It was the media reporters. A flood of reporters pushed their way through the doorway, their cameras shing wildly the moment they stepped inside.


    "Get out! All of you, get out!" Elena shrieked in utter despair. "Who let you in? This is a vition of my rights! Get out!"


    But her desperate cries were drowned out by the relentless clicks of camera shutters. Compared to the overwhelming noise of the media frenzy, her voice was nothing more than a whisper-one that no one cared to hear.


    The next time I saw anything about Elena, it was all over the inte.


    The headlines painted her as a shameless homewrecker who was caught in the act and publicly humiliated by the rightful wife. Every sordid detail wasid bare_ her personal information, her past scandals, and a long list of other dirt that people eagerly dug up.


    Overnight, she became a public disgrace—a pariah that everyone despised.


    I had my grievances with Elena, but they were never deep enough to warrant hatred. My issues with Julian were always a result of his own cowardice and hypocrisy rather than anything she did.


    So, I didn''t feel the same resentment toward her that she had for me. I didn''t dwell on the matter.


    She had tried to sabotage me more than once, but in the end, she brought about her own downfall. This was nothing more than karma ying out. As I scrolled through the endless posts about her, I felt nothing.


    But then I noticed something strange. My name, along with Julian''s, kepting up in discussions about the scandal. For a moment, my stomach clenched.


    The inte had no mercy. I had just barely survived one storm of online scrutiny, and all I wanted now was peace.


    But as I kept reading, I saw that every post dragging me into the mess had a counterment debunking it. I checked the ounts that were posting these rebuttals out of curiosity. Most of them were brand-new, with no names or real identities attached.


    This had to be Alex''s doing. Even now, he was still looking out for me.


    I put my phone down, deciding not to pay any more attention to the situation.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Elena had be a


    ghost of her former self. She could


    feel the stares, the whispers, the mocking smirks of strangers


    wherever she went.


    She kept her head down, clutching the scarf wrapped tightly around her face as


    she hurried through the streets.


    Her destination was Julian''s home.


    The ke family had long since lost their


    reformer prestige after suffering


    repeated blows. The luxurious


    mansion was gone, reced by a much more modest residence.


    When the doorbell rang, Julian walked to the entrance, visibly irritated. His tone


    wasced with impatience. "Who is it?"


    The moment he opened the door, he was met with Elena''s pleading eyes.


    "Julian, please... save me," she begged.


    Julian had already seen the news. The instant heid eyes on her,.


    disgust shed across his face


    moved to m the door shut


    without hesitation.


    But Elena threw herself against it, refusing to let him shut her out.


    "You can''t do this to me!" she cried and said in a trembling voice, "I have nowhere else to go. Please, help me!"


    Julian let out a long, frustrated sigh. "And what exactly do you expect me to do?"


    "Get me out of the country using your connection," she pleaded. "I can''t survive in Grandview anymore. I need to leave. It''s my only chance."


    A sharpugh escaped Julian''s lips.


    "You''ve got some nerve, Elena." He scoffed. "You know damn well what state my family is in. How exactly do you expect me to help you?"