The interior of the house smelled of Beverly’s expensive lilies and the underlying scent of the lavender cleaning spray she insisted the maid use. Serena walked into the kitchen and saw the kettle sitting on the stove, looking cold and harmless despite the damage it had caused.
“Are you doing okay?” Monica asked softly as she stood by the marble island. Serena looked at her reflection in the polished surface and realized the woman staring back looked tired but entirely focused.
“I’m not okay yet,” Serena answered as she watched the officers escort Beverly up the stairs to gather her things. “But for the first time in a long time, I am exactly where I am supposed to be without feeling like I have to hide.”
Monica’s expression shifted as she pulled a final document from her folder, one that hadn’t been shown to the police or the Thorne family yet. “We found some discrepancies in the joint savings account and the paperwork Wesley submitted for a private loan last month.”
Serena felt a new kind of chill settle over her as she scanned the pages. Wesley had used her income statements and the house’s equity to co-sign a loan for a luxury condo that Beverly had been scouting.