CHAPTER 7 — The FBI Was Never Looking for the Affair
The ballroom was still buzzing when I stepped into the quiet Dallas night.
My phone remained pressed against my ear.
"Mrs. Carter?"
The calm male voice returned.
"My name is Special Agent Daniel Ross."
"I'm with the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
I stopped walking.
For a moment, I wondered if this was some elaborate prank.
"The FBI?"
"Yes."
"We've been trying to reach your husband for several weeks."
My stomach tightened.
"This isn't about the affair, is it?"
"No."
There was a brief pause.
"It's much bigger than that."
...
An hour later, I sat inside a private conference room at the federal building.
Across the table sat Agent Ross and a woman from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
A thick file rested between them.
Agent Ross slid it toward me.
"We believe Dr. Ethan Carter has been involved in a sophisticated medical kickback scheme."
I frowned.
"What kind of scheme?"
"He allegedly accepted millions of dollars in disguised consulting payments from medical technology companies in exchange for influencing purchasing decisions at several hospitals."
My heart pounded.
Medical conferences.
Luxury vacations.
Private dinners.
Suddenly everything fit together.
Sophia Bennett hadn't entered Ethan's life by accident.
She worked for one of those companies.
Ross continued.
"We started investigating eighteen months ago."
"Eighteen months..."
Almost exactly when Ethan's affair had begun.
I looked at the photographs inside the file.
Private jets.
Luxury resorts.
Wire transfers.
Secret meetings.
Then one photograph made my blood run cold.
Sophia.
Shaking hands with Ethan inside a private boardroom.
Not romantically.
Professionally.
"This wasn't just an affair," I whispered.
"It started as business."
Ross nodded.
"That's what we believe."
"But somewhere along the way..."
"It became both."
Then he looked directly into my eyes.
"We also believe someone inside the medical company has been secretly helping us."
I blinked.
"You have an informant?"
"We do."
"But we don't yet know who."
As I left the federal building that night, I realized something terrifying.
I no longer knew who Sophia Bennett really was.
May you like
Was she Ethan's mistress...
Or was she helping destroy him from the very beginning?
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