Chapter 5 - THE COLLAPSE OF THE HOUSE OF CARDS
The next hour was a symphony of chaos,
all of it directed by my hand.
Julian tried to call me twelve times.
I let it go to voicemail every single time.
I wanted him to hear the silence of the life he had discarded.
I wanted him to feel the void where my support used to be.
Finally,
I picked up on the thirteenth call.
"Elena!"
he screamed,
his voice cracking with a mixture of rage and terror.
"What did you do?
The accounts are frozen!
The bank says there's a fraud investigation!"
I took a slow sip of my tea,
savoring the warmth.
"I didn't do anything,
Julian,"
I said softly.
"You did this to yourself."
"You don't understand,"
he stammered,
trying to pivot back to his lies.
"There was a glitch,
I was trying to move the money to protect it..."
"Protect it from what?"
I interrupted.
"From the 'fool' who was about to lose everything?"
There was a dead silence on the line.
The sound of his breathing was ragged,
heavy with the realization that the airport wasn't as private as he thought.
"You were there,"
he whispered.
"I was there,"
I confirmed.
"I heard everything,
Julian.
Every word,
every laugh,
every plan to leave me with nothing."
"Elena,
listen,
it's not what it sounds like..."
"It sounds like a felony,"
I said,
cutting him off again.
"It sounds like forgery,
and embezzlement,
and conspiracy to commit fraud."
"I'll give it back,"
he pleaded,
his voice dropping to a pathetic whine.
"Just stop the investigation,
and we can talk about this."
"There's nothing to talk about,"
I said.
"Except maybe the police officers who are currently standing outside your office door."
I saw the blue and red lights reflecting off the glass of the office building.
Leo had made the call as soon as the forged transfer was attempted.
The evidence was undeniable.
I watched from the cafe as two officers entered the lobby.
"You wouldn't,"
Julian said,
his voice trembling.
"I already did,"
I replied.
I hung up the phone.
I stood up,
straightened my coat,
and walked out of the cafe.
The air felt different now,
cleaner,
sharper.
I stood on the sidewalk and watched as Julian was led out of the building in handcuffs.
Vanessa followed behind him,
her cream coat looking dusty and disheveled.
She was crying,
shouting at the officers about her rights.
Julian didn't look at her.
He looked at me.
He saw me standing across the street,
the "clueless" wife,
the "fool" he thought he had outsmarted.
I didn't scream.
I didn't cry.
I simply raised my hand and gave him a small,
polite wave.
May you like
A goodbye to the man I thought I knew.
And a hello to the woman I had become.
