Sean felt like he was living in a narrow corridor that was getting narrower every day.
His reputation was destroyed not by one piece of news, but by a series of stories that kept popping up nonstop, like a wound that hadn't had time to heal but was being reopened again and again.
Photos of him entering Moana's apartment were widely circulated. Video clips of him at the Hawaiian airport appeared on various gossip accounts. Even old photos, which should have been buried in the past, were re-uploaded with new, more vicious narratives.
All sources were anonymous. Everything was neat. Too neat, even.
Sean did everything he could. The IT team worked day and night to track IP addresses. Lawyers combed through the possibility of internal leaks. Harrison contacted editorial office after editorial office, offering the right of reply, clarification, even hush money.
But everything was dead ends.
The source of the news was like a shadow, clearly visible but impossible to touch.
And what drove Sean mad was that... not a single piece of evidence pointed to Clara.
"There were no suspicious transactions in Mrs. Clara's name," Harrison reported wearily. "No direct contact with the media. No flow of funds to third parties. Everything is clean."
Sean roughly rubbed his face. "Impossible."
"But that's the fact, sir."
The fact didn't reassure him. It only made his head spin more. Because if it wasn't Clara… then who?
Other problems kept piling up. Moana called almost every hour.
"Sean, I'm scared," her voice trembled. "Someone called in the middle of the night. Sent threatening messages. They said I was a home wrecker. Someone threw a rock at my apartment window."
Sean closed his eyes. "I'll send a bodyguard."
"I don't need a bodyguard!" Moana cried. "I need you here!"
"Don't be silly! I'll have Harrison send someone to watch over you!" Sean snapped.
Hearing Moana's voice on the phone... now it just made his head throb. The pregnancy that once felt like a victory had now turned into a burden that weighed him down.
********
But the worst storm came from his own family. Mr. Smith and Mrs. Weasley called Sean home to the family mansion, not as an invitation, but as an order.
As soon as Sean stepped into the living room, a hard slap landed on his cheek.
SMACK!
His head jerked to the side.
"You insolent child!" yelled Mr. Smith.
"You're a disgrace!" screamed Mrs. Weasley, her face red with anger. "You've trampled on the family name for a mistress!"
Mrs. Weasley sat on the sofa, her eyes glaring. "You've destroyed everything we've built, Sean. Everything!"
Sean stood stiffly. His chest rose and fell.
"Dad, Mom, this is just a temporary storm—"
"SHUT UP!" Mr. Smith hit him again, harder. "The company's stock is down twelve percent in a week! Two major partners have pulled out! Do you know what that means?!"
Sean knew. And that was what made his chest feel like it was being squeezed.
"Dad, I'm sorry."
"No apologies! You've disgraced the family! You've caused the company huge losses!"
Mr. Smith put his hands on his hips. The man had been under enough pressure that his anger had reached its peak. He hit Sean because he couldn't control himself anymore.
At the office, meeting after meeting was unilaterally canceled. Long-time investors chose to withdraw, citing the need to protect their image. Sean's name was no longer spoken with respect, but with caution, even suspicion.
The world that had once bowed to him now turned against him. And in the midst of it all, one face kept appearing in Sean's mind.
Clara.
Clara remained calm. Her name was clean. It was as if she was untouched by the chaos. That drove Sean crazy.
********
That night, Sean returned home with uncontrollable anger. His body ached all over after being beaten by Mr. Smith. His body hurt, but his heart hurt even more.
When he arrived at his luxurious home, the living room lights were dim. The maids were already in their rooms. Clara was sitting on the sofa, reading documents while typing on her laptop keyboard.
"Claraaaa!"
Clara looked up when Sean entered.
"You're home late," she said flatly.
Those simple words were the spark.
"Are you satisfied now?" Sean approached with heavy steps. "You must be happy to see my life ruined?"
Clara slowly closed her laptop. "I don't know what you mean."
"DON'T LIE!" Sean shouted.
He grabbed Clara's arm and pulled her up. Clara was shocked, but she didn't scream.
"You think I'm stupid? You played fair because you're sneaky!"
Clara tried to pull her hand away. "Sean, let me go."
SMACK.
BUGH.
Sean hit Clara. On her face, on her head.
Clara fell to the floor. Her lip was split. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Her cheek was bruised and swollen.
"This is all your fault!" Sean yelled, his eyes red. "You want to destroy me, don't you?!"
Now, Sean was choking his wife. "I'm going to kill you!"
Clara tried to fight off her husband's attack. She kicked the small table with all her might. Things fell and scattered everywhere. The table collapsed and hit Sean's body.
Clara broke free. She tried to get up, but Sean pulled her hair hard. Clara grimaced. Tears finally fell, not just because of the physical pain, but because something inside her had completely broken.
"Sean... stop..." her voice was hoarse.
Sean didn't hear her.
"Sean, it hurts! Arrrgghhhhh!"
"Shut up! I'll kill you!" Sean shouted.
Behind the door, a trembling maid witnessed the scene. Her hands shook as she reached for her phone. She dialed Mrs. Weasley's number.
"Ma'am, Mr. Sean is beating Mrs. Clara. He's going to kill her."
"What...?! Sean has completely lost his mind! Please get help. Call security, the gardener, or anyone to protect Clara. I'll be right there."
Mrs. Weasley immediately hung up the phone call from Sean's housekeeper. She must be panicking.
The maids in the house were also very panicked. They called security to help Clara. But Sean was getting crazier.
Sean dragged his wife's body and locked the room.
BUGH.
BUGH.
The sound of blows landing on Clara's body could be heard.
"Die, you cheap woman!"