MONIQUEThis time, I sat up straighter, folding my arms lightly. “Ms. Ariana was staying in the house as a guest. She overstepped her boundaries, assumed things that weren’t hers to assume. I confronted her. We exchanged words. That’s all it was.”The officer raised a brow. “And the police call?”I inhaled slowly, controlling every syllable. “I called because she refused to leave the room she wasn’t supposed to be in. I lost my patience, and maybe I shouldn't have called, but she was pregnant and I didn't want to drag her out and cause her and her unborn child harm.”The officers nodded. "That seems reasonable..."The officer scribbled something down. His partner exchanged a glance with him before looking back down at our statements.Ryan’s leg bounced nervously under the table. For the first time, I realized he was more afraid of me than of them."What about you, Mr Bennett? You reported your wife missing?""Yes," Ryan nodded."I see here you didn't mention anything about a disagreem
MONIQUE“Okay, let’s say… maybe I bought you the wrong Louis Vuitton bag,” he suggested, shrugging as if it were a serious point.I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you serious right now? You want me to sound shallow, like I left for two weeks without a word just because you bought me a fake....or the wrong Louis Vuitton bag?”He shrugged again. “Yeah. I don’t see any problem with that.”I shook my head, silently questioning how the hell I had gotten married to this man and how shallow he thought I was. “No. I’m not saying that.”“Then what do you want to say?” he asked, hesitantly.“I think… maybe I can say it was our… we… maybe I can say you spend too much time at work, and I was angry you forgot about something important and wanted to see if you’d notice me missing.”“No, I don’t like that,” I quickly took my words back.“It’s perfect,” Ryan suddenly declared, his tone final. “You’re the one who said it, so we’re going with it. I am a workaholic, and I forgot something important betw
The lawyer looked at Ryan, his expression apologetic. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Bennett. I believed the statement was agreed upon by both of you. It was given to me by your husband, and I assumed you were on the same page. But… it seems there’s always a bit of miscommunication here and there.”I shrugged casually, letting it appear as if I didn’t care.“Monique…” Ryan’s voice was sharp, small, but threatening.“What? I’m not saying that, Ryan!” I snapped, my voice rising slightly. “You wrote it as if I were mad, crazy. In the future, when I call the police, no one will take me seriously because you live with a crazy person. No! I won’t do that. And we both know why I left. I didn’t leave because I was moody!”“Excuse us for a second,” Ryan interrupted, his tone controlled but edged with irritation.“Yes, of course. Not a problem, you can use my office,” the lawyer said, standing and leaving the room.Ryan waited until the lawyer had stepped out before turning fully toward me. His anger was ba
I nodded politely, keeping my posture straight.“Please have a seat,” The lawyer said, motioning toward the large oak table and the chairs across from it.Ryan sat first, spreading himself with the air of a man used to control. I took the seat opposite him, turning slightly toward the lawyer. Inside, I felt a surge of quiet determination, I couldn’t wait to strip control out of Ryan’s hands.The lawyer cleared his throat when he knew we were ready for him and he had our attention.“Mr. Bennett, Mrs. Bennett, thank you for coming. I understand this is short notice, but I have taken care of everything to ensure this matter is handled properly.”“That’s good,” Ryan said, his voice smooth, measured. “I trust that you have done a good job. Monique and I have agreed to clarify the situation with the authorities so there are no more misunderstandings or exaggerations.”I met his gaze, resisting the urge to let a smirk creep onto my lips. Ryan wanted a compliant robot, a person without though
The driver stopped in front of the lawyer’s office. Ryan, as usual, got out first, adjusted his suit, and walked over to open my door. He was trying to play the perfect husband role in public, like always. I stepped out gracefully, making sure my head was held high. If there was one thing I wasn’t going to give him, it was the satisfaction of seeing me shaken.We walked side by side into the building, his hand lightly touching my back, guiding me, not out of affection, but control. I let it be. Fighting him here wouldn't help me or my agenda in any way.Inside, the receptionist welcomed us politely and directed us to a waiting room. Ryan sat down, already scrolling through his phone again, pretending like nothing about this entire situation bothered him. But I could feel the tension radiating from him. He was worried about the police and probably what the lawyer might say lawyer might I watched him, enjoying his nervousness, savoring his unease. His eyes flicked up to me, and he must
Marcus went quiet."Be careful with him, Monique.""Of course. Always" Marcus’s voice hardened slightly. “Okay, but remember our plan. You have to make sure the police remember this moment and that they remember you, so that when anything happens in the future, there’s a public record.”“I know. I’m not stupid. I’m not going to read Ryan's report from start to finish. I’m going to improvise on it a little.”“Yes, that’s good. That’s right, precious,” he said, his voice softening.I let out a quiet breath, feeling a small spark of reassurance. At least here, with Marcus, I had someone I could trust, someone who would see through Ryan’s control and manipulation.“Thank you,” I said softly. “And… I miss you so much.”“Don’t worry,” he replied without hesitation, his voice warm and steady. “I’m going to be with you every step of the way. I’ll be there with you, even if you don't see me, you'll feel my presence.”I nodded instinctively, even though he couldn’t see me. “Thank you. It means