Chapter 7
Elaine tried to block the divorce.
She called Victor’s lawyer.
Then mine.
Then the bank.
Then my employer.
By Wednesday, my boss pulled me into his office.
“Anna, I received a concerning call from your mother-in-law.”
I sat very still.
“What did she say?”
“That you may be unstable due to marital stress.”
I almost laughed.
Almost.
“Did she mention her son is under investigation for fraud and elder abuse?”
My boss blinked.
“No.”
“I’m not surprised.”
I called Mara from the parking lot.
She added workplace interference to the file.
Elaine learned quickly that money could still open doors, but every door she opened now had a camera behind it.
Victor’s lawyer tried to negotiate.
Return some money.
Drop charges.
Quiet divorce.
Mutual non-disparagement.
I said no.
Mara looked pleased.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
My mother sat beside me.
Her hands were steady now.
“I want him charged,” she said.
I looked at her.
She lifted her chin.
“He made me afraid of my own mind. I want the truth written somewhere official.”
So we went to court.
At the first hearing, Victor looked exhausted.
Smaller.
He avoided my eyes.
Elaine sat behind him.
Harold was not there.
Coward.
Mara played the anniversary video.
Victor in my mother’s kitchen.
The envelope.
The threat.
Then she showed the fake account.
The mailbox rental.
The forged signature.
The messages from Harold.
The judge’s face changed piece by piece.
Victor’s attorney argued stress.
Debt.
Bad judgment.
Mara called it what it was.
“A pattern of coercion and theft targeting two women he believed would stay silent.”
The protective order was extended.
My access to the house was granted.
Victor was ordered to stay away from me and my mother.
As we left, Victor whispered, “Anna.”
I stopped.
Mara stepped closer.
He swallowed.
“I’m sorry.”
My mother looked at him.
May you like
“No,” she said quietly.
“You’re caught.”
