Chapter 7 - THE REVERSAL
I looked down at Ryan’s hand gripping my wrist. For ten years, I would have stayed. I would have sat down, rubbed his back, and tried to figure out how to fix his mess.
Not tonight.
I yanked my arm out of his grasp.
"I won't be ruined, Ryan," I said, my voice echoing in the quiet living room. "Because Angela filed an emergency injunction this afternoon with the Seattle Police Department and the bank, reporting identity theft."
Ryan blinked, the words taking a moment to penetrate his panic. "What?"
"I proved I was in Portland at an educators' conference on the exact date and time that loan was signed and notarized," I explained slowly, watching his final hope die. "The notary who stamped it? Angela tracked him down. He confessed that you paid him a thousand dollars to verify a signature without me present. That's a federal offense, Ryan."
Madison let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "You're an idiot, Ryan. You're going to prison."
David's security guard stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on Ryan's shoulder. "We're going to the office, Ryan. The police are waiting in the boardroom."
Ryan looked completely broken. The tailored suit, the six-figure salary, the arrogant swagger—it was all gone. He was just a terrified, small man who had gambled his life away.
"Claire," he whispered, tears finally spilling over his eyelashes. "I'm sorry. I really am. I loved you."
"No, you didn't," I said. "You loved that I was convenient. You loved that I was quiet."
I turned to Madison. She was trying to subtly inch toward the front door.
"And you," I said, stopping her in her tracks. "You smiled at me at the party because you thought you took my husband. You didn't take him, Madison. I'm throwing him away. And you're welcome to whatever is left of him after the feds are done."
David nodded to me with profound respect. "We'll take it from here, Claire. The company will ensure you aren't held liable for any of his financial crimes."
I walked out of my house for the last time. The night air was freezing, but for the first time in years, I took a deep, full breath.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was an email from the international school in Singapore.
Dear Claire, we are thrilled to receive your acceptance. Attached are your flight details and housing arrangements.
I smiled. The nightmare was over.
Or so I thought.
As I walked toward my car, a shadow detached itself from the oak tree by the driveway.
It was Ryan's sister, Sarah. She had been at the anniversary party. She looked frantic, holding a small cardboard box.
"Claire, wait," Sarah pleaded, stepping into the streetlights. "I heard what happened. Ryan called me begging for bail money before David walked in. But you can't go to Singapore. You can't leave yet."
"Sarah, I have nothing left to say to your family," I warned, unlocking my car.
May you like
"It's not about Ryan," she cried, shoving the box into my hands. "It's about what he did before you two were married. I couldn't tell you while he had the money, but he doesn't have it anymore."
I looked down at the box. Inside was a birth certificate.
