Chapter 8 - The Ambush at Sunrise
At 6:30 the next morning, Andrew stood in front of the full-length mirror in the master bedroom, adjusting his Windsor knot. Today was the official board announcement. He was practically vibrating with arrogance.
"I’m leaving the Audi at the dealership for detailing after the meeting," he tossed over his shoulder as I sat on the edge of the bed, nursing Toby. "Take an Uber if you need to take the kids anywhere. And clean the kitchen before Robert drops me off for the celebration dinner tonight."
"Andrew," I called softly.
He turned, annoyed. "What? I'm already late."
"I know about the Cartier bracelet."
He froze. His face went through a rapid succession of shock, calculation, and finally, vicious sneering.
"Are you going through my laptop, Caroline? Are you that desperate?" He took two heavy steps toward me, towering over the bed. "Listen to me very carefully. Everything in this house—the roof over your head, the clothes on those brats, the food in your stomach—is paid for by me. You are an unemployed woman with a crippled arm and two screaming infants. If you breathe a single word of your delusional jealousy to anyone, I will file for sole custody. I will have you declared mentally unstable. You won't see Toby and Leo until they're eighteen."
I didn't blink. I didn't flinch.
Instead, I tapped the screen of the iPad resting on the nightstand.
From the built-in speakers, his own voice rang out in pristine digital clarity: *“I will file for sole custody. I will have you declared mentally unstable. You won't see Toby and Leo until they're eighteen.”*
Andrew's face drained of color. "What... what did you do?"
"Nine years in court, Andrew," I said, my voice calmer than it had been in two years. "I transcribe monsters for a living. You never stood a chance."
Before he could reach for the device, the front doorbell rang twice.
May you like
Downstairs, Diane Vance—flanked by two uniformed county deputies—was waiting with a freshly signed emergency protection order and a temporary custody mandate.
***
