Chapter 17 - The Corporate Fall
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I looked down at the man who had effortlessly lied to my face for years.
"Leo doesn't want to see you, Julian," I said calmly. "And I am not going to force him to comfort the man who broke our family."
Julian's face crumpled, tears spilling over his cheeks. He opened his mouth to argue, but one of the police officers placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Time to go, sir," the officer said sternly.
Julian turned and walked away, throwing his trash bags into the back of a cheap rental car, his luxury Lexus having been seized by the firm to cover his corporate debts.
The corporate fallout from the gala was catastrophic for him. The firm conducted a massive internal audit and discovered that Julian hadn't just been hiding marital assets; he had been expensing his lavish hotel stays and expensive dinners with Chloe to corporate client accounts.
He wasn't just fired; he was facing a massive civil lawsuit from his former partners for embezzlement and fraud. His career in Chicago was entirely, permanently over. No reputable law firm or real estate company would ever touch him again.
He was radioactive.
Meanwhile, I threw myself into rebuilding my life. I went back to work, my confidence soaring. Without the crushing, invisible weight of a toxic marriage holding me back, I thrived. Within three months, I was promoted to regional director of my department.
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Leo flourished as well. He joined the debate team, his grades skyrocketed, and the tension that had gripped his small body for months completely vanished. We were healing, piece by piece, day by day.
But the final legal battle was still looming on the horizon.
