“It is truly the very least you can do considering you are living off my son’s hard-earned money and status,” she said with a smug smile.
I looked at Caleb, waiting for him to defend me or at least correct the blatant lie his mother had just told.
He did neither, choosing instead to adjust his sunglasses and offer a satisfied smirk to his father.
I found myself smiling back at them, but it was no longer the soft smile of a wife trying to please her husband.
It was the expression of a woman who had finally woken up from a long and expensive nightmare.
None of the people standing on that dock had any idea what was about to happen next.
“You are absolutely right, Margot, and I see now that I have been doing far too much for far too long,” I said with a calm that seemed to unsettle them.
Tessa let out a small, high-pitched giggle and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
“I am glad she finally understands her place in the family,” Tessa murmured to Margot.
I did not bother to offer a response to her comment, instead pulling my phone from my bag and walking a few steps away into the shade of the terminal.
I opened the luxury travel agency’s mobile application and looked at the reservation, which included the island, the villa, the seaplane, the premium bar, and all the private excursions.
Every single cent of that one hundred and fifty thousand dollars had been paid from my personal account.
Caleb shouted at me from the edge of the dock, his voice echoing across the water.
“Lydia, stop playing with your phone and tell the pilot we are ready to board immediately,” he commanded.
I raised my hand in a mock gesture of obedience while my thumb hovered over the screen.
The option to cancel the entire reservation appeared in bright red letters, and I did not hesitate for even a second.
I thought about every single night he had come home late smelling of expensive perfume while telling me I was being paranoid and crazy.
I remembered Margot laughing at me for earning a man’s salary while claiming I lacked the basic grace of a traditional woman.
I remembered the credit card statements showing Caleb had been buying jewelry and designer bags for a woman whose name was certainly not Lydia.
I pressed the button firmly, watching as the screen flashed with a confirmation that the refund was being processed.
A wave of peace washed over me that was so profound it was almost frightening.
I did not stop there, however, as I immediately opened my banking application to take further action.
I canceled Caleb’s secondary credit cards and revoked his access to our joint account, which was primarily funded by my dividends.
I moved my personal investments into the protected trust my attorney had set up months ago when I first began to realize my marriage was a fraud.
