Chapter 5

Emily gasped beside me and rushed to grab tissues to wipe my hands.

"They are absolute trash," she said. "We need to call the cops. This is poisoning."

I forced myself to calm down and shook my head. "No, we can't call the police."

Calling them would only get David and Chloe detained for a few days at most.

The pills were flushed, and vitamins couldn't kill anyone, so there wasn't enough evidence.

That kind of slap on the wrist wasn't what I wanted.

I wanted to destroy them completely.

"Emily, edit this footage for me and make three backups," I said.

I watched Chloe on the screen refilling the pill bottle, and my eyes turned ice cold. "You want to play dirty? I'll play dirty right back."

Over the next two days, I tortured myself by watching every second of their footage.

I watched them feed each other with my utensils.

I watched them make love on my bed.

Besides, I watched Chloe take selfies in my clothes and post them on Instagram.

I burned every single frame into my memory.

All of this would become sharp evidence when I needed it.

Sunday night, I came home right on schedule.

When I walked in, the house had already been "cleaned."

The wedding photo was back on the wall, but it hung slightly crooked.

Ethan's Lego pieces had been swept under the bed.

The tampered pill bottle sat quietly on the nightstand.

David sat on the couch and pretended he had just woken up. "Hey honey, you're back?" he asked. "Are you tired?"

I looked at his fake smile and forced myself not to throw up, managing a tired smile instead.

I said, "I'm exhausted. That training was brutal."

I walked into Ethan's room and immediately put the medicine bottle in a ziplock bag, then slipped it into my pocket.

I added, "Ethan's meds are about to expire. I'll get a refill at the hospital tomorrow."

David's eyes flickered, but he didn't dare ask more.

He said, "Oh, okay. You're always so thoughtful."

The next morning, I went straight to the hospital lab and handed the bottle with the pills to my friend, getting a rush lab report on what was inside.

The results were crystal clear. Someone had swapped the allergy medication for vitamin C.

I tucked the report away and headed to the city's best law firm.

After reviewing the video footage, bank transfers, and lab report I gave him, the lawyer pushed his glasses up.

He said, "Ma'am, this evidence proves he cheated during your marriage, attempted to harm a minor, and tried to hide marital assets. If you want a divorce, I can make sure he leaves with nothing and walks away in debt."

I shook my head and said, "Not yet. Divorcing him now would be too easy. I want him to lose his job first, then his reputation, and then watch that woman dump him like trash."

The lawyer smiled.

The lawyer smiled, "Sounds like you have a plan."

I went back home and started phase one of my plan.

At dinner that evening, I let out a deliberate sigh.

David asked, "What's wrong, honey?"

I said, "Well, there's this internal investment opportunity at the hospital. They're investing in medical equipment and the returns are great. 20% annually. But I don't have much money to put in."

David's eyes lit up instantly. He asked, "Really? Is it legit?"

I nodded and said, "Of course it's legit. Even the hospital director, Dr. Smith, invested 300 thousand dollars. But there are limited spots and the deadline is tomorrow."

I watched his expression closely while I spoke.

David controlled part of the company's procurement budget, and he'd been scheming for weeks about how to skim some cash to take Chloe on a trip.

One evening, David hesitated before asking, "Honey, what if we took some of our savings and invested in this?"

I shook my head and replied, "Our money's locked in CDs. We'd lose too much if we pulled it out early."

I pretended to think it over and then sighed. "Forget it. This kind of opportunity isn't for people like us anyway."

David didn't say anything, but I caught the greed flickering in his eyes.

The fish had taken the bait.