Chapter 3 - The Ex Who Thought She Had Won
Brier arrived at the Whitmore offices the next morning in a red coat and dark sunglasses.
She marched past reception as if she owned the building.
“I need to see Declan,” she demanded.
The receptionist looked uncomfortable. “Mr. Whitmore is unavailable.”
Brier removed her sunglasses. “Tell him it’s Brier.”
“I know who you are.”
That was when Brier noticed me standing near the elevators.
I wore a navy suit, Eleanor Whitmore’s sapphire ring, and the calm expression of someone who had stopped competing for a man’s attention.
Brier smiled coldly.
“So, you finally decided to show up at the office.”
“I’ve been here for years,” I said. “You just never noticed.”
She crossed her arms. “Declan loves me.”
“Then you should probably ask why he used your company to hide stolen money.”
Her smile disappeared.
“What are you talking about?”
I handed her a folder.
Inside were invoices, wire transfers, and documents with her signature.
Brier’s hands began to shake.
“He told me this was consulting work.”
“Did you do the work?”
“I helped him with events.”
“Did you help him with two hundred thousand dollars’ worth of events?”
She looked terrified.
That was the moment I understood Brier had not known everything. She had known enough to enjoy the gifts, vacations, and attention—but not enough to understand she had become Declan’s shield.
“He said he was divorcing you,” she whispered.
“He said many things.”
Brier looked at me with tears in her eyes. “What happens now?”
“The investigators will ask questions.”
“And Declan?”
“He will save himself first,” I said.
She wanted to argue, but her phone rang.
Declan’s name appeared on the screen.
Brier answered immediately.
“Declan, what is happening?”
I could hear his voice through the phone.
“Do not say anything to Sarah. Do you understand me?”
Brier’s face changed.
In that instant, she finally understood.
May you like
She had never been the woman Declan chose.
She had only been the woman he used.
