“Isn’t that too much?”
“No. Considering the infidelity, the attempt to strip you of your inheritance and take your son, it is even a little. But the courts are conservative. They rarely award such large sums. So, at least we have a basis.”
They discussed the strategy for the case. Roth was optimistic. With such evidence, the outcome was practically guaranteed.
At 3:00 in the afternoon, Emily met with the representatives of the victim families. Max Morales came with his mother, an elderly woman who could barely hold back her tears.
“My mother-in-law wanted to leave the house to her grandson,” she said. “She worked her whole life saving every penny, and that scoundrel stole it all.”
Vladimir Castro’s daughter, Solidad, was more determined. “I want that lawyer to rot in jail. My father left me an apartment and savings for my children’s education. Because of Hayes, my children might not be able to finish their studies.”
In total, seven families gathered. The total damage amounted to nearly $20 million. Roth explained the process of filing a class action lawsuit and assured them of the return of the stolen assets.
“When Hayes is arrested, we will freeze his assets,” the lawyer said. “Apartments, country houses, bank accounts, cars, everything will go towards paying compensation to the victims.”
In the evening, Emily received a message from Victor.
Pamela told me she is coming back tomorrow morning. I am ready for the conversation.
Good luck, she replied. Remember, record everything.
At 10 at night, Detective Castle called.
“Emily, I have news. Your husband and his mistress landed at JFK an hour ago. They are in a taxi right now.”
“Thank you. So, the most exciting part starts tomorrow.”
Emily went to bed early but had trouble falling asleep. Tomorrow, Ethan would discover that his plans had failed. How would he react? Would he try to flee, feain ignorance, or surrender immediately?
At 6.30 in the morning, a call woke her. Ethan’s number appeared on the screen.
“Hello,” she answered calmly.
“Emily, it is me. I have landed.”
Her husband’s voice was normal with no trace of guilt or worry.
“How was the trip? Did you like Chicago?”
“Yes, everything was fine. Hey, today I have to go to court for your aunt’s inheritance case. Remember I told you about it?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“And what will happen?”
“It is just formalities. The will is in order, but there is a small detail to correct. There will be no problems.”
Emily smiled to herself. Even now, he was still lying.
“Ethan, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“How is Pamela? Did she have a business trip, too?”
The silence that followed was too long for such a simple question.
“Pamela. Oh, yes, she is fine. Why?”
“For no reason. You mention her a lot lately.”
“She is a good employee. That is all. Well, I have to get ready. See you tonight.”
“Of course, dear.”
Emily hung up and smiled. Ethan did not yet know that his case today would turn into a monumental disaster. Detective Vargas had promised her yesterday that he would be arrested upon arrival at the courthouse.
At 8:00 in the morning, she took Noah to daycare and headed to the courthouse. She wanted to see with her own eyes how the world of the man who had planned to destroy her life would crumble.
The courthouse building greeted her with its usual hustle and bustle: lawyers, plaintiffs, defendants, witnesses, all rushing from one place to another.
Emily found the courtroom where the case of Catherine Jennings’s inheritance would be heard.
At 9:30, Ethan arrived. He was wearing his best suit, carrying a briefcase with documents. He looked confident and calm. Beside him walked Pamela in a discrete black dress. Her demeanor was professional, but Emily noticed how Ethan discreetly brushed his assistant’s hand.
“We will get the last million and be free,” she heard him say.
Yes, free of money, of work, of reputation, Emily replied in her mind.
At 10:00 in the morning, the hearing did not begin. The judge, Judge Elena Macarena, had already been informed that a criminal about to flee the country would be in the courtroom and that he should be arrested immediately.
Ethan sat with Pamela inside the courtroom. Emily also entered, accompanied by Mr. Roth.
Ethan saw his wife and turned pale.
“Emily, what are you doing here?”
“Defending my rights, dear. The right to Aunt Catherine’s inheritance, which you plan to steal.”
“What are you talking about? What proof?”
“Proof that you forged the will and also of your systematic fraud.”
“That is absurd,” Ethan stood up. “I am a lawyer with an impeccable reputation.”
“Impeccable. Until yesterday,” Emily said calmly.
At that moment, two people in plain clothes entered the courtroom. Detective Vargas and an officer. Ethan saw them and stepped back.
“Ethan Hayes,” Vargas said. “Yes, you are under arrest for the crimes of grand lararseny and forgery of a public document. You have the right to remain silent.”
“What? You are mistaken.”
Pamela got up from her seat, but the second officer was already approaching her.
“Pamela Serrano, you are under arrest as an accomplice in the crime.”
“I did not do anything,” she shouted. “It was his idea.”
“We will discuss that at the station,” the officer replied indifferently.
They put handcuffs on Ethan. He turned to Emily. In his eyes, there was shock and incomprehension.
“Emily, what is happening? It is a mistake, right?”
