Chapter 7
When I returned home that evening, Marcus was sitting on my front steps.
I stopped at the end of the driveway.
His Mercedes was parked along the curb.
His expensive suit was wrinkled.
For the first time in our marriage, he looked like a man who had lost control of his life.
He stood when he saw me.
"Nia."
I remained beside Tasha's car.
"Why are you here?"
"We need to talk."
"My lawyer told you not to contact me directly about the case."
He looked toward Tasha.
"Can you give us five minutes?"
She crossed her arms.
"No."
Marcus laughed bitterly.
"Of course. You never liked me."
Tasha looked unimpressed.
"I liked you just fine before you started committing crimes against my friend."
His jaw tightened.
"I haven't been convicted of anything."
"Then you should be careful about what you say."
I stepped forward.
"Marcus, leave."
He looked at me.
For a second, his expression softened.
"Nia, please."
I had heard that voice before.
After the first affair.
After he secretly withdrew money from our savings.
After he ruined my birthday dinner by accusing me of embarrassing him.
Every time, I had mistaken his fear of consequences for remorse.
But I was finished making that mistake.
"What do you want?"
He swallowed.
"I need your help."
I almost laughed.
"My help?"
"Things have gotten out of control."
"You mean people are discovering what you did?"
He looked away.
"Nia, I know I hurt you."
"You stole from me."
"I borrowed money."
"You forged my signature."
He didn't answer.
"You married another woman."
His shoulders dropped.
"I made bad decisions."
I stared at him.
"Bad decisions?"
He rubbed his face.
"I was under pressure."
"From who?"
"Investors."
"What investors?"
He glanced at Tasha.
"This isn't something I can discuss in front of her."
I shook my head.
"Then you don't need to discuss it with me."
I moved toward the door.
Marcus stepped aside, then spoke quickly.
"Selena is trying to destroy me."
I stopped.
"What?"
"She's been talking to investigators."
"Maybe because you lied to her."
"She doesn't understand the damage she's doing."
I turned.
"She understands perfectly."
He stared at me.
"You're taking her side?"
"I'm taking the side of the truth."
Marcus shook his head.
"Unbelievable."
Then his voice changed.
"That child is my daughter."
I looked at him.
"Exactly. Which is why you should have thought about her before you built your life on lies."
He went quiet.
I opened the door.
"Nia."
I paused.
His eyes were red.
"I never meant for this to happen."
I looked back.
"Maybe you didn't mean to get caught."
Then I walked inside.
Tasha followed.
We locked the door.
Marcus remained outside for several minutes.
Then his car drove away.
I didn't cry.
Not until I went upstairs.
In our bedroom, his clothes still hung beside mine.
His cologne sat on the dresser.
Our wedding photograph stood next to the lamp.
I picked it up.
Eleven years.
Eleven years of promises.
Eleven years of memories.
And I realized the strangest thing.
I didn't miss the man who had just stood outside my house.
I missed the man I had believed he was.
I set the photograph facedown.
Then I started packing his clothes.
The following morning, David called with news.
The trust company had confirmed that my grandmother's trust remained legally intact.
Several transactions required investigation, but the majority of its assets were secure.
My relief was overwhelming.
"Does that mean Marcus can't touch it?"
"Not through the authority he's claimed," David replied. "The company has suspended all questionable instructions and begun an independent review."
I closed my eyes.
"Thank you."
"There's another development."
I waited.
"Selena has provided investigators with copies of records showing Marcus used his company to solicit money from private investors."
"What kind of investments?"
"Commercial property deals. He promised substantial returns."
"And?"
"Some of those investments appear never to have existed."
I sat down.
"How much money?"
"At least four million dollars is currently under investigation. The amount could increase."
I stared at the wall.
Marcus had always claimed his company was thriving.
Now I understood why he needed constant loans.
He had been moving money from one obligation to another.
And when his business began collapsing, he tried to use my inheritance to rescue himself.
"Is he going to prison?"
"I can't predict that. Criminal investigators and prosecutors will determine what charges are appropriate."
I nodded.
"Okay."
David continued.
"There's something else you need to know."
My stomach tightened.
"Please don't tell me he has another family."
"No."
He paused.
"We found documents indicating Marcus attempted to obtain an evaluation supporting the claim that you were incapable of managing your financial affairs."
I felt sick.
"The psychiatrist?"
"Yes. But the physician's actual notes did not support that conclusion."
I exhaled.
"Then what happened?"
"Someone altered a copy of the report."
I stared ahead.
"Marcus."
"That's what investigators will need to determine. But the altered report appears in the property loan application."
I pressed my hand over my mouth.
He hadn't merely insulted my intelligence.
He had tried to turn my supposed incompetence into a legal weapon.
I remembered every time he called me emotional.
Every time he suggested I was confused.
Every time he told friends I was too fragile to work.
He had been creating a story about me.
A story he intended other people to believe.
That evening, Angela came to visit.
We sat in my grandmother's garden.
She looked at the roses and smiled.
"Evelyn loved these."
"I know."
"She used to say roses need pruning, but their roots must be protected."
I laughed softly.
"That sounds like Grandma."
Angela took my hand.
"You don't have to be strong every minute, sweetheart."
My eyes filled.
"I feel foolish."
She squeezed my fingers.
"Why?"
"Because I trusted him."
She shook her head.
"Trusting someone isn't a crime, Nia. Betraying trust is."
I leaned against her shoulder.
For the first time since discovering the affair, I felt something other than anger.
I felt hope.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message from Selena.
Marcus came by today. He says he's leaving the country.
I sat upright.
Another message appeared.
He's taking money with him.
May you like
I immediately called David.
And this time, I wasn't going to let Marcus disappear before he answered for what he'd done.
