I Took My Husband’s Mistress To Her Appointment. Then Sent Them Both To Prison Chapter 11
By the next morning, the video was everywhere.
It showed Livia and me sitting together on a couch at the Sterling family’s Bel Air estate. Laughing, she told me, “Actually, he has a wife.”
“There’s no love between them. That woman saved him once and forced him to marry her.”
Then Rhys walked through the door.
I asked, “Rhys, which woman were you calling ‘Honey’?”
The clip ended there.
It was enough.
It hit X’s trending list and TikTok’s For You page at the same time.
“Sterling Heir’s Secret Marriage and Affair”
“Woman Behind Million-Follower Couple Account Knew He Was Married”
“Forged Divorce Judgment and Certified Marriage Record”
“Legal Wife Confronts Couple at Bel Air Estate”
“The Rhys & Livia Timeline”
Each headline tore another piece from the spotless image Rhys valued above everything else. People began digging through the Rhys & Livia account.
They hadn’t deleted the evidence fast enough.
Some users had screen recordings. Others had screenshots: the hand-holding photo from four years ago, the Maldives trip from three years ago, the wedding portraits from two years ago, and the video of Rhys making ginger hot chocolate and cinnamon cookies for Livia himself.
Every date overlapped with our marriage.
The comments turned vicious.
“So the cute couples account was documenting an affair?”
“Rhys had a wife and still played the devoted-boyfriend role online?”
“Didn’t Livia know he was married? She says it herself in the video.”
“Forging court papers and a certified marriage record is completely insane.”
“The legal wife was so calm. I would’ve torn both of them apart on the spot.”
The phones at Sterling Holdings rang nonstop. The PR team worked through the night.
The board called an emergency meeting.
Rhys sat in the conference room, stone-faced, while the hashtags kept climbing on the wall display. At the head of the table, Harlan Sterling slammed his cane against the floor.
“I put you in charge of Sterling Holdings. I did not put you there so you could make the entire family the number-one trending topic on X.”
Rhys pressed his lips together. “I’ll handle it.”
Harlan gave a cold laugh and threw a tablet in front of him.
My attorney’s statement filled the screen.
“Ms. Rowland will not privately withdraw her civil claims or ask law enforcement to discontinue its investigation.”
“Ms. Rowland will accept only a lawful resolution.”
“Relevant evidence has been submitted to the LAPD, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and the Los Angeles Superior Court. Further comment will follow the results of the investigation and any judicial proceedings.”
Harlan stared at him.
“I never cared how many women you slept with.”
“But you were stupid enough to let your mistress flaunt forged court judgments and certified public records online.”
“Rhys, do you understand what you’ve done?”
Rhys’s voice went cold. “I said I’ll handle it.”
“How?”
Harlan’s gaze sharpened.
“She saved your life?”
The room fell silent.
Rhys’s face stiffened for an instant.
Harlan continued.
“She carries those scars on her back because of you.”
“You owe her your life.”
“And now you owe her a child.”
Rhys’s head snapped up. “That was an accident.”
Harlan looked at him without a trace of affection.
“You know whether it was an accident.”
Rhys clenched his fists.
“She’s angry. That’s all.”
“She’ll stop.”
“She doesn’t truly want to destroy me.”
Harlan laughed.
“You still believe she loves you?”
The question struck like a slap.
Rhys’s expression twisted.
No one in the conference room dared speak.
Harlan slowly rose.
“A woman who wants money can be bought.”
“A woman who wants nothing is far more dangerous.”
“She doesn’t want your money.”
“She wants your life.”
Rhys shot to his feet.
“She won’t do it.”
“She can’t live without me.”
Harlan’s voice turned glacial.
“Then you’d better pray you’re right.”
“Because the Sterling family will not die for a useless man.”
A crack appeared in Rhys’s composure.
After the meeting, he returned to his office. His assistant approached cautiously with another document.
“Mr. Sterling, Ms. Rowland’s legal team has taken another step.”
Rhys accepted it.
It was a cease-and-desist letter demanding that he stop all private harassment. It demanded that he stop contacting me, threatening me, pressuring me to withdraw the lawsuit, or attempting to make me change my statement to police. The letter also demanded that Sterling Holdings publicly correct any false impression created by using Rhys’s marital status in commercial promotions.
Rhys let out a furious laugh. “She thought of everything.”
His assistant said nothing.
Then his phone vibrated.
An unknown number had sent him a screenshot. He looked at it, and his face changed. At the same time, I received a message.
“Ms. Rowland, do you want to know who really arranged for the driver to hit you six months ago?”
I stared at the message as dread settled beneath my ribs.
Several seconds later, I replied.
“Where?”