Chapter 4 - The Four-Year PrisonThat evening, Teresa confronted me.
“You've changed.”
I looked at her.
“Yes.”
“You're punishing David.”
“No.”
“You've canceled his cards.”
“Yes.”
“You're investigating his business.”
“Yes.”
“You're destroying our family.”
I laughed softly.
“Your son did that.”
She slapped her hand against the table.
“How dare you?”
I stood.
“How dare I?”
She stared at me.
“You moved into my house without asking.”
“David told us to.”
“David doesn't own this house.”
“He's your husband.”
“Not for much longer.”
Harold entered the room.
“What's going on?”
Teresa pointed at me.
“She wants us out.”
Harold looked uncomfortable.
“Eleanor…”
“You can stay tonight.”
Teresa smiled.
“But tomorrow, you'll need another place to live.”
“You can't do that.”
“I can.”
“David will never forgive you.”
“I stopped needing his forgiveness.”
They went silent.
That night, I began packing.
Not clothes.
Documents.
Photographs.
Financial records.
Anything that could disappear if David returned.
At midnight, my attorney called.
“We found another account.”
“How much?”
“Eleven million.”
I sat down.
“Whose name?”
“Yours.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“It's registered under your name.”
“Then why don't I know about it?”
“Because someone used your identity.”
I felt sick.
“Could David have done this?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To make it appear that you were receiving the money.”
My entire body went cold.
If the authorities investigated the missing funds, the evidence could point directly to me.
David hadn't simply planned to leave me.
He had planned to make me responsible for his crimes.
I called my attorney.
“What can we do?”
“Freeze everything.”
“Do it.”
“Already started.”
The next morning, federal investigators arrived.
They didn't arrest me.
They asked questions.
I gave them everything.
Every bank statement.
Every message.
Every document.
Every piece of evidence.
One investigator looked at me.
“Mrs. Hayes, how long have you suspected your husband?”
“Three days.”
He seemed surprised.
“Only three days?”
“Yes.”
“Then you've done an impressive amount of work.”
I looked at him.
“I'm an accountant.”
He smiled.
“That explains it.”
Before leaving, he said:
“There's one thing you should know.”
“What?”
“Your husband has been trying to access your inheritance.”
“Why?”
“We don't know yet.”
After they left, I received a message.
From David.
You think you're winning.
Another message arrived.
You're going to regret this.
I didn't respond.
Instead, I forwarded the messages to the investigator.
For the first time, I realized something.
May you like
David wasn't angry because I had discovered his affair.
He was terrified because I had discovered his entire plan.
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