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The coffee had gone completely cold, but I didn't pour it out. I wrapped both hands around the heavy ceramic mug, feeling the chill sink straight into my palms. Thirty-two years. Thirty-two years of sleeping beside a man who had mastered the art of the long, slow lie. / Chapter 13 / 20

Chapter 13 - The Betrayed AccompliceWhile Richard was packing his belongings into black plastic garbage bags on the front porch, a sleek silver sports car pulled up the long gravel driveway.

It was Vanessa Cole.

She stepped out of the vehicle looking radically different from the polished corporate shark who had accompanied Richard to San Francisco. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, her makeup was smeared, and her eyes darted nervously toward the deputies standing by the door.

She had realized too late that Richard was a sinking ship. The commercial real estate venture they had built together was currently under federal investigation for securities fraud, and Vanessa’s name was plastered all over the shell company documents.

"Richard!" she cried out, slamming the car door. "Tell me this isn't true. My corporate accounts are frozen! The federal marshals just raided my apartment!"

Richard dropped his garbage bags onto the gravel, his face turning an ugly shade of crimson. "Your apartment? You think I care about your apartment right now? You’re the one who pushed me into this! You said we could take everything!"

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The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, trapping the suffocating tension inside. Richard’s hands were shaking as he clutched the small, tarnished silver pendant. His knuckles were bone-white.

The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, t...

The heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers, clattering sharply against the gold-rimmed porcelain of my dinner plate.

The heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers, clattering sharply agains...

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a muffled, expensive thud.

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a...

"Me?" Vanessa shrieked, her voice cracking with hysteria. "You promised me financial security! You said your wife was a pushover who wouldn't fight back!"

I watched them from the shaded veranda, sipping a glass of iced tea, amused by how quickly predators turn on each other when the trap snaps shut.

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