Chapter 4
I met Amanda Chen at her office the next morning.
She was sharp, professional, and didn’t waste any time.
“Tell me everything,” she said, opening a notebook.
I did.
From the very beginning.
How Michael and I met.
How he’d swept me off my feet.
How Sarah had been my maid of honor at our wedding.
How Diane had never liked me, not even from day one.
Amanda listened, taking notes, asking questions when she needed clarification.
When I finished, she leaned back in her chair.
“Okay. Here’s what we know. Your husband has been having an affair with your sister for an undetermined amount of time. Your mother-in-law knew about it and actively encouraged it. They’ve been lying to you for years.”
I nodded, my throat tight.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” she continued. “First, we file for divorce immediately. We’ll request full custody of Emma, given the circumstances of his infidelity and the toxic environment his family creates. Second, we’re going to dig into his finances. If he’s been spending marital money on your sister, we’ll get every penny back. Third, we’re going to make sure the truth comes out. In court, if necessary.”
“Can we prove the affair?” I asked.
Amanda smiled.
“Leave that to me. Between phone records, credit card statements, and possibly surveillance, we’ll have more than enough proof. Especially if he’s been careless enough to call her from his family dinner.”
She was right.
Michael had been arrogant.
He’d thought he could get away with anything.
With Diane covering for him.
With Sarah playing the innocent sister.
They’d all underestimated me.
“One more thing,” Amanda said. “You need to go back to the house. Get your things. Get Emma’s things. And while you’re there, look for anything that might help. Bank statements, receipts, old phones, anything.”
My stomach twisted.
I didn’t want to go back there.
Not with Michael there.
Not with all those memories.
“I’ll go with you,” Lisa said later, when I told her about the plan. “You don’t have to face him alone.”
I was grateful.
So grateful.
That afternoon, we drove to my house.
Michael’s car was in the driveway.
Of course it was.
He was probably waiting for me.
Lisa squeezed my hand.
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
We walked up to the front door.
I unlocked it and stepped inside.
The house smelled like him.
Like the life we’d built together.
A life that was now a lie.
Michael was sitting on the couch, waiting.
He stood up when he saw me.
“Thank God you’re home. I’ve been so worried—”
“I’m not here to talk,” I said, my voice steady. “I’m here to get my things. And Emma’s things.”
His face fell.
“Please. Let’s just talk. We can work through this.”
“Work through what?” Lisa spoke up, stepping forward. “The fact that you’ve been sleeping with her sister for God knows how long? The fact that your entire family knew and covered for you?”
Michael’s eyes flickered with anger.
“This is family business. Stay out of it.”
“Lisa stays,” I said firmly. “She’s my family. More than you’ve ever been.”
I walked past him toward the bedroom.
He tried to follow.
Lisa blocked his path.
“Give her space.”
I started packing.
Clothes. Shoes. Emma’s favorite stuffed animals. Her art supplies.
Everything that mattered.
As I moved through the house, I looked for what Amanda had suggested.
In the home office, I found a stack of old credit card statements.
I flipped through them quickly.
Hotel charges. Restaurant bills. Jewelry stores.
All on Thursdays.
All while he’d claimed to be working late.
My hands shook as I put them in my bag.
More proof.
More lies.
In the back of a desk drawer, I found an old phone.
Not his current one.
An older model.
I turned it on.
It still worked.
The text messages were still there.
Hundreds of them.
Between Michael and Sarah.
Going back three years.
Three years.
Emma was eight.
Which meant…
I felt sick.
I couldn’t breathe.
The messages got worse and worse the further back I went.
I love you, Sarah. I can’t wait until we can be together openly.
Soon, baby. Just a little longer. She’s so clueless.
I closed my eyes.
Tears burned hot against my cheeks.
But I didn’t let them fall.
Not here.
Not in front of him.
I put the phone in my bag too.
I had what I needed.
More than enough.
When I came out of the office, Michael was arguing with Lisa.
He stopped when he saw me.
Saw the bag in my hand.
Saw the look on my face.
“What did you find?” he asked, his voice small.
May you like
I looked him dead in the eye.
“Everything.”
