Chapter 4
I stared at Uncle Robert.
"Someone close to me? What are you talking about?"
He pulled out a file and slid it across the table.
Inside were emails.
Bank records.
Text messages.
And a name that made my blood run cold.
Sarah Jenkins.
My best friend.
The woman who'd been my maid of honor at my wedding.
The woman who'd held my hand when I found out I was pregnant.
The woman I'd told everything to.
She'd been working with Bennett this whole time.
She'd been spying on me.
Telling him everything I said.
Everything I planned.
And Bennett had been paying her.
Handsomely.
I felt sick.
I picked up one of the emails.
It was from Sarah to Bennett, sent just three days earlier.
"Tessa is planning to file for divorce. She's talking to lawyers. She has evidence of the affair. You need to move fast with the custody petition."
Another one, sent a week before that.
"Tessa is suspicious about the money. She's been asking questions about the company finances. You need to cover your tracks."
I dropped the email like it was on fire.
"Why?" I whispered. "Why would she do this?"
Uncle Robert's voice was gentle.
"Bennett promised her a job. A promotion. A lot of money. And she was jealous of you, Tessa. Jealous of your marriage. Jealous of your life. She wanted what you had."
I thought about all the times Sarah had been there for me.
All the times I'd cried on her shoulder about Bennett.
All the times she'd told me she was on my side.
It had all been lies.
Every word.
Every hug.
Every promise of friendship.
She'd been Bennett's spy the whole time.
I felt betrayed.
Hurt.
Foolish.
How could I have been so blind?
My phone buzzed.
It was Sarah.
I stared at the screen.
I wanted to throw the phone across the room.
Instead, I answered it.
I wanted to hear what she had to say.
"Tessa!" she said, her voice full of fake concern. "I've been so worried about you! Are you okay? I saw what Bennett said in the news. It's terrible! I can't believe he's doing this to you!"
I closed my eyes.
"Cut the crap, Sarah."
There was a pause.
"What? Tessa, what are you talking about?"
"I know everything. The emails. The bank records. The texts. I know you've been working with Bennett this whole time."
Her voice changed immediately.
The fake concern was gone.
Replaced by coldness.
"So you found out. It doesn't matter anyway. Bennett is going to win. He's going to take the baby. He's going to destroy you. And I'm going to get everything I deserve."
"You're a traitor, Sarah. We were friends for ten years."
"Friends?" she laughed. "You think we were ever really friends? You had everything! The perfect husband. The perfect life. The money. And you didn't even appreciate it! You were always complaining about Bennett. Always saying you were unhappy. While I had nothing! I deserved that life more than you did!"
"You're sick, Sarah."
"And you're going to lose everything, Tessa. Enjoy your little victory while it lasts."
She hung up.
I sat there, the phone still in my hand.
I felt numb.
Uncle Robert put his arm around me.
"I'm so sorry, Tessa. She's not worth your tears."
But I wasn't crying.
I was angry.
Furious.
Sarah and Bennett had played me for a fool.
They'd used my trust against me.
And they were going to pay.
"Release everything," I said, my voice cold and determined. "All of it. The security footage. The embezzlement evidence. Sarah's emails. Everything. Now."
Uncle Robert nodded.
"It's already done. The press conference is in an hour."
I stood up.
"I want to be there."
"Tessa, are you sure? The press is going to be brutal. They're going to ask you difficult questions. They're going to try to twist your words."
I looked at him.
"I'm sure. I want to face them. I want to tell my story. And I want to watch Bennett Finch's empire crumble."
An hour later, we were at the law firm.
The conference room was packed with reporters.
Cameras flashed.
People shouted questions.
I stood at the podium, my hand resting on my belly.
Uncle Robert stood beside me.
My lawyers stood on either side.
I took a deep breath.
And I began to speak.
I told them everything.
About the affair.
About the frozen accounts.
About being pushed in the hospital hallway.
About the custody petition.
About Bennett's embezzlement.
About Sarah's betrayal.
And then we played the security footage.
The entire room went silent as they watched Margot push me.
As they watched Bennett do nothing.
As they watched him offer his hand only when he realized people were watching.
When the footage ended, the room erupted with questions.
