Chapter 4
The funding dinner was set for March 18th.
Richard started getting ready a week ahead of time.
He had his assistant order a new suit, tried it on twice at home, and kept adjusting his tie in front of the mirror.
"Susie, do you think this tie works?" he asked.
"It's fine," I said.
"Is it too dark? Should I try the gray one instead?" Richard asked.
"Whatever, it's up to you," I replied.
He glanced at me, pulled off his tie, and tossed it onto the bed.
"Why is everything 'fine' with you? I'm being serious here," Richard said.
"You look good in anything. I mean it," I replied.
He let out a grunt and dropped the subject.
I sat on the edge of the bed, watching him dig through his closet, but I was thinking about something else entirely.
He tried on two different suits, but he never asked me to come along.
Back when he had business dinners, he'd sometimes ask, "Do you want to come along?"
But this time, he didn't even mention it.
And I knew exactly why.
Because he'd already given the Mrs. Warren seat at the main table to someone else.
The next day, while I was tidying up the closet, I noticed a new box in his drawer.
It was a jewelry box from some fancy brand, deep blue.
I opened it and took a quick look.
Inside were a pair of earrings.
A pair.
They weren't for me.
In six years of marriage, he'd only ever given me jewelry twice, once the engagement ring, and once a necklace for our first anniversary.
After that, nothing.
I closed the box and put it back exactly where I'd found it, didn't mess with the position at all.
That afternoon, Amanda posted on her feed.
It was a photo of a cup of coffee and a book, with the caption: [Looking forward to an important day.]
Someone commented: [What important day?]
She just replied with a smiley emoji.
I took a screenshot and saved it in my notes.
That night, Richard came home early, looking pretty pleased with himself.
Over dinner, he said, "I might be out late at that dinner party next week, so don't wait up for me."
"Sure," I replied.
"I might be drinking, so I'll have the driver take me home," he added.
"Alright," I said.
"Don't get bored at home by yourself. Why not have Monica come over and keep you company?" he said.
I quietly served him some food, placing it in his plate.
"Go ahead and do your thing. I'll be fine," I said.
He kept his head down, eating, and didn't look at me again.
I stared at the top of his head, and suddenly, he felt like someone I barely even knew.
It wasn't because he'd changed.
It was because he never once tried to understand me.
Three days before the dinner party, I called Caleb.
"Caleb, is Ethan all set?" I asked.
"Yeah, all sorted. Ethan is the investor, so him showing up at the dinner is totally normal. I told him what happened, and he was pissed; said Richard's a total jerk," he replied.
"Ethan doesn't need to do much. He just needs to put in a word at the right time," I said.
"What exactly do you want him to say?" he asked.
"Just have him ask Richard if his wife ever mentioned she has a brother living in Norland," I said.
"Just that?" Caleb asked.
"That's all you need to say. The rest will take care of itself," I replied.
Caleb paused for a couple of seconds.
"Susie, are you really sure about this? Once that word is out there, Richard's reputation will be in shambles. He won't have a shred of standing left in that crowd," he said.
"He brought another woman to take my place and called her Mrs. Warren. Caleb, he's the one who threw his own reputation away," I replied.
"Alright. I'll let Ethan know," he said.
After hanging up, I opened up my notes and scrolled through everything I'd logged over the past five years.
Dates, places, every excuse he ever made, every lie he ever fed me.
"Got a business dinner tonight."
"Business trip. I'll be back next week."
"Team-building event, brought a few employees along."
"You wouldn't get it, so don't worry about it."
I remembered every single one.
Not because I hated him.
I just needed to make sure that everything I was about to do was fair; he had it coming.
The day before the dinner party, Richard left the house carrying a tote bag.
I stood on the balcony, watching him get into the car.
The driver was behind the wheel, and the deep blue jewelry box was sitting on the back seat.
He didn't even look back.
I picked up my phone and texted Monica: "Come over to my place tomorrow night."
"What for?" she replied.
"To watch the drama," I replied.
"What kind of drama?" she asked.
"The show where it all ends," I replied.