My Husband Put His Ex in My Bed on Our Wedding Night, but the Smart Home Logs Proved He Planned My Humiliation

CHAPTER 4 — The Annulment

The morning sun broke through the windows of Cloudcrest Estate, casting long, golden shadows across the hardwood floors.

I hadn't slept.

I had spent the entire night in my study, compiling every single access log, camera recording, and text message into a secure digital dossier.

By 7:00 AM, my phone had sixty-four missed calls from Carter.

By 8:00 AM, there were twelve desperate, pleading text messages.

“Serena, please. Let me explain.” “I made a massive mistake. I was just trying to help her.” “You’re my wife. I love you. Please open the gates.”

I ignored all of them.

At 9:00 AM sharp, a black SUV pulled up to the front gates.

My security team cleared it, and it drove up the long winding driveway.

My father, Arthur Vance, stepped out of the vehicle, flanked by three men in sharp, tailored suits.

My legal team.

I opened the front door to greet them.

I was no longer wearing the ruby reception gown. I was dressed in a sharp, slate-grey power suit, my hair pulled back into a severe bun.

My father looked at me.

He didn't offer a sympathetic hug. He didn't ask if I was crying.

He just looked at my posture, saw the steel in my spine, and gave a sharp, approving nod.

“I brought the wolves, Serena,” my father said, gesturing to the lawyers.

“Let’s get to work,” I replied, stepping aside to let them in.

We gathered around the massive marble dining table.

I connected my iPad to the television monitor on the wall and hit play.

I watched my father's face turn to stone as he listened to the audio of Carter and Lily mocking me.

I watched the lead attorney, a ruthless man named David Sterling, take meticulous notes.

“This is beautiful,” Sterling said, a predatory smile crossing his face.

“Beautiful?” my father growled. “This rat brought a whore into my daughter's bed on her wedding night.”

“I meant from a legal standpoint, Arthur,” Sterling corrected smoothly.

“Serena, did you consummate the marriage last night?”

“No,” I replied flatly.

“Excellent. And this footage proves premeditated intent to defraud. He didn't marry you in good faith.”

Sterling tapped his pen against the table.

“He married you to secure access to your assets, intending to maintain a parallel relationship with a third party on your property.”

“It’s not just grounds for divorce,” Sterling concluded. “It’s grounds for an immediate annulment based on fraud.”

“Do it,” I said.

“I want him erased from my legal history as if this wedding never occurred.”

“He will fight it,” Sterling warned. “He’s going to realize he signed a prenup that leaves him with nothing in the event of a divorce, but he might try to extort you for public silence.”

“He won't,” I said quietly.

My father raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

“Because I’m not going to give him a chance to control the narrative.”

My phone buzzed on the table.

It was a text from Carter’s mother, Eleanor Hayes.

“Serena darling, Carter just told me you had a terrible fight last night. He is heartbroken. Please, let's meet for lunch and sort this out privately. Marriage takes compromise.”

Compromise.

She wanted me to quietly accept my husband's mistress to avoid a scandal for the Hayes family.

Carter had clearly spun a lie, claiming it was just a misunderstanding, painting me as a hysterical, jealous bride.

“Sterling,” I said, not looking up from the phone.

“Yes, Serena?”

“Draft the annulment papers. Have them ready by tomorrow afternoon.”

“I can have them served to him wherever he’s staying,” Sterling offered.

“No,” I replied, a slow, dangerous smile forming on my lips.

“I don't want them served privately. I want to deliver them myself.”

My father leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

“What exactly are you planning, Serena?”

“Tomorrow is the post-wedding family brunch at the Hayes Country Club,” I reminded him.