I Chose Me Over My Marriage novel Chapter 10

Their wildly open secret wouldn't have required a fake marriage to cover it up.

Ring!

His phone suddenly blared, instantly shattering the heavy romantic tension.

Seeing Leo Thorne's name on the screen, he glanced at Aria. "It's work. I need to take this."

Aria offered an aggressively sweet, obedient nod.

Pleased by her submission, he ruffled her hair affectionately before stepping away toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Standing tall by the glass, his tailored suit flawlessly outlined his dominant frame, commanding absolute power.

Aria's eyes tracked his every movement, burning with an unshakeable sense of ownership.

Completely unaware of her predatory gaze, he answered the call. Leo's grim voice immediately filled his ear. "Boss, we've uncovered something regarding the ballroom fire."

Maxwell's sharp brows immediately drew together.

"Was it Lyra?"

The entire disaster had screamed of foul play. High-end hotels underwent rigorous electrical maintenance; a random lightning strike causing an explosion and complete blackout was nearly impossible unless someone had meticulously planned it.

Having dominated the ruthless corporate world for years, he wasn't blind to such obvious sabotage.

He had deployed his top security team to investigate before the ashes had even cooled.

Naturally, he also wanted absolute proof to validate his wildest theory.

That Lyra had staged the entire inferno herself.

But the prolonged silence on the other end made his stomach drop.

"Well? Was it her?"

It had to be.

Was it seriously just a freak accident?

"The evidence isn't fully conclusive yet, but as of right now... Mrs. Sterling is completely cleared of any involvement."

Leo wanted to sigh in heavy exhaustion as he delivered the report.

Aside from Lyra, no one had spent more time at Maxwell's side than him.

He had witnessed firsthand the agonizing depths of her love, and the horrific abuse she endured in return.

Every man had his breaking point.

Hearing the shocking reality, Maxwell's grip on his phone turned white-knuckled.

"I'm taking you to the hospital."

In the very next second, he scooped her securely into his arms. She immediately locked her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest.

Brazenly ignoring the massive crowds and staring paparazzi, he carried her out of the luxury mall.

For the next forty-eight hours, Lyra didn't hear a single word from Maxwell.

When she finally caught wind of him, it was straight from the internet.

Maxwell spotted waiting at the hospital with Aria Moon.

Aria Moon secretly hospitalized.

Is Aria Moon pregnant?

...

An endless tsunami of scandalous headlines dominated the trending charts.

The Sterling Group offered zero response and issued no PR corrections.

The public frenzy multiplied by the hour.

And the funniest part of all was that the entire world had once again turned their vicious, mocking gaze toward Lyra Lennox.