He was the first one that achieved himself by joining the army, and many villagers praised him for it.
As his wife, I’d also basked in that glory.
But now, when the investigators interviewed neighbors to gather information, the villagers’ sympathies swung firmly to my side.
“Tina’s had such a hard life!”
“Absolutely! She’s never enjoyed much since marrying Tristian!”
“After his mom got paralyzed, Tina took care of everything, feeding her, bathing her, all of it. Not even a biological daughter would be that filial!”
“But Tristian? Never around! Every time he came home, he acted like a lord, making Christina wait on him hand and foot!”
The villagers chattered among themselves, voicing their pity for my hardships and anger at my wrongs over the years.
They told the investigators how I’d managed the household frugally, cared for Emilie, and raised the family alone.
These simple, honest words together formed the most powerful, truthful indictment of Tristian.
The investigators took careful notes.
They also uncovered that Tristian hadn’t just neglected his family. He’d repeatedly “borrowed” money from me, and even from some village relatives, using various excuses.
He said the money would help with his future.
Yet he never paid back.
When the investigators asked me to verify this, I provided another key clue.
I recalled that in the past year, Tristian had asked me to use my ID to open a new bank account.
He’d had me collect several remittances from unknown sources. And they were huge sums, ranging from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.
Every time the money arrived, he’d call me right away, telling me to transfer it to another account he specified.
I asked what the money was for, but he always brushed it off vaguely, only saying it was “project funds” from the army, and that he couldn’t use his own account for it.
I believed him then.
Now, looking back, I guessed something shady was going on.
After I reported this truthfully, the investigation team shifted their focus from Tristian’s personal ethics issues to his economic misconduct.
This time, the nature of the matter changed entirely.
Tristian was under unprecedented pressure in the military.
He grew frantic, scrambling to pull strings and beg for favors, hoping to hush the matter up.
But he’d underestimated the military’s resolve to enforce discipline.
Megan’s family supposedly had some connections in the city.
But those connections looked feeble and useless in the face of the military’s unyielding rules.
Megan’s frustration and resentment toward Tristian only grew.
She’d realized the man she married wasn’t just a cheating scumbag. He might also be involved in corruption and economic crimes.
Her dream of “being an officer’s wife” had turned into a full-blown nightmare,
The investigation team also spoke with Megan and her family.
Megan’s parents’ attitude changed drastically when they learned their beloved daughter had married someone with such appalling character, who could end up in prison at any moment.
They started pressuring Megan constantly, urging her to cut ties with Tristian as soon as possible.
I looked out the window of the Army Lodging, watching soldiers drill on the playground.
For the first time in years, I felt a sense of peace and freedom.
I began to think seriously about my future, about how I’d plan my life once this was all over.
I was no longer anyone’s accessory, no longer tied to that man’s fate.
Finally, my life would be mine to decide.
As the investigation deepened, Tristian’s hypocritical mask was gradually stripped away.
The bright, positive, hardworking persona he had carefully constructed for colleagues and superiors crumbled piece by piece. His true selfish, cowardly, and deceitful self was finally exposed.
I knew the day he’d face justice was drawing near.
The final judgment came faster and more thoroughly than I had expected.
After more than a week of in-depth investigation and verification of all circumstances, the investigation team decided to publicly deal with Tristian.
That day, the military held a general assembly for all soldiers.
I was not allowed to attend, but afterwards, Rodolfo personally came to the Army Lodging to inform me of the outcome.
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.