my suspicions were correct. There was only one person capable of doing this, and it was Adelaide.

I was certain no one else would be involved in this. I firmly believed that.

I vividly remembered that this had occurred after Adelaide was hired.

When I bumped into Ryan, it was only the two of us in the office.

It seemed she really had been sent by Liora.

"Looking at these photos, I think she's been following me for a long time. She sure has some endurance. I have to say she's very impressive."

I looked at Atlas. "Any more thoughts?"

He looked at me and asked, "What else?"

I smiled playfully. "What about how you feel after seeing these photos, especially this one? Did you feel uncomfortable? Did you want to ask me what happened?"

He looked at me and pulled me

closer. I obediently moved into his

embrace. He held me as I sat in his lap and said seriously, "Yes, I felt uncomfortable. Seeing any man's hands touching you would make me furious. You are mine, my precious one. I've searched for you for eighteen years."

I was a little surprised and was about to explain myself, but he immediately stopped me and continued, "But I believe in you. I'm confident that I'm the best. I've been striving for this since the moment I left you all those years ago. I want to become the best man in the world fopContent (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

you. I want to be the one who

can give you everything and make

you feel safe. That way, you'll never leave me."

His hand supported my back, and he said these words to me with a serious expression.

"I believe in my Stella. I know she's only had eyes for me since childhood. She knows I'm her Atlas, and she'll never fall in love with anyone else."

His words moved me, and my eyes became a little teary.