Chapter 3
Once I knew who Amanda was, I didn't do anything about it right away.
My dad always told me, "Don't flip the table before the game's over."
I started watching closely without anyone noticing.
Richard had a password on his phone, but I never bothered to snoop.
He always told me where he was going: said he had a business dinner tonight, was traveling for work this week, had a project coming up next month.
I always just said, "Alright."
But I started keeping track.
I kept track of every night he didn't come home, every business trip he took, and every time he came back smelling like someone else's laundry detergent.
I logged it all in my phone's notes app, locked with a password.
Monica asked me what I was up to.
I told her I was just keeping the books.
And honestly, I wasn't lying. I really was keeping the books, getting ready to settle the score.
By the end of the fifth year, Richard told me his company was planning to expand and needed a big chunk of money.
"How much?" I asked.
"Quite a bit. But I'm in talks with a major investor. They're big players in the Norlandn," he said.
Something in me stirred.
"Who's the investor from Norland?" I asked.
"Still in talks. Their terms are pretty harsh, but if we land this money, it'll take the company to the next level," he said.
I left it at that.
That night, I texted Caleb: [Any investors scouting for projects in the country recently?]
He replied: [Yeah.]
I asked: [Are they looking at Richard's company?]
He replied: [Susie, how'd you know?]
I typed: [He told me himself. Caleb, how are you connected to this investor?]
He didn't reply right away.
Twenty minutes later, Caleb called me.
"Susie, I'm the one who set up the connection with this investor," he said.
My hand stopped mid-motion, phone still in my grip.
"You were the one who made the connection?" I asked.
"Yeah. I was planning to tell you after the deal was finalized. Part of the funding was actually routed through me," he said.
"Does Richard know?" I asked.
"He has no idea. He thinks it's just a regular business deal. There are three layers between us. He'll never trace it back to me," he said.
I leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.
"Caleb, why are you helping him?" I asked.
"I'm not doing it for him. I'm doing it for you. Susie, you married him. If his company goes under, things won't be easy for you either. I just want to make things a bit easier for you," he said.
My eyes stung, but I didn't let the tears fall.
"So what about now? He's keeping another woman on the side, taking advantage of everything you set up for him, and even bringing her along to meet the investors. Caleb, are you still going to keep making things easy for him?" I asked.
There was a long silence on the other end.
"Susie, it's your call. If you want me to keep going, I will. If you want me to pull the plug, I can make this funding deal fall through tonight," he said.
"Don't pull the plug," I said.
"What?" he asked.
"I said don't pull the plug. Let the funding go through," I replied.
"Susie?" he called out.
"Caleb, listen. We can't cut off this funding. If we do, he'll figure out someone's been helping him from behind the scenes.
"I don't want him to know. I want him to believe he earned it all himself. I want him to stand at the very top, in front of everyone, and realize every bit of his success was built on what I did for him," I said.
On the other end, Caleb chuckled.
"You really are just like Dad, you know that?" he said.
"Caleb, can you help me with something?" I asked.
"Go ahead," he said.
"Can you arrange for someone from the investor's side to be there? Just one person who knows about me at the funding dinner is enough," I said.
"Who do you want?" he asked.
"Ethan. He's met me before. You brought him to the family dinner last time," I said.
"Ethan is a partner with the investors. Of course he knows you," he said.
"That's all I need. Caleb, I'll handle the rest," I said.
After hanging up, I went to the kitchen and warmed up a glass of milk.
I stood there and finished it, then washed the glass, dried it, and put it back in the cabinet.
Not once did my hands shake.
I wasn't waiting for Richard to come back.
I was waiting for the right moment.
A moment when he couldn't make excuses, couldn't weasel his way out, and couldn't get away with it, no matter what he tried.
He gave me six years.
One night was all it took to settle the score.