5
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
The photo on the wall seemed to glare back at me.
It wasn’t a wedding picture hanging in our bedroom but an image from a media interview.
I was beaming, while Dominic gazed down at me with what seemed to be love in his eyes.
The press called Dominic a “wife–worshiper,” someone who wouldn’t let anyone so much as look at me the wrong way.
That interview happened right after I became Mrs Blackwell
2:34 PM
That interview happened right after I became Mrs. Blackwell.
The media’s questions were sharp, zeroing in on my past.
A reporter shoved a microphone in my face: “Is it true that Mrs. Blackwell was abandoned in the Appalachian Highlands by her parents?”
It wasn’t the first time I’d been asked this.
Though I was labeled a “latchkey child,” the truth was my parents never came back for me.
The villagers whispered behind my back, saying my family didn’t want me.
But hearing it in public, framed as entertainment, still left me tongue–tied.
As I stammered, Dominic stepped in, wrapping his arm around me protectively.
“My wife is and always has been a treasure in my eyes. There’s no such thing as abandonment,” he said firmly. “And I’m doing everything I can to find her parents.”
He looked at me with so much warmth before turning to the reporter, his expression steely.
“I’ll be having a conversation with your company about professional boundaries.”
After the interview, I tearfully thanked him for saving me.
Awkwardly patting my back, he said, “That wasn’t just for show–I meant every word.”
Looking into my eyes, he added, “How could anyone ever abandon someone as beautiful and capable as you? You’re the best thing in my life.”
At that moment, my tears wouldn’t stop.
Deep down, we both knew the truth.
I was abandoned.
My parents had left because I was born a girl.
When news of my engagement to Dominic spread, they’d come looking for me.
But Mr. Blackwell quietly handled it, ensuring it never reached the public.
The media was flooded with stories about our “perfect love.”
Dominic’s devotion fooled everyone.
Even me.
