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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Married to His Couch, Not Me: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

My answer didn't waver, and that was enough to drain the color from Adam Hargrove's face.Our son, Lucas Hargrove, burst into terrified wails. Adam's parents rushed to scoop him up and calm him down.Adam's assistant, Claire Whitfield, stepped forward and practically screamed at me. "Lena! Do you even have a heart? Do you have any idea how much Adam has sacrificed for you and this family? Are you blind?"What, just because he bought a couch and slept in the living room instead of sharing your bed, you're going to throw a tantrum over nothing?"Adam's father, Gerald Hargrove, had been listening to all of this, and his face was getting redder by the second."So that's what this is about?" he said. "Even if Adam sleeps separately, he's doing it because your body hasn't recovered from childbirth. He's being considerate, and you can't even see that?"Every pair of eyes in the room was locked on me, burning with the same fury, like they wanted to set me on fire. Dad stepped in quickly,

Chapter 2

Gerald watched me hit Claire, and whatever restraint he had left snapped completely. "I must have been out of my mind to let Adam marry you!" he shouted.Adam's mother, Matilda Bennett, helped Claire to her feet. Claire's eyes were bloodshot and brimming with tears, but she shook her head and put on a brave face."Please, don't blame Lena," she said. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have opened my mouth and made things worse. She's hurting, and I pushed her when I shouldn't have. The baby's right here. Let's not keep fighting because of me."Watching Claire like that only made Adam feel worse. He turned to her gently. "Claire, this isn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."Then he turned toward me. "Lena, this is our son's one-month celebration, and you pick today to bring up divorce. What, you think because I love you, you can pull whatever you want and I'll just put up with it?"Gerald stepped forward, glaring at me. "Are you really set on this? I bet there's someone else.

Chapter 3

I didn't want to impose on Derek any more than I already had, so I asked him to drop me off at a hotel.I couldn't tell what time I finally fell asleep. Sometime well past midnight, I drifted off without realizing it.The next afternoon, a frantic knocking on the door jolted me awake. The second I opened it, a crowd of people pushed their way inside."Ms. Reeves, can you tell us why you asked for a divorce at your son's one-month celebration?""There are rumors that you were unfaithful during the marriage. Is that true?""You've been with Mr. Hargrove since before he made it big, and now you're walking away. Do you feel any guilt at all?"Camera flashes exploded in my face one after another. Recorders and microphones were shoved so close I could feel them against my skin. Half of them had their phones out, livestreaming, recording video, every single one of them desperate to squeeze some scandal out of me.The commotion drew more onlookers within minutes, and once they heard wha

Chapter 4

Dad was shaking with rage. He raised his hand and slapped me across the face with everything he had."Lena! How long are you going to keep this up? Adam has given everything for this family, and you still can't see that? The paternity test is right in front of you, and you're still trying to tear this family apart?"The slap rang out sharp and loud. He hadn't held back at all, and within seconds the side of my face was swollen and red.The crowd around us erupted.Some of them pointed at me and called me heartless. Others shook their heads into their phone cameras, muttering about what kind of person would do something like this.The tenderness that had been in Adam's eyes when he arrived was gone now, completely replaced by anger. I watched as the last trace of hope faded from his expression."Adam, I'll see you in court." I pressed my hand against my burning cheek. My voice was quiet, but he could hear every word.Adam finally snapped. "Fine. You got it, Lena. I'll see you in

Chapter 5

The moment Derek spoke, the entire courtroom went quiet.He walked to the front and plugged a flash drive into the court's display system. Inside a folder labeled "Evidence" were several video files. He clicked on the first one, and the living room of my house filled the screen.Adam was lying face-down on the couch in loose loungewear, his body rising and falling gently with each breath. The camera angle caught the slight movements clearly enough.At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But after a few minutes, his movements started to change. They grew faster, more rhythmic, and then he reached for a tissue.The courtroom was dead silent. People exchanged glances, unsure what they were looking at."Is that…"The judge frowned. Whispers rippled through the gallery.On screen, Adam's face was flushed and beaded with sweat. It was obvious he was in the middle of something he wouldn't want anyone to see.Gerald and Matilda, sitting near the plaintiff's table, turned bright

Chapter 6

None of the accusations fazed me. I'd spent the last five days waiting for this exact moment.My voice was calm as my eyes swept over Adam and Claire, both of them still looking so sure of themselves."Your Honor, I'd like to play the next video."The judge nodded, and Derek switched to the next file. The screen cut to the living room at night. Moonlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, just enough to make out the shape of the couch.Then the back of the couch slowly lifted open.Everyone in the courtroom stared, confused."What the hell? Are we watching a furniture demo now?""That couch has a storage compartment? Handy for blankets, I guess, but what does this have to do with anything?""Hold on, that's opening way too wide. That doesn't look like normal storage."Claire's composure cracked for the first time. A flicker of panic crossed her face.Adam went white.I didn't give either of them time to breathe. The video kept playing.On screen, a dark figure climbe

Chapter 7

I looked at the two of them scrambling up there and let my voice carry across the room."If they hadn't been brazen enough to do it in broad daylight, I wouldn't have evidence this clear to show you."The gallery erupted so loudly I thought the ceiling might come off."You really never know what people are like behind closed doors. Those two are absolutely shameless!""Poor Lena, being played like that by the people closest to her.""No wonder she wanted a divorce. Nobody in the world would put up with that."I raised my hand for silence and turned my gaze to Adam, who looked like he might be sick. I pointed to a structural diagram of the couch on the screen."The base of this couch was hollowed out. A hidden compartment was built into it, just large enough to fit an adult woman."Derek initiated a video call, and the feed switched to a live shot of my living room. On screen, a workman demonstrated the mechanism. One press of a concealed button on the armrest and the base of th

Chapter 8

I looked down at him, pulled the voice recorder I'd been carrying out of my pocket, and pressed play.After a burst of static, Claire's voice came through, light and careless."Adam, we should make the switch after the welcome party. I've already taken care of the nurse. They're both newborns, still wrapped in blankets. You can't tell them apart. All we have to do is swap them while Lena's asleep, and she'll never know the difference."Adam's voice followed, low and deliberate. "You're sure this will work? Can we trust the nurse?""Her son is drowning in gambling debt," Claire replied. "I gave her 300,000 dollars. That's more than enough to keep her mouth shut."She laughed softly. "Once my baby grows up as the Hargrove heir, we can dump Lena's kid with some family out in the middle of nowhere. Then you divorce her, and the three of us can finally be a real family.""You think of everything." Adam sounded pleased. "Once the switch is done, I'll transfer part of my company shares

Chapter 9

The court's ruling came quickly.Adam was found guilty of conspiracy to harm a minor and fraud. He was stripped of all marital assets and sentenced to 18 months in prison.Although the baby swap had never been carried out, the court ruled that the severity of the plot warranted criminal charges.Claire was convicted as an accomplice. She received a sentence of 12 months.Gerald and Matilda cut ties with Adam the moment the verdict was read. The two of them seemed to have aged a decade overnight.They could barely stand straight as they walked out of the courthouse. They didn't look at Adam even once. They stopped in front of me, and with tears in their eyes, they said, "We're sorry. We failed as parents, and you paid the price for it."Claire's downfall didn't stop at prison. She lost her job, and the company went after her for leaking trade secrets.It turned out she'd been using her position to sell client information to competitors for some time. With everything stacked aga

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