Exposed

I copied every chat log and video from Noah's old phone.

By the time Noah rushed home, I was already sitting in the living room. His usual warm smile froze for a split second at the sight before him, but he still walked over like always, reaching out to hold me. "Mila, what's wrong?"

I shifted out of his reach and tossed the printed prenatal report onto the coffee table in front of him. A flicker of panic flashed through his eyes, but he forced himself to play innocent. "Mila, you actually went to the hospital for a checkup?!"

I had reached my breaking point. "Look at the name on that report. It says Mia Lane, not Mila Justice! What else do you have to say for yourself?"

He still tried to keep up the act. "Mia? Mia's pregnant? How would I know… These college girls these days, getting knocked up so young. But honey, what does that have to do with me? You're not seriously accusing me, are you? I swear I'm innocent…"

I stared at this pathetic excuse for a man and couldn't understand how I had loved him for so many years.

"Honey, I'll go find Mia now and have her come over to explain." Without batting an eye, Noah pulled out his phone and dialed her number.

It wasn't long before the doorbell rang. Noah pulled in a fragile-looking figure from the doorway—it was Mia.

She shrank back, eyes darting nervously toward me. With no makeup, she looked plain and innocent. "Noah… am I intruding? Mila, please don't misunderstand him. It's all my fault…"

"Who said you could speak here?" I snapped.

Mia flinched, her body trembling before she collapsed straight to the floor.

I didn't move an inch, watching coldly. Noah, however, rushed forward in a heartbeat, catching her and shielding her in his arms. Then he turned on me, roaring, "Mila Justice! How can you push her?! She's carrying a child!"

Before I could reply, a commotion came from outside the door.

"What child? Who's having a Carter baby?"

Two plainly dressed but sharp-eyed middle-aged figures pushed their way in—Noah's parents, who had come to deliver local specialties.

The moment they entered, they saw Noah holding Mia. His mother's eyes flashed with fury, and she stormed forward to strike Mia. "You shameless tramp! How dare you seduce my son!"

Noah hurriedly shielded her. "Mom, what are you doing?! Mia is Mrs. Lane's daughter—the one running the little shop at the village entrance."

At those words, his parents' attitude did a one-eighty. His mother stopped her tirade, her face breaking into a wide smile. "Mrs. Lane's girl? Well, look at you, all grown up now."

She glanced at Mia's stomach and lit up. "Pregnant, are you? That's wonderful. Where are you living now? Forget about anywhere else—you should stay here at the Justice Residence. This big villa has maids to take care of you; you'll be comfortable here."

Noah adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, nodded along with his mother, and turned to me. "From today on, Mia will stay here to rest during her pregnancy. She'll take the master bedroom. You can move into the guest room."

His tone wasn't a suggestion. It was an order.

Before I could even protest, he was already guiding Mia away, leaving me standing alone in the living room.

The Truth Laid Bare

The next morning, Mia came downstairs draped in my favorite silk robe. She carried herself with deliberate grace, a smug little sway in her steps. The faint fragrance that trailed after her made my chest tighten—it was the perfume Noah and I had blended together in Gallia during the height of our romance. It was the only bottle of its kind in the world, and it was supposed to be mine.

I sat at the dining table, watching her coldly as she slid into the chair across from me.

"Mila, did you sleep well last night?" Mia smiled with feigned innocence as she rested her wrist on the table, making sure the watch on her arm caught the light.

She was just a poor student—there was no way she could afford something like that. There was no doubt in my mind that Noah had given it to her. And now, she was flaunting it right in my face.

I ignored her, lowering my gaze to eat my bowl of oatmeal. She seemed unfazed, picking up a bowl of bone broth and swirling it slowly with her spoon.

"Noah treats me so well," she said lightly. "He knows I've been struggling with morning sickness, so he got up in the middle of the night to make this for me. He said it's good for the baby. Mila, would you like to try some too?"

The sharp crack of porcelain echoed through the room as I slammed the bowl out of her hands and shattered it against the floor.

"Ahhh!" Mia shrieked, darting straight into Noah's arms the moment he stepped inside. She buried her face against his chest, sobbing pitifully. "Noah, I'm so scared. Is Mila losing her mind?"

Noah immediately shielded the "terrified" Mia behind him. When his gaze found me, there was nothing but anger in his eyes. "Mila, look at yourself. What are you doing? Mia is pregnant, she's from my hometown, and she's the very girl we sponsored through school as a couple. What reason do you have to treat her this way?"

I refused to play along with their act any longer. "I know the child Mia is carrying is yours."

Noah froze for a split second before breaking into a smile. "Mila, haven't you always wanted a baby?"

