Chapter 5 - The Master Stroke
Isabella spent the week recovering in the sunlit master suite of Marcus's island compound. Her physical bruises were fading, turning a dull yellow, but the light in her eyes was returning.
I sat by her bed, holding her hand while Marcus paced the room, reviewing legal documents.
"The annulment papers are ready," Marcus said softly, handing Isabella a gold pen. "Based on fraud and extreme physical duress. Diego’s signature is already on them."
Isabella looked up, surprised. "How did you get him to sign?"
Marcus smiled—a dark, terrifying expression. "Diego is broke, unemployed, and facing a mountain of debt that I artificially accelerated. I offered him fifty thousand dollars in cash to sign the annulment and walk away. He took it without hesitation."
Isabella signed her name, a tear slipping down her cheek. "He really just wanted the money. He never loved me."
"He doesn't know how to love," I told her, kissing her forehead. "But he is going to learn how to suffer."
Marcus took the papers. "Now that the marriage is void, and the Boca Raton house is permanently protected, it is time for the final phase. The hotel security footage."
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My eyes widened. "The Ritz-Carlton said the cameras in that hallway were malfunctioning."
"They were," Marcus replied. "Until I bought the entire hotel chain yesterday afternoon and fired the management team that Victoria bribed. The IT department magically recovered the deleted footage this morning. It shows Victoria and her sisters entering the room, and it shows Diego standing guard outside, listening to you scream."
