All Chapters of The Wife He Used as a Scapegoat : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

~ Nathan ~The cut of Wagyu on my plate remained untouched, the rich marbling turning slick and cold under the low amber lights of the restaurant. Around us, the muted clink of crystal and the soft, rhythmic hum of a grand piano filled the air—the carefully bought illusion of peace that Manhattan’s elite paid for. I couldn't swallow a single bite. My throat felt tightly constricted, a heavy knot of dread twisting deep in my gut.Across the white tablecloth, Julian looked entirely at ease. He swirled a vintage Bordeaux in his glass, watching the dark liquid coat the crystal before taking a slow, appreciative sip."You're making a scene just by sitting there like a ghost, Nathan," Julian said, blotting his lips with a linen napkin. His voice was smooth, carrying that effortless confidence that had anchored me for a decade. "You look like you haven't slept in a week. I get it—Isabella’s corporate offensive is bleeding us dry, and Vanguard Capital is turning the board against us. But pani

~ Isabella ~"They got him, Bella!" Maya shouted, banging my office door open. She held her silver tablet high in the air, her face bright red with excitement. "Julian is in handcuffs! It is all over the news!"I sat behind my large desk at Vanguard Capital HQ. The room was quiet, filled with the soft hum of encrypted computer servers. Unlike Maya, I did not jump up. I did not smile. I slowly placed my coffee cup down on the dark steel surface of my desk. The white ceramic clinked against the cold metal."Look at this!" Maya said, rushing forward. She shoved the tablet right in front of my face. "The reporters caught everything outside the restaurant. Julian looked completely shocked. We need to open a bottle of champagne right now, Bella. We won!"I looked at the glowing screen. The video clip was shaky, but clear enough. Julian, the clever chief lawyer who had helped send me to federal prison, was being shoved into the back of a black police car. His expensive suit jacket was wrinkl

**Nathan**The cold air of the courthouse hallway still felt like it was stuck in my lungs. When I had stepped into Isabella’s path and told her there was more she did not know, she did not cry or scream. She simply looked right through me. Her eyes were flat and hard. She walked past me without saying a single word, her black heels clicking against the stone floor until the sound disappeared. She left me standing alone in the crowd.Now, it was past midnight. I sat at my large desk on the top floor of the Wolfe Corporate Tower. The rest of the building was completely dark, but the bright white light from my computer screen hurt my tired eyes. A half-eaten turkey sandwich sat on a paper plate next to my keyboard. The bread was already stale.On the screen was the frozen financial trail of Julian Vance. The government had locked all of Julian's bank accounts the day he was arrested at the restaurant. I rubbed my aching neck and scrolled through the lines of data. My heart beat with a s

~ Isabella ~The blue light from my computer screen hurt my eyes. It was past midnight, and the Tribeca loft was completely quiet except for the hum of the cooling fans. I stared at the single letter at the bottom of the file.*C.*My hands were shaking. Just a minute ago, I had hung up the phone with Maya. My voice had cracked when I spoke to her, breaking the cold, calm mask I spent years building. For years, I believed Nathan was the only one who put me in that prison cell. I believed his family acted alone. But the files blinking on my screen showed a different story. Someone else had paid to help frame me. Someone outside the Wolfe family.I did not sleep that night. By five o'clock in the morning, I was already sitting in the main boardroom at Vanguard Capital. I turned on the overhead lights. The bright bulbs reflected off the long dark steel table.Maya walked in forty minutes later. She carried two cardboard trays filled with large paper cups of coffee. Her eyes were wide and

~ Isabella ~My computer screen glowed in the dark room. The blue light made my eyes itch, but I did not look away. For three days, my office at Vanguard Capital had smelled like cold coffee and take-out food.We were hunting a ghost.A few days ago, Julian Vance was dragged away in handcuffs. Nathan had finally seen the truth and called the police on his own best friend. But Julian’s arrest did not bring me the peace I wanted. It only brought more questions. Then, the anonymous message arrived on my private computer. It was signed with a single letter: *C*. The files inside showed that someone else had paid to frame me three years ago. Someone who was not a Wolfe.Maya Lin walked into my office. She carried two white paper cups. She set one on my desk."You need to drink this," Maya said. She sat in the chair opposite me. "Our tech team has been working all night. They finally found where the encrypted message came from."I took a sip of the warm tea. "Did they trace the sender?""No