W BOŻE NARODZENIE PRZYBYŁEM NA IMPREZĘ U TEŚCIÓW WCZEŚNIEJ NIŻ PLANOWAŁEM. BYŁEM W SZOKU, GDY

Finally, Uncle Charles broke it.

“We need a new plan. If Ava won’t sign the POA willingly, we’ll have to force her somehow.”

“Force her? How?” Jax asked.

“I don’t know. Blackmail, threats, something that leaves her no option.”

“Blackmail with what?” Madison asked. “She has nothing to hide. Her life is perfect, clean, proper.”

“Everyone has something,” Uncle Charles muttered. “We just have to find what.”

Aunt Carol nodded thoughtfully.

“Or we create something. Plant some evidence, something that compromises her. Then we offer to fix it in exchange for the signature.”

I felt nauseous. They were seriously considering framing me for something fake just to get my signature.

“That’s too risky,” Jax said.

“More risky than losing everything?” Uncle Charles countered.

They spent a few more minutes discussing possibilities, each more absurd than the last. Finally, they decided to think it over and meet again in a few days.

When they finally left, it was nearly three a.m. I turned off the camera, my hands shaking.

This wasn’t just a financial scam. It wasn’t just infidelity. It was a conspiracy spanning over a decade, since my parents’ death, perhaps even before. They had planned everything. Every gesture of affection, every word of comfort, every family moment, it had all been calculated, measured, executed with precision.

And I had believed it all.

When seven a.m. arrived, I picked up the phone and called Mr. Harrison. He answered on the third ring, sleepy voice, but he became alert when he recognized my voice.

“Ava, what happened?”

“I have everything recorded. The full confession. They admitted the marriage was a scam from the beginning, that they cared for me only to access the inheritance, and that now they are planning to blackmail or frame me to force me to sign the power of attorney.”

There was a silence on the other end.

“Are you safe?”

“Yes. I’m in a hotel. They don’t know where I am.”

“Send me the recordings right now and come to my office this afternoon. We are going to end this once and for all.”

At two p.m., I was in Mr. Harrison’s office. He had already viewed the main recordings. His face was serious, his jaw tight.

“Ava, this is much worse than we imagined,” he began, opening a thick folder on the table. “But it’s also much better for your case.”

“How so?”

“The detective I hired finished his investigation. We have concrete proof of everything.”

He turned his laptop toward me.

“Rents diverted to Jax’s personal account for five years. Bank statements showing excessive spending on online betting, casinos, gambling websites. Jax is a severe gambling addict.”

My stomach churned, but it wasn’t a surprise. I had discovered that last night.

“There’s more,” he continued, opening another tab. “The trips to Maui were all a lie. The detective obtained flight and hotel booking records in their names. Every year, the four of them went to a luxury resort—Jax, Madison, Uncle Charles, and Aunt Carol. Airline tickets, five-star hotels, all paid with credit cards linked to the account where your rental income was deposited.”

He showed me the documents, reservation confirmations, credit card statements, plane tickets, all in their names, all paid with my money. The dates matched perfectly between December 25th and January 6th for the last five years.

While I stayed in Manhattan working, believing they were visiting relatives in Hawaii, they were partying with my money.

“What do we do now?”

He leaned back in his chair with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Now we legally destroy them. Immediate divorce on grounds of adultery and fraud. With this evidence, Jax gets not a penny. We evict Charles and Carol from your brownstone. We file a civil suit for misappropriation for all the diverted money, a theft charge for the jewelry, and we can even consider the criminal avenue.”

“Let’s do it,” I replied without hesitation.

“Excellent. I will start preparing all the documentation. Everything will be ready to file with the court tomorrow morning.”

I spent three days in the hotel monitoring every movement through the cameras. Jackson and Madison were growing increasingly comfortable in my condo. She had practically moved in, her things scattered around the house. They behaved like a couple in every corner. The living room, the kitchen, my bedroom, every space profaned by their betrayal.

On the third day’s afternoon, watching another deplorable scene through the living room camera, I had an idea. I already had all the evidence I needed, but there was one thing I wanted to see in person. Something that had to happen to make my plan even better.

I needed to catch Jax red-handed, and I needed Aunt Carol and Uncle Charles to find out from me.

I waited for the right moment. On my phone screen, I saw Jax and Madison settle onto the living room sofa, drinking wine, laughing at something on his phone. They were completely relaxed.

Perfect.

I grabbed my keys and left the hotel. My condo was ten minutes away. Throughout the drive, my heart beat fast, not from nervousness, but from a strange mix of rage and anticipated satisfaction.

