Chapter 7 - The Penthouse He Called His“YOU DON'T OWN THIS HOME ANYMORE, EVELYN. GET OUT BEFORE I CALL SECURITY.”
Dominic stood in the penthouse doorway wearing an open-collar white shirt and expensive gray trousers.
He looked exhausted.
His eyes were bloodshot, and the arrogance he'd displayed the previous evening had hardened into something uglier.
Tessa stood beside me.
We'd come to retrieve my passport, personal records, medication, and several belongings.
I had no intention of staying.
But I wasn't going to allow Dominic to erase my presence from our marriage as if I'd never existed.
“Good afternoon, Dominic,” I said.
He looked at Tessa.
“Who's this?”
“My attorney.”
His expression changed.
“An attorney?”
Tessa offered her business card.
“Tessa Morgan. I'm representing Evelyn in matters related to your separation and certain disputed property transactions.”
Dominic ignored the card.
“Evelyn, you're being manipulated.”
I met his gaze.
“I'm collecting my belongings.”
“You can have someone pick them up later.”
Tessa spoke calmly.
“Mr. Vale, we're not here to create a confrontation. Evelyn has personal effects and records she is entitled to retrieve. If necessary, we can arrange a supervised collection through counsel.”
Dominic stared at her.
Then he moved aside.
“Twenty minutes.”
Tessa didn't argue.
We entered the penthouse.
The living room looked exactly as it had the previous day.
Cream sofas.
Modern art.
Imported marble.
The same extravagant emptiness.
But there was one difference.
A gold evening clutch lay on the coffee table.
Vanessa's.
I recognized it from photographs I'd seen online.
I looked toward the bedroom.
Dominic noticed.
“She stayed here last night.”
I turned back.
“Congratulations.”
He seemed disappointed that I didn't react.
“She's helping me through a difficult situation.”
I almost laughed.
“How generous.”
Tessa touched my arm gently.
“Let's get what you need.”
In the dressing room, I collected my passport, birth certificate, photographs, and personal jewelry.
I also took the small wooden jewelry box my father had made when I was twelve.
It was scratched and ordinary.
Of all the possessions in the penthouse, it was one of the few things I'd have been devastated to lose.
I opened the bottom drawer.
Inside were old family pictures.
One showed my parents standing outside our first house.
Another showed me at my college graduation.
Then I found a photograph taken at a charity event shortly before I met Dominic.
I remembered the evening.
I'd been working for an educational nonprofit.
Dominic had approached me beside a display of student artwork.
He'd introduced himself as a young businessman interested in supporting community programs.
I'd thought our meeting was a coincidence.
I studied the photograph more closely.
Dominic stood in the background.
But he wasn't looking toward the artwork.
He was speaking to another man.
Gerald Wexler.
My stomach tightened.
I brought the photograph into the bedroom.
“Tessa, look at this.”
She examined it.
“That's Dominic.”
“And Gerald Wexler.”
“When was it taken?”
“Before Dominic and I started dating.”
Tessa looked at me.
“Are you certain?”
“I remember this event. It was the first night I met him.”
She carefully photographed the picture.
“We need the original digital file if it's available.”
A cold realization settled inside me.
Richard had told me that Dominic approached Meridian for financing months before our wedding.
But this photograph suggested Dominic had connections to Meridian before he approached me.
Perhaps much earlier.
We finished collecting my belongings.
As we returned to the living room, Vanessa emerged from the guest bedroom.
Her blonde hair was tied loosely behind her head.
Without elaborate makeup, she looked younger.
And frightened.
She froze when she saw us.
“Evelyn.”
I nodded.
“Vanessa.”
Dominic immediately moved toward her.
“You don't have to speak to her.”
I looked at him.
“I'm not here to speak to either of you.”
Vanessa stepped aside.
But as I passed, she whispered something.
“Check the desk.”
I stopped.
“What?”
She glanced toward Dominic.
His back was turned.
“The desk in his study.”
Then she walked away.
I looked toward the home office.
Dominic noticed.
“What's taking so long?”
“Just checking that I have everything.”
He folded his arms.
“You've got your clothes. That's enough.”
I glanced at Tessa.
She understood that something was wrong.
“Evelyn, did you keep any personal financial records in the study?”
I nodded.
“Yes. Several folders.”
Dominic stiffened.
“Those are business records.”
“Some of them concern our household,” I said.
“I'll have copies sent to your lawyer.”
Tessa looked at him.
“Please preserve all potentially relevant records. We can address access through the appropriate legal process.”
He didn't respond.
As we approached the front door, a maintenance worker entered carrying a small toolbox.
“Mr. Vale, I'm here to replace the office cabinet lock.”
Dominic's face tightened.
“Not now.”
The worker hesitated.
“I was told it needed to be done today.”
Tessa and I exchanged glances.
I looked at Dominic.
“Replacing locks?”
“Routine maintenance.”
“On a Sunday?”
He stepped closer.
“Evelyn, leave.”
I refused to give him another argument.
We walked toward the elevator.
But before the doors closed, I looked back.
Vanessa stood near the hallway, watching me.
She lifted one hand slightly.
In it was a black smartphone.
Then she lowered it.
The gesture was so subtle Dominic didn't notice.
Outside, Tessa took a long breath.
“That was interesting.”
I turned toward her.
“Vanessa told me to check his desk.”
Tessa frowned.
“Why would she help you?”
“I don't know.”
“Do you trust her?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Good.”
We rode down in silence.
In the parking garage, Nora waited beside the car.
As I approached, my phone vibrated.
An image had arrived from an unknown number.
It showed the interior of Dominic's study.
The top drawer of his desk was open.
Inside lay several folders bearing the Meridian emblem.
Beside them was a small photograph.
I enlarged it.
Dominic stood outside a Chicago restaurant with Gerald Wexler.
The photograph was dated several months before Dominic and I first met.
Beneath it was a handwritten note.
The Hayes connection is confirmed. Proceed as discussed.
I felt sick.
Tessa leaned closer.
“Evelyn?”
I showed her the screen.
She studied it for several seconds.
Then she said something I would never forget.
“Your husband didn't stumble into your life.”
I looked down at the picture again.
May you like
The truth was becoming unavoidable.
Dominic had selected me long before I'd ever fallen in love with him.
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