Elara managed to shove him away, her scalp stinging and her eyes watering from the shock. “Don’t you ever lay a hand on me again.”
Something in her icy tone made him pause for a split second. She used that moment to bolt into the bathroom and lock the door, her hands trembling as she pulled out her phone to transfer the bulk of her savings to a third, even more secure bank.
Outside the door, Dante was pounding on the wood and screaming threats. Martha was right behind him, egging him on and telling him to show his wife who was boss.
When the shouting finally stopped, Elara sat on the edge of the bathtub. She knew she couldn’t just run; she needed leverage to ensure they could never hurt her or Maya again.
That night, while the house was finally quiet, she opened her laptop and began digging. She started with Martha’s social media and eventually moved into public records and tax filings.
What she discovered was far worse than she had imagined. Martha had been collecting a hefty widow’s pension for nearly a decade, even though her “deceased” husband was very much alive and living in San Diego.