“There is no mistake, Ethan. You wanted to rob me and take my son, but you miscalculated. It turns out I am not the foolish, credulous wife you thought I was.”
“But we are a family.”
“The family ended when you decided to cheat on me with Pamela. And especially when you started robbing defenseless elderly people.”
They took Ethan and Pamela out of the courtroom. Pamela was crying. Ethan walked in silence, his head bowed. The judge postponed the hearing until the circumstances were clarified.
“Congratulations,” Roth said, shaking Emily’s hand. “The first blow was a direct hit.”
“Thank you. But this is just the beginning. There is a lot of work ahead.”
Leaving the courthouse, Emily felt a strange peace. Revenge is a dish best served cold. And today, Ethan had tasted the first bite.
The arrest of Ethan and Pamela was just the beginning of a cascade of revelations. Emily returned home in high spirits, but she knew the hardest part was yet to come.
At noon, Victor Serrano called. His voice sounded tired and confused.
“Emily, Pamela has not come home. I am worried.”
“Victor, sit down. What I am about to tell you is going to hurt.”
She told him what had happened at the courthouse. Victor listened in silence, sighing from time to time.
“So, they arrested her.”
“Yes, she is in a detention center right now along with my almost ex-husband.”
“Ex-husband?”
“I filed for divorce this morning. After what he has done, we have no future.”
“And what will happen to Pamela?”
“It depends on many things. If she cooperates with the investigation, testifies against Ethan, she might get a suspended sentence. If she remains stubborn, she faces several years as an accomplice in a fraud of this magnitude. 3 to 7 years in prison.”
Victor was silent for a long time.
“You know,” he said finally, “I thought I would feel sorry for her, but I do not. She not only cheated on me, but on all the people they robbed. Let the law deal with her.”
“Victor, the detective will want to talk to you. Your testimony is important for the case.”
“Of course, I am willing to help.”
In the afternoon, Emily picked up Noah from daycare. The boy asked where daddy was and she answered honestly, “Daddy did something wrong. Now he has to answer for it.”
“And will he come back?”
“Not soon. Maybe he will never come back. Now it will just be you and me. You, me, and everything will be okay.”
Noah nodded like a little four-year-old philosopher.
“Mommy, you will not leave me, right?”
“Never, my love. Mommy will never leave you.”
The next day, the real work began. Detective Vargas summoned Emily for a detailed statement that lasted 4 hours.
At the end, Vargas said, “Emily, thanks to you, we have uncovered a huge fraudulent scheme. It turns out there are more victims than we thought.”
“How many?”
“For now, 12 families. The total damage exceeds $35 million.”
Emily was astonished. Her husband’s crime was even greater than she had imagined.
“And the accompllices besides Pamela Serrano, we have identified two more. The real estate appraiser, Andrew Cabrera, and the real estate agent, Tatiana Navaro. They helped manage the transactions with the stolen properties.”
“Will they be arrested, too?”
“We already arrested them last night.”
After the interrogation, Emily went straight to see her lawyer. Roth greeted her with good news.
“The court has accepted your divorce petition for processing. Given the circumstances, the process will be quick and the custody of the child. Ethan will lose his parental rights due to his arrest and the criminal case. Noah will stay with you and the properties.”
“All of Ethan’s assets are frozen. Apartments, country houses, bank accounts, cars, everything will go towards paying compensation to the victims.”
“You will get half of the marital property not related to the crime. That is the apartment where you live now. In addition, monetary compensation for your share in other properties and your aunt’s inheritance. The fake will has been declared null and void. You will get everything that is yours. The apartment on the Upper East Side, the house in the mountains, the bank deposits.”
Emily calculated mentally. Including the inheritance, she would become a wealthy woman with enough for a comfortable life.
By the way, about the child. In the last few days with the stress, Emily had almost forgotten about her pregnancy, and suddenly she felt a pang in her lower abdomen.
“Constantine, excuse me, I have to go. I do not feel well.”
“Of course, take care of yourself.”
On the way home, the pain intensified. Emily stopped at a pharmacy, but suddenly she felt dizzy and everything went black.
Emily woke up in a hospital beside her doctors and nurses, and there she learned that she had lost the baby. The pregnancy had been terminated.
Emily cried. When she calmed down, she called the caregiver and asked her to pick up Noah from daycare and take him to her house, explaining what had happened.
She spent 3 days in the hospital. Entering her house, she decided she had to move on. She had Noah, who needed a happy, healthy, and loving mother.
An hour later, the caregiver brought her son. She hugged him and decided not to tell him for now that his little brother was no longer in mommy’s belly.
In the evening, Detective Castle called.
“Emily, I have news about your husband’s financial dealings.”
“I am listening.”
“We have found three more accounts in tax havens. The total sum of stolen money exceeds $45 million. Ethan prepared his escape thoroughly.”
“Can that money be recovered?”
“We are in contact with international agencies. The process is complex, but there is a chance.”