Bullied and Dumped, But She Won in the End (Adriana) novel Chapter 46

**TITLE: When Time Tried to Heal Me But I Refused to Listen by Kael Niro Senn 46**
**CONTENT: Chapter 46 I’m Your Husband**

Curtis was inevitably going to be pulled into this mess.

Adriana’s heart raced, each beat echoing the chaos that had just erupted in her life. With trembling hands, she inhaled deeply, attempting to gather her scattered thoughts as she unlocked her phone. The bright glow of the screen illuminated her anxious face, revealing the turmoil brewing within. She quickly navigated to the trending news feed, her stomach twisting into knots as she braced herself for the worst.

Matthew had gone public, laying their history bare for the world to see, shamelessly declaring that he had kept her for four agonizing years.

“Yes, it was a transactional relationship.”

His words dripped with venom, poisoning the very air around her. Adriana felt as though the ground beneath her was crumbling away, leaving her teetering on the edge of despair. A transactional relationship… the phrase echoed in her mind like a haunting refrain.

Her knees buckled, and she slid down the cold wall, desperately trying to maintain her balance against the onslaught of emotions threatening to engulf her. A tempest raged inside her, and all she could think about was confronting him—demanding answers, demanding to know why he would stoop to such depths.

Just then, Curtis appeared from upstairs, draped in a black robe, a towel casually slung around his neck. The moment he spotted Belinda in the apartment, his demeanor shifted, a dark cloud settling over his expression. “I told you,” he said, his voice icy and resolute, “this apartment belongs to Adriana now. You can’t just waltz back in here without her permission.”

He had already secured a new place for Belinda near campus, making his loyalties unmistakably clear.

“Curtis, you should really check your phone,” Belinda chimed in, a smug smirk dancing on her lips as she cast a sideways glance at Adriana. “Mr. Harold has been calling you non-stop. When you didn’t pick up, he decided to call me instead.” Her delight in the situation was palpable, each word laced with malice as she taunted Adriana, relishing the chaos unfolding around them.

Adriana’s hands trembled more violently now, the panic rising like a tide within her.

Of course, Harold had seen the headlines. That was the reason for the relentless calls.

A tight knot of anxiety clenched at her heart. Curtis had only married her out of obligation, the pressure from his grandfather weighing heavily on him, and now, the weight of Matthew’s words threatened to crush her completely.

Curtis shot her a concerned glance before picking up his phone. The screen lit up with a barrage of missed calls, a stark reminder of the chaos that had just erupted.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice low and filled with concern, but his gaze remained fixed on her, searching for answers in her eyes.

She could feel the color draining from her face, her composure teetering on the edge of collapse.

“Matthew…,” Adriana’s voice trembled, cracking under the strain of her emotions. “Matthew went public with our past. He told reporters that I was… kept.” The realization of his betrayal hit her hard; she had never imagined he would sink this low.

He was intent on ruining her completely.

In their social circle, scandal was a lethal poison, especially since the Langfords and Lincolns still had business ties that could be severed by mere whispers of shame.

“He never kept me! He told me it was love. That’s what he said from the very beginning…” she stammered, panic rising in her chest. Her voice quivered as she struggled to articulate her truth, her body tense and her fingers frozen in place. She had so much to express, yet the words eluded her.

Would Curtis even believe her?

“I never used his money,” she insisted, desperation creeping into her tone.

Adriana had rarely touched Matthew’s card; he had only gifted her small things here and there, never once keeping her.

With shaking hands, she fumbled for her phone, her fingers too stiff to unlock the screen.

Curtis could sense the gravity of the situation.

He recognized this as the physical manifestation of her struggle with depression—a darkness that had taken root after the assault on campus.

“I believe you,” Curtis said firmly, stepping closer and wrapping her in his arms. His voice softened, yet there was an unmistakable strength beneath it. “Adriana, don’t waste a single moment worrying about slander. Those who seek to destroy others publicly are nothing but filth.”

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