Chapter 6 - The Woman Who Changed Sides
Sarah came to us voluntarily.
I almost refused to see her.
Claire convinced me otherwise.
“She may be awful,” she said, “and still know something useful.”
Sarah arrived without makeup.
Without designer clothes.
Without the arrogant smile from the ballroom.
She looked exhausted.
“I didn’t know.”
I stared at her.
“You laughed while his mother dragged me by the hair.”
She flinched.
“I know.”
“That part you knew.”
“Yes.”
“Then start there.”
Sarah cried.
I felt nothing.
She admitted the affair had lasted fourteen months.
Marcus told her our marriage was already over.
He promised to divorce me after the baby was born.
He told her I was unstable.
Possessive.
Manipulative.
“He said you refused to let him leave.”
I almost laughed.
“He barely came home.”
Sarah looked down.
Then she handed Claire a flash drive.
Marcus had given her access to an encrypted folder because he trusted her to manage certain appointments.
Inside were schedules.
Payments.
Messages.
One audio recording.
Marcus’s voice.
Evelyn’s voice.
And another man.
They were discussing me.
Evelyn said, “Once the child is born, Grace becomes unnecessary.”
Marcus answered, “I know.”
The third man asked, “And if she fights custody?”
Marcus replied calmly.
“She won’t be in a position to fight.”
My hands turned cold.
Sarah began crying again.
“I thought he meant divorce lawyers.”
Claire asked, “Why come now?”
Sarah looked at me.
“Because last night he told me I should leave the country.”
“Why?”
“He said this could get ugly.”
Her voice trembled.
“Then I realized he had already transferred money into an account under my name.”
Claire went still.
“How much?”
“Two million dollars.”
Damian looked at her sharply.
Sarah whispered, “I think he was setting me up.”
That was exactly what he had done.
The payments tied Sarah to shell companies used to move Sterling funds.
If investigators discovered them, she would look like the thief.
Marcus had planned exits for everyone.
For me.
For Sarah.
Perhaps even for Evelyn.
And people like Marcus always made one mistake.
May you like
They believed betrayal flowed only outward.
They never imagined it could come back.
