My father discreetly ordered a comprehensive audit of the accounts at the logistics firm where Elias worked.
He was a mid-level sales executive at a subsidiary of the Wilson Group, and I never told him that the company he was stealing from actually belonged to my own family.
Third, we had to address Brenda.
I needed her to go on record confirming both the pregnancy and her ongoing relationship with my husband.
I returned to the hotel room at dawn and laid down beside Elias, pretending to be fast asleep.
“Where in the world were you?” he murmured in his sleep, sounding slightly confused.
“I just went downstairs for a walk,” I whispered softly.
“I was just sitting in the lobby thinking about our life together.”
He turned his back to me without a second thought.
“How beautiful you are, Ella,” he lied, his voice thick with fake affection.
I just smiled into the darkness, knowing exactly how this would end.
Over the next few weeks, I became the clumsy, ditzy wife they expected me to be.
I accidentally shrank his favorite tailored shirts in the dryer, I put too much salt in his morning coffee, and I forgot to pay the internet bill right before he had a very important virtual meeting.
I also accidentally ruined one of Cynthia’s incredibly expensive cashmere coats by tossing it in the washing machine.
She screamed as if she had lost a massive inheritance.
“You are absolutely useless, Ella!” she yelled.
“That was a designer piece that cost more than your monthly salary!”
I cried fake, exaggerated tears while looking at the floor.
“I am so sorry, Cynthia, it is just that I really do not know anything about expensive, high-end clothing.”
Elias gritted his teeth, but he forced a hug on me.
“It is perfectly okay, my love, it was just an honest accident.”
His eyes told a different story, one that screamed: “Just hang on for one more year.”
That night, I took out the paperwork Rebecca had prepared.
“Honey, I feel so terrible about ruining your mother’s coat,” I said, putting on my best act.
“I want to make it up to you, and this document from the apartment insurance company just arrived.”
“If you sign this here, they will lower our monthly payments significantly.”
Elias did not even bother to read the legal jargon carefully.
He saw the word insurance, he saw the word discount, and he signed his name on the dotted line.
The trap was officially closed.
Meanwhile, my father’s investigators confirmed exactly what we had suspected all along.
Elias was not just cheating on me; he was embezzling money from the company on a massive scale.
He had created fake vendors, inflated invoices, and diverted payments to an offshore account linked directly to his mother.
The total sum stolen already exceeded a million dollars.
But the final piece of the puzzle was Brenda.
That was the reason I decided to host a dinner at our apartment.
“I really want to get along with your family,” I told Elias over dinner.
“Let’s invite your mother, your aunts, and Brenda too, since she is your best friend.”
He hesitated for a moment, but then he smiled.
He clearly thought I was going to humiliate myself and provide him with more ammunition for his plan.
On the night of the dinner, Rebecca had installed small, discreet cameras in the living and dining rooms.
I deliberately prepared a terrible meal consisting of dry, overcooked meat, mushy rice, and sauce that was far too salty.
I bought the cheapest wine I could find and served everything with a bright, fake smile on my face.
Cynthia arrived dressed like she was attending a gala, eyeing every corner of the room with obvious disdain.
“At least you finally managed to vacuum the floors,” she said, looking around the living room.
Brenda arrived later, arm in arm with Elias.
She was wearing a loose dress, but her hand kept drifting toward her stomach.
“You look absolutely radiant,” I said, staring directly at her slight baby bump.
She stiffened immediately, looking at Elias with a worried expression.
During dinner, the entire family took turns making fun of me.
“Some women are just born to be perfect wives,” Brenda said while laughing.
“Others are simply not cut out for that kind of life.”
“You are completely right,” I replied calmly.
“Some people are born to be wives, while others are born to mess with other women’s husbands.”
The silence that fell over the room was heavy and suffocating.
“What did you just say?” Elias asked, his face turning bright red.
“Nothing at all,” I smiled.
“Please, pass me the wine.”
Then I stood up and intentionally tripped near the table.
