Chapter 4 - The Sting
Thorne kept his word. By the time Ethan left his office, he was met not by his wife, but by two plainclothes detectives and a federal agent.
I watched from the safety of Thorne’s office, via a secure link provided by Marcus. Ethan’s face as they slapped the cuffs on him was a mixture of bewilderment and rage. He kept shouting that it was a misunderstanding, that his wife was a "demented, unstable woman" who didn't know what she was doing.
Lorraine, who had arrived at the office shortly after to "take care of the mess," stood on the sidewalk, screaming at the officers. She looked smaller, somehow. Without Ethan’s authority behind her, she was just a bitter, angry woman in a designer suit.
The media coverage was swift. The news cycle picked it up within hours: Local Construction Mogul Arrested for Massive Fraud and Abuse. The footage of him being dragged into the cruiser was on every channel.
My lawyer turned to me. “Claire, you have the option of testifying in person, or we can submit your depositions. Given the evidence, you don’t need to be there for the initial arraignment.”
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“I want to be there,” I said. “I want him to see that I’m not broken.”
That evening, I returned to the house with a police escort. I wasn't staying, just picking up the few things I cared about. The house felt different now—empty, quiet, and safe. I walked into the kitchen, the place where he had burned me, and I realized the terror had evaporated. He was nothing but a man in a cell, and I was the owner of the life he tried to destroy.
