Chapter 5
Arthur woke before dawn.
He made me fresh coffee, kissed my cheek, and said, "I emailed the agency director."
"He is overnighting the tax documents to us."
I took a slow sip of my coffee, smiled at him, and said, "That is wonderful, Arthur."
The promise of two million dollars had blinded him completely. He did not realize he was digging his own grave.
After kissing Leo goodbye, I drove to my law firm and went straight to Vivian’s office.
A man in a sharp suit was sitting on her leather sofa.
Vivian said, "Nora, this is Cole."
"He is the best private investigator in the city."
I sat down across from him and handed him a folder with three names.
The names were Arthur, Mia, and Paul.
I said, "I need you to track their every move."
"I need bank records, phone logs, and photos."
Cole nodded and took the folder.
He said, "I will have a preliminary report in forty-eight hours."
After he left, Vivian locked her office door.
She said, "We need to protect your actual assets."
"Arthur thinks he is getting two million dollars."
"When he realizes it is a trap, he will try to drain your joint accounts."
With a nod, I spent the rest of the day moving my personal wealth. My wealth manager, David, froze our joint investment accounts at my instruction.
My savings went into an untouchable trust; I updated my direct deposits, secured my equity in the law firm, and made sure Arthur could not touch a single dime.
He had already used my money to buy his mistress a condo. He would not take another penny from me.
For years, I had considered our accounts proof that we were building one life together.
Now every statement looked like an inventory of theft.
The cruelest part was not the amount.
It was knowing I had worked late nights to finance the rooms where they planned my replacement.
When I drove home, the sun was setting.
I walked through my front door.
Leo ran to me and hugged my legs.
He yelled, "Mommy!"
I picked him up and buried my face in his neck.
The scent of baby lotion clung to him, a reminder of how innocent he was in all of this.
I was going to protect him at all costs.
Arthur walked out of his study.
In his hands was a thick manila envelope, and he looked absurdly proud of himself as he handed it to me.
He said, "Here you go, honey."
"Everything the bank needs for your trust fund."
I took the envelope.
It felt heavy in my hands.
It was the physical weight of his criminal conviction.