She stopped for a moment to take a breath. She told herself it was to give Cindy a chance to process everything she was saying. Vanessa soon realized that lie was to protect her and not Cindy. The truth was, reliving the memories of Karl’s emotional abuse still hit her like a sledgehammer to the middle of her chest.
“Once I recognized how he’d victimized me, I knew I couldn’t stay anymore. I needed to be safe and plan my exit. Once I was reasonably sure I could extricate myself from his clutches, I was angry as hell.
“My anger and fear that he would undoubtedly do this again forced me to seek a sizable settlement. With him as my only employer, I knew I’d never be able to work again. My husband was a philandering bastard and an abuser, but I was going to be the one that suffered professionally as a result of his behavior. I was nothing more than property to him. And there was no way he’d help me walk away. He wanted me broken and dependent on him so he could control me. To avoid that, I took him for all he was worth to make sure I’d be well taken care of if I couldn’t find work.”
Cindy searched Vanessa’s face. Maybe she was looking for the truth, or possibly the lie. Either way, she never dropped her eyes from Vanessa’s face, hanging onto her every word.
“Was he ever… violent with you?”
Michael moved closer to Vanessa, placing a supportive hand around her waist. The gesture was sweet. Vanessa hazarded a guess that depending on her answer, his motive was also to do something with his hands so they wouldn’t be free to wrap them around Karl’s neck.
“Did he ever hit me? No. But he terrorized me just the same. He backed me into corners while he yelled at me. He blocked access to my credit cards and bank accounts whenever he was mad at me, just to show me I couldn’t survive without him. After the first time, I was smart enough to siphon off funds, so it never happened again. But I could only do it because of my experience as an accountant. If I hadn’t had my education to rely on, I would’ve remained in a hell of his making forever.”
“This is ridiculous, Cindy. Are you going to trust a perfect stranger over the man who loves you, who wants to marry you?”
Vanessa’s anger rose as she watched her ex-husband use the same tricks and tactics he’d used to victimize her all those years ago. It was so obvious to see them for what they were now, back then, not so much. Fortunately, she was free of Karl. She didn’t have to be afraid of how angry he would be.
“Why would he do all of this?” Cindy’s question was painful to hear. It was partly, “I’m looking for a reason to believe him, while simultaneously trying to find out the truth.”
“Money, is the simple answer,” Vanessa continued. “I took Karl for all of his considerable assets. Anything that could be liquidated, including our six-million-dollar home, went to me. Karl was left only with his company and the assets attached to it.”
Cindy narrowed her gaze at Vanessa. “It’s a multi-million-dollar company. He’s still rich.”
“On paper,” Vanessa responded. “He’s what we call ‘cash poor.’ In order to get cash, he’s going to have to either sell off parts of his company or the entire thing. I presume he’s told you he doesn’t want a prenup. He trusts you enough, and he’s certain the two of you will be together for eternity.”
She could see by the way color rose in Cindy’s cheeks that Vanessa had hit the nail on the head.
“Without one, you have access to all he owns. Subsequently, it also gives him access to any assets in your name as well. He’s trying to marry you to get control of the trust from your parents’ deaths.”
“Cindy,” Karl rushed in. “I wouldn’t have given you my ring if I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with you. Don’t let Vanessa do this.”
“Yeah, aboutyourring. Let’s talk about that.” Vanessa reached for the photo album she’d rummaged out of her father’s belongings and flipped it open. “This is the miniaturized replica of our wedding album that we had made for my father.”
She opened it to the first page where there was a photo of their engagement, and a zoomed-in image of their hands linked together to show off her engagement ring.
“That ring is a family heirloom my father gave to Karl to propose to me. If you read through our divorce decree, you’ll see the judge awarded me the ring. The last time I saw it, it was inside my jewelry chest. Yet somehow it’s now resting on your finger.”
“How?” Cindy’s eyes were filling with tears and it broke Vanessa’s heart to be the cause of them. Unfortunately, the alternative was unthinkable.
“He came to my house after we had finalized the divorce to clear out some of his things. When I wasn’t looking, he stole it. And now you’re wearing it.”
Karl stepped closer to Cindy, grabbing her hands and covering them with his own.
“Cindy, this is enough. I won’t allow her to terrorize you like thisanymore. Vanessa is poison. That’s why I left her. That’s why I never told you about her. I knew even to invoke her name would destroy us. Let’s go, now!”
The air was quiet, except for the tension and anger crackling through the atmosphere. No one moved. Karl’s eyes remained locked on Cindy, and Michael’s and Vanessa’s were fixed on the two of them.
One long moment passed before Cindy snatched her hands away and stepped back. When Karl stepped toward her, somehow, Michael appeared between them, acting as a blockade.
“I think that’s your cue to leave, Scott.”
His chest heaving and his face red with anger, Karl tried to ignore the large man standing in front of him and attempted to carry on with his pleading.
“Cindy, is that what you want? Or are you just letting your brother speak for you? Don’t let my poor choice in an ex-wife destroy us.”
Tears were flowing freely from Cindy’s eyes now, and there was a flicker of something desperate in their depths. Vanessa prayed Karl hadn’t clouded her senses so much that she couldn’t accept the truth.
“Leave, Karl,” the young woman whispered. “Just leave.”
