Alia clicked on the embedded video with shaky hands. Apparently, it was happening live― Caleb was holding a press conference!
"The woman in question is Alia Kentwood. As you can see, the both of us have been married for three years."
To her horror, their marriage certificate was shown in the background, along with sweet photographs of the two of them hand-in-hand on their various dates at the park, cuddled in bed together like two birds of a feather... the slideshow went on and on while Caleb continued to speak.
"While I admit that I might have been too forward in approaching her, we were married for too long for to simply turn a blind eye to her actions. How could she carry on with Matteo Montgory like what we had didn’t matter to her?"
Bright cara flashes went off in unison, highlighting the watery sheen in his eyes. Alia gripped her phone so hard her knuckles turned white, wanting to hurl it at the wall in anger.
Then she reminded herself that she couldn’t waste money to repair her phone, and she slowly unclenched her hands. She was in public, so she couldn’t let loose the outraged scream that was frantically trying to tear out of her throat.
Caleb was an awfully good actor! He had the reporters eating in the palm of his hand, and he relished in their attention, continuing to speak about their relationship as though he cherished every mont of it, claiming that they fell in love despite the differences in their statuses, and how they wished to live a humble life free from the scrutiny of higher society.
So this was how Caleb wanted to play it? He wanted to play the sad lover, jilted because his wife divorced him to make a play for a richer man?
It was so false that Alia wanted to hurl.
She noted, with grim irony, that Kelsie was not in the picture Caleb painted. There was nothing about him leaving her for an heiress he claid to love all these years, and none of the reporters pointed out their relationship either.
Then again, why would they? She’d bet her ager life savings they had been invited by his family to show up, and hence would not question the story Caleb had put out.
Alia tucked her phone into her pocket, intending to storm off. She couldn’t stay still any longer and badly needed a cold drink to quell her flas. Perhaps she should also call Matteo, provided he hadn’t heard the news already.
Just the thought of Matteo seeing the headlines had Alia in shivers.
She didn’t particularly care for the marriage, but the new job that Matteo had given her, as well as the financial assistance to help cover her father’s dical fees, weren’t things she could easily find a replacent for. If Matteo had believed Caleb’s statent and their arrangent fell through, Alia would find herself waist-deep in debt, even more than before.
Quickly, Alia sped her way to the hospital cafeteria. A few eyes stared her way from nurses, doctors, patients, and visitors alike, but Alia did her best to ignore them as best as she could. After all, she was the star of two high-profile videos just today alone. She couldn’t be sure which video these people had already viewed, but she wasn’t about to take her chances and find out.
However, as Alia journeyed through the hospital corridors, she realized that she was still hearing Caleb’s voice. She looked up, and her face paled.
Caleb’s press conference was airing on the television in the main resting area for all to hear. Worst of all, these people were strangely enraptured by his speech, half of them nodding in sympathy.
She had to get away.
But just as she was about to turn and leave, an arm blocked her way. She looked up and didn’t recognize the person. Yet, the stranger recognized her.
"Hey, I knew you looked familiar! It’s you! The woman that dumped Caleb Walton!"
"You got the wrong person. Let go," Alia said quickly, ducking her head down as she tried to get away.
Unfortunately, the man’s voice echoed loudly through the area, drawing more eyes in her direction. Whispers grew thicker as more people realized who she was.
"No, I didn’t! You are Alia Kentwood, the gold-digging bitch!" His eyes glinted victoriously as he smirked at her, his fingers clamped around her arm painfully tight. "What wrong did your husband do for you to betray him like this?"
"You know nothing!" Alia cried out, upset, "Now, let go of !"
She wrenched her arm away, and broke into a run, rapidly blinking away the tears that were threatening to form. Her feet carried her in a random direction, through multiple corridors. All she cared about was finding a secluded corner to gather her emotions.
Finally, she found an empty chair in a deserted area, and she sunk herself into it, covering her face with her hands.
"Miss? Is it you?"
"What?" Alia nearly shrieked, ready to tear off the head of the next person who dared to approach her. However, she paused when she realized it was the old man who had mistaken her for Elaine.
"It is you, Elaine!" he said joyously, and Alia didn’t have the heart to correct him otherwise. Besides, it was nice to be Elaine for a mont. ’Elaine’ wasn’t being hounded by everyone in the hospital, accused of being a gold-digging bitch.
"Hi..." Alia said weakly, rubbing her eyes clean of tears. She wondered how to address him. Who was he anyway?
"Why the sad face, dear one?" the old man asked, reaching out a gentle hand to pat her cheek. "Tell Daddy everything, Daddy will solve it for you."
"It’s okay, I can handle it," Alia lied. The last thing she needed was to pull this sweet old man into the fight between her and Caleb, especially when she was currently operating on a stolen identity.
"Let’s go out to eat french fries," the man suggested. "That always cheered you up. And I have sothing mightily important to tell you too."
Alia gave him a watery grin. She had no appetite. But she did want to get out of the hospital. Was it a good idea to follow a strange old man so easily? Alia examined the man― he seed harmless enough, and the kindness in his eyes reminded Alia greatly of her own father.
Soon, she found herself replying, "Where do you have in mind?"
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