Married to my Novel 79

Posted by adminh, ? Views, Released on February 18, 2025

ter 79

Chapter 79

DAMIEN

23

I drove to my family’s house alone, gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary. The evening air was crisp, the road nearly empty, yet my mind was anything but calm.

Rosalie wasn’t with me.

I hadn’t even told her about this gathering.

It was better that way.

I knew exactly how this night would go–thinly veiled insults, judgmental stares, passive–aggressive remarks that would ch away at her, word by word. Bringing her here would be like leading a lamb to slaughter. And the worst part? I wouldn’t always be able to stop it. No matter how much I wanted to.

So, keeping her in the dark was the only way to protect her.

Maybe she’d be upset when she found out, maybe she’d feel excluded, but that was better than watching her sit through another round of humiliation. I could handle my family alone. I’d done it for years.

As I pulled into the long driveway, the grand Hale estate loomed ahead, its towering structure as imposing as the people inside it. A place of wealth, legacy, and suffocating expectations.

I exhaled sharply and stepped out of the car, bracing myself for what was coming.

The moment I entered the dining room, I felt the weight of their stares.

My uncles–Jacob, Daniel, Timothy–sat together, glasses in hand, already deep in conversation. Aunt Suzan, elegant as ever in a designer dress, sat beside my sisters, Vivienne and Elise, both of whom barely spared me a glance.

Liam was here, too, leaning back in his chair, swirling his drink lazily. His expression was unreadable, but I could sense the same tension lingering in his posture.

And then there were my 1

my parents.

My father, Richard Hale, sat at the head of the table, stiff and unreadable, his hands folded together as if he was waiting for something–waiting for me.

My mother, Eleanor, sat beside him, her sharp gaze scanning me the moment I stepped inside.

I barely had time to open my mouth before my aunt’s voice cut through the air.

“You came alone?” Suzan’s manicured fingers tapped against the table. “That’s… surprising.”

I knew where this was going.

Before I could answer, my mother let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. “Oh, don’t be surprised, Suzan. That’s just the

way she is,”

A tight smile stretched across her lips, but the malice behind it was unmistakable.

“She?” Aunt Suzan frowned.

“Rosalie,” my mother said simply. “She probably convinced him not to bring her along. You know how she is–so disrespectful, so ungrateful” She let out a dramatic sigh. “I suppose we shouldn’t be shocked.”

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Chapter 79

I clenched my jaw, forcing my hands to remain at my sides.

Richard cleared his throat, subtly trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. “Dinner is ready. Let’s eat first

But the damage had already been done

Over dinner, the conversation drifted between business, family matters, and casual pleasantries. But I could hear it–the thinly veiled tension laced in their words. The pointed way they spoke about my work, the slight hesitations before compliments, the way my mother’s eyes flickered toward me whenever Rosalie’s name was indirectly mentioned

And then, finally, someone said it out loud.

“I don’t understand why you didn’t bring your wife,” Uncle Jacob spoke up, setting his fork down. “It’s a family gathering She’s part of the family, isn’t she?”

My grip on my glass tightened. “I didn’t think it was necessary.

Aunt Suzan scoffed lightly. “Not necessary? Damien, you’re a married man. Your wife’s absence is an insult.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but my mother beat me to it.

“Oh, don’t put this on Damien,” she said smoothly, dabbing at her lips with a napkin. “I’m sure she was the one who refused

to come.”

“She didn’t refuse”

“She must have, she insisted, her gaze narrowing slightly. “That’s the kind of woman she is”

The tension in the room thickened.

My father shifted slightly, as if debating whether to intervene. My uncle Daniel sipped his drink in silence, while Liam merely watched the exchange with mild interest.

“She has no manners,” my mother continued, her voice light but cutting. “No respect. No sense of what it means to be part of this family. It’s no surprise she attacked me the last time I came over to her home to pay her a visit. Very rude and-

“That’s enough”

The room fell silent.

I placed my glass down carefully, my gaze locking onto hers. “I didn’t bring Rosalie because I didn’t want to. She didn’t even know about this gathering. I didn’t tell her”

Surprise flickered across my aunt’s face. My uncle raised an eyebrow

“She didn’t refuse to come,” I continued, my voice firm. “She wasn’t given the choice.”

