Chapter 10
The grand jury indicted Derek on fraud before the assault case even reached trial.
Insurance fraud.
Forgery.
Identity theft.
Coercion.
Domestic battery.
Violation of protective order.
Tampering with evidence.
Conspiracy with Suzanne and Patricia.
The charges sounded cold.
They did not smell like coffee.
They did not show the moment my skin burned.
They did not capture the way Derek sat there and said, “See what you made me do.”
But they mattered.
Cold words can still build a cage.
Derek’s attorney requested a meeting.
Olivia agreed.
I sat behind glass and watched.
Derek looked thinner.
Angrier.
Less polished.
He asked to speak to me alone.
Olivia laughed.
“No.”
He leaned forward.
“Skylar needs to hear the truth.”
Olivia folded her hands.
“She has heard enough lies directly.”
His lawyer offered settlement terms.
Derek would accept a plea on the assault if I dropped parts of the divorce claim and agreed not to pursue ownership of marital accounts.
Olivia stared.
“My client owns the apartment. Your client forged insurance documents. Your settlement offer is insulting.”
Derek snapped, “She owes me.”
There he was.
The real sentence beneath every fight.
She owes me.
Natalie watched the recording later and went pale.
“He used to say that to me.”
Elise said the same.
Another woman, Carmen, said he told her, “After everything I invested in you.”
Invested.
Owed.
Obey.
Derek did not love women.
He bought roles and punished anyone who refused to perform them.
The divorce hearing came first.
The judge granted me exclusive possession of my apartment.
Temporary spousal claims denied.
Financial restraining order continued.
Derek was barred from entering or contacting any institution holding my assets.
When the ruling came, I cried in the hallway.
Maya stood beside me.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Good answer.”
I laughed through tears.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
A photo of my apartment door.
May you like
Caption:
You can’t keep what belongs to us.
