Chapter 5
David stared down at the documents, his eyes darting across the signatures on the settlement agreement. “Mom… your signature is on this check.”
Evelyn opened her mouth, her lips quivering, but no words came out. The pristine, untouchable matriarch who had built her entire social standing on her family’s unimpeachable virtue was suddenly stripped bare in her own living room.
“I didn’t just record Arthur walking into my room last night,” I said, looking over at Chloe, who was curled up on the sofa, tears silently streaming down her face. “When I realized Arthur was targeting me two months ago, I hired a private investigator. I knew if I went to David, he would make excuses for his father—just like he did when I told him Arthur was making me uncomfortable in the kitchen. I knew if I went to Evelyn, she’d blame my clothes. So I found the truth myself.”
“Rebecca… please…” David choked out, dropping the folder onto his knees. He sank to his hands and knees on the carpet right in front of me, grabbing the hem of my pants. “I’m sorry… God, Rebecca, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I swear to you I didn’t know!”
I pulled my leg back, stepping out of his reach.
“You didn’t want to know, David,” I said, looking down at him with an overwhelming sense of pity. “It was easier to call me dramatic. It was easier to tell me I was overreacting. You chose your family’s comfort over your wife’s safety. And last night, your comfort cost your sister everything.”
Chloe let out a sudden, ragged gasp, throwing her head into her hands. “He… he knew it was juice,” she whimpered, her voice cracking. “He saw me drink it, Rebecca… he sat right downstairs and waited for it to work…”
“He didn’t care who drank it, Chloe,” I replied gently, looking at my sister-in-law. “He’s a predator who has been protected by this family for decades. As long as the world believed the Vance family was perfect, Arthur knew he would never have to face consequences.”
Arthur suddenly stood up from his chair. His composure was completely gone. His face was contorted in a terrifying mix of desperation and rage.
“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?!” he spat, taking a heavy step toward me. “You come into my house, you marry my son, and you think you can pull this family down?! You have nothing! That recording doesn’t prove anything in court! It’s my word against yours! I’ll say you set me up! I’ll say you lured me into that room!”
I didn’t step back. I didn’t even flinch.
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“I don’t need to prove it to you, Arthur,” I said calmly. “Because I didn’t just play that audio for this room.”
I reached down to the coffee table, picked up my phone, and tapped the screen.
