Part 4 – The Woman He Chose Had Been Living on My Money
Part 4 – The Woman He Chose Had Been Living on My Money
Jack called me seventeen times before boarding.
I ignored every one.
Then came the texts.
Jack: Please answer.
Jack: This isn't what it looks like.
Jack: Mom made me come.
I almost laughed.
Men always blamed someone else when the lies finally collapsed.
While his family stood frozen near Gate C27, Gerald called again.
"The board has already received the documents."
"What happened?"
"Jack has been suspended pending investigation."
I watched through the glass as Jack's phone rang again.
This time it wasn't me.
It was the Chief of Surgery.
Even from thirty feet away, I watched his shoulders stiffen.
"...Yes, sir."
"...No, sir."
"...I can explain."
His face grew paler with every sentence.
Carol hurried toward him.
"What happened?"
Jack lowered the phone slowly.
"They know."
Ashley's smile disappeared.
"They know what?"
"The research grants..."
"The expense accounts..."
"The offshore payments..."
Carol grabbed his arm.
"You told me nobody could trace those!"
"I thought they couldn't."
She slapped him.
Hard.
Passengers nearby turned to look.
"You promised those accounts were protected!"
I quietly smiled for the first time that day.
Not because she hit him.
Because she had just admitted she knew everything.
Gerald had warned me years ago.
"Never interrupt guilty people."
"They always confess more than investigators could ever prove."
Carol proved him right.
Meanwhile...
The blonde woman looked completely confused.
"Jack..."
"What offshore accounts?"
He stared at her.
"You didn't tell her?"
Carol whispered.
Jack closed his eyes.
Apparently...
He hadn't.
The woman slowly stepped backward.
"You said your divorce was finalized."
"You said Megan already took everything."
"You said this trip was our honeymoon."
Silence.
Jack couldn't answer.
Because every word she'd spoken...
Was another lie exposed.
Then another notification reached his phone.
He opened it.
His knees almost buckled.
Ashley grabbed the screen.
"What is that?"
My attorney had filed emergency court orders.
Every jointly owned account...
Frozen.
Every investment...
Locked.
Every property transfer...
Blocked.
Every pending stock sale...
Suspended.
Ashley looked horrified.
"Mom..."
"Our credit cards..."
Carol frantically opened her banking app.
One by one...
Every card declined.
Every available balance displayed the same message.
ACCOUNT TEMPORARILY RESTRICTED UNDER COURT ORDER.
"No..."
Carol whispered.
"No..."
Passengers began boarding.
But nobody from Jack's family moved.
Because they suddenly realized...
They couldn't pay for anything.
The airline agent approached politely.
"Excuse me."
"We'll need payment for the upgraded seats."
Jack forced a smile.
"My card."
Declined.
He tried another.
Declined.
A third.
Declined.
Carol handed over hers.
Declined.
Ashley's.
Declined.
Even the blonde woman offered hers.
It worked...
Until she noticed the reservation.
She frowned.
"There are seven tickets."
"You told me you paid for this."
Jack remained silent.
The agent waited patiently.
Finally...
The blonde woman slowly withdrew her card.
"I'm not paying for your entire family."
Carol exploded.
"You little gold digger!"
The blonde woman laughed bitterly.
"I'm the gold digger?"
"I thought he was the wealthy surgeon."
She pointed directly at Jack.
"Apparently he's just a liar."
Then...
She picked up her suitcase.
Walked out of the boarding line.
And never looked back.
Jack reached for her.
"Emily!"
She never turned around.
For the first time...
He stood completely alone.
Even his perfect vacation had abandoned him.
At that exact moment...
Gerald called again.
"I have one more thing."
"What?"
"The hospital isn't their biggest problem anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"The IRS just opened an inquiry."
"And Megan..."
His voice became unusually quiet.
"They're asking about the foundation."
My heart skipped.
The Walker Medical Foundation.
The charity everyone believed Jack created.
The one that appeared in magazines.
Won awards.
Received millions in donations.
The foundation carrying his name...
Had never actually belonged to him.
May you like
It belonged...
To me.
