Trash Husband, I'm the Top novel Chapter 55

Even though Daniel acted quickly to handle the fallout as soon as he woke, it was already too late—photos of Aurora on her knees had somehow made their way online.

The images spread like wildfire, passed from friend to friend, group to group.

Before long, practically everyone in their social circle had heard about it.

Aurora’s phone buzzed nonstop with messages. Most were thinly veiled attempts to probe for gossip, with a hint of schadenfreude lurking beneath the surface.

Only a handful actually showed real concern.

Aurora didn’t reply to any of them.

But she did make a point to call Jordan, instructing him to keep the whole ordeal a secret from Grandma Grace. If he didn’t, she warned, she’d tell Mrs. Chambers the real story behind how Daniel got injured.

Jordan was furious at her threat, but also wary. He’d thought he could manipulate Aurora by using Grandma Grace as leverage, only to realize she held cards of her own.

Aurora didn’t bother listening to his tirade—she just hung up.

She turned to gaze out the window.

Outside, the sun blazed in a cloudless sky, but inside her room, not a trace of warmth remained.

Later, Una stopped by.

She tried to comfort Aurora, urging her to ignore the judgment of others.

Besides, things were beginning to shift.

Now that Aurora’s photograph had gone public, the old scandal between Daniel and Eleanor was dredged up again. Their affair had already caused an uproar, followed by Samuel’s violent outburst. Now, with Aurora’s humiliation, the outrage was back—louder than ever.

People online unleashed a tidal wave of condemnation against Daniel and Eleanor.

But Aurora no longer felt the desperate need to stand up for herself. She simply pressed her lips together and assured Una there was no need to worry.

She even asked Una to bring her something to read, just to help pass the time.

Una watched her friend’s calm, quiet demeanor and felt a deep ache—Aurora seemed even sadder now than before.

She went out of her way to collect a stack of books on perfumery and left them all at the hospital.

When Daniel arrived, Aurora was reading.

She was propped against the headboard, her hair loose around her shoulders, making her delicate, pale face look even thinner.

She hadn’t spoken all day, except for that one time in the morning when she’d pleaded with those people.

Aurora met his eyes, her expression unreadable.

Daniel felt a surge of frustration. He would have preferred her to scream and shout, anything but this silent, distant gaze.

“You’re not blameless in this either,” he said.

Aurora’s fingers tightened on the edge of her book, the paper making a soft, crinkling sound.

“You overreacted about Eleanor,” Daniel continued, as if stating simple facts. “If you’d just listened to me and agreed to stop seeing Warner, I wouldn’t have gotten so upset, and my mother never would have taken it out on you.”

Aurora lowered her gaze, blinking back tears.

“Understood,” she murmured.

She remembered clearly how, that morning, he’d defended her—firing the doctor and the nurses who’d taken those photos, standing up for her in front of everyone.

But now, just hours later, he was shifting the blame back onto her.

It was always her fault.

Daniel had meant to tell her about the studio, if only she would admit she’d been wrong.