Chapter 12 - THE WOMEN BEFORE ME
There were seven profiles.
Seven women.
Not all had dated Dwight.
Some were women the family had researched.
Single.
Divorced.
Widowed.
Inherited property.
Owned businesses.
Had limited family nearby.
The level of calculation made my skin crawl.
Natalie sat beside me while Christopher spread the pages across the table.
“They were building a system,” she said.
She was right.
This wasn’t just bad behavior.
It was a business model.
Charm a woman.
Gain trust.
Access money.
Create pressure.
Forge documents if necessary.
Then push her out.
My profile was the most detailed.
Income.
Savings.
Inheritance.
Work schedule.
Credit score.
Even notes about my personality.
One line was written by Dwight:
She forgives too easily if I act hurt.
I read it three times.
Then laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was true.
He had used apologies like keys.
Every time he disappointed me, he became quiet.
Ashamed.
Soft-spoken.
“I’m scared I’m not good enough for you.”
And I would comfort him.
He had trained me to comfort the person hurting me.
Christopher watched my face.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Good answer.”
That made me smile for the first time all week.
Investigators contacted the other women.
Two had gone on dates with Dwight.
One remembered him asking unusually detailed questions about her divorce settlement.
Another said Susan had “accidentally” met her at a restaurant and spent twenty minutes praising Dwight as husband material.
The pattern became undeniable.
Then Gemma asked to speak with me.
I almost refused.
She had humiliated me.
Thrown clothing at me.
Called me lazy.
But Detective Morrison suggested I listen.
We met with attorneys present.
Gemma looked exhausted.
“I didn’t know about the fraud.”
“I believe you knew enough.”
“I knew Mom wanted you to take over chores.”
“And you enjoyed it.”
Her eyes filled with shame.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She looked down.
“Because Mom did it to me.”
That surprised me.
“When I lived at home after college, she controlled everything. Money. Food. Cleaning. She kept saying women earn their place by serving people.”
“That doesn’t excuse what you did.”
“I know.”
“Then why tell me?”
“Because there’s something you don’t know about Dwight.”
I waited.
Gemma looked toward her attorney.
He nodded.
“When Natalie left him, Dwight didn’t just lose her money.”
“What else?”
“He got arrested.”
Christopher sat straighter.
“For what?”
“Stalking.”
Natalie had never mentioned that.
Gemma continued.
“The charges were dropped after Natalie moved away.”
My stomach tightened.
That evening, I called Natalie.
She went silent.
Then finally said:
“I didn’t tell you because I was ashamed.”
“What did he do?”
“He followed me.”
“How long?”
“Three months.”
“Why were charges dropped?”
“He threatened my mother.”
My grip tightened on the phone.
Natalie’s voice cracked.
“He said if I testified, he would make sure she lost her house.”
I closed my eyes.
“Did Jared help him?”
“Yes.”
Then Natalie said the sentence that put every investigator on alert.
“Elizabeth, if Dwight thinks he’s losing control, he doesn’t walk away.”
“He’s in custody.”
“For now.”
I looked at Christopher.
“What does that mean?”
Natalie whispered:
May you like
“It means you should make sure he stays there.”
The following morning, Dwight was granted a bond hearing.
