I Funded My Own Husbands Betrayal

I gave my husband fifteen thousand dollars a month so he could stay home and focus entirely on raising our daughter.

Until the preschool teacher sent me a video.

In the grainy footage, my daughter, Lucy, looking heartbreakingly thin, was crouched in a dusty corner of the playground. She was picking up a piece of discarded chewing gum from the gravel and popping it into her mouth.

The teachers voice in the accompanying audio note was heavy with reluctant pity.

"Mrs. Colton, seeing this today just broke my heart. Last week, another teacher mentioned she caught Lucy licking the inside of a discarded potato chip bag because she was so hungry. The poor sweet girl is living in such neglect. If things are financially difficult at home, please let us know. The school has resources to help."

My eyes stung with sudden, hot tears.

Fifteen thousand dollars a month. That was more than enough to ensure Lucy wanted for nothing. How could she possibly be suffering like this?

With trembling fingers, I pulled up my banking app and verified every single transfer. Every month, on the exact same date, the fifteen thousand had been deposited into my husbands account. Not a penny was missing.

So where the hell was that money going?

Right then, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Garrett.

Just keeping my favorite girl updated! Taking Lucy to an art auction this afternoon.

I stared at the screen, a cold numbness spreading from my chest down to my fingertips. I didn't reply. Instead, I booked the earliest flight back home.

Once the booking was confirmed, I dialed a familiar number.

"David," I said, my voice eerily calm. "I need you to draft a divorce agreement. My husband is cheating."

By a stroke of irony, the private charity auction Garrett was attending happened to be organized by my closest friend, Beth.

But when Beth and I arrived at the grand entrance of the gallery, two beefy security guards barred our way.

"Private event, ladies. Invitation only," one of them said, his eyes scanning my casual travel clothes with blatant disdain.

"Today's showcase is hosted by Miss Sylvia. It's an exclusive crowd. We don't let just any random off the street wander in. Move along before you embarrass yourselves."

Hearing the name Sylvia made me freeze.

Wasn't that the "foster sister" Garrett was always talking about? The charity case his family had taken in years ago, whom he constantly insisted on supporting?

Peering past the guards into the glittering, high-ceilinged hall, I spotted Garrett immediately. He was standing right in the center of the room.

Sylvia was clinging to his arm, looking every bit the delicate, pampered debutante. She was wearing a flawless designer gown, her makeup immaculate, and hanging from her earlobes were a pair of striking pink diamond earrings.

The moment those diamonds caught the light, the blood rushed to my ears in a deafening roar.

I had bought those pink diamonds last year as a future heirloom for Lucy. I had specifically handed them to Garrett, telling him to keep them in the family safe until our daughter was old enough to have them set.

Now, those very diamondsmeant for my neglected daughterwere sparkling on his mistresss ears.

Around them, the wealthy patrons murmured in envy.

"Garrett is incredibly generous. Giving away a flawless pink diamond set like that..."

"Honestly, only someone with Sylvias elegance could truly carry off such rare gems."

"They look absolutely perfect together. A match made in heaven."

Garrett kept his hand casually rested on Sylvia's waist, basking in the compliments of the crowd. Sylvia leaned into him with a practiced, shy smile, tilting her head just enough to make the diamonds catch the gallerys spotlight.

The rage inside me snapped.

Before anyone could stop me, I lunged forward, grabbed Sylvia by her shoulder, and ripped the pink diamond earrings straight off her ears.

"Ah!"

Sylvia let out a sharp, piercing shriek, clutching her bleeding earlobes as her face turned pale.

Garretts face darkened instantly. "What is security doing? How did this psycho get in here?"

But when he turned and saw my face, his fury froze. A flicker of panic crossed his features, though he quickly masked it.

"Olivia? What are you doing here?"

I let out a harsh, humorless laugh. "You told me you were taking our daughter to an auction. Since when did our daughter turn into this cheap side-piece?"

The room fell into a dead, suffocating silence. Every eye in the gallery turned toward us, and a wave of whispers rippled through the crowd.

"Who is this woman?"

"Did she just call Miss Sylvia a side-piece?"

"Is this some old flame of Garrett's causing a scene?"

Garretts expression grew incredibly ugly. Sylvia whimpered, her eyes pooling with tears as she whimpered, "Garrett... it hurts so much..."

Garrett stared at me for a few agonizing seconds. Then, as if reaching some desperate decision, he raised his voice so the entire room could hear.

"Olivia, are you seriously doing this again? Have you no shame? Do you really have to stalk me like a lunatic?"

I stood there, my brow furrowing in sheer disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Garrett looked at me with a face full of manufactured heartbreak and disgust.

"Stop playing the victim! When we were dating, you cheated on me with a sugar daddy and threw me away. Now that Ive finally found true happiness, you come crawling back to harass us? You're pathetic!"

I was so utterly stunned by his sheer audacity that I actually laughed out loud.

