Chapter 3
Didn't Maya move abroad? Why was Adrian still transferring money to her?
I kept going through the folder.
At the very bottom, I found a plane ticket. It was for a business class seat on a flight to Lichten last December under Adrian's name.
I remembered now.
Last December, he told me he had to go to Lichten for a business trip.
He was gone for two weeks. When he came back, he brought me perfume and a designer purse.
I was over the moon back then.
Now, thinking about it, it's just pathetic. Turns out, he was really going to see Maya.
I pulled out my phone and snapped photos of all the evidence. The bank transfers, the plane ticket, and that unsent letter.
Then I put everything back where I found it.
Adrian wouldn't notice a thing. He was way too confident. He thought I was just some clueless housewife.
He was wrong.
I've been Mrs. Wright for ten years. I knew every account and every document in this house. He could fool everyone else, but not me.
On the fifth day of Adrian's business trip, I went to see the lawyer.
Peter was in his forties, with a receding hairline and sharp eyes.
"Mrs. Wright," he said after going through my paperwork, "What do you want out of this?"
"Divorce," I said, "And I want the biggest share possible."
"Are you aware of Mr. Wright's financial situation?" he asked.
"I've got a pretty clear idea," I replied, handing him the file. "This is everything I've put together over the years."
Peter looked over the documents.
His eyes lit up. "Mrs. Wright, you're very thorough."
"Thank you," I said.
Peter glanced at the paperwork and said, "Based on these documents, Mr. Wright has three properties, one company, about seven million dollars in savings, and stocks and mutual funds combined worth around two million dollars."
I nodded.
"When it comes to divorce, marital assets will be split, so you'll get at least half," Peter explained. "And if you can prove Mr. Wright was unfaithful, you could also claim compensation for emotional damages."
"Cheating..." I paused. "I can't say for sure if he and that woman actually had an affair. But I do have evidence of him transferring money to her and meeting her in person."
"Those are supporting details, but they're not direct proof," Peter said. "Do you have anything else? Like chat logs or receipts from hotels?"
"I can't access his phone," I said.
"What about hotel records?" Peter asked.
"I looked into it, but couldn't find anything," Esther replied.
Peter nodded. "We'll go with this for now. As long as you can show the marriage is irreparably broken, that's enough for divorce. You don't have to prove he cheated, just that things between you two are beyond repair."
"Okay," I said.
"If you can, try to collect more evidence. It'll help your case," Peter said.
I nodded, then said, "Mr. Hanks, I have one more question."
"Go ahead," he replied.
"Am I entitled to any shares in Adrian's company?" I asked.
"Was the company founded after you got married?" Peter asked.
"Before marriage," I replied.
"Then the original shares belong to him, but you're entitled to a share of any appreciation after you got married," Peter explained.
"About how much could I get?" I asked.
Peter did some quick calculations.
He said, "Based on what you've given me, the company's worth about 26 million dollars now. The increase in value since you got married is around 18 million. If you get divorced, you could go after about nine million dollars."
I smiled. Adrian would never have guessed that his wife had already done the math on every dollar he owned.
After meeting with Peter, I went to the mall.
I bought a few new clothes, but none of them were white. Instead, they were bright red.
I spent ten years stuck in white dresses. Starting today, I'll wear whatever colors I want.
When I got home, I put away all those white dresses. I stuffed them into a box and shoved it into the storage room.
I chopped off my long hair. Now it was just shoulder-length.
The woman staring back at me in the mirror was different. I was no longer living in Maya's shadow. I was finally myself, Esther Thomson.
*****
When Adrian came back, I went to the airport to pick him up.
As soon as he saw me, he froze for a second.
"You...why did you cut your hair?" Adrian asked, clearly caught off guard.
"I just think short hair is easier," I said with a smile.
"But..." Adrian frowned. "I liked it better when you had long hair."
"It's my hair," I said. "I like it short."
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
On the drive back, Adrian kept glancing over at me, more than once.
There was something complicated in his eyes every time he looked my way.
He was probably thinking that I didn't look like "her" anymore.
"Honey," Adrian said as soon as we got home, "Is something on your mind?"
"Nope," I replied.
"Then why are you acting so different?" He pressed.
"What's different about me?" I shot back.
"I don't know..." Adrian said, studying me. "Feels like you've changed."
I smiled. "People change. It's been ten years. Change is only natural, don't you think?"
He didn't say anything.
That night, Adrian slept restlessly. He kept tossing and turning, talking in his sleep several times.