Chapter 4
Back in my hotel room, I found a message from Summer waiting for me.
[Edward's lawyer contacted me. It's Michael Drew.]
Michael was the most expensive divorce attorney in the city, known for handling high-asset cases and charging about 1,700 dollars an hour. If Edward had hired him, then he had finally realized this wasn't some harmless marital spat.
I replied with a single word. [Okay.]
Then I opened my laptop and began organizing a third set of evidence.
The first covered Edward's affair, while the second documented his taxes and assets. The third focused entirely on Claire.
Claire was 28 and served as marketing director at Stone Holdings. She had an MBA from a prestigious university, was highly capable, and had the kind of striking appearance that naturally drew attention.
She had been at Stone Holdings for two years and had already worked her way up to director.
But the promotion itself wasn't what bothered me.
Before joining Stone Holdings, Claire hadn't known Edward at all. Maybe she really was that capable, but her resume told a different story. She had spent three years at her previous company without earning even a minor leadership role.
Even that wasn't the part that mattered most.
The real pattern emerged in the timing. The same month Claire joined Stone Holdings, Edward started traveling constantly, coming home late, and spending more and more nights away.
I had preserved every suspicious transaction, every hotel bill, and every intimate message I could find. Put together, they formed a timeline so clear that there was almost nothing left to explain away.
I wasn't someone who enjoyed digging through old grievances.
Edward had forced me to.
If he insisted I was making a scene, then I would show him exactly how serious I could be.
*****
At two that afternoon, Margaret called me.
Her voice was as warm and composed as ever. "Grace, I heard you and Edward argued. Couples fight sometimes. Don't take it too seriously. Edward has a temper. I'll talk to him."
In the past, I would have smiled and told her everything was fine.
Then I would have gone back to being the perfect daughter-in-law, swallowing every grievance and pretending our marriage was flawless.
Today, I didn't want to pretend anymore.
"Mrs. Stone," I said.
The line went quiet for two seconds.
"What did you call me?"
"Mrs. Stone," I repeated. "Edward and I are getting divorced. Once everything is finalized, I won't be your daughter-in-law anymore, so I think this is more appropriate."
Her voice tightened immediately. "Divorced? Wasn't Edward's post supposed to be a joke? You're actually going through with it?"
"He was joking. I'm not." I kept my tone calm. "Thank you for everything you've done for me these past three years. I'll still come see you from time to time."
Then I ended the call.
This time, I didn't feel sad.
When I married into the Stone family three years ago, I thought I had finally found a family. Margaret treated me well, and Edward's father, Thomas Stone, though stern, had always been courteous.
I genuinely believed they had accepted me as one of their own.
Eventually, I learned that Margaret had chosen me for reasons that had little to do with who I was.
A family adviser had convinced her that I would bring Edward exceptional luck and help his career prosper.
In a way, the prediction had come true.
During our three years of marriage, Stone Holdings had tripled in value.
Edward's way of repaying me was to have an affair.
*****
That evening, Edward called again.
This time, I answered.
"Grace." His voice sounded exhausted. "Come home. We need to talk properly."
"You can talk now."
"Not over the phone."
"Then we'll meet at the law firm." I checked the time. "Ten tomorrow morning at Summer's office. Bring Michael with you."
There was a brief pause before he spoke again. "You hired Summer Lynn? You're friends. Is she even allowed to represent you?"
"Our friendship doesn't prevent her from acting as my attorney." I kept my voice steady. "Stop looking for excuses to delay this, Edward."
I continued, "Tomorrow at ten, I'll bring everything I have. If you don't show up, I'll file in court."
His voice hardened. "File what against me?"
"Adultery, concealment and transfer of marital assets, and…" I paused. "Bigamy."
Something crashed on his end of the line.
"What did you say?" His voice rose sharply. "Bigamy? What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm not joking." My voice remained calm. "Claire gave birth to a daughter last December. Her name is Nina Stone, and your name is listed as the father on her birth certificate."
The line went completely silent.
All I could hear was his breathing, fast and uneven, as though he had suddenly lost control of something he had always assumed belonged entirely to him.
When he finally spoke, his voice was unsteady. "How do you know that?"
"I told you. Take a guess."
Then I ended the call.
The screen showed a call duration of four minutes and twelve seconds, barely enough time to strip away the confidence of a man who had always believed he controlled the situation.
I set the phone down and walked to the window.
The city glittered below, thousands of lights burning behind thousands of windows. Every one of them seemed to contain a different story.
My story had started beautifully and fallen apart somewhere along the way, but I still got to decide how it ended. I didn't want some dramatic revenge fantasy. I wanted the kind of ending where a woman finally learns to choose herself.
Summer had been right. I had changed, and I was no longer the girl who made love the center of her entire life.
I was Grace Lane, and I was going to take back everything that belonged to me, including my dignity.
*****
The next morning, I arrived at Summer's law firm fifteen minutes early.
Her office was in a high-rise in the downtown financial district, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the busiest part of the city. Her assistant brought me a glass of water while I reviewed the printed evidence.
The stack was 137 pages thick.
Every page was another weapon Edward had handed me himself. He simply hadn't realized it at the time.