Chapter 3

The doorbell rang. I checked the time—6 a.m.

"Who could it be?" I wondered.

Peering through the peephole, I saw Declan outside.

There he sat on the doorstep, still wearing the same wet clothes from last night.

I didn't open the door.

I left him ringing the doorbell outside.

I just let him keep ringing until it finally went dead.

Around noon, I ordered some takeout.

When I opened the door to get it, Declan was already gone.

But on the ground lay a bouquet of roses with a note attached.

[Claire, I'm waiting for your forgiveness. —Declan]

I kicked the roses into the trash can and tore up the note.

*****

In the afternoon, Laurel came over. Seeing my puffy, red eyes, she pulled me into a warm hug, her concern written all over her face.

"Claire, it's all over now," Laurel said.

"Laurel, am I being such a fool?" I asked.

"Why would you say that?"

"Three whole years, and I never had a clue he was cheating."

Laurel let out a sigh. "When a man cheats, even the sharpest woman can be fooled."

"But I'm his wife."

"That's exactly why wives are always the last to find out."

We settled onto the couch, and Laurel made me a cup of coffee.

"Claire, are you really set on divorce?" Laurel asked.

I nodded. "Pretty sure."

"But Declan loves you so much—"

"Love me?" I cut her off sharply. "Laurel, you didn't see the scene last night—you have no idea what Shelly said."

Laurel fell silent.

"He never admitted to cheating on me. He even tried to explain," I said with a bitter smile. "But caught red-handed—what's left to explain?"

"So what's your plan?" Laurel asked.

"Find a lawyer to file for divorce."

*****

The next morning, I headed straight to the top law firm in town. I was received by a female attorney named Vivian Miller.

"Mrs. Sterling, I understand your situation," Vivian said, adjusting her glasses. "Having evidence of his cheating would benefit you in the divorce."

I asked, "Does seeing it with my own eyes count?"

"Testimony alone carries limited weight in court," Vivian explained. "Audio recordings, video, or other real evidence would be much more compelling."

I nodded and asked, "So, roughly how long will the divorce proceedings take?"

"If he agrees to a divorce by mutual consent, it'll take about a month," Vivian explained. "But if he contests it, a formal divorce proceeding could take several months."

"What about the asset division?"

"Any assets you owned before marriage remain yours. Marital property is typically split equally. But if he's at fault, you can get a larger share."

Walking out of the law firm, I felt a lot lighter.

At least I had a clear path forward.

Back in my studio, I finally sat down to sort through our finances from the past three years.

After we got married, Declan insisted on taking control of all our finances.

I'd handed over all my bank cards to him.

He said it showed how much we loved each other.

Now that I thought about it, it was ridiculous.

I logged into my online banking. The accounts under my name held only 70 thousand dollars.

But over these three years, my salary and bonuses should have totaled at least $350,000.

Where did my money go?

I carefully checked the records of my bank account over the past few years.

I found a lot of large-scale transactions going to an account named "Sherry."

"Sherry?" I mumuered.

"Shelly!" I gasped in disbelief.

My hands were shaking with rage.

Not only did Declan cheat on me, but he even used my money to keep his mistress.

As I dug deeper, my discoveries only fueled my rage.

Shelly's rent, her shopping sprees, even her vacations—all paid for with my hard-earned money.

Even those designer bags and jewelry she wore were bought by Declan with my money.

For three years, I pinched every penny and handed over my entire paycheck for him to manage.