Chapter 4 - The Threat of the Threat
The text message was a classic intimidation tactic. Cole wanted me to know that he had dirt on me. Five years ago, during my messy divorce from my ex-husband—a man who had tried to gaslight me into believing I was losing my mind—I had attended therapy and taken a brief leave of absence from work. It was a standard, healthy process of recovery, but in the hands of a skilled, expensive lawyer, it could be twisted into a narrative of "mental instability."
He was trying to scare me into silence.
Instead, it only made me more determined.
That evening, I drove to Mara’s neighborhood. She and Cole lived in a secure, gated community in the hills, surrounded by high walls and security cameras. I couldn't just walk up to the front door.
I parked down the street, waiting in the shadows. After an hour, I saw Cole’s sleek black sports car pull out of the driveway and head toward the highway. He was likely meeting his business partners—or his mistress, a rumor I had heard whispering through our social circles.
I quickly walked up to the house, avoiding the main security camera angles, and knocked softly on the side door near the kitchen.
Mara opened it, her eyes wide with panic when she saw me. "Nora! What are you doing here? If Cole finds out—"
"He's not here, Mara," I said, slipping inside and closing the door. "I need you to listen to me. He sent me a threatening text today. He’s trying to intimidate me because he knows I’m onto him."
Mara gripped her stomach, her face pale. "Nora, please stop. He’s been so stressed lately. The new development project is having financial trouble, and he’s... he’s been drinking more. If you provoke him, he’ll take it out on me."
"Is that what happened last week?" I asked gently, stepping closer. "He was stressed, so he hurt you?"
Mara broke down, sobbing quietly, covering her face with her hands. "He... he threw a glass at the wall. When I tried to clean it up, he grabbed me. He said I was useless, that I was ruining his life. He’s never been this bad, Nora. I’m so scared for the baby."
"We are going to get you out," I said, wrapping my arms around her. "But we have to do it legally and safely. I need you to do something for me. Do you have access to his home office?"
"No, it's always locked," she whispered. "But... he keeps a backup drive in his safe in our closet. He thinks I don't know the code, but I saw him enter it once. It's our anniversary date."
"I need you to copy that drive," I said. "It has his financial records. If I can prove he’s committing fraud and bribery, his empire collapses. He won't have the money to fight you for custody."
Mara looked terrified, but as she looked down at her pregnant belly, something shifted in her eyes. The protective maternal instinct was finally overriding her fear.
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"Okay," she whispered. "I'll do it. But you have to promise me we’ll get away."
"I promise you, Mara," I said, kissing her forehead. "We are going to bring his perfect world crashing down."
