Chapter 5: The Mistress Breaks
Olivia Marsh called at 10:17 a.m.
Claire stared at the name on her screen for several seconds before answering. She put the call on speaker and set the phone on the kitchen counter.
“Claire?” Olivia’s voice was high and strained. “Claire, please don’t hang up. I need to talk to you.”
Claire said nothing.
“I didn’t know he was going to do it like this,” Olivia continued quickly. “I didn’t know about the accounts or the passport thing. He told me everything was already taken care of. He said you wouldn’t fight back. He said you were too weak to do anything.”
Claire remained silent.
Olivia’s breathing grew faster. “Look, I can help you. I have messages. I have recordings of him talking about what he was going to do with the money. He was going to leave you with nothing. I can give them to you. Just… please don’t let them arrest me. I didn’t know about the illegal stuff. I swear.”
Claire finally spoke.
“You wore my bracelet in the photo you sent me.”
There was a long pause on the other end.
“I… I’m sorry,” Olivia said, her voice smaller now. “He told me to wear it. He said it would hurt you more.”
Claire picked up the phone and ended the call.
She stood in the kitchen for a long time afterward, staring at nothing. Eleven years of marriage, and the thing that finally broke something inside her was not the affair itself. It was the casual cruelty of that photo. The deliberate choice to humiliate her even in the moment of leaving.
She had already decided to destroy Victor financially and legally.
Now she would make sure Olivia went down with him.
At 11:05 a.m., Margaret called again.
“Olivia Marsh just contacted my office. She wants to make a deal. She’s offering to turn over communications with Victor in exchange for immunity.”
Claire’s voice was cold. “Tell her she can turn over everything she has. Immunity is not on the table. Not yet.”
“Are you sure?” Margaret asked. “She could be useful.”
“She already was,” Claire replied. “She helped me see exactly how far he was willing to go. Now she can help me finish this.”
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After the call, Claire walked upstairs to the bedroom. She opened Victor’s side of the closet and looked at the empty space where his clothes had been. Then she closed the door and went back downstairs.
She had work to do.
