Chapter 3

The next day, Olivia was back. She arrived just as I was clearing the breakfast dishes, a triumphant smile on her face. David had already left for a "meeting," but I knew he was with her.

"Sarah," she said, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. "I' m so sorry about last night. David told me everything. It must be so hard for you, feeling so left out."

My son, Ethan, ran to her and gave her a big hug. "Olivia! Are you going to be my new mom? My dad said you' re way smarter than my old mom."

The words were a punch to the gut, but I kept my face blank. Ethan was just a child, repeating what he had been taught. My anger was reserved for the adults who were poisoning his mind.

Olivia patted his head, her eyes gleaming. "Oh, sweetie. Your mom just needs a little rest. We' ll take good care of you." She glanced at me, a flicker of malice in her eyes. I saw her subtly press a button on her phone, which she had placed on the counter. A recording app. She was trying to provoke me, to capture an outburst she could use against me.

She wanted a fight. I wasn't going to give her one.

I had been up all night. While they were sleeping, I was working. I used an old, encrypted laptop I had hidden away to contact my former lawyer. I drafted a new post-nuptial agreement. It was disguised as a simple asset allocation form, something a busy, arrogant man like David would never bother to read closely. Buried in the jargon were clauses that terminated his control over all pre-marital assets and transferred the full balance of my original investment back into a new, private account under my sole name.

"Actually, Olivia," I said, my voice calm and even. "I was just about to talk to David about some financial matters. Since you' re his business partner, maybe you should be here for this."

Just then, David walked in. He looked annoyed to see me looking so composed.

"What is it, Sarah? I' m busy."

I placed a folder on the kitchen island. "It' s just some paperwork. For the investments you' re managing. My lawyer said we should update our asset strategy to better support your new ventures."

I used his own lies against him. The mention of his "new ventures" and "asset strategy" stroked his ego perfectly. Olivia looked intrigued, probably thinking I was finally surrendering more money to them.

David picked up the papers and glanced at the first page. It was filled with dense financial language he pretended to understand.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said impatiently, flipping to the last page. "Where do I sign?"

"Right here," I said, pointing to the line at the bottom.

He scribbled his name without a second' s hesitation, his mind already on the lunch he was planning with Olivia. He tossed the pen down and pushed the folder back to me.

"There. Happy now? Don' t bother me with this stuff again. That' s my job."

"Perfectly happy," I said, a small smile touching my lips.

I picked up the folder and my phone. I walked into the study and closed the door. I immediately scanned the signed document and emailed it to my broker, who was on standby.

The instructions were simple: "Execute immediately."

Five minutes later, my phone buzzed with a confirmation email. The transfer was complete. All of it. The millions I had earned, the money he had been bleeding dry for Olivia' s fraudulent company, was safe. It was mine again.

Not thirty seconds later, David' s phone began to ring. I could hear his angry, confused voice from the other room. I stepped out of the study. He was staring at his phone, his face pale.

"What the hell is this?" he yelled, looking at me. "I just got an alert from the bank! The joint investment account has been emptied! Where' s the money?"

"It' s not 'the' money, David," I said, my voice as cold as the steel in my spine. "It' s my money. And I' ve taken it back."

His jaw dropped. Olivia looked just as stunned.

"You can' t do that!" he sputtered. "That' s our money! For the family! For Ethan!"

"Our family?" I laughed, a real, bitter laugh this time. "You mean for you and her? To fund her failing company? Don' t lie to me anymore, David. I know you' ve funneled over two million dollars to her in the last six months alone."

His face turned from white to red. "How... how did you...?"

"You think because I became a homemaker, I became an idiot? You' ve been using my fortune as your personal piggy bank, fixing every bad decision you make, funding your girlfriend' s scam. You thought I wouldn' t notice? You thought I wouldn' t care?"

He stared at me, speechless. The power dynamic in the room had shifted completely. He was no longer the one in control.

"That money has been propping you up for years, David," I said, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. "Every time one of your brilliant ideas failed, my portfolio was there to patch the hole. Every time you needed to impress someone, you used my wealth. You haven' t been a provider. You' ve been a parasite."

He looked from my face to the signed document in my hand, the realization dawning on him. He had been tricked. By me. The docile, obedient wife he had taken for granted.

"You... you planned this," he stammered.

"You taught me to be thorough," I said, turning to walk away. "Consider this my first move in a game you don' t even know how to play."