Chapter 4 - THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH|
I expected Dominic to call me that evening.
He did not.
Instead, Rebecca called to say that his attorney had already contacted her.
“Dominic’s legal team wants to discuss the terms of separation,” she explained. “They’re asking whether you intend to pursue any claims involving his business assets.”
“I want what belongs to me under the law. Nothing more.”
“Good. Keep every financial document you can access legally. Don’t sign anything without reviewing it.”
I was still processing her advice when my phone rang again.
This time, the caller was Gabriel.
I almost declined, but curiosity overcame me.
“Emma, please,” he said when I answered. “I think you should know something.”
“Why? So you can help Dominic explain why humiliating me was necessary?”
“No. Because I should have told you the truth years ago.”
I sat down.
Gabriel explained that Dominic’s hearing had returned after a specialized procedure following the accident. The doctors had confirmed his recovery, and Gabriel had been present when Dominic received the news.
“At first, he said he needed time to adjust,” Gabriel told me. “Then he started saying that people expected too much from him. His employees, his mother, his business partners.”
“And me.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you stop him?”
Gabriel was quiet.
“Because I thought he would tell you when he was ready. Then months passed. By the time I realized he had turned it into a permanent lie, I was already helping him maintain it.”
I closed my eyes.
“You helped him lie to his wife.”
“Yes.”
At least he did not pretend otherwise.
Then Gabriel said something unexpected.
“Emma, Vanessa’s pregnancy may not be the only reason Dominic has kept you in his life.”
I sat straighter.
“What does that mean?”
“His father left a family trust. It was established years ago, before Dominic inherited control of Blackwood Holdings. There are conditions attached to the trust, including provisions involving the stability of the marriage and certain family assets.”
“Are you suggesting he married me for money?”
“I’m suggesting you should ask Rebecca to examine the documents.”
I thought about the years Dominic had encouraged me to manage household expenses and maintain records. He had called me organized, dependable, and trustworthy.
I had believed those compliments were expressions of love.
Now they sounded like descriptions on a job application.
“Why tell me this now?” I asked.
“Because Vanessa is not the only person who knows about the trust. Margaret knows. And I heard Dominic arguing with her last week.”
“About what?”
Gabriel hesitated.
“About whether you could be removed from the arrangement before the baby arrived.”
The room seemed to grow colder.
I had assumed the betrayal was emotional.
A selfish husband. A secret affair. A pregnancy.
But if Dominic’s family had financial reasons to preserve our marriage, then the deception might have been planned with far more care than I imagined.
“Gabriel, did Dominic ever say he wanted a divorce?”
“Yes.”
My heart tightened.
“When?”
“Three years ago.”
The exact year his hearing returned.
“He changed his mind after the lawyers explained what a divorce could trigger.”
I ended the call without saying goodbye.
Then I opened my laptop and began searching for every document Dominic had ever asked me to organize.
May you like
For the first time, I was no longer looking for evidence of love.
I was looking for evidence of a crime against my trust.
