Chapter 11 - Garrett’s Plea
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Two days later, I received a call from the county jail. It was Garrett.
Against Caroline's strong advice, I accepted the charges. I needed to hear exactly what he had to say, if only to confirm that the man I had married truly never existed.
"Evelyn, thank God," Garrett's voice came through the receiver, sounding frantic and broken. "You have to help me. They're denying bail because your father’s lawyers convinced the judge I'm a flight risk."
"You are a flight risk, Garrett," I replied coldly. "You forged documents to steal millions from our son."
"I didn't want to do it!" he pleaded. "My mother made me! She said the company was going to fail, and the investors would ruin me! She drew up all the paperwork. I just signed it because I was desperate!"
"You were desperate enough to steal from Theo, but confident enough to promise Natalie half the company and a penthouse?" I asked, feeling no pity for his panic.
Silence hung on the line for a long moment.
"Natalie meant nothing," he finally said, the oldest, most pathetic lie in the book. "It was just business. She knew the books. I had to keep her happy."
"You kicked the woman who raised me to the floor in front of four hundred people," I reminded him, my voice devoid of any emotion.
"I was stressed!" he shouted defensively. "She was embarrassing us! My mother said—"
"Your mother has controlled your entire pathetic life," I interrupted. "And you let her. You didn't just marry me for money, Garrett. You married me because she ordered you to. Did you ever love me at all?"
He hesitated. Just for a fraction of a second. But it was enough.
"I did," he finally said, but the words sounded hollow, rehearsed.
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"Enjoy prison, Garrett," I said. "I’ll make sure Theo knows exactly why his father isn't around."
I hung up the phone and blocked the number. The last lingering shred of grief for my dead marriage evaporated, replaced by a cold, calculating determination. I wasn't just going to divorce him; I was going to dismantle the entire Lawson legacy.
