Chapter 4 - The Midnight Panic
By 11:00 PM, the wedding reception was collapsing under the weight of the scandal.
Ellie, Norah, and I were sitting in the quiet luxury of our private towncar, being driven through the city lights toward our estate in the hills. Norah was fast asleep in her car seat, holding her plush bunny.
Elliot sat beside me, his hand warm and strong around mine.
"Are you alright, sweetheart?" he asked softly, kissing the knuckles of my fingers.
"I’m better than alright, Elliot," I admitted, looking out the window. "For five years, I let them rewrite my story. I let Nadine tell everyone in this town that I was a broken, worthless woman who couldn't keep a husband."
"Nadine is a small, bitter woman living on borrowed status," Elliot said quietly. "And her son is a mediocre surgeon who built his reputation on lies and political brown-nosing. Tomorrow, the bill comes due."
My phone buzzed in my clutch bag.
It was a text message from an unknown number. I opened it.
Chad: Clara, please. I am begging you. Call Elliot off. If I lose this department chair position, I lose my license. My mother didn't know you were married to him! She’s an old woman, she made a mistake! Please, for old times' sake, talk to him!
Five seconds later, another text popped up.
Nadine: Clara, this is Nadine. We need to talk like civilized women. I admit my words at the table were uncalled for, but ruining Chad’s life over a misunderstanding is monstrous. You know how hard he has worked! Have some mercy!
I looked at the messages, a cold, satisfying wave of peace washing over me.
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I didn't type a reply. I simply took a screenshot of both messages, forwarded them directly to Marcus Vance—our family’s lead corporate litigation attorney—and added a brief caption:
Include these in tomorrow’s witness intimidation filing.
