Chapter 5 - The Twisted Web
I waited until Daniel was completely focused on navigating the heavy city traffic.
I discreetly pulled my phone from my purse and opened the encrypted message from Eleanor.
She had run a background check on the man from the boutique using the store's security footage.
His name was Marcus.
He was Chloe's supposedly abusive ex-husband, the man she claimed she was divorcing.
But Eleanor's digging revealed a completely different story.
Chloe and Marcus were never actually divorced.
They were still legally married and living together in the luxury townhouse Daniel was paying for.
I stared at the glowing screen, my mind spinning violently.
Chloe was playing Daniel just as flawlessly as Daniel was playing me.
She was using my husband as a glorified ATM to fund her life with her actual husband.
And Daniel, the arrogant mastermind who thought he controlled everything, was entirely clueless.
A dark, twisted sense of satisfaction bloomed in my chest.
I realized I didn't just have to destroy Daniel anymore.
I could let them destroy each other.
When we got home, Daniel immediately locked himself in his home office.
I could hear him pacing frantically, shouting in a hushed, furious tone on the phone.
I walked to the kitchen and began making myself a cup of herbal tea.
I needed to adjust my plan to utilize this new information.
A few hours later, Daniel emerged from his office looking incredibly stressed.
He told me he had to fly out of state for an emergency client meeting the next morning.
I knew exactly what that meant.
He was going to confront Chloe in person.
I packed his suitcase for him, making sure to iron his shirts perfectly.
I kissed his cheek at the door and told him to travel safely.
As soon as his car turned the corner, I grabbed my keys and drove straight to Chloe's townhouse.
I parked down the street, hiding my car in the shadows of a large oak tree.
I pulled out my digital camera equipped with a telephoto lens.
I waited in the stifling heat of my car for nearly three hours.
Finally, a black sedan pulled into the driveway.
Daniel stormed out of the car and marched up to the front door.
Chloe answered, looking tearful and deeply apologetic.
She let him inside, completely unaware that Marcus was watching them from the second-floor window.
I snapped picture after picture of Marcus recording them from above.
But then, the front door violently swung open again.
Marcus dragged Daniel out onto the front lawn by his collar.
I raised my camera, expecting a brutal fistfight.
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Instead, Marcus shoved a thick stack of papers into Daniel's chest and started laughing hysterically.
Daniel looked at the papers, and he dropped to his knees right there on the grass.
