Chapter 1
The emerald bracelet my grandmother left me, worth over 6 million, showed up on Tamsyn Forrest's social media.
In the photo, the newly graduated assistant raised a wine glass. Her caption was so arrogant it was an eyesore.
It read: [Thank you, Mr. Coffman, for the generous gift. My professor said this bracelet was worth several apartments.]
I sent my husband, Joel Coffman a message. [Return the bracelet within two hours or face the consequences.]
He read it and did not reply.
Two hours later, I stared at my phone. My finger hovered over the "Call the Police" button.
Suddenly, chaos erupted at the party.
Through the surveillance camera, I saw the police pin Tamsyn down beside the champagne tower. Wine soaked through the haute couture gown she borrowed.
Since they refused to listen to reason, I decided to teach them a lesson.
*****
"Tracy, did you have Tamsyn arrested?" Joel called out before he even stepped inside the house.
He threw his car keys into the foyer, making a dent in the wall.
I didn't even blink. "The two hours are up."
"She's my assistant." Joel pointed at me, yelling like a madman. "She just got a letter of recommendation from her professor.
"Do you have any idea what you've done? You're going to destroy her future.
"Tracy, how could you be so heartless?"
"The theft was over 6 million dollars," I said indifferently as I turned around. "Ever bothered to look up what counts as grand larceny?"
Joel suddenly snatched the wine decanter from the coffee table.
The forty-thousand-dollar crystal decanter shattered at my feet, spilling red wine over my slippers, looking like blood.
"You've got hundreds of pieces of jewelry. Why not give Tamsyn a bracelet?" His face twisted in anger. "Her professor is the chair of the committee. Do you know how hard I worked for it?
"She's just a kid from a small town, trying to survive in the city. It's tough for her. I was just trying to give her a hand.
"Tracy, when did you get so cold?"
"Help her?" I scoffed. "People who don't know any better would think she's your lover.
"Every year, a bunch of small-town college kids flood the city. It's tough for all of them.
"Mr. Coffman, since you're so charitable, why not sell Coffman Group and start a charity for small-town kids?"
"Tracy, you're unbelievable!" Joel was fuming, totally lost for words, humiliated and furious.
I said, not bothering to respond to him as I opened my phone, "Remember what happened last year on this day?
"It was our third wedding anniversary. I waited for you at the Bayside Restaurant for five hours, but instead, you were busy supporting Tamsyn."
Joel's sneer stalled on his lips. "Tracy, are you really getting jealous over something like that?
"That was Tamsyn's patent defense. I was just there to back her up. It's only our anniversary. We get one every year."
I was so furious I couldn't even get a word out. I swiped to the next photo, which was a Cartier box glinting beside the celebration cake.
I said, "At her patent celebration party, you baked her a cake yourself and gave her a designer bag.
"But for my birthday, all I got were some discounted coupons about to expire from the supermarket. Joel, seriously, am I your wife, or is she?"
"Is that bag really such a big deal to you?" Joel looked up, impatience written all over his face. "Tracy, you're thirty. Are you really going to make a fuss over a girl half your age?"
"I'm not making a fuss," I laughed lightly. "I'm simply sending her straight to prison."
"Tracy!" Joel was breathing hard, nostrils flaring in anger.
He grabbed his car keys. "I'm not going to argue with you right now. I'm going to get her. Tomorrow, I'll let my lawyer deal with you."
"Just a heads-up," I said, twirling the cop's business card between my fingers. "If she's out before sunrise, I'll rethink if this marriage is worth keeping."
"Are you threatening me?" Joel's fist hit the doorframe, making it shudder.
"You're the one who keeps crossing the line," I shot back. "I've let things slide so many times, but you never learn when to quit."
"Alright, fine!" Joel roared. "Tracy, I'm so disappointed in you."
With that, Joel stormed out of the house.
Joel didn't come home that night.
I had a surgery scheduled for the next day, so I didn't bother waiting for him. I just went to bed.
When I woke up the next morning, the trending topics had exploded.
"Coffman Group's CEO had a night out with his wife" was splashed all over the internet.
In the photos, Tamsyn's face was crystal clear as she stepped out of Joel's Porsche.
Another shot was even more scandalous. It showed Joel holding her hand as they walked into a hotel.
The kicker? That hotel belonged to my family.
A cold smile crossed my lips as I called my lawyer. "Start drafting the divorce papers right now."