Then Vanessa’s voice.
“What if she finds out?”
Ethan laughed.
“She’s simple. She believes anything if you say it gently.”
No one moved.
Not even the lawyers.
Ethan looked at me like a trapped animal.
“That recording is illegal,” he whispered.
“My attorney will enjoy hearing your theory,” I said.
His face crumbled.
“Chloe—”
I stood.
“Your mistress left the motel this morning, by the way. Leo’s investigator saw her boarding a flight to Miami.”
He blinked.
“She wouldn’t.”
“She did. And she took the jewelry you bought her.”
His mouth opened, but there were no words.
That was the moment he finally understood.
He had not lost a wife.
He had lost his mark.
The divorce filing went out that afternoon.
So did the assault complaint.
So did the fraud referral.
Madeline called me thirty-two times that night. I did not answer. Then she sent a message.
You destroyed my family.
