10
“Why?” Hannah screamed, her bloodshot eyes blazing with anger. “Because Liam is my true love! The only person I’ve ever wanted to marry- the only one–is Liam Reed!”
Her words carried through the air, dripping with resentment.
I kept my voice steady as I replied, “If I remember correctly, you were the one who pursued me.”
“If Liam was the person you wanted all along, why did you marry me in the first place?”
Hannah let out a derisive laugh, her tone filled with scorn.
“Why? Isn’t it obvious? For your money, Zach! What else would it be for?”
“If it weren’t for your fortune, which I’ve been using to support Liam, do you think I’d ever waste my time on someone like you?”
Her voice grew sharper, dripping with venom.
“And then you had the nerve to ask for a divorce? If you hadn’t brought that up, we could’ve kept living peacefully. But no–you had to ruin it.”
I finally understood. Everything–the lies, the betrayal, the framing–was all because I dared to ask for a divorce. Hannah wasn’t satisfied with
just half of the assets. She wanted everything. That’s why she and Liam had plotted this entire scheme.
And to make it worse, they’d roped in my father, who had been scheming to get his hands on my family’s wealth for years.
What they didn’t count on was me surviving all of this.
I turned to Hannah and shook my head slowly.
“You’re burning the bridge to the future for the sake of the present. Even if you managed to take all my money, what then?”
“When the money runs out, Liam will leave you. And then, where will you be?”
Hannah’s entire body began to tremble. Her voice cracked as she shouted, “You’re wrong! Liam would never leave me. Never!”
I met her gaze, my voice icy and calm.
“Really? Then tell me this–why do you think Liam wanted you to marry me in the first place? It wasn’t for love. It was for my money. That’s all you ever were to him–a means to an end”
“Really? Then tell me this–why do you think Liam wanted you to marry me in the first place? It wasn’t for love. It was for my money. That’s all you ever were to him–a means to an end.”
Hannah stood frozen, her face pale and her expression hollow. The truth was like a knife, cutting through her delusions.
The officers wasted no time, escorting her away to the detention center.
My father, the last conspirator, was next. Despite his protests of innocence, he was handcuffed and led away. As an accomplice to the scheme, he couldn’t escape responsibility.
According to Detective West, Hannah was likely facing life in prison.
As for my father, he would probably be sentenced to twenty to thirty years. By the time he finished his sentence, he’d be an old man, too frail to cause any more trouble.
I stepped out of the detention center, the morning sun shining brightly overhead.
It was a new day, and I was ready to begin my new life.
