Chapter 4

I left my in-laws' depressing neighborhood and checked into a cheap hotel. I didn't rush to confront anyone or call a lawyer.

I worked in project management, so I understood one fundamental truth. If I wanted a building to collapse completely, I had to identify the load-bearing walls first and then demolish them with precision.

For Zoe and Caden, those walls were their precious reputations.

I logged into every bank account and pulled up three years of transaction records. Each transfer felt like a knife sliding between my ribs.

Every year without fail, Zoe had moved a hundred thousand dollars into another account. The recipient was Caden's sister, who ran a nail salon.

Then, I checked my retirement fund account. I rarely monitored it because I assumed the balance kept growing steadily. When I looked at the records, I found a withdrawal of 200 thousand dollars from six months ago.

The stated reason was a down payment for a house purchase. However, I had never bought a house.

I followed the trail and used a contact at the vehicle registry office to discover that Caden now owned a brand new Audi A4. The purchase date fell exactly three days after my retirement fund withdrawal.

Perfect. What a brilliant scheme.

She had stolen my savings to buy her lover a car so he could show off. This went beyond simple infidelity. This was outright theft and fraud.

I stood at the window and stared out at the city lights while fireworks exploded in the distance. Tomorrow would be the second day of the New Year.

Zoe had always forbidden me from visiting her family in the past. This year, I planned to bring them a very special gift.

…

At noon on the second day of the New Year, I showed up at their door carrying that case of counterfeit liquor.

Before I could even knock, laughter spilled out from inside.

"Man, Caden can really hold his liquor! Come on, let me pour you another!"

"Zoe, you're so lucky to find someone like Caden. He's thoughtful and successful."

I took a deep breath and knocked. The laughter cut off instantly.

"Who could that be at this hour?" Linda's booming voice carried through the door.

Shuffling footsteps approached. The door swung open.

Linda wore her holiday best, and her face still held the fawning smile she hadn't had time to wipe away. When she recognized me, that smile froze solid.

"You... What are you doing here?"

Her voice came out strangled and shrill. I ignored her attempt to block me and pushed past her into the apartment.

"Happy New Year, Mom. I came to see you for the holidays. Am I not welcome?"

My voice stayed quiet, but it carried an unmistakable edge.

The living room was packed with relatives. The previously festive gathering went completely silent.

The air itself seemed to thicken as every pair of eyes locked onto me. Some looked surprised. Some looked disgusted. Most looked at me like I was a beggar who had crashed an upscale party.

Zoe and Caden occupied the seats of honor in the center. They were practically joined at the hip. Both of them were holding wine glasses. The moment Zoe saw me walk in with the liquor case, her hand jerked, and wine splashed all over Caden's pants.

All the color drained from her face, and the nuts she was snacking on spilled from her lap as she stared at me in terror. Caden recovered faster. He shot to his feet and jabbed a finger at me with open hostility.

"Who the hell are you? You can't just barge into someone's home! Get out!"

I didn't even glance at him. I pulled out a chair and sat down. Then, I slammed the case of counterfeit liquor onto the table.

"Who am I?" I scanned the assembled relatives before letting my gaze settle on my father-in-law George Steele's ashen face.

"Dad, your memory must be slipping. We haven't seen each other in a few days, and you've already forgotten your own son-in-law?"

His complexion cycled between red and white. He slapped the table hard. "Edgar! You've got some nerve showing up here!

"You're divorced! Why are you still causing trouble? Don't cause a scene on the New Year! Take your stuff and get out!"

Divorced? A cold smile tugged at my lips.

Zoe must have invested heavily in this lie to convince everyone we had split up. The relatives started whispering among themselves while pointing at me.

"That's Zoe's ex-husband? He looks presentable enough, but he's got no shame at all."

"I heard he delivers food for a living. He's probably broke and looking for a free meal."

"This is a disaster. He's ruining the whole holiday."

Their cutting remarks didn't anger me. If anything, I found them amusing.

I unbuttoned my jacket slowly and pulled a thick stack of documents from my bag. I tossed them onto the table one by one.

"Divorced? This is news to me." I stared at Zoe's pale face and spoke each word with deliberate precision.

"Honey, when exactly did we go to the courthouse for that divorce? I don't remember it at all. Since the whole family's here, let's talk this through."