Chapter 2

On the way to my parents' house, I made two calls.

The first was to Catherine.

"Catherine, it's Angela."

"Oh, Angela. What is it?" Catherine's voice was lukewarm.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to check on you. How have you been feeling? Is your blood pressure any better?"

"Same as usual. You know how it is."

"Oh, then get some rest. Robert said things are crazy at the office this week, so he won't be able to drop by." My tone was perfectly casual.

"He's busy? He just WhatsApped me this morning saying he was taking you to Miami for a trip!"

Catherine's voice spiked.

I sneered inwardly. Bravo, Robert. Lying to both sides and too lazy to even coordinate the stories.

"Oh? Maybe I misremembered," I said quietly and hung up.

My second call was to my college mentor, Coleman, who was now a top forensic accountant.

"Hey, Coleman. It's Angela."

"Angela! Haha, you completely vanished after graduation. What made you think of me today?"

"Coleman, I need a favor. I need you to audit a company's books. FutureCraft."

The other end went silent for a moment.

"FutureCraft? Robert's company? Did... something happen between you two?"

Coleman knew that FutureCraft's seed money had come from me.

I had invested $50,000 of my own savings from three years of working, plus another $50,000 from my parents—$100,000 in total—to launch Robert's dream.

Robert was registered as the legal owner, but I held a signed founders' equity agreement giving me 49% of the shares.

But to protect his precious male ego, that agreement had never been made public or officially registered with the state.

"Yes," I uttered a single word.

"Understood," Coleman got it instantly.

"Send me everything you have. I'll get my team on it."

"Don't worry. If I don't strip his accounts down to the bone, my name isn't Coleman."

"Thank you, Coleman."

I hung up.

I compiled all of FutureCraft's documents, bank statements, and my personal suspicions about their business model into an email and sent it over.

My degree was in finance. Although I had sacrificed my career for my family, my expertise hadn't rusted.

I had suspected for a while that FutureCraft's books were off. Some of their profit growth made zero logical sense, but I had chosen to trust him.

Now I realized my trust was just the umbrella shielding him while he drained our marital assets.

When I arrived at my parents' place, I handed Alice over to them and locked myself in the guest room.

I opened my laptop and logged into our joint investment account.

It held $300,000 in cash—our savings from the past few years.

Without a second thought, I began transferring the money.

I quickly routed half of it—$150,000—through several different channels into an account under my parents' names.

While transferring marital assets during a marriage carries legal risks, Robert's child with Juliet was practically on the way. I didn't have time to wait for standard procedures.

I had to strike first.

The other half, I left untouched.

With that done, I fired off an email to Mandy, a fierce divorce attorney.

Subject: Divorce Consultation - Request and Preliminary Evidence of Infidelity.

Mandy replied almost instantly: "Mrs. Angela, the evidence is preliminary but highly targeted."

"Come to my office tomorrow morning at ten."

"Will do."

I shut my laptop and walked out.

My parents were playing with Alice. Seeing me come out, my mom asked worriedly,

"Angela, did you and Robert have a fight?"

"Mom, I'm getting a divorce," I said calmly.

My parents froze in shock.

I told them everything I had found, including the security footage.

My mom was shaking with rage. "That absolute pig! I knew he looked untrustworthy from day one!"

My dad was calmer. He patted my shoulder.

"Angela, don't be afraid. Your mother and I have your back. What do you need us to do?"

"Just take care of Alice. I'll handle the rest."

I stared out the window. Robert, your seven-day tropical getaway is my seven-day war preparation.

When your little yacht party ends, the trial I've prepared for you will begin.