“Absolutely,” Jennifer said without hesitation. “I’ve been waiting three years for the chance to make Alexander pay for what he did to me. If helping you means other women won’t go through what we’ve been through, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
After the call with Jennifer, Sarah felt a new sense of purpose settle into her bones.
This wasn’t just about her marriage anymore.
It was about stopping a predator who’d been victimizing women for years.
She called Janet immediately.
“Jennifer confirmed everything we suspected,” Sarah said.
“Alexander is a serial marriage fraudster. She thinks there are at least three other victims before her.”
“That changes everything,” Janet said grimly. “We’re not just planning a divorce anymore.
We’re building a criminal case.”
Janet didn’t pause.
“I’m going to contact the FBI’s financial crimes unit. If Alexander has been doing this across state lines, it becomes federal jurisdiction.”
“What does that mean for our timeline?”
“It means we need to be even more careful,” Janet said. “But it also means Alexander could face serious prison time.
Marriage fraud. Interstate financial schemes. We’re talking about federal felonies that carry ten- to twenty-year sentences.”
Sarah felt a mixture of satisfaction and fear.
She’d wanted Alexander to face consequences, but federal prison seemed almost too severe—until she thought about Jennifer losing her business, about the other unknown women Alexander had destroyed.
The sympathy evaporated.
“How do we proceed?”
“We stick to the Friday timeline,” Janet said, “but now we’re coordinating with federal investigators instead of just local law enforcement. The FBI wants to arrest Alexander at the same time Rebecca gets arrested for tax evasion. They think the two cases might be connected.”
“Connected,” Sarah repeated.
“How?”
“They’re investigating whether Alexander knew about Rebecca’s escort work and was taking a cut of her profits,” Janet said. “If so, he could be charged with operating a prostitution scheme in addition to marriage fraud.”
Sarah almost laughed at the irony. Alexander had been so sure he was the smartest person in every room—playing multiple women at once—only to get tangled up in someone whose criminal mess could bring down his entire operation.
“What do I need to do?”
“Keep acting normal for two more days,” Janet said.
“Don’t give Alexander any reason to suspect that anything has changed. The FBI is going to be monitoring both Alexander and Rebecca starting tomorrow, so any unusual behavior from you could tip them off.”
That evening, Sarah cooked Alexander’s favorite meal and opened a bottle of expensive wine. She needed him relaxed and unsuspecting for the next forty-eight hours.
“This is nice,” Alexander said, raising his wine glass in a toast.
“What’s the occasion?”
“Do I need an occasion to celebrate my husband?” Sarah clinked her glass against his, maintaining eye contact like a loving wife should.
“I guess not.” Alexander studied her for a beat. “You’ve just seemed… I don’t know. Different lately.
More confident, maybe. It’s attractive.”
If only he knew where that confidence was coming from.
“I think losing Dad made me realize how short life is,” Sarah said. “I don’t want to waste time on things that don’t matter.
I want to focus on what’s really important.”
“Like what?”
“Like us,” Sarah said smoothly. “Like our future together. Like making sure the people we love get what they deserve.”
Alexander’s expression softened.
He reached across the table and took her hand.
“I love you so much, Sarah. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Sarah squeezed his hand and smiled warmly, even as her stomach turned at his touch.
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me too, Alex. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie.
Sarah couldn’t imagine her life without Alexander—only because she was about to make sure he was permanently removed from it.
“You know what?” Alexander said suddenly. “Let’s go away this weekend. Just the two of us.
We could drive up to that bed and breakfast in wine country you’re always talking about.”
Sarah’s heart skipped.
Alexander was supposed to be arrested on Friday morning. There wouldn’t be any romantic weekend getaway.
“That sounds wonderful,” she said, her voice steady despite the adrenaline rushing through her system. “But don’t you have that big client presentation on Friday?”
“I can move it,” Alexander said easily.
“You’re more important than any client.”
The lies came so naturally to him it was almost art.
Sarah marveled, and a darker thought slid in: Alexander probably had plans with Rebecca this weekend and was using the fake getaway story to explain his absence to both women.
“Let’s see how the week goes,” Sarah said diplomatically. “I’d hate for you to miss an important meeting because of me.”
“You’re worth missing any meeting for,” Alexander said, bringing her hand to his lips for a soft kiss.
Sarah smiled and let herself look touched by the gesture, even as she counted down the hours.
Six hours and counting.
Soon, Alexander would learn that Sarah was worth a lot more than he’d ever imagined—just not in the way he’d expected.
Thursday morning arrived gray and drizzly, matching Sarah’s mood as she prepared for what might be her last normal day with Alexander. In less than twenty-four hours, everything would change forever.
Alexander was unusually attentive at breakfast, complimenting her cooking and talking about their future plans in a way that made Sarah’s skin crawl.
He was either feeling guilty about his double life or laying groundwork for some new deception.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said as he buttered his toast. “Maybe we should start trying for a baby soon.”
Sarah nearly choked on her coffee.
“A baby?”
“I know we said we’d wait until we were more financially stable,” Alexander continued, his tone casual, “but I’m feeling optimistic about work, and you’re not getting any younger.”
Sarah caught the calculated look in his eyes.
Baby.
Alexander wanted her pregnant while he was planning to divorce her and steal what he thought would be her inheritance. The manipulation was so breathtaking Sarah had to grip her mug to keep her hands from shaking with rage.
“That’s… that’s a big decision,” she managed.
“Maybe we should talk about it more when things settle down after Dad’s estate is finished.”
“Of course,” Alexander said quickly. “No pressure. I just think you’d be an amazing mother.”
Sarah excused herself to the bathroom and called Janet Williams immediately, whispering into the phone.
“He wants me to get pregnant.
Alexander just brought up having a baby.”
“Son of a bitch,” Janet muttered, her professional composure cracking for a moment. “He’s trying to make you more financially vulnerable. Pregnant women have a harder time leaving bad marriages, and child support would give him ongoing access to your assets.”
Janet’s voice sharpened.
“Is that what he did to Jennifer?”
“I’ll have Tom ask her,” Janet said.
“But I wouldn’t be surprised. Sarah, this confirms Alexander is escalating his timeline. We need to move fast.
Is everything still on track for tomorrow?”
“Better than on track,” Janet said. “The FBI finished their investigation of Rebecca’s escort business yesterday. They found evidence that she’s been laundering money through multiple accounts and evading taxes on over two hundred thousand dollars in income.”
Sarah’s stomach dropped.
“They also found communications suggesting Alexander has been helping her recruit clients from Meridian Tech.”
“So he did know about the escort business.”
“Not only did he know,” Janet said, “he was facilitating it.
Alexander has been getting kickbacks from Rebecca for introducing her to wealthy clients. He’s essentially been pimping her out while pretending to be in love with her.”
Sarah sat down hard on the toilet seat, stunned. The situation was even worse than she’d imagined.
Alexander wasn’t just cheating.
He was running a criminal enterprise with his mistress.
“What does this mean for tomorrow?”
“It means Alexander is looking at federal charges for prostitution, money laundering, tax evasion, and marriage fraud,” Janet said. “He could get twenty-five years in prison.”
Twenty-five years.
Sarah tried to picture Alexander—vain about his appearance and obsessed with status—spending the next quarter century in federal prison. The thought should have brought satisfaction.
Instead, she felt hollow with the weight of it.
“Janet… am I doing the right thing? Twenty-five years seems like—”
“Sarah,” Janet cut in, firm. “Stop right there.
