Chapter 6 - Following the Paper TrailFor the next two weeks, I didn't sleep.
I hired the most ruthless forensic accountant in Chicago—a man named Silas who looked like a librarian but hunted hidden assets like a bloodhound. We set up a war room in my guest bedroom, entirely funded by my separate inheritance account.
"Julian thought he was clever," Silas said on a Thursday night, adjusting his glasses as he stared at a dual-monitor setup. "He was funneling money out of your joint brokerage account through a dummy LLC registered in Delaware. He classified the transfers as 'consulting fees' for a marketing firm."
"Let me guess," I leaned against the doorframe, sipping black coffee. "The marketing firm belongs to Chloe."
"Bingo," Silas pulled up a ledger. "Over the last eight months, Julian transferred exactly $140,000 to her. That's how she secured the boutique lease. He also paid for her car lease, her designer clothes, and... wait for it."
Silas clicked a file, opening a PDF of a high-end jewelry receipt.
"A $15,000 diamond tennis bracelet," Silas announced. "Purchased last Tuesday."
My stomach tightened. I had seen that bracelet on Chloe's wrist the night I found them in the pool. She had claimed it was a "bonus from work."
"Under Illinois law, the dissipation of marital assets for the purpose of carrying on an extramarital affair is grounds for complete financial reimbursement in a divorce," I said, the legal statutes reciting themselves perfectly in my mind.
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"Not only that," Silas grinned. "Because he used fraudulent corporate LLCs to hide the money, he committed wire fraud. Your husband didn't just cheat on you, Elena. He committed a federal crime."
I looked at the mountain of evidence Silas had compiled. Julian had dug his own grave, bought the headstone, and jumped right in. All I had to do was fill it with dirt.
