Chapter 3

Ellen POV:

"I'm off to Austin again next week," Adrian announced over dinner. He avoided my gaze. "Urgent project." He packed a small bag. He kissed Cameron on the forehead. He gave me a quick, dismissive peck on the cheek.

"How long this time?" I asked, my voice flat.

"Just a few days. Three, maybe four." He grabbed his keys. He did not offer details. He rarely did.

I watched his car pull away from our rented apartment. The familiar feeling of abandonment usually accompanied his departures. Not this time. This time, I felt a surge of cold determination.

I logged into our family locator app. Adrian had insisted we install it for "safety," especially for Cameron. The app, on my phone, usually showed Adrian's location at his work sites or on a direct route home. Today, it showed him heading straight for the airport, then a flight path to Austin. I recorded the flight number, the departure and arrival times.

Once he landed, the locator showed his vehicle moving directly to the address of the house I knew too well from his burner phone. The $1.2 million house. The house he bought with our money for his other family. I documented the precise coordinates and the duration of his stay.

Then, I opened his burner phone again. I scrolled through his recent chats with Jasmine.

"I just landed, my love. Almost home."

"Oh, Adrian! We missed you so much! Angel's been asking for you every day. Dinner's ready, your favorite!"

"That's my girl. I'm starving. And I can't wait to see my boy."

My hands clenched around the phone. He was a doting husband, a loving father. For them. The irony was a bitter pill. Adrian never cooked for me. He always said he was "too tired" or "not a natural in the kitchen." He had specific reasons, always.

But he was a different man for Jasmine. He could cook. He could be present. He could be involved. He just chose not to be with me. He chose to be this version of himself for another woman.

Cameron walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. "Mom, is Dad really gone again?" His voice was small.

I knelt down, pulling him into a hug. "Yes, honey. He's on a work trip." The lie felt heavy on my tongue.

"Why does he always go away?" Cameron asked, his lower lip trembling. "He never comes to my soccer games. He never helps me with my homework anymore."

His words were a knife to my heart. Adrian's repeated absences had become a wound in our son's young life. I tightened my embrace. "He works very hard, sweetie. But I'm here. I'm always here for you."

Cameron reluctantly let go. He shuffled back to his room.

After Cameron was asleep, I laid out all the evidence I had collected. Screenshots of texts, bank statements, property deeds, social media posts. The other woman, Jasmine Simon, 29, stay-at-home mother. Her address in Austin, Texas. The $1.2 million house, purchased with a $240,000 down payment, fully financed by Adrian, title in Jasmine's name. The luxury SUV, financed by Adrian, registered to Jasmine. Their son, Angel Simon, 6 years old. Angel. Cameron. Their names were too similar. Another sickening detail.

The total amount Adrian had funneled to Jasmine over eight years-mortgage, car, lavish living expenses-was staggering. My calculations made my hands tremble. Over $1.5 million. All of it, money that should have been ours. Money that should have provided Cameron with a stable home, better opportunities. Money that Adrian had deprived us of, while he built a fantasy life for someone else.

I remembered Adrian's disdain when I once admired a modest $500 dress in a store window. "Ellen, are you serious? We have bills to pay. You don't need expensive clothes." Yet he had bought Jasmine a designer handbag, clearly visible in one of her social media photos, worth thousands.

I remembered my last birthday. I had hinted at wanting a small, delicate bracelet. Adrian bought me a cheap scarf. "It's practical, Ellen," he said, handing it to me. On Adrian's burner phone, I saw a message to Jasmine: "Happy Birthday, my love! Enjoy your new diamond earrings!" The attached bank statement showed a transfer of $5,000.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath. I would not let anger consume me. I would use it. This was not about revenge. This was about justice. My son deserved the life Adrian had stolen from us. I deserved to reclaim my dignity, my financial independence, and my future. Adrian would lose everything. I would make sure of it.