My husband had been sleeping with his secretary in the back seat of his car. I discovered her underwear on the floor of the car and instantly realized their affair was far more than I had imagined. I didn’t confront him. I calmly sent the underwear to her husband with one message: “You deserve to know.”

“I said, Miami must be lovely this time of year,” I replied calmly.

Ofelia slammed her hand onto the table. “How dare you accuse my son of running around with his staff! You’re paranoid, jealous, and unhinged!”

“Andrew didn't think I was paranoid,” I continued smoothly, locking eyes with Mark. “Especially when he handed me the Belize banking statements for Lumina Horizon Holdings.”

Mark dropped his glass. Red wine splashed violently across the white linen tablecloth, soaking into the divorce agreement. He leaped out of his chair, knocking his seat backward.

“Where did you get that?!” Mark roared, his face flushing crimson with sudden, desperate terror. “You broke into my office!”

“I didn't break into anything,” I said. “Your mistress dropped her ledger on the floor when her husband caught her with her packed suitcases.”

My phone chimed with a text notification from Arthur Vance:

“Judge Harrison signed the emergency freeze order at 3:58 PM. All accounts tied to Crestview, Lumina Horizon, and Mark Sterling are locked. Sheriff deputies are en route.”

I turned toward the front door as the heavy doorbell rang.

I walked to the entryway and opened the door. Standing on the front porch were two uniformed Franklin County Sheriff deputies, accompanied by a locksmith and Arthur Vance.

“Good evening, Mrs. Sterling,” Deputy Henderson said politely. “We have the court-authorized Emergency Ex-Parte Eviction Order and Trespass Notice signed by Judge Harrison.”

Mark rushed into the foyer, his tie askew, sweating profusely. “Officer! This is my house! You can't kick me out of my own home!”

“Mr. Sterling,” Arthur Vance stepped forward, presenting the original county property title. “This estate was purchased in 1998 exclusively by Manuel Vance and transferred into the Laura Vance Sole Living Trust. Your name was never on the title deed.”

Arthur turned to Ofelia, who had waddled into the hallway clutching her chest in fake cardiac distress.

“Mrs. Ofelia Sterling, you have fifteen minutes to collect your suitcases. Any property removed from this house that was purchased with embezzled Crestview funds will be impounded as federal evidence.”