THE PRICE OF BETRAYAL

I was having my morning coffee when my phone buzzed with a notification.

“Eva’s College Fund: Withdrawal of $85,000.00 has been processed.
Current balance: $0.00.”

I nearly dropped my cup, spilling hot coffee onto the table. My hands shook as I read the message again. It had to be a mistake. Or worse—fraud.

My heart pounded as I called the bank.

After an excruciating hold, a woman’s voice finally came on. “Yes, ma’am, the transfer was made yesterday to a car dealership. A Porsche Panamera was purchased under your husband’s name.”

I felt my stomach drop. My husband, Mark. He wouldn’t—he couldn’t—do this. Not with Eva’s future.

I hung up and sat there, stunned. Then, anger surged through me like wildfire. I wasn’t going to cry. Not yet. I needed answers.

I went into detective mode. Within an hour, I found a name linked to the purchase—Sophie Langston.

I searched for her number, dialed, and waited.

A smooth, confident voice answered. “Hello?”

“This is Mark’s wife,” I said, my voice colder than I felt inside.

There was a long silence. Then she let out a shaky breath. “You’re lying.”

“I wish I were,” I said. “But you’ve been sleeping with a married man.”

Another pause. Then, to my surprise, she let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, this is rich. You should know—I had no idea.”

Her tone shifted, harder now. “Well, I hope you and Mark are happy together.”

That’s when I played my card. “You might want to rethink that. Because I also know where that Porsche came from. He drained our daughter’s college fund to buy it for you.”

There was a sharp inhale.

Then she said something I didn’t expect.

“Well, in that case… You should also know I’m his boss.”

That took the wind out of me. I had assumed she was just another mistress. A young woman Mark had fooled. But his boss?

“Mark told me he was single. He also told me he was the one securing the new investment deal that’s making my company millions.” She sighed. “Guess what? That was a lie too.”

I clenched my jaw. “Are you saying—?”

“Oh, I’m saying I have the power to fire him.”

I sat there, speechless.

Then she said, “I have an idea. Let’s teach him a lesson.”

Sophie and I met the next day at a quiet café. She was sharp, confident, and—unexpectedly—furious. But not at me. At Mark.

“Here’s what we do,” she said, stirring her tea. “I’ll play along for now. Keep him thinking he’s in control. Meanwhile, you’ll start moving assets out of his reach. Got any joint accounts?”

I nodded. “I can freeze them.”

“Good. Next, I’ll lead him to believe the company’s signing a huge contract, and we need a senior executive to handle it.” She smiled slyly. “I’ll convince him he’s the perfect man for the job.”

“Why?” I asked.

She leaned in. “Because it’s a trap. He’ll think he’s negotiating a major deal, but in reality, it’ll be a staged meeting. Instead of investors, he’ll walk into a room full of lawyers. And me.”

“And what happens then?”

“I fire him. Publicly.”

I smiled. “I like it.”

“But before that,” she said, “I want you to do something.”

“What?”

She slid an envelope across the table. “Inside are some documents. Sign them, and I’ll make sure Mark’s precious Porsche is legally transferred to your name before he even realizes what’s happening.”

I blinked. “Wait—you’re giving me the car?”

She shrugged. “Call it compensation. Or poetic justice.”

I laughed. A real, unexpected laugh. “You really don’t play fair, do you?”

She smirked. “Neither does he.”

Two weeks later, Mark strutted into the fake investor meeting, dressed in his finest suit, ready to impress.

He didn’t expect to find me sitting across from him.

He certainly didn’t expect Sophie standing beside me, arms crossed, a stack of documents in hand.

“Sit,” she said, her tone all business.

He laughed nervously. “What’s going on?”

Sophie slid a termination letter across the table. “You’re fired.”

His smile dropped. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I am.” She leaned forward. “Lying to me about your personal life is one thing. Lying about company finances? That’s fraud. And now, you’re out.”

His face turned red. “You can’t just—”

“I can,” she cut in. “And I did.”

He turned to me, jaw tight. “And you? You just sit here and watch?”

I smiled. “Actually, I came to thank you.”

His eyes narrowed. “For what?”

I pulled a key from my pocket and dangled it in front of him.

“The Porsche? It’s mine now.”

He blinked. “What?”

Sophie grinned. “Oh, didn’t I mention? I had the ownership transferred to your wife.”

Mark’s mouth opened and closed like a fish.

I stood up. “Oh, and one more thing.” I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen. “Eva’s college fund? Restored. Turns out, Sophie was generous enough to cover it. With your severance pay.”

His face went pale.

I turned to Sophie. “Shall we?”

She nodded. “Let’s.”

We walked out together, leaving Mark sitting there, stunned, as his entire world crumbled around him.

As I stepped into my brand-new Porsche, I couldn’t help but smile.

Justice had never felt so sweet.