Chapter 2 - The Stranger In My Driveway
“What is this?” I choked out, staring at the photograph.
The man in the picture was my husband.
He had the same slight scar above his left eyebrow.
He wore the same watch I had bought him for our anniversary.
But he was smiling at a woman I had never seen before in my life.
Mr. Crawford adjusted his glasses, his expression entirely professional.
“That is your husband, ma'am. Though his real name is Richard Bennett.”
“Richard?” I repeated, the name tasting like ash in my mouth.
“He is a con artist, Mrs. Bennett. A very prolific one.”
Ryan lunged forward, trying to snatch the photo from my hands.
“Don't listen to him, Emily! He’s crazy! He’s a stalker!”
Before Ryan could reach me, the second man from the SUV stepped in.
He grabbed Ryan by the collar and shoved him back against Vanessa’s car.
Vanessa let out a shriek, finally dropping her arrogant facade.
“Ryan, what is going on? Who are these people?” she screamed.
Ryan was sweating profusely now, his eyes darting toward the open gates.
“They’re lying, Vanessa. I swear to you, it’s a setup.”
Mr. Crawford ignored the chaos and pulled another document from his folder.
“Ten years ago, Richard Bennett married a woman named Sarah in Oregon.”
I stared at Crawford, my mind struggling to keep up.
“But we’ve been married for eleven years,” I whispered.
“Yes,” Crawford nodded slowly. “He married you first.”
He handed me a stack of bank statements.
“He used your excellent credit and your inheritance to build a foundation.”
“Then he traveled for 'business,' marrying Sarah under his real name.”
“And lately, he's been moving large sums of money offshore.”
I looked down at the highlighted lines on the bank statements.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Money from our joint accounts.
Money from my daughter's college fund.
“He was emptying your accounts, Mrs. Bennett,” Crawford explained softly.
I looked at Vanessa, who was now staring at Ryan in absolute horror.
“You told me you were a millionaire,” Vanessa said, her voice shaking.
“You told me we were moving to Paris next month.”
Ryan looked trapped, like a rat backed into a corner.
“Baby, I have the money, I promise. This guy is just trying to extort us.”
I felt a sudden, terrifying clarity wash over me.
My cheek still throbbed from where he had struck me.
The man I loved, the man I had built a life with, didn't exist.
He was a ghost. A parasite.
“Who do you work for, Mr. Crawford?” I asked, standing up straighter.
“I am a private investigator hired by Sarah Bennett's family.”
“Sarah discovered the offshore accounts three weeks ago.”
“She hired me to find out where the money was coming from.”
“It was coming from you, Emily. He’s been draining both of your lives.”
Vanessa stepped away from Ryan, clutching her designer purse.
“You're broke?” she asked, her voice shrill. “You don't have the Paris money?”
Ryan tried to reach for her. “Vanessa, wait, I can explain—”
“Don't touch me!” she screamed, slapping his hand away.
She scrambled into her car, locked the doors, and started the engine.
Ryan pounded on the glass, begging her to open the door.
She threw the car into reverse, nearly running over his foot, and sped away.
May you like
The mistress had fled the sinking ship.
Now, it was just me, the private investigator, and the stranger I called my husband.
