Chapter 5 - THE GREENWICH GAMBIT
A week passed,
and the silence from Bennett's side was deafening.
His lawyers were trying to negotiate a settlement,
offering a "quiet divorce" in exchange for my silence on the fraud.
They didn't understand that silence was no longer an option.
I invited Bennett to the Greenwich house for a "final talk."
Arthur was against it,
but I insisted.
"I need to see him,
Arthur,"
I said.
"I need him to see me."
He arrived at 4:00 PM,
looking haggard.
The charcoal suit was wrinkled,
and he had missed a shave.
He walked onto the terrace,
his eyes scanning the property with a greedy longing.
"Vivienne,"
he said,
his voice cracking.
"Thank you for seeing me."
"Sit down,
Bennett,"
I said,
not rising.
He sat in the chair across from me,
the one where Ava had sat in the hospital.
"I'm so sorry for everything,"
he began,
the rehearsed apology falling flat.
"Ava...
she manipulated me."
"She told me we were in trouble,
that the house was the only way..."
I held up a hand,
cutting him off.
"Don't lie to me,
Bennett."
"I have the emails."
"I have the plan for the long-term care facility."
The color drained from his face,
leaving him looking old and pathetic.
"Vivienne,
please."
"I was scared."
"The company was failing,
and I didn't want to lose the life we had."
"You mean the life I provided,"
I corrected.
"The life you stole from to buy Ava diamond earrings."
I leaned forward,
ignoring the pang in my side.
"I'm offering you a choice,
Bennett."
"A choice?"
he asked,
a spark of hope in his eyes.
"Sign the full confession Arthur has prepared,"
I said,
sliding a document across the table.
"Admit to the forgery,
the embezzlement,
and the conspiracy."
"And in return?"
"In return,
I won't sue for the return of the five million you shorted the company."
"I'll let you keep the clothing on your back."
Bennett stared at the paper.
"If I sign this,
I go to jail."
"You're going to jail either way,
Bennett,"
I said.
"But if you sign this,
the Bellamy foundation will take care of your mother's medical bills."
"If you don't,
she's on her own."
It was a cold move,
but Bennett had used my kindness against me for years.
I was finally using his only weakness—his mother—against him.
He picked up the pen,
his hand shaking so much he could barely hold it.
"You've become so hard,
Vivienne."
"I learned from the best,
Bennett,"
I replied.
He signed the paper,
the ink bleeding into the page.
As he handed it back,
his eyes were full of tears.
"Do you still love me?"
he whispered.
I looked at him,
really looked at him,
and felt nothing.
No anger,
no sadness,
just a profound sense of relief.
"I don't even know you,
Bennett."
I stood up,
feeling the strength returning to my legs.
"Arthur will show you out."
"The police are waiting at the end of the driveway."
As he was led away,
I felt the last thread of the marriage snap.
May you like
The Greenwich house was finally mine again.
And the game was almost over.
