Chapter 3

"Yeah," I forced out.

My throat felt like sandpaper.

"What's up? You sound a little off. Didn't get much sleep?" Malcolm asked, concern written all over his face.

I looked at him and couldn't help but want to laugh.

"I had a nightmare," I replied.

Malcolm consoled me at once, his voice gentle. "Hey, don't be scared. Everything is okay.

"Is it tough taking care of Jackie all by yourself? Just hang in there. I'll be back soon."

Back? Back to which family? I scoffed inwardly.

"Where's Jackie?" Malcolm asked.

"He's still asleep," I replied.

"Does he miss me?" Malcolm said, a loving father's smile lighting up his face.

His smile made my stomach churn.

"Yes, he misses you," I replied. "He even said last night that he dreamed about you."

Malcolm's smile grew even wider. "Really? What a coincidence. I dreamt of him too.

"I can't eat or sleep over here. I miss you guys too much."

He sighed and continued, "The project's been a pain lately. I might have to shell out some more cash to smooth things over, otherwise it's gonna get held up."

He finally brought up what he really wanted to talk about.

Over the past two years, he'd come up with every excuse imaginable to take nearly 150 thousand dollars from me.

That was my entire savings, plus everything my parents had ever given me.

I always thought it was for our future together.

But now I understood that it was all for him and that other family of his.

"How much do you need?" I asked calmly.

"Maybe around 30 thousand dollars. These guys here are real sharks," Malcolm said, his tone cautious.

"I'll try to shuffle things around on my end. Can you manage it on your side?" he asked, his voice full of hope.

I stared at his face on the screen, every inch of it painted with sincerity and helplessness.

The hollowness inside me was suddenly packed tight with something icy and unyielding: hatred.

"Okay," I said. "I'll head to the bank and send it over today."

He visibly relaxed.

"Linda, you're such a good wife. When I get back, I'll make it up to you and Jackie, I promise," Malcolm said, sounding all grateful.

Make it up to me?

I pulled a slow, fake smile. "Sure," I replied. "I'll be waiting for you to come back."

I hung up.

I stared at the darkened screen, and the fake smile on my lips faded away bit by bit.

Malcolm and Gail were going to know the consequences of stabbing me in the back

I'd make sure they end up with nothing.

I'd see to it that both of them were ruined and disgraced.

I fired up my laptop and started searching for law firms.

I was starting my revenge.

I spent all morning backing up all the key videos, making three copies of each.

One went on an external hard drive, another got uploaded to an encrypted cloud, and the last was saved to a fresh SD card, tucked away in the secret spot where I keep my jewelry.

This was my ace in the hole, my weapon.

When I finished, I felt a bit tired, but even more, there was a weird kind of adrenaline buzzing through me.

I didn't go to the bank to send the money.

Malcolm wasn't getting a single cent of that 30 thousand dollars.

I opened my browser and started searching for the best divorce lawyers in the city.

At the top of the list was a firm called Match Point. Their top lawyer, Sabrina Knox, specialized in divorce battles, especially property fights and making the at-fault party pay up.

The online reviews said she was cool, professional, and tough as nails. Moreover, she never lost a case.

She was exactly who I needed.

I called Match Point and scheduled an appointment for the afternoon.

After I hung up, I headed straight for the bathroom and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

My face was ghostly pale, my eyes were shot through with red, and my hair was all over the place.

There was no way I could let my lawyer see me like this.

This was how losers looked after they'd been crushed.

I was not a loser.

I let the hot water wash away my exhaustion, then put on an exquisite makeup.

I chose a fiery red lipstick and slipped into the priciest dress Malcolm had ever gifted me.

The dress was his anniversary gift to me. Malcolm used to say I looked stunning in it.

Now, that remark was ironic.

I was going to put on this dress and kick off my very first war against him.

*****

At exactly two in the afternoon, I walked into Match Point.

Sabrina's office was on the top floor, with a killer view. The decor was all minimalist, done in black, white, and gray. It was just like her, radiating an undeniable air of professionalism.

Sabrina looked to be in her forties, with short hair and gold-rimmed glasses, her eyes sharp and piercing.

"Ms. Dodson, please have a seat," she said, getting straight to the point without any small talk. "On the phone, you said you had some important evidence you wanted me to look at."

I nodded, pulled the external hard drive from my bag, and set it down on the table in front of her.