Chapter 5: The Price of Betrayal
I didn’t sleep that night.
Not because I was angry.
Anger was simple.
Clean.
Easy to understand.
What kept me awake was something worse.
Doubt.
I replayed every moment of my marriage.
Every conversation.
Every argument.
Every time Simone looked at me and said everything was fine.
How many of those moments were real?
How many were performances?
The next morning, I sat in the same living room where Simone had kissed Marcus in front of me.
But everything felt different.
The room hadn’t changed.
I had.
Evelyn arrived at nine.
She placed a coffee on the table.
“You look like you didn’t sleep.””
“I didn’t.””
She glanced at the papers.
“What did you find?””
I handed them to her.
She read silently.
Her expression became colder with every page.
“This is worse than I expected.””
“What is it?””
She looked up.
“Marcus wasn’t interested in Simone.””
I waited.
“He was interested in access.””
“To what?””
“My business.””
Evelyn nodded.
“Your company has been growing for years. Your illness created uncertainty.””
I looked at the floor.
“So he saw weakness.””
“He saw opportunity.””
That word stayed with me.
Opportunity.
That was how people like Marcus saw pain.
Not as something to support.
As something to use.
My phone rang.
A number I didn’t recognize.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A man’s voice responded.
“Adrian.””
I knew immediately.
Marcus.
“What do you want?””
A laugh.
“You always were dramatic.””
I said nothing.
“You know, I actually respected you.””
I looked at Evelyn.
She was listening.
“Did you?””
“Yeah.””
Marcus’s voice became casual.
“Before you got sick.””
There it was.
The same belief.
The same arrogance.
That sickness had erased me.
“You called to insult me?””
“No.””
A pause.
“I called because Simone is going to make you think she’s innocent.””
I frowned.
“And you’re going to tell me she isn’t?””
“I’m telling you she’s worse than you think.””
I almost smiled.
“Why would I believe you?””
“Because I know what she did.””
The line went quiet.
Then Marcus continued.
“She never planned to leave you.””
My hand tightened around the phone.
“What?””
“She planned to stay.””
Evelyn’s expression changed.
“Why?””
Marcus laughed softly.
“Because staying gave her access.””
I felt something cold settle inside me.
“What access?””
“Ask her about the account.””
The call ended.
I stared at the phone.
Evelyn immediately asked:
“What account?””
“I don’t know.””
But I knew who would.
Simone.
I called her.
She answered after one ring.
“Adrian?””
“Where are you?””
A pause.
“At my sister’s.””
“Come here.””
Silence.
“Why?””
“Because we’re done pretending.””
She arrived thirty minutes later.
No makeup.
No perfect dress.
No performance.
Just exhaustion.
She looked at Evelyn.
Then at me.
“You talked to him.””
“Yes.””
Her face dropped.
“You shouldn’t have.””
I studied her.
“Why?””
“Because Marcus doesn’t tell the truth.””
I nodded.
“Neither do you.””
That hurt her.
Good.
“I made mistakes.””
“You keep saying that.””
“Because it’s true.””
“No.””
I looked directly at her.
“It’s an excuse.””
She sat down.
“I was scared.””
“Of what?””
“Losing everything.””
I almost laughed.
“Everything?””
She looked around.
“At this?””
“At the life we built.””
I shook my head.
“You weren’t afraid of losing me.””
Her eyes filled.
“You don’t understand.””
“Then explain.””
She was quiet.
Finally, she whispered:
“Marcus knew about the account before I did.””
“What account?””
She looked at Evelyn.
Then back at me.
“The recovery account.””
My stomach tightened.
The account created during my illness.
The one that held money for my medical expenses.
“How did he know?””
“I don’t know.””
“You expect me to believe that?””
“No.””
Her voice broke.
“I expect you to believe that I was stupid.””
That was the first honest thing she had said.
I looked away.
Simone continued.
“He convinced me you were going to leave me with nothing.””
“I never would have.””
“I know.””
The answer came immediately.
Too immediately.
She knew.
She always knew.
“Then why?””
She covered her face.
“Because I believed him.””
The silence that followed felt heavier than shouting.
Then Evelyn’s phone rang.
She checked the screen.
Her expression changed.
“What?””
She stood.
“What is it?””
She turned the phone toward us.
A news alert.
A company filing.
A name.
Marcus.
I read the headline.
And my entire body went cold.
May you like
Because Marcus wasn’t just trying to steal my money.
He was trying to take my entire future.
