PART 5

Dale finally reached for my arm.

I stepped away.

“Don’t touch me.”

His hand fell.

“Carol, please.”

It was the first time I’d heard him say please in years.

And strangely, it didn’t hurt.

It made me tired.

Twenty-six years of marriage suddenly felt like a house after a fire.

You could still see the walls.

You could still recognize the rooms.

But everything inside had changed.

Dale lowered his voice.

“We can fix this.”

I looked at him.

“No.”

“Carol—”

“You’ve been fixing it for years.”

He stared at me.

“You’ve been moving money. Changing documents. Lying about debt. Signing my name.”

I pointed toward the folder.

“You weren’t trying to save our marriage.”

His eyes lowered.

“You were trying to make sure I paid for your escape.”

He had no answer.

Patrice placed her hand lightly on my shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

I nodded.

But before I walked away, I looked at Ashley.

She was standing beside the door, holding the engagement ring box.

She opened it.

The diamond caught the light.

Then she closed it.

“I don’t want this anymore.”

She placed the box on the counter.

Beside my notary stamp.

Then she walked out.

Dale followed her.

But at the doorway, he stopped.

He looked back at me.

For a moment, I saw the man I’d married at twenty-seven.

The man who had danced with me in our tiny apartment kitchen.

The man who had held our daughter’s hand when she was born.

The man who had promised me forever.

Then I remembered the signature.

And I realized something.

Maybe that man had existed once.

Maybe he hadn’t.

Either way, he was gone.

Dale left.

The door closed.

Patrice exhaled.

“Carol.”

“Yes?”

“You understand this is going to get ugly.”

I looked at the folder.

Then at the black appointment book.

Then at the engagement ring Ashley had left behind.

“No.”

I picked up my scissors.

“I think it already got ugly.”

Patrice smiled faintly.

“Good.”

She handed me her card.

“Because now we get organized.”

I thought the worst part would be discovering my husband’s affair.

I was wrong.

The worst part came Monday morning.

Because when Patrice called me at 8:17, she didn’t ask how I was feeling.

She said only five words.

“Carol, you need to sit down.”

I sat on the edge of my bed.

“What happened?”

“There is a second company.”

My stomach dropped.

“What?”

“A second company registered under your name.”

I stared at the wall.

Patrice continued.

“And Carol…”

Her voice changed.

“The company has been receiving millions in payments.”

My fingers tightened around the phone. “How much?”

She was silent for a moment.

Then she said,

“Enough to change everything.”

CONTINUE FOR NEXT PART….