Chapter 4
Early the next morning, I got a call.
"Dr. Bennett, there's been some progress on the patent. Would you be available to come in at your convenience?"
It was Richard's assistant.
"Sure, I'll come by next week," I replied.
"Alright, Dr. Mason said there's no rush, but you'll need to sign the paperwork yourself," the assistant said.
"Got it. I'll get in touch later," I replied.
Just as I hung up, Sophie came out of the master bedroom.
"Who was that calling so early?" she asked.
"Just something from the hospital," I replied.
"Oh," she said, not pressing further. "Nora, can you make breakfast today? I need to feed the babies."
"Okay," I replied.
I went into the kitchen and started making breakfast oatmeal.
When Mark woke up and saw my normal demeanor, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Nora, about last night..." Mark began awkwardly.
"It's nothing, really. Let's eat," I replied.
He looked at me, a little unsure. "Are you really not mad anymore?"
"Why would I be mad?" I said, setting the porridge on the table. "You were just telling the truth."
His expression flickered, but he didn't say a word.
Over the next few days, I acted completely normal—washing dishes, cooking, mopping floors, carrying on with daily chores as if nothing had happened.
But deep down, I knew I was simply biding my time.
Emily was helping me pull Mark's official bank statements and financial records. It was going to take some time and a few professional connections.
On the fourth night, Emily sent me a message: [Nora, I pulled the bank statements. Take a look.]
I opened the file and started scrolling through the pages.
Besides the 125,000 dollars I'd already found, there were a bunch of smaller transactions.
2,300 dollars at a department store. Note: Sophie's birthday.
1,000 dollars at a restaurant. Note: None.
600 dollars at a hotel. Date: last June. That was right after I'd been in Riverside City for just a month.
I kept scrolling and saw a huge expense.
Last April, 80,000 dollars paid to a real estate agency.
Note: Deposit.
A deposit? For what?
I looked up the address associated with the transaction—it was a new residential development out in the suburbs.
I called Emily. "Emily, did he buy a house behind my back?"
"That's exactly what I was about to tell you," Emily said, her voice heavy. "He put a deposit down on a small two-bedroom place in the suburbs, and it's all under Sophie's name. The total down payment is 100,000 dollars—he's already paid 26,000 as a deposit, and the rest is being paid off in installments."
"Which account did he use?" I asked.
"Your joint account," Emily replied.
I paused for a moment.
"Is there anything else?" I asked.
"There's something else you might want to see," Emily said. "I got Sophie's chat logs with her girlfriends. She's been bragging in their group chat."
"Forward them to me," I said.
The messages popped up instantly.
I opened it up, and the first message was from Sophie: [Girls, I snagged myself a sucker! His wife's off on a work trip for a whole year, so I just moved right in.]
[Damn, you really moved in and took over her whole nest!]
[Hehe, this house will be mine from now on. Once I deliver the babies, let's see who dares to kick me out.]
I kept scrolling.
[Hey girls, big news! My sucker's buying me a house—100,000 dollars down payment, and it's all under my name.] Sophie bragged.
[Assets transferred, just waiting to take over!] she added.
[His wife's so clueless, she still has no idea.] Sophie snickered.
I set my phone down and took a deep breath.
Good. Very good.
I messaged Emily back. [We've got enough evidence. Let's get the lawyer's letter ready for tomorrow.]
"Got it," she replied.