My office became a war room, the walls covered in printed financial statements, organizational charts, and photographs. David Aris, my old mentor from the forensic accounting firm, flew in from …

PART-SEVENTEEN The counter-offensive required a level of obsession that bordered on madness. I cleared my schedule for the next two weeks, canceling every client meeting and delegating my current caseload to my senior analysts. Read More

He set the glass down and leaned against the edge of the desk, crossing his arms over his chest. He told me that Eleanor had warned him about me, that …

PART-NINETEEN Croft didn’t yell, he didn’t call for security, he just walked over to his desk and poured himself a glass of scotch from a crystal decanter. He took a slow sip, his eyes never leaving my face, and told me that he had wondered when I would try something stupid. Read More

He did not look at Mark. He did not look at me. He only looked at the forged spousal acknowledgment sitting in the clear plastic sleeve on the table. Mark’s …

PART-TWO The conference room was so quiet I could hear the hum of the fluorescent lights above us. Mark’s lawyer, a man named Sterling with a suit that cost more than my first car, slowly closed his leather briefcase. Read More

I had not walked through these doors in six years, and the security guard barely recognized me until I handed him my old ID badge. He stared at the photo, …

PART-FOUR The following Monday, I walked into the glass-fronted lobby of Sterling & Vance, the forensic accounting firm where I had worked before my marriage. I was wearing a tailored navy suit, my hair pulled back into a severe knot, my heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. Read More

She took the stand, her movements stiff but deliberate, and swore to tell the truth. David approached her gently, asking her about her tenure working for Eleanor and her knowledge …

PART-SEVEN The woman who walked down the center aisle was in her late fifties, with silver hair cut in a sharp bob and eyes that had seen too much. Her name was Clara Vance, and she had been Eleanor’s executive assistant for fifteen years. Read More

She hired a high-profile defense attorney, a man who specialized in getting wealthy white-collar criminals off the hook. He filed endless motions, tried to suppress Clara’s testimony, and painted my …

PART-TEN The criminal trial for Eleanor and Mark was set for the following spring, a long, slow grind of legal maneuvering and depositions. Eleanor, facing charges of wire fraud, tax evasion, and forgery, attempted to fight every step of the way. Read More