“Elise.”
“No.”
It was one syllable, spoken quietly.
That seemed to unsettle him more than shouting would have.
Bennett placed both palms on the table and leaned forward.
“You have no idea what you’re looking at.”
“Then explain it.”
“They’re transfers.”
“I know.”
“For expenses.”
“What expenses?”
He hesitated.
That hesitation told her more than the answer would have.
Bennett straightened.
“I don’t have to justify every financial decision I make.”
“Not to me tonight.”
She closed the folder.
“My attorney can handle the questions from here.”
The word attorney finally broke through his confidence.
His face sharpened.
“You actually hired someone?”
“You told me to.”
“That was an argument.”
“No.
It was permission to stop pretending this marriage was something it wasn’t.”
Bennett began pacing.
He looked toward the boxes again.
“You packed my things?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t just throw me out of my own house.”
“I’m not discussing property rights with you.
Naomi specifically told me not to make legal decisions based on anger.
Your belongings are packed because I’m done washing, folding, and organizing the life of a man who was preparing to leave me.”
The distinction frustrated him.
He had expected either submission or chaos.
Elise was giving him neither.
He pointed toward the laptop.
“Delete whatever you copied.”
“No.”
“Those are private messages.”
“So was our marriage, apparently.”
His mouth opened, but no answer came.
For the first time, Elise allowed herself to study him the way she had studied those bank records.
The expensive shirt.
The trace of the fragrance she had given him.
The tired irritation around his eyes.
He looked less like a powerful man returning from a triumphant weekend and more like someone watching a carefully built structure develop cracks.
Then his phone buzzed.
He pulled it out instinctively.
Elise watched the screen glow against his face.
Heather.
Bennett silenced it.
“You’re blowing this completely out of proportion,” he said.
Elise opened the folder again.
This time she placed a screenshot on the table.
“She’ll never leave.