"Garrett, youve really lost your mind now that you've got a taste of the high life, haven't you? You don't even recognize your own wife anymore? I give you fifteen thousand dollars a month, and youve been using my money to play prince charming for this fraud?"

"Enough! Shut your mouth!" Garretts eyes flashed with genuine panic, and he cut me off with a vicious bark. "Get out of here before I have you thrown out!"

Beth couldn't stay quiet any longer. She stepped up, pointing a finger directly at Garrett's face.

"Garrett, are you even a man? Youre nothing but a parasite living off Olivias family. How dare you stand there and lie like this? Have you no dignity?"

Garrett shoved Beth back with an irritated grunt. "Get lost! This is none of your business!"

Beth stumbled backward, nearly losing her footing on her high heels.

Seeing her stumble, I raised my hand to slap him, but Beth caught my wrist, shaking her head slightly, warning me not to escalate it further.

My restraint only made Garrett bolder.

"Im warning you for the last time, Olivia. Get the hell out of here!" he sneered. "Sylvia is the host of this entire auction. Her father is the CEO of Crestview Group. You cross her, and youll find yourself ruined. You cant afford the consequences."

Hearing this, Beth stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

Around us, the whispers grew louder and nastier.

"So the guy found someone better, and the ex is just a bitter stalker. How embarrassing."

"Miss Sylvia comes from such a prominent family. This crazy woman is way out of her league."

"Imagine being this desperate."

Seeing the crowd side with them, Sylvia put on her best saintly act, blinking back her tears. "Olivia, please stop doing this. We are happy now. Garrett has moved on, and I sincerely hope you find someone who actually wants you."

Her sickeningly sweet tone was the final straw. I swung my arm and delivered a resounding slap across her face.

The force of the blow left a bright red print on her cheek. She gasped, covering her face as she sobbed, "Garrett..."

Garrett looked as though his heart had been ripped out. His eyes turned wild with rage, locking onto mine.

"Fine. You wanted to play dirty? Lets play."

He turned and muttered something into the auctioneer's ear.

A moment later, the host stepped up to the podium, cleared his throat, and spoke into the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special, unscheduled addition to today's catalog. These are private, intimate photos and videos of Miss Olivia Colton. Opening bid: one dollar."

The massive digital screen behind the stage flared to life.

My heart stopped. The blood in my veins turned to ice.

Displayed on the screen were intimate, private photos and videos from years agothings Garrett had coaxed me into taking when we were deeply in love.

The gallery erupted into laughter and crude murmurs.

"Oh, wow. That's a show!"

"Garrett really knows how to put on a gallery. This is wild!"

"Ill bid ten bucks just to see the rest!"

I lost all control. I rushed forward and slammed my fist directly into Garrett's face. "You despicable pig!"

Garrett's head snapped back. When he looked back at me, his eyes were cold and murderous. He grabbed me by my shoulders and threw me hard onto the polished floor, screaming at the guards.

"What are you waiting for? Throw this crazy bitch out! She assaulted meteach her a lesson!"

Three guards immediately lunged at me, pinning my arms behind my back.

Beth threw herself in front of me. "Don't you dare touch her!"

Garrett shoved Beth out of the way, completely unhinged. "I don't care who she is! Today, Im going to make sure she learns what happens when she messes with me!"

A guard yanked my hair back, exposing my face, and delivered a brutal slap. My cheek burned, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.

Suddenly, a sharp, authoritative voice cut through the chaos.

"Stop this right now!"

I looked up through my blurred vision. It was my mother-in-law, Marina.

A wave of relief washed over me. Marina had always been kind to me. When the family was drowning in debt years ago, I was the one who paid it all off. When she was bedridden in the hospital for three months, I was the one who bathed her, changed her bedpans, and fed her spoonful by spoonful without a single complaint.

When she was discharged, she had held my hands, crying, and said, Olivia, having you as a daughter-in-law is the greatest blessing our family has ever received. If Garrett ever does you wrong, Ill be the first to handle him.

I was sure she would stand up for me.

My throat tightened, and I was about to call out to her when a heavy, agonizing blow landed squarely on my face.

"You worthless trash!" Marina spat, her face contorted in sheer malice. "How dare you harass my beautiful daughter-in-law! You must be tired of living!"

The slap left my ears ringing. I stared at her, completely paralyzed by the betrayal. I couldn't believe she was doing this to me, all to curry favor with a mistress she thought was rich.

Sylvia stepped forward, gently wrapping an arm around Marinas shoulders. "Mother, don't upset yourself over her. Olivia is just confused. I won't hold a grudge."

"Oh, Sylvia, you are always so sweet and sensible," Marina cooed.

The crowd joined in, their jeers raining down on me.

"Shes getting exactly what she deserves."

"Throw her out. She's ruining the atmosphere."

"Taking advantage of Miss Sylvias kindness... how utterly low."