A slow smirk curled at the comer of Elise’s lips. “So, what?” she mused. “You thought hiding her would protect her? Shield her from the inevitabler

I turned to her sharply, my patience wearing thin.

“No one would have humiliated her,” Vivienne added, her tone deceptively soft. “She does that all on her own.”

Something inside me snapped.

I met Vivienne’s gaze, my voice cold. “You should watch your mouth”

She scoffed “what”

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Chapter 79

“Or I’ll shut it for you.”

A beat of silence.

Her smirk faltered, just slightly.

My mother’s lips pressed together in disapproval. “That is no way to speak to your sister, Damien.”

“And that is no way for my sister to speak about my wife.”

e room tensed once more.

The

My father sighed, rubbing his temple. “Enough of this. There’s no point in arguing”

I ignored him, turning back to my mother. “And while we’re on the topic of twisting narratives,” I said, my tone sharper now, “let’s clear something up.”

Her expression darkened.

“You claim Rosalie attacked you?” I tilted my head. “That’s interesting. Because I remember it differently.”

She scoffed. “Oh? And how do you remember it?”

“I remember you walking into my home, insulting my wife to her face, belittling her, humiliating her. I remember you provoking her, pushing her. I leaned forward slightly. “But I don’t remember her attacking you.”

Gasps echoed around the table.

Aunt Suzan’s eyes widened slightly. My uncles exchanged glances.

My mother stiffened, but her expression quickly smoothed over, her voice turning icy. “Are you calling me a liar?”

I didn’t flinch.

“I’m calling you exactly what you are.”

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Aunt Suzan sighed, placing her hand flat on the table. “Alright, enough,” she said, her tone firm but calm. This was supposed to be a family dinner, not a battlefield. Everyone, take a breath.”

I exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of the table to steady myself. My patience was wearing thin, my fists tightening under the table. I had expected this–expected the judgment, the snide remarks, the blame. But hearing them tear into Rosalie, twisting the truth to fit their version of events, made my blood boil.

“She’s right,” Uncle Daniel finally spoke, his voice measured but heavy. “We didn’t come here to argue about Rosalie. We came here to fix the mess this whole situation has made of our family’s reputation.”

I scoffed under my breath, lifting my gaze. “What mess?”

Uncle Timothy let out a sharp laugh, shaking his head. “Oh, don’t act clueless, Damien. You know exactly what mess we’re talking about His tone was clipped, full of irritation. “Ever since that drunken fiasco with Rosalie’s photos spread online, and then your own humiliating video followed right after-“He cut himself off, looking at me like I was a disappointment. “Do you even understand how much damage that caused?

I clenched my jaw, staying silent.

“The almighty Hale family,” he continued bitterly. “A family of power, respect, prestige–reduced to nothing but a joke. People laugh at us now, Damien. They mock us.”

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Chapter 79

My fingers twitched against the table. I had seen the comments. Heard the whispers. But none of these people cared about how Rosalie had felt, how I had felt. They didn’t care about the truth–only their pristine family name.

Uncle Jacob, who had been quiet until now, finally leaned forward, his voice cold and sharp. “An investor I was negotiating with backed out of a deal because of those videos.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “A deal worth millions, Damien. He didn’t want to associate himself with a family that can’t even control their own household.”

I inhaled slowly, dragging a hand down my face. “I understand the situation,” I said, voice low. “And I’m sorry for the disgrace this has brought to the family. I really am. But I’m already working on taking the videos down.”

Uncle Daniel gave a slow nod. “That’s a good start. But it’s not enough.”

I lifted my gaze, irritation creeping into my voice. “What do you mean?”

A heavy silence fell over the table.

Then, my mother placed her fork down carefully. The soft clink of silver against porcelain felt deafening in the stillness.

She smoothed out the napkin on her lap before speaking, her voice sickeningly light but full of finality.

“After much discussion,” she said, “we’ve come to terms with the fact that Rosalie is simply not fit to be our daughter–in–law I stiffened. My pulse hammered in my ears.

“She has done nothing but bring scandal to this family. And apart from those disgraceful photos, she has nothing to offer. No respectable career, no degree, no status.” My mother’s cold eyes met mine, and she tilted her chin up, as if daring me to argue. “So, we’ve decided.”