Chapter Eight: The Reveal
“You — you can’t just — we didn’t even talk about this. You got fired two days ago and now you’re divorcing me?”
“Actually,” Ernest said, “I didn’t get fired.”
Silence.
“I made the whole thing up.”
More silence. He could hear her breathing. Fast and shallow.
“What?”
Her voice was barely a whisper now.
“It was a test, Kelly. And you failed spectacularly.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Yes, you do. You understand perfectly. I know about your plan. I know you’ve been waiting for the five-year mark. I know you’ve been calculating alimony and asset splits. I know you stopped loving me a year ago but stayed anyway — for the money.”
“How do you —”
She stopped.
He could practically hear her mind racing.
“You were listening that night. You listened to my phone call.”
“I did. And I recorded it. My lawyer has that recording. So here’s how this is going to go, Kelly. You’re going to accept a very reasonable divorce settlement that doesn’t include alimony — given that you’ve admitted you stayed in this marriage solely for financial gain. Or we can go to court and I’ll play that recording for a judge and let them decide how mercenary you really are.”
“You bastard.”
Her voice cracked.
“You manipulative bastard.”
“Says the woman who calculated our marriage down to dollar amounts and investment account balances. You played a game, Kelly. You just didn’t realize I knew I was playing too.”
She hung up.
Ernest sat in his office, phone in hand, and felt something like peace settle over him.
Patricia had been right. People reveal who they really are when they think the money is gone.
Kelly had revealed herself completely.
