No idea that everything had changed.
Sarah closed her eyes and let herself feel the anger—really feel it—for the first time. It burned through her like fire, melting away months of self-doubt and sadness.
Alexander thought he was so smart, so careful, so in control.
He was about to learn just how wrong he could be.
Sarah barely slept that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she heard Alexander’s voice saying he could barely stand to touch her. Every time she started to drift off, she remembered Rebecca’s laugh echoing through what used to be her sanctuary.
By the time the sun rose, she felt hollowed out and raw, but strangely clear-headed.
She heard Alexander moving around downstairs, getting ready for another day of lies. Part of her wanted to march down there and confront him immediately—to scream and throw things and demand answers.
But the smarter part of her—the part that sounded like her father’s voice—told her to wait.
To plan. To be strategic.
Sarah waited until she heard Alexander’s car pull out of the driveway before she moved.
She needed to understand exactly what her father had left her before she could figure out how to use it.
She spread the documents across the kitchen table and started reading carefully. The more she read, the more amazed she became.
Her father hadn’t just been successful—he’d been brilliant.
While working his day job as an engineer, he’d been quietly buying up properties in Portland neighborhoods that were about to boom. He’d invested in tech startups that had made him millions. He’d even owned a piece of the company where Alexander worked, though Alexander had never known it.
The trust was structured so that only Sarah could access the funds—and only after her father’s death.
Alexander’s name wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the documents. Even if they were married, he would have no legal claim to any of it.
Sarah’s phone rang, making her jump.
Alexander’s name flashed on the screen.
“Hi, honey,” she answered, proud of how normal her voice sounded.
“Hey, baby. How are you holding up?
I know yesterday was rough.”
Yesterday.
The funeral.
Sarah had forgotten that as far as Alexander knew, she had just buried her father.
“It was hard,” she said. “But I’m okay. I should be home this afternoon.”
“Good.
I missed you. Take your time, though. Don’t rush if you need more time to handle things there.”
Of course he didn’t want her to rush home.
He probably had plans with Rebecca.
“Actually, I think I will stay another day,” Sarah said. “There are some legal things I need to take care of.”
For the first time, Alexander sounded genuinely interested in something related to her father’s death.
“Legal things?”
“Just paperwork. You know how it is,” Sarah said, keeping her voice deliberately vague.
Let him wonder.
“Anything I can help with? I could fly out tonight if you need me.”
The offer was so fake it was almost funny.
“No, that’s okay. You have that big presentation this week.
I can handle it.”
“You sure? If there are… if there are financial things to sort out, I want to be there to support you.”
There it was.
The real reason for his sudden concern.
Sarah felt a flicker of satisfaction.
“It’s mostly just sentimental stuff,” she said. “Nothing important.”
She could practically hear Alexander’s disappointment through the phone.
“Okay.
Well, call me if you need anything. I love you.”
“Love you too,” Sarah lied smoothly.
After she hung up, Sarah sat staring at the documents for a long time.
$15 million.
It was more money than she’d ever imagined having—more money than Alexander could ever have imagined her having.
Her phone buzzed with a text from her best friend, Lisa.
How are you holding up? Let me know if you need anything.
Sarah stared at the message for a long time before responding.
I’m okay.
Actually, can I ask you something? Hypothetically, if you found out your husband was cheating, what would you do?
The response came back immediately.
Hypothetically, I’d ruin his life. What is happening—everything okay?
Sarah smiled grimly.
Lisa had always been the fierce one in their friendship, the one who never let anyone take advantage of her.
Maybe it was time for Sarah to learn from that.
Everything’s fine. Just wondering.
But everything wasn’t fine.
And Sarah was tired of pretending it was.
She gathered up the documents and headed for her father’s study. If she was going to do this, she needed to do it right.
Her father’s study was exactly as he’d left it—meticulous and organized.
Sarah sat in his leather chair and opened his laptop.
The password was her birthday.
Like always, her father had never been good with technology, but he’d kept detailed records of everything.
Sarah spent the next three hours going through his files, understanding the full scope of what he’d built. The properties alone were worth eight million. The investment portfolio was worth another six million.
And there was a million in cash sitting in accounts that Alexander didn’t even know existed.
But more than the money, Sarah found something else.
Records of her father’s conversations with a private investigator named Tom Mitchell.
Her father hadn’t just suspected Alexander—he’d had him investigated.
The files made Sarah’s stomach turn.
Photos of Alexander and Rebecca at hotels. Credit card receipts for jewelry that Sarah had never received. Phone records showing hundreds of calls between Alexander and Rebecca—often while Sarah was at the hospital with her father.
Her father had known everything.
And he documented it all.
Sarah found Tom Mitchell’s business card tucked into one of the files.
Without hesitating, she picked up the phone and dialed.
“Mitchell Investigations,” a gruff voice answered.
“Mr. Mitchell, this is Sarah Webb. I think my father—Robert Chin—was one of your clients.”
There was a pause.
“Sarah, I’m sorry for your loss.
Your father was a good man.”
“Thank you. I found his files about my husband. Are you still—are those investigations still active?”
“No.
They ended when your father passed, but I kept all the documentation just in case. Your father thought you might need it someday.”
“I need it now.”
“I can have everything to you by tonight. Sarah, your father loved you very much.
He wanted to make sure you had options when you were ready to use them.”
Options.
Sarah liked the sound of that.
For the first time in years, she felt like she had choices instead of just obligations.
“Mr. Mitchell, I want to hire you for a new investigation. I want to know everything about Rebecca Santos.
Everything—her marriage, her finances, her secrets, all of it.”
“I can do that. What’s your timeline?”
Sarah thought about Alexander’s voice last night—talking about divorce, about stealing her inheritance, about barely being able to stand touching her.
“As fast as possible. Money is no object.”
After she hung up, Sarah felt something she hadn’t felt in months.
Excitement.
Not the kind of excitement she used to feel about her marriage or her future with Alexander—but something sharper and more focused.
The excitement of having a plan.
She picked up her phone and dialed another number from her father’s files.
“Harrison Williams and Associates.”
A professional voice answered.
“I’d like to speak with Janet Williams, please.
This is Sarah Webb. I believe she handled some business for my father, Robert Chin.”
“One moment, please.”
A few minutes later, a warm female voice came on the line.
“Sarah, I’m so sorry for your loss. Your father spoke about you constantly.
He was so proud of you.”
“Thank you, Ms. Williams. I need to ask you something important.
How quickly can someone get divorced in Oregon?”
There was a pause.
“That depends on several factors. Are you asking for yourself?”
