Chapter 3 - The Thirty-Day Trap
I didn't scream. I didn't smash his computer or pack my bags in a hysterical frenzy. I was a compliance auditor. I knew that when you uncover massive fraud, you do not alert the suspect. You secure the assets, build the case, and lock all the exits before you ever light the match.
My first priority was Louisa. Because Miles had officially waived her coverage, and the 30-day "qualifying life event" window had technically closed for him, I immediately called my own HR department. I explained that my husband's coverage had fallen through. Thanks to a federal loophole regarding loss of coverage, I was able to retroactively enroll Louisa onto my top-tier corporate plan within twenty-four hours. She was safe.
My second priority was everything else.
I spent the next three days secretly transferring my half of our liquid assets into a private, secure account in my name. I documented every single text message, every hotel receipt, and every flight confirmation I found on his laptop. I printed the HR benefits confirmation showing his digital signature waiving his daughter's healthcare.
I handed all of it to Eleanor Vance, the most ruthless, terrifying divorce attorney in Chicago.
Meanwhile, I played the exhausted, stressed new mother perfectly. When Miles came home from work, I asked him how the "insurance battle" was going.
"It's a nightmare, Cat," Miles sighed, rubbing his temples, putting on an Oscar-worthy performance of a stressed father. "HR is completely incompetent. They claim the system glitched and erased her file. I’ve been on the phone with the benefits director all afternoon trying to force an override. Just trust me, I'm handling it."
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"I know you are, Miles," I smiled softly, handing him a plate of dinner. "I know you're doing everything you can."
He kissed my cheek, entirely oblivious to the fact that he was kissing a woman who had already signed the paperwork to legally execute him.
