Chapter 429
Chapter 429:
Gabriela started to speak again, but Tessa lifted a hand to stop her. “Gabriela. Let me handle this p>
She faced her father. “Dad,” Tessa said, voice shaking but firm, “I never once looked down on him because of his leg. I want a divorce because he beats me. He hit me. He burned me with cigarettes. He dumped food on me if dinner wasn’t perfect p>
Tears streamed down her face as she rolled up her sleeve and showed him the scars. Her voice broke. “There isn’t an inch of me he hasn’t marked. Dad, this is too much p>
Gabriela’s eyes filled. Tessa’s pain echoed the pain she had lived through as a child. In that moment, she made herself a promise: she would get Tessa out.
R𝗲а𝗱 𝗳𝘳om 𝘺о𝘂𝗿 рhо𝗇𝖾 о𝗇 ѕ.𝗰𝗼𝗆
Coleman hesitated for a moment, moved in spite of himself, but the fear of judgment hardened his voice. “That’s not a reason to get divorced. You should forgive him p>
Tessa’s heart ached, but her resolve didn’t bend. “Dad, even if you cut me off, I’m still getting this divorce p>
With that, she turned and ran back into Gabriela’s villa.
Fulton cried after her, “Tessa, I was wrong, please, just give me one more chance p>
Gabriela caught up to Tessa and quietly took her hand.
Tessa broke down in Gabriela’s arms, sobbing. “Gabriela, I don’t have a home p>
In that moment, she looked like a lost child.
Gabriela held her and said softly, “It’s alright. Mrs. Larson and I are here. You still have us p>
That night, a video appeared online and spread fast.
In the rain, Fulton was kneeling, slapping himself and crying, “Honey, I don’t want a divorce. Please don’t leave me. I can’t lose you p>
The fifteen-second clip, stripped of all context, immediately captured attention.
“Who is this guy? Is he an actor? He’s not bad-looking. Is this from some drama p>
“That crying looks real. I kind of feel sorry for him p>
“This doesn’t feel scripted. If it’s real, why is his wife trying to leave him p>
With paid boosts behind it, the video didn’t just spread on one platform — it flooded several. By the next afternoon, it had already climbed into the top three trending topics.
As people speculated about the identity of Fulton’s wife, another video surfaced. It showed Fulton at the hospital, begging Tessa to come home. The footage clearly showed Tessa’s face, Fulton’s limp, and even Gabriela in the background.
Not long after, someone posted a full thread. “Here’s the situation — his name is Fulton Ortiz, and his wife is Tessa Ortiz p>
The post laid out their history in detail. It said Fulton had injured his leg protecting Tessa from an assault back in college.
It included photos of Tessa at work, looking polished and composed in a fitted suit, designer bag in hand.
The post quickly ignited outrage online, pushed even harder by paid accounts.
“So he saved her life, and now she’s dumping him just because he’s disabled p>
“Reality is cruel. He saved her life and now she’s throwing him away p>
“She’s gorgeous but completely cold p>
“Maybe she wants a divorce because her husband can’t satisfy her in bed p>
The comments got uglier from there. The video filled with insults and hate. Soon, Tessa became the villain of the story.
Aubrey, who was always online and quick to catch trends, recognized Fulton in the clip and rushed straight to the villa to warn Gabriela and Tessa.
At first, everyone assumed Fulton was just trying to pressure Tessa — using public sympathy and outrage to force her back under his control.
Gabriela never imagined that Fulton’s real target wasn’t Tessa at all.
It was her.