That smile twisted cruelly as he went on. "Mia is carrying one for you. Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

"Thank you?" My hands trembled with rage. "You want me to thank you for knocking up your mistress so she can give me a child?"

Just then, Noah's mother walked in, carrying chicken soup she had made since bright and early. "Noah, did you just say Mia's baby is yours?"

Noah nodded. At once, his mother's eyes lit up, and she burst into laughter. "Heavens above, finally! Our family is going to have an heir!"

She stormed up to me, jabbing a finger in my face as her voice rose in fury. "You barren woman! Our family has hung by a single son for three generations, and we've given you three years with not so much as a stir in your belly. And now you dare try to harm my precious grandson? What wickedness are you plotting?!"

Noah's father chimed in, his tone no less harsh. "Mila, marrying into this family was the best thing that ever happened to you. You can't give him children yourself, yet you begrudge him for finding someone who can? Don't be so unreasonable!"

Shameless didn't even begin to cover this family.

"Mila, please don't be upset." Mia peeked out from behind Noah, one hand protectively stroking her belly. "Didn't the doctor say it would be difficult for you to conceive? Noah only did this for your own good."

The world spun around me. My body shook so violently I could barely breathe. I tried to speak, to point at them and shout the truth, but before I could form the words, everything went dark. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the floor.

Framed

When I woke up, I saw dozens upon dozens of missed calls from my assistant. While I had been unconscious, Noah had rushed to convene an emergency board meeting at Justice Corp., pushing for my removal as chairwoman.

Fury drove me; I slammed my foot on the gas, and ten minutes later I was shoving open the doors to the conference room.

Noah faltered at the sight of me, though he quickly masked his surprise with a look of concern. "Mila, the weather's cold. Don't catch a chill."

I ignored him and addressed the room. "Whoever is trying to remove me, I don't agree!"

A low, mocking laugh came from my stepmother, Cynthia Kingstone. "Mila, your temper has been worsening. You throw tantrums, smash things—you're clearly unfit to remain in your position."

Her words dredged up a memory I had nearly forgotten.

Months ago, I had stumbled upon Cynthia and Noah speaking secretly in the garden. I remembered seeing her slip him a card while the two of them whispered like conspirators. At the time, he had brushed it off, claiming it was nothing more than "pocket money" from an elder. Now I understood—they had been working together all along.

Suddenly, Noah's voice boomed from the microphone. "Everyone, please, quiet down. I have a video I'd like you all to see—my wife Mila's true state these past days."

The screen behind him lit up. There I was, screaming in the living room, face twisted with hysteria as I hurled a bowl of bone broth to the floor. Every frame had been carefully edited, leaving only the worst moments, painting me as nothing but a deranged lunatic.

Gasps rippled across the room. Cynthia dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, weeping softly at just the right moment.

I locked my gaze on Noah, my heart like ice. He met my eyes with a look of feigned anguish. What a brilliant actor he was.

As soon as the video ended, a man in a white coat entered the room. "I'm Dr. Leeds from the state psychiatric hospital. Based on my evaluation, Ms. Justice is experiencing an acute episode of bipolar disorder with violent tendencies. She must be placed under immediate isolation and treatment."

Noah's eyes brimmed with tears. "My wife's mental state has been unstable due to personal family reasons, and it's begun to affect company operations severely. For the sake of protecting what we've all built together, I propose suspending Mila's position as chairwoman and allowing me to act in her stead until this crisis is resolved. Gentlemen—for Mila's sake, and for everyone's safety, this is the only choice."

His loyal allies on the board chimed in at once.

"Mr. Carter is right. Stabilizing the situation comes first!"

"You should focus on your health, Ms. Justice. That matters most."

Before I could speak, the doors burst open again. A storm of flashing lights engulfed the room as a flood of reporters swarmed inside.

Noah put on an expression of grief so convincing it nearly made me laugh. "Fellow reporters, this pains me deeply."

He brushed past me and led them forward, playing his role to perfection. "My wife… She hasn't been able to conceive, and it has taken a toll on her mind."

Several microphones and recorders shot up in my face.

"Ms. Justice, is it true you've developed a mental illness because of infertility?"

"Mr. Carter claims you've been violent at home—breaking things, even attacking him. Is that true?"

"How can shareholders trust Justice Corp. in the hands of someone unstable?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but Noah seized my wrist before I could utter a word. Turning toward the cameras, his voice cracked as his eyes reddened. "Don't be afraid, Mila. I'll take you to the best hospital right away."

The performance was flawless. To the world, he was a devoted husband bearing unbearable pain for his fragile wife. And me? I stood there in nothing but thin pajamas, hair in disarray, my face ghostly pale.

Before I knew it, he had dragged me out, shoving me into a van bound for the psychiatric hospital.