“Because she’s nine months old,” I continued, my voice rising. “And she has never been held by her father. You walked out on us. You committed fraud to steal our home—oh yes, we found the forged deed, Mitchell. The police are very interested in that.”
“Police?” Natalie shrieked, looking at Mitchell. “What is she talking about?”
“You stole my home,” I said to him, ignoring her. “You stole our savings. You destroyed my reputation. And you did it all while sleeping with my cousin.”
I looked around the room, meeting the eyes of every woman who had shunned me.
“For nine months, you all treated me like a pariah. You believed I was the villain. But look at him. Look at her.” I pointed to Ashley. “Does she look like a lie to you?”
“Mrs. Rodriguez,” the florist, stepped forward, tears in her eyes. “Emma… I… we didn’t know.”
“You didn’t ask,” I said coldly.
I turned back to Mitchell. “You have court on Tuesday for back child support. We’re asking for everything. The house. The savings. Damages. And Mitchell? Don’t be late.”
I turned on my heel. As I walked toward the exit, Natalie started screaming at Mitchell, slapping his chest. Catherine was weeping into a napkin. The perfect life they had built on my back was crumbling into dust.
I pushed open the doors and walked out into the sunlight. I didn’t look back. But just as I reached my car, my phone buzzed.
It was a notification from my bank. Deposit Received: $150,000.
The lien on his accounts had gone through.
