Her name was Tessa, and she knew nothing. Damien had told her he was divorced, wealthy, and paying for her apartment with bonuses. When an officer showed her the insurance policy naming her beneficiary, she sank into the booth. “Who are you?” she asked me. After I told her I was Damien’s wife, she began crying and removed the ring he’d given her. Julian then explained that he was a forensic accountant investigating money missing from Damien’s firm.

Investigators had uncovered Damien’s plan piece by piece. Crushed by gambling debts, he intended to make the embezzlement appear as though I’d stolen the money, divorce me before the audit ended, and disappear with Tessa. The forged insurance policy was apparently meant as protection if something went wrong. Thankfully, the insurer had already flagged my suspicious signature. Damien was arrested for embezzlement, forgery, and insurance fraud. But discovering what he’d planned was only the beginning of rebuilding everything he’d nearly destroyed.