I answered them all.
Calmly.
Honestly.
I didn't cry.
I didn't get angry.
I just told the truth.
And the truth was powerful.
The press conference was broadcast live.
It was everywhere.
Every news channel.
Every website.
Every social media platform.
The public's opinion shifted overnight.
The sympathy for Bennett vanished.
He was now the villain.
The cheating, embezzling husband who'd pushed his pregnant wife.
Margot was now the gold-digging homewrecker.
And Sarah was now the traitorous best friend.
Bennett's company stock plummeted.
The board of directors called an emergency meeting.
The SEC launched an investigation into the embezzlement.
The police opened a criminal investigation.
Bennett's world was falling apart.
And I was just getting started.
That evening, I was watching the news coverage when there was a knock on the door.
Security checked who it was.
It was Sarah.
She looked terrible.
Her hair was a mess.
Her clothes were wrinkled.
Her eyes were red and puffy.
"Tessa," she said, her voice trembling. "Please, let me in. I need to talk to you."
I stared at her through the security camera.
"I have nothing to say to you, Sarah."
"Please! I'm sorry! I made a mistake! Bennett promised me things! He manipulated me! Please, don't let them arrest me! I'll do anything! I'll testify against him! I'll tell you everything!"
I hesitated.
Sarah had information.
Information that could help destroy Bennett completely.
But could I trust her?
She'd already betrayed me once.
What would stop her from doing it again?
"Let her in," I said to security.
A few minutes later, Sarah was standing in my living room.
She looked around the penthouse, her eyes wide.
I could see the jealousy in them.
Even now.
Even with her world falling apart.
She still wanted what I had.
"Talk," I said coldly.
She took a deep breath.
"Bennett isn't just embezzling from the company. He's been laundering money. For dangerous people. Criminals. And if they find out he's been exposed, they'll kill him. And they'll kill anyone who's connected to him. Including you."
I stared at her.
"What are you talking about?"
"He's been using the company to move money for a drug cartel. Millions of dollars. They've been threatening him. Saying if he doesn't keep doing it, they'll hurt Margot and the baby. That's why he's been so desperate. That's why he needs the company. He needs the money to pay them back."
She paused.
"And there's something else. Something worse. Bennett didn't just happen to meet you. He chose you. On purpose. Because of who your family is. He knew about your uncle. About your grandfather's real estate empire. He married you to get close to your family's money. To use you to get access to your uncle's connections. To launder even more money through the hospital network."
I felt my blood run cold.
Our entire marriage.
Every sweet word.
Every romantic gesture.
Every promise of forever.
It had all been a lie.
A carefully planned operation.
Bennett had never loved me.
He'd chosen me.
Like a business acquisition.
I stared at Sarah.
"Is this true? Or are you just making this up to save yourself?"
She pulled out a small USB drive from her pocket.
"Everything is on here. All the evidence. The laundering. The cartel connections. The plan to marry you for your family's money. Everything."
She held it out to me.
"This is real, Tessa. And if you don't stop him soon, he's going to destroy your family too. He's already been planning to take over your uncle's hospital network. He has people inside. People working for him."
I took the USB drive.
My hands were shaking.
Bennett was even more dangerous than I'd imagined.
He wasn't just a cheating husband and a thief.
He was working with criminals.
And he'd been planning to destroy my family too.
I looked at Sarah.
"If this is true, you need to go to the police. Right now. You need to tell them everything. And you need to testify against Bennett."
She nodded, tears in her eyes.
"I will. I'll do whatever you want. Just please, help me. Don't let them put me in prison for a long time."
Before I could answer, my phone rang.
It was Uncle Robert.
His voice was urgent.
"Tessa, you need to turn on the news. Right now."
I turned on the TV.
The breaking news headline made my heart stop.
"BILLIONAIRE BENNETT FINCH ARRESTED FOR EMBEZZLEMENT AND MONEY LAUNDERING"
But that wasn't what made my blood run cold.
It was the photo they were showing.
A photo of Bennett being led away by police.
And standing behind him, watching with a satisfied smile, was Margot.
May you like
She was talking to reporters.
And she was wearing my engagement ring.
