Chapter 5 - The Final Ultimatum
The silence in the dining room returned, but this time it was charged with a dangerous, volatile energy.
I looked down at the phone still clutched in my hand. The screen was still lit, displaying my attorney's contact card.
Thaddius realized the ground beneath his feet—both literally and financially—was completely gone. He lunged around the table, his usual arrogance entirely evaporated, replaced by a pathetic, frantic desperation.
"Sara, wait!" he cried out, reaching out to grab my wrist. "Don't call them! We can fix this! We can talk about this in private! You can't just throw seven years away over a spilled glass of wine and some old land deeds!"
I pulled my arm away from his grip with a sharp, decisive jerk, stepping back until my chair put a barrier between us.
"It wasn't a spilled glass of wine, Thaddius," I said, my voice cutting through the holiday decorations like ice. "That wine just washed away the last illusion I had about who you are."
I unlocked my phone, pressed my thumb against the screen, and finally hit dial.
May you like
On the other end, the line connected on the very first ring.
"David," I said clearly, looking straight into Thaddius’s horror-stricken eyes as the phone pressed against my ear. "File the petition for dissolution of marriage. And pull up every single financial and mortgage record tied to the estate. We're launching a full forensic audit."
