CHAPTER 3: THE SECRET ACCOUNT
The next morning, Noah woke up in a cheap motel.
His phone contained twenty-three missed calls.
Most were from Claire.
The rest were from his mother.
Not one was from Ava.
For the first time, he realized she truly didn't care anymore.
Then his phone rang.
His bank.
"Mr. Thompson, there appears to be an issue."
Noah frowned.
"What issue?"
"The joint account has been frozen pending divorce proceedings."
His stomach dropped.
That account held almost everything.
Over the next week, disaster struck.
Claire discovered Noah was drowning in debt.
Credit cards.
Loans.
Business losses.
Everything.
"You lied to me."
Noah rubbed his face.
"I was going to fix it."
Claire laughed bitterly.
"With what money?"
Even worse, Ava's lawyer uncovered something ugly.
For years Noah had secretly used family funds to pay for gifts, vacations, and rent for Claire.
The evidence was everywhere.
Receipts.
Transfers.
Bank statements.
When Diane saw the documents, even she looked horrified.
"You stole from your family?"
"It wasn't stealing."
"It absolutely was."
Meanwhile, Lily refused to answer her father's calls.
Weeks passed.
Then months.
The divorce hearing finally arrived.
Noah entered the courtroom expecting a fight.
Instead, Ava looked completely relaxed.
The judge reviewed the evidence.
Then came the ruling.
Noah would receive almost nothing.
The house stayed with Ava.
The investments stayed with Ava.
Even part of Noah's future earnings would go toward repayment.
Outside the courthouse, Noah looked broken.
"You ruined me."
Ava stared at him.
"No."
She shook her head.
"You ruined yourself."
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But Noah still had one more surprise waiting for him.
END OF CHAPTER 3.
