Chapter 1 - The Empty Kingdom
Derek stood completely frozen in the center of the living room, staring at the empty spaces where his comfortable life used to be.
Suzanne walked in behind him, still laughing about a joke she had made in the elevator, but her laughter died instantly in her throat.
The expensive television was gone from the wall mount, leaving behind only four dusty screws protruding from the drywall.
The plush leather sofa, which Skylar had purchased with her year-end bonus, had vanished without a single trace.
Derek slowly walked toward the dining table, his expensive leather shoes echoing loudly against the bare hardwood floor.
He picked up the shiny gold wedding ring, feeling a sudden, unfamiliar surge of absolute panic rising in his chest.
Beneath the ring rested the official police report, detailing the exact degree of the severe burns he had inflicted on his wife's face.
Suzanne grabbed the paper from his hands, her eyes widening as she read the criminal charges of aggravated domestic assault.
She began to scream at her brother, demanding to know how he could have been so stupid to leave physical evidence.
Derek ignored her frantic yelling and immediately pulled his smartphone from his tailored suit pocket.
He opened his banking application, fully intending to drain Skylar’s joint checking account before she could officially freeze it.
A bright red error message flashed across his screen, stating that his access had been permanently revoked due to suspected fraud.
He gritted his teeth in sheer rage, realizing that the submissive woman he thought he owned had outsmarted him in a matter of hours.
Derek marched into the master bedroom, heading straight for the hidden floor safe where he kept his emergency cash and a loaded handgun.
He ripped the carpet back and spun the combination dial with trembling, sweaty fingers.
When the heavy steel door swung open, he expected to see his stacks of hundred-dollar bills.
Instead, the safe was completely empty, except for a single manila envelope resting in the dark center.
Derek ripped the envelope open and pulled out a stack of glossy, high-resolution photographs.
The pictures clearly showed him having dinner with another woman, exchanging a thick briefcase full of cash at a secluded restaurant.
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A small, handwritten note was attached to the back of the final photograph.
The note simply read that she had forwarded the same pictures to the federal authorities twenty minutes ago.
