Only then did she realize that she hadn’t married a “rising star”. She’d just jumped into a huge mess.
The glamorous life of an officer’s wife she’d dreamed of fell apart into chaos before it even began.
Worse still, she now faced the unthinkable; being stuck with Emilie, a paralyzed mother-in-law.
Megan’s shouting gave Tristian a splitting headache. He tried to soothe her, reaching out to hug her.
“Meg, listen to me. This isn’t what it looks like! Christina’s just a country bumpkin. She couldn’t stand seeing me happy, so she came here to stir up trouble on purpose!”
“Don’t touch me!” Megan shoved him away in disgust. “I don’t care who she is! The problem’s your mom! What are you gonna do? Keep her in the military infirmary forever? When are you gonna take care of this mess?”
“I…” Tristian was left tongue-tied.
He had no idea what to do at all.
He even had the absurd thought of asking me to take his mother back.
But as soon as he said it, Megan shot it down, kicking off an even more furious argument.
Their wedding night was spent in endless bickering and mutual blame.
As for me, the military arranged for me to stay temporarily in the Army Lodging.
The room there was clean and neat, with hot water and a private bathroom.
It was far better than my run-down village home.
Every day, a designated officer would come to update me on the investigation progress and Emilie’s health.
I kept a low profile and cooperated fully, never asking extra questions or causing trouble.
I just needed to wait quietly for the investigation results.
I knew the army would definitely look into Tristian’s finances.
Sure enough, within two days, Rodolfo came to see me in person, asking for details about our family’s income and expenses during my marriage to Tristian.
I pulled out a small notebook. Every account was written down in dense, neat handwriting.
I told him how, over the years, I’d stretched his meager salary and my allowance to support the family, pay Emilie’s medical bills, and even save up to send money back to his hometown.
I also mentioned that, in recent years, Tristian had “borrowed” thousands of dollars from me, using excuses like “military gatherings,” “training investments,” and “networking costs.”
That money was scraped together from my own tight budget. And some of it was even borrowed from my maiden family.
I believed him back then, thinking he was fighting for our future.
Now I realized all that money probably went to Megan.
Meanwhile, after her big fight with Tristian, Megan actually came to the Army Lodging privately.
She dropped her earlier arrogance, but still tried to negotiate with me in a condescending tone.
“Christina, name your price. How much do you want to drop the complaint and take your aged, sick mother back to the countryside?”
She probably thought a rural woman like me could be bought off with money.
I looked at her face, which was so full of petty superiority, and found it ridiculous.
I met her gaze coldly. “Megan, do you really think everything can be measured by money? How much is my dignity worth? How much are the seven years of my youth that were wasted on lies worth? You can do the math for Tristian.”
Her words caught in her throat, and she snapped instantly.
“Don’t push your luck! Do you know what I can do? I can ruin your reputation in your village. You’ll never be able to live peacefully again!”
I laughed, unmoved at all.
“Go ahead and try. I’ve got nothing left to lose, so I don’t care. But you, Ms. Owen, think. What good does it do you to be married to a liar?”
My words turned Megan’s face pale with rage. She stamped her foot and stormed off, seething.
Through some fellow villagers and military dependents I’d known before, I heard Tristian and Megan’s mess had spread all over the camp.
The newlyweds had become everyone’s secret joke.
The “upstanding youth” image that Tristian had spent years building collapsed overnight.
Their marriage, too, was split wide open, tested by money and responsibility.
All of this was exactly what I’d expected.
Now, I just needed to add one more spark.
The army’s investigation team worked with impressive efficiency.
Within days, they sent personnel to our rural hometown.
This news was like a stone tossed into a quiet lake, sending huge ripples through the small village.
Once, Tristian had been the pride of the entire village.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.