Chapter 4 - The Collateral DamageBy Thursday morning, the shockwaves had completely leveled what was left of the extended family.
My phone had not stopped buzzing since 7:00 AM. Group chats I didn't even remember joining were blowing up with frantic messages from aunts, uncles, and cousins demanding to know why Anthony had filed for emergency asset freezing, why Olivia was staying in a cheap extended-stay motel, and why Shawn was currently living out of his sedan in a corporate park parking lot.
“How could you do this to your own family over a spilled cake?” my mother-in-law texted in all caps, completely omitting the part where her golden-child daughter had been embezzling money and committing adultery.
I ignored them all. I dropped Maya off at school, her small hand gripping mine tightly, her little face relaxed for the first time in days.
"Mom?" she asked as we stood by the school gates.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Are we going to live somewhere else?"
I knelt down, brushing a stray curl from her forehead, and smiled. "No, honey. This is our home. We aren't going anywhere. Dad is just staying somewhere else for a while so we can have some quiet time."
She nodded solemnly, seeming to accept the answer, and skipped off toward the playground.
When I got back to the house, a sleek black sedan was idling in my driveway. Anthony stepped out of the driver's seat before I even cut my engine.
He looked terrible. His eyes were bloodshot, dark purple bruises of exhaustion carved deep beneath them, and his posture was completely slumped. But when he walked over to my car door and opened it for me, there was a stark, cold determination in his gaze that mirrored my own.
"I saw the forensic accountant's initial report this morning," Anthony said without preamble, leaning against the door frame. "She drained our college fund, Grace. Not just a little. Three hundred thousand dollars. Gone. Funneled straight into Marcus’s shell company."
I stepped out of the car, crossing my arms against the morning chill. "I'm so sorry, Anthony. I had no idea it was that bad. Shawn only mentioned the wire transfers; he swore he didn't know the full extent."
"Shawn knew," Anthony said grimly, his voice flat. "I called him this morning. He tried to feed me the same line—that he was just trying to protect family harmony. Harmony." He let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Well, his harmony is going to cost him half his retirement and his marriage."
May you like
"I've already contacted a lawyer," I told him quietly. "I'm filing for divorce, Anthony. I can't live with a man who watches me get humiliated and then asks me to apologize for it."
Anthony looked at me, a flicker of genuine respect softening his harsh expression. "Good for you, Grace. Honestly. The rest of this family spent our whole lives bowing down to Olivia because she threw the loudest tantrums. It’s about time someone burned the temple down."
Related Stories
