I Took My Husband’s Mistress To Her Appointment. Then Sent Them Both To Prison Chapter 10
Rhys stared at the summons, fingers tightening until deep creases scarred the pages.
The process server remained calm. “Mr. Sterling, you have been formally served.”
Rhys lifted his eyes, his expression frighteningly cold. “Who sent you?”
The man didn’t react. He simply asked his colleague to record the time of delivery.
“The documents have been placed in your possession. Service is complete.”
Rhys glared at them, shoved the papers back toward the server, and refused to sign anything. The server didn’t argue.
He calmly placed the documents within Rhys’s reach, explained what they were, and recorded the time, location, and Rhys’s refusal. After leaving, he would sign the proof of service himself. The moment the door closed, Rhys hurled the summons onto the coffee table.
Livia heard the noise and ran downstairs.
She was still in her nightgown, her face pale. “Rhys, what happened?”
He said nothing.
She approached, saw the papers on the table, and stopped.
“A court summons?”
She picked them up. Her hands began to shake after the first two lines.
“Marital fraud… forged court documents… orchestrated hit-and-run… restraining order…”
Her head snapped up.
“Genevieve isn’t just divorcing you. She gave evidence to the police and the district attorney?”
Rhys’s expression darkened. He took out his phone and called me.
No answer.
He called again.
Still nothing.
A third time. A fourth.
A fifth. Only the cold automated message answered him.
Livia grabbed his arm, her voice rising. “Has she lost her mind? Is she trying to extort money from you?”
Rhys shook her off and called again.
Tears spilled from Livia’s eyes.
“Rhys, she knows I’m pregnant. That’s why she’s making this public, isn’t it?”
“She’s jealous of me!”
“You can’t give in. Women like her never stop once they smell money. She’ll bleed you dry for the rest of your life.”
Rhys paused with the phone still pressed to his ear.
No one answered.
His expression hardened further.
At last, he ended the call, held down the voice-message button, and spoke through clenched teeth.
“Genevieve, I received the papers.”
“You have thirty minutes to withdraw the divorce petition and the civil complaint, then go to the police and correct your statement.”
“Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
He sent the message.
The chat remained silent.
Livia watched him, her sobs fading. “She wouldn’t actually try to destroy you, would she?”
Rhys sneered. “She doesn’t have the nerve.”
His phone vibrated the moment the words left his mouth.
I had replied.
Just one sentence.
“See you in court. As for the criminal case, you’ll need to speak to the prosecutor.”
Rhys stared at the message. His pupils contracted.
Livia saw it too. Her tears hadn’t dried, but panic sharpened her voice. “What does that mean?”
Rhys didn’t answer.
He stared at the chat and began scrolling upward. Over the years, I had sent him countless messages.
“It’s getting colder. Wear a jacket.”
“I made dinner. Heat it up when you get home.”
“Your stomach can’t handle coffee on an empty stomach.”
“Good night.”
“I missed you today too.”
One after another.
An endless wall of devotion he had barely acknowledged.
Some he had ignored.
Some received nothing but a “K” hours later.
He had never thought they mattered.
Most of the time, he had found them irritating.
Now the last message in the conversation was “See you in court.”
Clean.
Cold.
Like a door shutting in his face.
Rhys’s fingertip rested against the screen.
A dull pressure built in his chest.
Livia watched him remain silent until she could no longer contain herself.
“Rhys!”
“You’re thinking about her now, aren’t you?”
“She dragged you into court, and you’re still reading all the old messages she sent?”
His head came up sharply.
“Shut up.”
Livia froze. “You’re yelling at me?”
Impatience flashed across his face. “I said shut up.”
Her face whitened. She covered her abdomen.
“My stomach hurts…”
Rhys frowned and instinctively steadied her.
But his gaze remained on the phone.
Livia saw it clearly.
Hatred slowly flooded her eyes.
“She only saved your life once.”
“I ended thirty-three pregnancies for you, and now I’m carrying your child!”
“Rhys, why does she matter more than I do?”
His patience finally snapped.
“You need to shut your mouth.”
“If this grows any bigger, it won’t end well for you either.”
Livia stared at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Rhys stopped looking at her and called his attorney. The moment the call connected, he got straight to the point.
“Handle Genevieve’s divorce, civil suit, and criminal complaint. Now.”
The attorney said something on the other end. Rhys’s expression grew darker.
“Make her withdraw the civil suit and change her statement to the police.”
“Use whatever means necessary. Make her stop.”
The attorney hesitated before lowering his voice.
“Mr. Sterling, I’m afraid it’s already too late.”
Rhys’s eyes sharpened. “What do you mean, too late?”
“Ms. Rowland has had the original video professionally preserved and has requested a court order protecting the evidence.”
“More importantly, the criminal materials have already entered the LAPD and district attorney review process. That isn’t something she can cancel simply by ‘dropping the charges.'”
Rhys’s grip tightened around the phone.
“What video?”
The attorney lowered his voice further.
“The complete recording from the Bel Air estate.”
“And the forged judgment and certified marriage record in Ms. Kessler’s possession, along with recordings in which you personally acknowledged the relationship.”
Blood roared in Rhys’s ears.
He spun toward Livia.
Her face went white.
“She recorded us?”
Rhys said nothing.
At that moment, he finally understood.
I wasn’t throwing a tantrum.
I truly intended to make him pay.