Chapter 5 - The Secret Life of Marcus Vance
The morning sun filtered through the blinds, casting long shadows across the hospital floor.
I sat up in bed, cradling Leo, my mind racing over Marcus's midnight ambush.
There was a knock on the door, and my divorce attorney, Sarah Jenkins, walked in carrying a massive briefcase.
“I heard about the stunt your husband pulled last night,” Sarah said, her face grim.
She pulled up a chair and opened her laptop, turning the screen so I could see.
“I hired a private investigator after the ninety thousand dollars went missing,” she explained.
My eyes widened as I looked at the photographs displayed on the glowing screen.
They showed Marcus walking out of a high-end jewelry store, but he wasn't alone.
He was arm-in-arm with a beautiful, much younger woman who was visibly pregnant.
“Her name is Chloe, she’s a twenty-two-year-old model he met in Miami six months ago,” Sarah stated.
The breath was knocked out of me all over again.
He hadn't drained the accounts for 'safekeeping'; he was funding a second family.
“He bought her a luxury condo downtown with your marital funds,” Sarah continued, clicking to the next photo.
Disgust washed over me, replacing the lingering remnants of heartbreak.
He had gaslit me, called me crazy in court, all while plotting to replace me entirely.
“Can we use this in court to get my money back and secure full custody?” I asked, my voice hard.
Sarah smiled, a predatory, victorious smirk.
“Oh, we aren't just going to use it, we are going to destroy his entire reputation,” she promised.
May you like
I looked down at Leo, feeling stronger than I had in months.
The victim he thought he could bully was dead; a mother ready for war had taken her place.
