“There is no mistake, Ethan. You wanted to rob me and take my son, but you miscalculated. It turns out I am not the foolish, credulous wife you thought I was.”
“But we are a family.”
“The family ended when you decided to cheat on me with Pamela. And especially when you started robbing defenseless elderly people.”
They took Ethan and Pamela out of the courtroom. Pamela was crying. Ethan walked in silence, his head bowed. The judge postponed the hearing until the circumstances were clarified.
“Congratulations,” Roth said, shaking Emily’s hand. “The first blow was a direct hit.”
“Thank you. But this is just the beginning. There is a lot of work ahead.”
Leaving the courthouse, Emily felt a strange peace. Revenge is a dish best served cold. And today, Ethan had tasted the first bite.
The arrest of Ethan and Pamela was just the beginning of a cascade of revelations. Emily returned home in high spirits, but she knew the hardest part was yet to come.
At noon, Victor Serrano called. His voice sounded tired and confused.
“Emily, Pamela has not come home. I am worried.”
“Victor, sit down. What I am about to tell you is going to hurt.”
She told him what had happened at the courthouse. Victor listened in silence, sighing from time to time.
“So, they arrested her.”
“Yes, she is in a detention center right now along with my almost ex-husband.”
“Ex-husband?”
“I filed for divorce this morning. After what he has done, we have no future.”
“And what will happen to Pamela?”
“It depends on many things. If she cooperates with the investigation, testifies against Ethan, she might get a suspended sentence. If she remains stubborn, she faces several years as an accomplice in a fraud of this magnitude. 3 to 7 years in prison.”
Victor was silent for a long time.
“You know,” he said finally, “I thought I would feel sorry for her, but I do not. She not only cheated on me, but on all the people they robbed. Let the law deal with her.”
“Victor, the detective will want to talk to you. Your testimony is important for the case.”
“Of course, I am willing to help.”
In the afternoon, Emily picked up Noah from daycare. The boy asked where daddy was and she answered honestly, “Daddy did something wrong. Now he has to answer for it.”
“And will he come back?”
“Not soon. Maybe he will never come back. Now it will just be you and me. You, me, and everything will be okay.”
Noah nodded like a little four-year-old philosopher.