I parked in the building’s garage. I took the elevator up. I walked down the hall to my door. I took a deep breath. I glanced one last time at my phone to ensure the moment was right and I opened the door.

The scene I found was exactly what I expected. But still, seeing it in person was different from watching it through a screen.

Jackson and Madison were on the sofa. She was sitting on his lap wearing one of my silk nightgowns. They were kissing, his hands tracing her body with the familiarity of someone who had been doing it for years.

The sound of the door opening made them separate immediately. Jackson turned his head and went white. Literally white. All the blood drained from his face in two seconds.

“Ava,” he yelled, pushing Madison aside and jumping up. “You—Japan—you shouldn’t be—”

Madison covered herself with a blanket, her eyes wide with panic.

I stood in the doorway, observing both of them. I didn’t say anything. I just watched.

“Ava, please let me explain,” Jackson began, taking steps toward me. “This isn’t what it looks like. Madison was… she needed a place to stay.”

“I want a divorce,” I cut him off. My voice came out firmer and calmer than I expected.

He stopped, blinking several times.

“What? Divorce?”

“You cheated on me in our condo with your ex-girlfriend. Of course, I want a divorce.”

I watched the panic in his eyes be replaced by something more calculated. He was thinking, processing, trying to find an angle.

“Ava, let’s talk calmly,” he began, switching his strategy to a softer voice. “You’re angry. I get it, but—”

“There is nothing to talk about. I want you both out of my condo now.”

Madison stood up, still clutching the blanket.

“I’m so sorry, Ava—”

“Shut up,” I said without looking at her. “You owe me no apology. You owe me nothing. Just get out of my house.”

Jax took a step forward, and for the first time, I saw something dangerous in his eyes—an arrogance he had always hidden well.

“You won’t be able to prove infidelity,” he said in a low but firm voice. “And even if you do, you’ll have to pay me alimony and give me half your assets, including this condo. Good luck with a divorce, Ava.”

I smiled. I couldn’t help it. A small, genuine smile.

“We’ll see,” I simply replied, and I left.

I heard Jax calling after me in the hall, but I didn’t look back. I got into the elevator, the doors closed, and finally, I let the smile widen.

He really thought I had no proof. That I had stumbled upon it by chance just now. That I was stupid enough not to know that inheritance is separate property.

Back in the car, I grabbed my phone and dialed Aunt Carol’s number. She answered on the second ring, her voice cheerful.

“Ava, dear, how was Japan?”

I let my voice tremble as if I were crying.

“Aunt Carol, I came back early and I caught Jax with another woman.”

Silence on the other end.

“What?” she finally said, and by the tone, I knew the surprise was genuine. “How?”

“With another woman. Where?”

“In our condo,” I replied, putting all the pain I could muster into my voice. “She was there. They were together and she’s pregnant, Aunt Carol.”

“Oh my God,” she murmured. I heard her take a deep breath.

“I don’t know what to do,” I continued, letting my voice crack. “How could he do this to me?”

“Ava, honey, where are you?” Aunt Carol asked, and there was something in her voice—concern or calculation.

“I’m in the car in the building garage. I can’t go back into that condo. Not now.”

“Come here. Come home. We’ll talk. We’ll fix this.”

I didn’t answer immediately.

“I have to call a lawyer. I’m filing for divorce.”

“Ava, you don’t have to be so drastic. Let’s talk. Maybe—”

“He cheated on me, Aunt Carol,” I cut her off, putting firmness in my voice. “In our condo. There is no conversation that fixes this.”

“You’re right,” she said after a moment. “You’re absolutely right. Leave it to me. I’m going to talk to him. That boy is going to hear it.”

I hung up and allowed myself to smile again.

Now, all that was left was to wait for the show to begin.

It didn’t take a minute. Through the camera app, I saw Jackson’s phone ring. He looked at the screen and his face became even paler.

“It’s my mom,” he told Madison, who was gathering her things scattered around the condo.

He answered and immediately pulled the phone away from his ear. Even through the camera, I could hear Aunt Carol screaming.

“Are you stupid or just acting like it? How could you let her catch you in the condo with Madison? Can’t you think with your upper head for five seconds?”

“Mom, calm down. Can I explain?” Jackson tried to respond, but she wouldn’t let him.

“Explain what? Years, Jackson. Years of planning, years taking care of that girl, earning her trust, building everything brick by brick, and you mess it all up because you can’t keep your pants on.”

I had never heard Aunt Carol scream like that. The mask of the polite, kind woman had completely dropped.