Chapter 2 - The Illusion of Control
I spent the next three days living in a hotel paid for by Margaret.
Julian texted me every few hours.
He told me I was crazy.
He told me if I tried to come back to the house, he would call the police and say I attacked him.
He was building a paper trail of my "instability" to protect his reputation.
I played right into his hands.
I texted him back exactly what he wanted to hear.
"Please, Julian. I have nowhere to go. I won't show the picture to anyone."
"I'm sorry. Just let me come home."
My fractured finger throbbed as I typed the lies.
Julian replied with a single, arrogant word: "No."
He felt powerful.
He felt untouchable.
On Thursday night, my doorbell camera showed Victoria hosting a dinner party in my dining room.
She was serving wine in my crystal glasses.
May you like
She was celebrating a forty-million-dollar victory that hadn't even been signed yet.
I watched them through my phone screen and didn't shed a single tear.
