I watched my husband slide divorce papers across our coffee table like he was signing off on another million-dollar deal

Cracks were rapidly forming in Daniel and Lila's perfect new life.

It turned out that unconditional love is much easier when there is an unlimited supply of money to cushion it.

I received the intel from a private investigator Pendelton had hired to keep tabs on them.

They were staying at a luxury hotel downtown because the press had surrounded their new mansion.

According to hotel staff, they were screaming at each other through the walls.

Lila had signed up for the glamorous life of a tech mogul's wife. She hadn't signed up for SEC investigations, frozen bank accounts, and a man having a daily nervous breakdown.

On Thursday evening, my doorbell rang.

I checked the security cameras.

It was Lila.

She was alone, wearing a trench coat, looking over her shoulder nervously.

I unlocked the door, leaving the security chain attached.

"What are you doing here?" I asked through the crack.

"Let me in, Ava. Please. The press are everywhere."

I considered leaving her on the porch, but curiosity got the better of me. I unchained the door and let her step into the foyer.

She looked exhausted. The smug radiance from a week ago was entirely gone.

"Daniel is unhinged," she blurted out, pacing the marble floor. "He's talking about fleeing the country. He says if you take the company, he'll be indicted."

"He's right," I said simply.

She stopped pacing and looked at me, tears welling in her eyes.

"Ava, I'm a mother now. I have to think about my baby. I can't be tied to a criminal."

"You should have thought about that before you helped him steal company funds to buy that house."

She flinched. "You know about that?"

"I own the company now, Lila. I know everything."

She took a deep breath, wiping a tear from her cheek.

Then, she revealed her true colors.

"If I leave him," she said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "If I testify against him in the divorce and confirm the embezzlement for your lawyers... will you let me keep the house?"

I stared at her.

She was willing to sell Daniel out in a heartbeat to secure her own bag.

"You would turn on him that easily?" I asked.

"I'm surviving," she said defensively. "He lied to me too. He told me he was a genius. He's just a fraud using his mother's money. Please, Ava. Just the house, and I'll give you everything you need to destroy him."

I looked at this woman. I realized I didn't hate her anymore.

I pitied her.

She was empty. Just like Daniel. They truly deserved each other.

"I don't need your testimony to destroy him, Lila," I said softly, opening the front door. "I already have the paper trail."

Her face fell.

"But... what about me?"

"You made your bed in my house," I pointed toward the door. "Now go lie in it."

She walked out into the cold night, her shoulders slumped, realizing she had gambled everything on a losing hand.