Chapter 23 #2
Richard opened his mouth, then shook his head as if thinking better of whatever he was planning to say. Instead, he directed his question to Eliana. “Are you ready to proceed?”
Eliana chewed her lip for a long moment, thinking. She shook her head. “I don’t want to be the reason he goes to jail.”
“Uh . . . you wouldn’t be the reason,” Clem pointed out, clucking her tongue. “You didn’t make him steal.”
“I know,” Eliana agreed. “I get it. I do. But this is such a twisted situation. And I’m not excusing his choices. There is no excuse. But I made so many mistakes. Allowing him to overstep so far. Letting him cut me out.”
“You didn’t know,” Milo said, his voice soft.
“But I should’ve.” Eliana’s eyes were pleading as she turned to look at them each in turn.
Willing them to understand. “And how am I supposed to look my girls in the eye on their graduation day, when their dad can’t be there because he’s behind bars—because I turned him in?
What about their wedding days? Are they eventually supposed to take my grandkids to the prison to meet Grandpa?
Or are they supposed to stand in solidarity with me and pretend he’s dead?
” She sighed, feeling bone tired. “I can’t right the wrong of what he’d done by stealing away the opportunity for him to have a relationship with our daughters.
I can’t let them become collateral damage. ”
“Els, babe, you’re bordering on martyrdom here . . .” Clem began. “You have to stop thinking about everyone else for five fucking minutes and do what’s best for you sometimes. Jesse wronged you.”
“Exactly,” Eliana agreed. “He wronged me. Not the girls. Sending him away would only benefit me.” She turned to Richard, waving a hand at the financial paperwork strewn across his desk.
“And truly, would it benefit me? We talked about how I would be entitled to the shared assets, but what assets are there? The house that has two mortgages? The girls’ college money?
There’s nothing for me to take. But you know what there is?
” She looked at each of them, not understanding why they didn’t see what she saw.
“There is a shit-ton of debt. Could he not argue that the debt is marital debt? Would that leave me with a thirty-thousand-dollar bill?”
“It’s a possibility that he may go down that route.” Richard nodded slowly. “But it’s unlikely a judge would rule that way, considering the criminal activity and the nature of the credit charges.”
“But can you guarantee me that I won’t come out of this with no custodial support, no alimony, and a mountain of debt on my shoulders?”
“It would be incredibly unlikely,” Richard frowned. “But no—I can’t guarantee that a judge will swing your way if Jesse contests the divorce.”
Eliana slumped in her seat, her eyes returning to Clem.
“I can’t risk it. I need everything lined up, foolproof.
A smoking gun. I need a plan to keep that debt his responsibility.
A plan to protect my custody rights. To support myself.
” Eliana held up a hand when Richard began to speak.
“I know I can ask for alimony. But given the state of our finances, do you really think I should plan around it? I’ve been saving.
I’ve got over seven thousand in the bank.
If I could get a little more stored up, I would feel a lot more comfortable.
Especially considering all the costs involved with finalizing the divorce. ”
Richard folded his lips inward, his gaze thoughtful. “So what would you like to do?” he asked.
“I want to continue as things are. Working. Collecting evidence. I want to give the girls a semi-normal life until I’m ready to file for divorce, and ensure a smooth transition through the process.”
“It’s a nice goal,” Richard began. “But I have to point out that Jesse will continue spending, and the debts will only rise, further complicating the divorce process.”
Eliana nodded. “I have an idea in mind for that, actually. But not just that—I have plans to meticulously dismantle Jesse’s world until there’s nothing left for him to love besides our daughters.
Nothing left for him to fight for or against. I want to get even, and then I want to walk away with no debt and no strings. ”
“Hell yeah. As you should.” Clem grinned, her words punching through the silence following Eliana’s announcement with the delicacy of a rhinoceros. “Right, Dick?”
Richard pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes falling closed as he sighed.
“We don’t call it getting even, but what your husband did was immoral and illegal.
” His eyes opened, narrowing on Clem—who simply raised a sardonic brow in response.
“And I fully support any steps you take in the direction of leaving the marriage. As your lawyer, however, I’m legally bound to advise against pursuing your own form of justice. ”
“Advice received, and ignored,” Clem answered for Eliana, before turning in her seat. “How did you save up so much, so fast?”
Eliana flashed Milo a grateful grin, which he returned with a wink.
“From work,” Eliana said, proud of how far she had come in so little time.
She had another fifteen hundred dollars sitting in an intermediary account, transferred in from the platform she’d been publishing her story on, but that felt too unpredictable to consider dependable income.
Once it cleared, she planned to funnel it directly into a brand-new rainy day savings account to address at a later date.
“You know I would loan you the money you need to feel comfortable,” Clem whispered. “Just a loan. You could pay me back in your own time.”
Eliana shook her head. “It’s not just the money.
It’s about not rushing through this. Making sure I do it right.
And being certain that Abby and Zoey are supported through the process.
” She exchanged a quick look with Milo and took a deep breath.
“I’m planning to wait through the holidays.
That should give me the time I need. Let the girls have one more normal Thanksgiving.
One more Christmas. Then we can begin formalizing the split. ”
“So fucking reasonable, it’s disgusting.” Clem huffed. “I need a palate cleanser. Quickly. Tell me more about the revenge plan before I puke.”