ANMELDENMONIQUE The words hung there. Empty and Useless. I studied him for a second And then I nodded slowly.“I know,” I said.A pause. “But that doesn’t change anything.”His shoulders sagged. “I didn’t expect it to,” he admitted.I straightened slightly. “The case is already filed,” I said. “And I’m not withdrawing it.”He nodded.“I understand.”“I’m also helping the others,” I added. “The ones you hurt.”He nodded again.“I understand that too.”Another silence. This one is quieter and more Final.I took a breath.“I came here because I needed to hear it from you,” I said. “Not because I wanted to fix anything.”He didn’t argue.“There’s nothing left to fix,” I finished.His eyes closed briefly. “Yes,” he said.I turned slightly, ready to leave. But then I stopped, just for a second.“And Mr Smith?”He looked up and I met his eyes one last time.“My father trusted you,” I said quietly. “That should have meant something.”His face broke again, but this time… I didn’t stay to see it. I tu
MONIQUE Three days later, Henry had found Mr Smith.In those three days, he had also dug up more and more details into what Mr Smith had done, and we had realised that I wasn’t the only one who had lost money.Apparently, he owed people money. Lots of money too. Not just ordinary people. The kind of people who gave you money and expected double in return. The kind of people you didn’t walk away from. The kind of people who didn’t forgive.He had taken from them too To keep his parties going. To keep his life looking normal. To keep up appearances. And now those people were looking for him. Actively and Relentlessly.Thankfully, Henry tracked him down before they did. He was in Thailand. They got him quietly, and they brought him back.Marcus came to me after, his expression serious, measured.“How do you want to do this?” he asked. “Do you want us to take him straight to the police? Or… do you want to handle it differently?”But by then, it wasn’t just about me anymore. The list of p
MONIQUE “He didn’t just leave town,” Henry said. “He cleared out. Everything. His businesses, his house… he sold what he could, abandoned the rest.”I sat up fully now.“What do you mean cleared out?” I asked. “What are you trying to say?”“Yes,” Henry continued. “His office is closed. Staff dismissed. Files moved. And some of the records connected to your inheritance… they’re no longer where they should be.”I went silent. Frozen. I felt Marcus’s grip on my hand tighten.“You mean… he took them?” I asked slowly.“I’m still confirming,” Henry said, “but right now it looks like he either moved them… or he destroyed them.”Silence again. Heavy.“I’ll keep digging,” he added quickly. “But Monique… It’s not looking good.”My voice came out weaker than I expected.“Just tell me… what is going on?”There was a pause on the line. Then Henry spoke again, slower this time.“When I looked into his finances… we found something.”My chest tightened.“What?”“He invested large amounts of money,”
MONIQUE My inheritance?“I found that strange,” she continued quietly. “Because last he knew, you and I weren’t even talking. I was still… against Marcus. So for him to call me instead of you…”She trailed off, and I could hear the hesitation in her voice.“He told me to warn you,” she added finally. “To be very careful of Marcus. Especially now… after everything that happened with Mrs Bennett and her daughter and grandchildren on the news. He said Marcus might try to use you because of the inheritance.”I blinked, absorbing that. It didn’t sit right. Not even a little.“And this was before the press conference, I assume?” I asked.“Yes,” she said. “Before everything came out. And I don’t know… he sounded… off.”“Off?” I repeated.“A little nervous. Agitated, maybe. I can’t really explain it, but it didn’t feel right.”I stayed quiet for a moment, letting her words settle.“Maybe you should go see him,” she added.“Okay,” I said. “I’ll do that.”We spoke a little longer after that, a
MONIQUE I couldn’t take it anymore.I moved before I could stop myself.I walked straight to him and wrapped my arms around him. Tight.Grounding him.Stopping him.“I’ve got you,” I whispered.I didn’t want him to keep going.I didn’t want him to relive it anymore.It was all too much and enough.He paused just for a second. And then I gently pulled him away from the podium. No one stopped us. No one said anything.We just… left.We didn’t speak on the way to the car. Although the silence wasn’t awkward. It was the kind of silence that says everything without words.We got into the car, and the driver pulled away. For a few minutes, it was just the sound of the road. Then suddenly,“Stop the car.”The driver braked immediately and Marcus got out before I could say anything. I gave him a few seconds before I followed him. And right there, on the sidewalk… He broke.Not loudly. Not dramatically. But completely.All the control. All the strength. All the restraint he had held together
MONIQUE I held Marcus's hand more tightly, needing him to feel me.“You’re not a child or alone anymore,” I reminded him gently.This time, he turned his head slightly, looking at me.“I know,” he said. And again… he meant it.I held his gaze for a moment before speaking again.“Tomorrow is going to be hard,” I said. “But it’s also going to be the end of something.”His brow furrowed slightly. “The end?”“The end of them having power over you,” I clarified.Something in his expression shifted at that. Something real. He looked back up at the ceiling, like he was turning the idea over in his mind.“The end…” he repeated quietly.“Yes,” I said. “And the beginning of you finally being free of all of it.”Another long pause. Then, finally.“You'll Stay,” he said.I squeezed his hand gently. “I am here to stay. I’m not going anywhere.”His body relaxed just slightly beside me. Not fully, but enough. Enough to let the silence settle. Enough to let the night pass.*Morning came faster than
MONIQUEDinner that night was quiet.Nadia didn’t join us. It was just Marcus and me. We ate together but I had no appetite. Marcus kept trying to get me to eat. He even fed me at one point, which somehow made me laugh despite everything. I knew he was trying, telling stories, joking, doing everyt
MONIQUE Detective Mark finally stopped the recording.“Thank you, Ms Moffat,” he said sincerely. “Your statement is detailed. This will move the case forward... I will also contact Detective Hernandez to get a picture of the case.”Patrick nodded, rising beside me, and shook hands with the detecti
MONIQUEI sighed before I continued,“He told me about you accusing him of trying to get me to divorce Ryan,” I said firmly. “I already told you, I do not want to be with Ryan. I do not want to be married to him a second longer. It wasn’t Marcus’s decision, and you still went and confronted him.”“
MONIQUEI step out of the car too and walk around to Marcus’s side. He gives me a small smile as he closes the door behind me, but my mind is spinning.I don’t know how to put it into words. I don’t know why it feels like this. But Aunt Jane keeps asking me if I’m sure… keeps repeating it… keeps pl