I ground my teeth, reaching into my bag to pull out our marriage certificate to prove who I was.

But Garrett saw what I was doing. He grabbed a heavy antique ceramic vase from a nearby display pedestal and smashed it directly over my head.

A blinding pain exploded in the back of my skull. The world spun, and my legs gave out.

"Are you still trying to pull some cheap tricks?" he hissed.

"Olivia!" Beth screamed, trying to break free from the guards, but they held her fast.

Garrett wasn't done. He picked up a solid jade Buddha statue from another display and slammed it down onto my back.

The impact stole the breath from my lungs. I collapsed onto the floor, warm blood quickly soaking through my hair and clothes.

Beth let out a guttural scream, finally breaking away from the guards. She threw herself onto the floor beside me, cradling my head.

"Olivia! Oh my god, Olivia, stay with me!"

I weakly clutched at her sleeve, my vision fading.

Beth glared up at Garrett, her eyes wild with tears. "This is assault! She is your wife of six years! How can you do this to her?"

She pointed at the shattered jade statue. "And this piece is worth five million dollars! You are going to prison for this!"

Garrett laughed, completely unfazed. "Sylvia is the host of this auction. Her father has more money than God. We can break ten of these and it won't matter!"

He picked up another heavy glass vase, aiming it directly at Beth. "And youI think you need to learn to mind your own business!"

With the last ounce of my strength, I rolled over, shielding Beth with my own body.

A dull, heavy thud echoed through the room as the vase shattered against my shoulder. The pain was so intense that my entire body curled inward.

"Olivia!" Beth wept.

Garrett kicked Beth away. She flew backward, her head striking the sharp edge of the marble steps with a sickening crack. She let out a short scream and went limp, unconscious.

Garretts eyes were completely bloodshot now. He waved his hands at the security guards. "Keep going! Beat them both! I'll take full responsibility for whatever happens!"

The guards descended on us again. Punches and kicks rained down on my bruised body. Every blow to my shoulder felt like my bones were being ground into powder.

Beth lay beside me, a thin trickle of blood escaping the corner of her mouth.

Through the tears and blood obscuring my vision, I saw Beth stir slightly. She tried to raise her head, whispering hoarsely, "Sylvia... I am the actual host of this auction... and Olivia is the sole heir to Crestview Group..."

The crowd erupted into hysterical laughter.

Sylvia covered her mouth, mocking her. "You two really are a pair of delusional clowns. You expect anyone to believe that? Look at yourselves."

Beth didn't care about their laughter. She reached for her bag to pull out her ID and the venue lease. But before she could get her hand inside, a guard kicked her hard in the chest. She gasped, falling back onto the floor, completely unconscious this time.

"Beth!"

Summoning every remaining bit of life in my body, I reached into my jacket pocket, pulled out our red marriage certificate, and held it high above my head.

"I am Garrett's legal wife, Olivia Colton!" my voice was cracked and raw. "This is our marriage certificate!"

The laughter died down. A heavy silence settled over the room as people stared at the document in my hand.

I saw the color drain from Garretts face.

But before I could even take a breath, Sylvia reached into her own luxury clutch and pulled out a identical red booklet, waving it mockingly.

"Oh, you think you're the only one with a certificate? I have one too!" she sneered. "Garrett and I just registered our marriage this morning. I am his legal wife!"

A few nearby guests leaned in to inspect both documents.

"Wait a minute... the bruised woman's certificate looks highly authentic. Miss Sylvia's looks... off."

"Yeah, look at the seal. There's no embossed stamp, and the font is completely wrong. It looks like a cheap prop."

Murmurs of doubt began to rise, and Sylvias smug expression began to crack. She bit her lip, looking at Garrett with a mix of panic and desperation.

Garrett immediately pulled her into his arms, glaring at the crowd. "Oours is the real one! This crazy stalker obviously forged hers to ruin our day!"

He stepped closer, leaning down to whisper viciously in my ear.

"You are going to stand up right now and admit your certificate is a fake. If you don't, I will personally make sure your unconscious little friend is handed over to old man Gables tonight. You know what he does to helpless women."

Warren Gables was a notorious, sadistic predator in the citys high society. If Beth fell into his hands, she wouldn't survive the night.

I looked at Beths bloody, motionless form. My chest heaved. I clenched my fists so hard my nails cut into my palms.

Tears mixed with the blood on my face as I slowly nodded.

"My certificate..." I choked out, each word tearing at my throat. "...is a fake."

Those four words took everything I had left.

The crowd instantly erupted into jeering and insults.

"I knew it! She's a fraud!"

"Forging a marriage certificate? That is dangerously unhinged!"

"She deserves whatever she gets!"

The kicks started again. Sylvia walked over and dug her high heel into my ribs, her face twisted in pure malice.

I curled into a ball on the cold floor, bleeding and broken, as the darkness finally rushed in to swallow me.

Right before I lost consciousness, the gallerys main house lights flashed violently.