Chapter 10 - The Unholy Alliance
I looked down at the phone screen, scrolling through months of manipulative, fabricated messages where Mark had painted me as a tyrannical warden while living off my sweat and blood.
The sheer depth of his deceit wasn't just malicious; it was pathological. He had lied to everyone—me, Vanessa, his medical providers, and his casual acquaintances—creating an intricate web of fiction designed entirely to fuel his parasitic lifestyle.
“He’s gone, isn't he?” I asked quietly, looking back up at Vanessa.
“He took his car, his watch collection, and whatever cash he had stashed in his golf bag,” Vanessa wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her coat, her voice hardening with sudden, bitter resentment. “He thinks he’s going to lay low at some high-roller hotel downtown until this blows over.”
I pulled my key from the lock, pushed the front door open, and stepped into the warm, familiar foyer of my home. Then, I turned back to look at the trembling mistress standing on my porch.
“If you want to salvage what’s left of your life, Vanessa,” I said softly, “you’re going to walk into Harrison Vance’s law office tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. and hand over every single text, email, and financial record Mark ever sent you.”
May you like
Vanessa blinked, stunned. “You... you want me to testify against him?”
“I want to make sure he doesn't have a single escape hatch left,” I replied, the hundred-million-dollar lottery ticket burning a quiet, powerful weight in my handbag. “And trust me—you want to be on the winning side of this audit when it hits the courtroom.”
