It was 11:00 PM when my phone began to vibrate violently on the nightstand. The caller ID flashed Mark.
I sat up, turned on the bedside lamp, and cleared my throat. “Hello?”
“Hannah, are you insane?!” Mark’s voice wasn’t smooth anymore; it was a guttural roar. “Where is the money? I checked the balance online. It’s zero! Negative, actually, because of the fees!”
“Oh,” I said coolly, examining my fingernails. “You noticed.”
“What do you mean ‘I noticed’? Transfer it back! Now! I have… I have expenses here! The company reimbursement takes time!”
“Expenses like the condo you bought with Claire Sutton?” I asked, my voice dropping an octave, losing all warmth. “Or expenses for the new life you’re building with her while I sit here like a fool?”
There was a silence on the other end so profound I could hear the static of the line.
“What… what are you talking about?” he stammered, the panic audible.
“Stop it, Mark. The acting is over,” I snapped. “I know everything. I know about Claire. I know about the ‘immigration.’ I know you planned to dump me in six months. Did you really think I was that stupid? That I wouldn’t notice my husband turning into a stranger?”
“Hannah, listen, you’re misunderstanding—”
“I have photos, Mark. I have your text messages. I have the bank records of the down payment you made with our money.” I stood up, pacing the room, the adrenaline surging. “You wanted to leave me with nothing? Well, surprise. I took what was mine. Most of that account was my salary anyway.”
“That is marital property!” he shrieked. “You can’t just take it!”
“And you can’t use marital property to fund your affair and buy real estate in Canada!” I yelled back. “I’ve filed for divorce, Mark. My lawyer has all the evidence. If you want a single dime, you’ll have to come back here and explain to a judge why you committed adultery and fraud.”
“You’ll regret this,” he hissed, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. “You have no idea who you’re messing with. You’re going to end up with nothing.”
“We’ll see,” I said. “Oh, and Mark? Don’t bother coming back to the condo. I changed the locks.”
I hung up and blocked his number.
My hands were shaking, but for the first time in months, I didn’t feel like a victim. I felt like a predator who had just defended her territory.
The legal battle was brutal. Mark, desperate for cash, hired a cheap lawyer who tried to argue that the photos were doctored and that I had stolen his life savings. But Miss Davis was a shark in the water. She presented the text logs where he admitted to the plan. She showed the salary deposits proving I was the primary earner.
