Chapter 148: Stayed a Man for Less Than Two Minutes

Simon's eyes lit up. "You've been separated for over a year," he said quickly. "There's no moral issue with Ruth and me being together. Some formalities haven't been completed, that's all."

Gordon was stunned, as if struck by lightning. He stood rigidly, staring at Ruth in disbelief, his body swaying slightly. Ruth's cold reaction had a profound impact.

A gasp rippled through the crowd. "Oh my, Mrs. Gonzales has chosen Simon over Gordon!"

The Quirk family was shocked. Ruth's previous behavior had led them to believe she was hopelessly romantic. The paparazzi immediately bombarded Gordon with questions about his divorce. Dazed, he finally grasped his predicament. After a few changes in complexion, he surprisingly regained his usual composure, though stiffly. Swallowing his pride, he said, "My dear, this talk of divorce is rash. Do you truly wish to end things over this… insignificant creature? I can forgive you; we've been married for many years."

Gordon knew how to handle Ruth. His words seemed to startle her, prompting a recollection. Deep down, letting go of their years of shared history—and his sacrifices for her—was difficult. It's almost over… How dull.

Alexander whispered to Isabella, "His words seem to hold a hidden message. What does he mean by 'endure more for her sake'?"

Isabella was intrigued, sparking her investigative instincts. The Quirk family, having overheard Alexander, were equally curious.

Damn it! At that moment, I felt a twinge of sympathy for Ruth. Even the most detestable person has a pitiable side. Unforgivable as her actions were, Gordon, you truly deserved to die!

The Quirk family's eyes widened. What was going on? Isabella's reaction indicated something significant.

[The following section appears to be a continuation of the same chapter, but was incorrectly separated. It has been reintegrated.]

Gordon's nephew, Simon, stepped forward. His demeanor was sharp as he said, "Uncle Gordon, it's not right to be so shameless. Are you still trying to manipulate Ruth's emotions?" Gordon stared at Simon in disbelief.

Before he could stop her, thunder rumbled. The shocked paparazzi checked their recording devices, fearing they'd missed this pivotal moment. The onlookers were equally intrigued.

The man who had starred in numerous leading roles had… only lasted a minute or two! How had Ruth endured these years? Had she even doubted herself?

"How… can this be?" Ruth stared blankly at Simon, her voice trembling.

Simon leaned in, whispering something in Ruth's ear. Her face flushed red, then paled. Her eyes, finally a deep crimson, fixed unwaveringly on Gordon. Everyone was curious about what had been said, but only the Quirk family knew.

Simon let Ruth compare him to his uncle. It became clear she'd never truly been happy in her marriage. But having been with Gordon since her first love, and manipulated by him for years, she held him in high regard. Unable to confide in others, she'd never realized other people's experiences differed.

The couple had been unable to conceive. Infertility ran in Ruth's family, so she'd always blamed herself. Whenever they discussed seeking treatment, Gordon feigned indifference, then coaxed her with sweet words until she was too old to conceive. She carried the guilt of not bearing him a child.

Gordon was savvy. He'd boldly pursued Rebecca and instigated a divorce because he knew Ruth would remain emotionally attached. He was cunning and sly!

The Quirk family looked at Gordon with contempt. He was despicable. Ah, no wonder you recovered so quickly from being drugged—you simply had to.

The Quirk family had regained their senses.

At this point, Gordon had turned pale. "Y-You can't possibly believe him!" he stammered, refusing to admit fault.

Ruth's face was fierce. "Eine," she declared, "we'll go to the hospital for a check-up. If you've deceived me, Gordon, you will pay the price!"

"H-Have you lost your mind? How could you not trust me? This is an insult! If you're going to act this way, let's get a divorce. Even if I prove my innocence, I'll never forgive you!"

Gordon tried to intimidate her, putting on a defiant show. "You're the one stepping out on our relationship, not me. I've never been unfaithful physically."

Before he could claim the moral high ground, a voice from the crowd cut through. "He didn't cheat physically… could it be because he knew he wasn't up to par, afraid other women would find out?" No one turned to see who spoke, but the comment resonated.

Alexander looked at Isabella, who hadn't been afraid of being seen by the paparazzi. Isabella blinked innocently back.

In a moment of weakness, I inadvertently voiced my thoughts. I only recently understood why a shameless man like Gordon hadn't behaved indecently toward Rebecca. Rebecca had mistakenly believed him honorable.

The Quirk family understood. It made perfect sense.

Ruth retorted, "Investigate! We must investigate!"

"C-Crazy woman, I don't have the patience to deal with you!" Gordon said, turning to leave. But he glared at a paparazzo. "He's slandering me! I'll sue him for defamation!"

Oh. He's exposing himself instead of covering up. Even the paparazzi felt sympathy for this stubborn man.

In a moment of rashness, he'd been caught, resulting in a lifetime of shame. Oh, Gordon, how I mourn for you.

Gordon passed the Quirk family. They fought back laughter.

The hotel staff finally arrived to disperse the crowd. Isabella suspected they'd been watching the surveillance footage.

The spectators, having witnessed the scandalous twists and turns, returned to their rooms with satisfied smiles.

After Isabella and the Quirk family left, waiting until the paparazzi were gone, they departed. Descending the stairs, they noticed hushed conversations in the lobby. Everyone was on their phones. Another wave of gossip was hitting social media. They checked their phones.

Their names were trending.

Gordon never lasted more than two minutes. Gordon manipulated his wife. An uncle and nephew sharing a wife? Is it moral degradation, or… The facade of the loving husband and ideal couple crumbled. They decided to investigate the truth behind their infertility. Stubborn man. Nephew strives to replace his uncle. No one is as unfortunate as Rebecca.

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This cleaned-up version removes the unnecessary hashtags, date/time stamps, and percentage completion notes. It corrects grammatical errors, improves sentence structure, and removes inconsistencies. The narrative flow is also improved by reintegrating the mistakenly separated sections. Finally, the italicized sections, which seemed to be the narrator's internal thoughts, are preserved and appropriately formatted.