Chapter 4 - The Truth About the "Perfect" Bride
News of Spencer’s catastrophic downfall spread through Miami high society like wildfire. Within a week, he had gone from a rising CEO to an unemployed man drowning in debt.
But he still had Penelope. Or so he thought.
I was sitting in my office, reviewing the restructuring plans for my newly acquired construction firm, when an unmarked envelope arrived on my desk. My private investigator had been busy. I opened it, and a slow smile spread across my face. It was time to pull the final thread on Spencer’s perfect new life.
Spencer and Penelope were currently crammed into a two-bedroom apartment that Evelyn had rented with her credit cards. The tension in that tiny space was suffocating. Penelope was constantly crying about her downgraded lifestyle, while Evelyn paced the floor, complaining that her friends were ignoring her calls.
That evening, a knock came at their door. Spencer opened it to find a courier, who handed him a legal envelope.
He opened it, expecting another lawsuit from my lawyers. Instead, he found a stack of high-resolution photographs and medical records.
Penelope, who was eating takeout on the cheap sofa, looked over. “What is that, babe? Is it from my dad?”
Spencer didn’t answer. His hands were shaking. He was staring at a photograph of Penelope kissing a much younger man—a personal trainer at her country club. The date stamp on the photo was from just three weeks ago.
Next, he looked at the medical records.
“A phantom pregnancy?” Spencer whispered, his voice cracking. He looked up at Penelope, his eyes full of rage and devastation. “You’re not pregnant?”
Penelope dropped her fork. “Spencer, let me explain! My father forced me! Our family is completely broke! We needed your money to save us from bankruptcy. I faked the ultrasound so you would marry me faster!”
Evelyn dropped her wine glass. It shattered on the cheap linoleum floor. “You’re broke?! You lied about the baby?!”
“You lied to me too!” Penelope screamed back at Evelyn. “You said your son was a multi-millionaire! You said Laura was just a gold-digger who leached off him! Turns out, you’re all just a bunch of pathetic frauds!”
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Spencer stumbled backward, clutching his chest. The reality of his betrayal finally hit him with full force. He had thrown away a brilliant, fiercely loyal woman who built his empire in the shadows, all for a spoiled girl who was using him to pay off her own family's debts.
He had traded a queen for a parasite. And now, he had absolutely nothing.
