Chapter 4 - The Woman I Thought I Knew
I should have been shocked by Vanessa’s words.
But somehow…
I wasn’t.
Because deep down, I already knew.
The woman standing in front of me was not the woman I married.
She was someone I had never truly seen.
“What does that mean?”
I asked.
Vanessa walked into the room.
Slowly.
Confidently.
“You think you can just take my children away?”
I corrected her.
“Our children.”
She smiled.
“No, Michael.”
“They are yours because I allowed you to believe that.”
My eyes narrowed.
“What are you talking about?”
She ignored the question.
“You have a reputation.”
“You have money.”
“You have a company.”
“You cannot afford a scandal.”
A cold feeling moved through my chest.
“You’re threatening me?”
“I’m reminding you.”
She stepped closer.
“You are a businessman.”
“You understand consequences.”
I looked at her.
“You hurt our children.”
Her expression changed.
For a second…
I saw the real Vanessa.
The angry Vanessa.
Then it disappeared.
She picked up her phone.
“You should check your messages.”
I frowned.
My phone was on the desk.
I picked it up.
There were three missed calls.
All from my attorney.
And one message.
“Michael, call me immediately. It concerns Vanessa.”
My stomach tightened.
I looked at her.
“What did you do?”
She smiled.
“I protected myself.”
I called my attorney immediately.
The moment he answered…
His voice sounded serious.
“Michael.”
“What happened?”
“Your wife contacted my office this morning.”
My face changed.
“What?”
“She asked about custody rights.”
I felt my heart drop.
“She was preparing for this?”
“Yes.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
Then my attorney added something else.
“She also mentioned something about proving you are unstable.”
I looked at Vanessa.
Suddenly everything made sense.
The notebook.
The threats.
The confidence.
She wasn’t scared.
Because she had planned this.
Then my phone received another message.
This time from an unknown number.
One sentence.
“Check the security cameras.”
I looked toward Vanessa.
She was watching me.
And smiling.
May you like
Because whoever sent that message…
Knew there was something worse waiting for me.
