Chapter 5
Tiffany filed a police report three days later.
She claimed I assaulted her without provocation.
She claimed I threatened her.
She claimed I stalked her apartment.
Richard backed her statement.
Of course he did.
Grace smiled when she read it.
Not happily.
Professionally.
“This is good.”
I stared at her.
“She’s trying to get me charged.”
“Yes. And she just put her lies in writing.”
Grace requested the gala security footage.
It showed Tiffany approaching my table three times.
It showed her touching my shoulder.
Leaning down.
Whispering.
It showed me sitting alone while Richard watched from across the room.
It did not record her words.
But my phone did.
I had started recording after her second visit.
The third insult was clear.
He spends more nights at my place than yours now.
Why don’t you just give up and leave?
Then the slap.
Then Richard screaming.
Are you crazy?
The district attorney declined charges against me.
Tiffany’s false report became evidence in family court.
Richard was furious.
He called Grace’s office, screaming loudly enough that her assistant saved the voicemail.
“You people are ruining me,” he shouted.
Grace played it for me.
I said, “He sounds scared.”
“He should be.”
The custody evaluator was appointed that month.
Dr. Elaine Mercer.
She was calm, sharp, and impossible to charm.
Richard tried anyway.
He wore a soft sweater to the first interview.
Brought handmade drawings from the kids.
Talked about being “deeply concerned” for my mental state.
Dr. Mercer asked, “If you were concerned, why did you plan custody strategy with your girlfriend before speaking to your wife?”
Richard blinked.
Grace told me later.
I wished I had seen it.
Tiffany was interviewed too.
She arrived with glossy hair and a victim expression.
She told Dr. Mercer she had “bonded” with Mason and Claire.
That was a lie.
They had met her twice at office parties.
Mason called her “the shiny lady.”
Claire called her “the perfume one.”
Neither wanted a new mother.
Then Dr. Mercer asked about the trust fund.
Tiffany claimed she knew nothing.
Records showed she had signed documents.
Her interview ended early.
Margaret refused evaluation.
Bad choice.
The court did not like adults who demanded influence over children but refused scrutiny.
Meanwhile, the anonymous emails continued.
Short.
Precise.
Helpful.
Ask about the company retreat in May.
Check the hotel room charge.
Look at Margaret’s charity account.
Grace traced what she could.
The emails came through layers, but she suspected someone inside Richard’s company.
Then one afternoon, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered with Grace beside me.
A woman whispered, “My name is Olivia. I work for Richard.”
My pulse jumped.
“Are you the one sending emails?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
A pause.
“Because he asked me to fake receipts showing you spent marital money on alcohol and pills.”
My stomach dropped.
Grace leaned forward.
“Can you prove that?”
“Yes,” Olivia whispered. “But I’m scared.”
“Of Richard?”
“Of Margaret.”
There it was again.
Margaret behind the curtain.
Olivia continued.
“She told him if you look unstable enough, the court will hand over the children to him. Then Tiffany can become respectable.”
Respectable.
I nearly laughed.
Grace said, “Olivia, I can connect you with protection.”
Another pause.
Then Olivia said, “There’s something else.”
May you like
I held my breath.
“Richard isn’t only hiding money,” she whispered. “He’s hiding a second phone. And there are videos on it.”
