My husband sl:appe:d my mother twice in front of me and demanded, “Either she leaves tonight or our marriage is over.” I counted to 5, left my keys on the table, and walked out with her. After 7 years together, I thought that was the end… until my lawyer discovered that nearly 170,000 dollars had disappeared from our account.

"What about this transfer?" I asked, pointing to a transaction dated three months ago.

Transfer to: Apex Holdings LLC - $35,000.00

"I noticed that one too," Claire said, her fingers flying across her keyboard as she opened the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions database. "I ran a corporate search on Apex Holdings LLC twenty minutes ago."

She hit enter, and a official state registration document popped up on the screen.

"Apex Holdings LLC was registered eight months ago," Claire revealed, turning the laptop toward me. "The registered agent and sole managing member is Lucas Morgan."

"Lucas?" I repeated, dumbfounded. "Lucas works as a low-level car salesman! He doesn't know anything about holding companies or real estate!"

"Apparently, he's a real estate developer now," Claire said with a bitter laugh. "According to county property records, Apex Holdings purchased a commercial duplex in south Milwaukee six months ago. The down payment on that building was exactly sixty-five thousand dollars."

The exact amount of money Brandon had transferred to Lucas and Apex Holdings over a ninety-day period.

I rested my foreheads in my palms, a harsh, dry laugh breaking from my chest.

My hard work hadn't just been helping his family pay their utility bills or buy groceries.

My hard work had been secretly funding a private real estate empire for his younger brother, while I was living in a rented apartment counting pennies at the grocery store.

Suddenly, my cell phone began buzzing violently against the desk.

Caller ID: Brandon

I stared at the screen as it vibrated across the glass.

"Don't answer it," Claire warned.

The call went to voicemail. Three seconds later, the phone buzzed again with a text message.

Where the hell are you?! Why did you freeze the primary debit card at the bank?!

A second text popped up immediately after.

I know you're playing games with Claire. You need to come back to the apartment right now so we can discuss this like adults before you ruin everything.

I stared at those words: Discuss this like adults.

The same man who had struck my mother in our living room. The same man who had forced me to choose between my family and his ego. The same man who had spent eight months secretly robbing me blind.

Now that his card was declined at the coffee shop, he wanted to be reasonable.

I took a deep breath, looked at Claire, and picked up the phone.

I didn't call him back. I opened our text thread and typed out eight simple words: