Chapter 5 - The Hunt for Elena
The next morning, while Chloe slept safely in a massive, warm hotel bed, my forensic accountants and private investigators tore into my mother’s life.
It took them exactly four hours to unravel a three-year web of absolute, pure evil.
Marcus, my attorney, walked into my hotel suite and handed me a thick manila folder. His face was grim.
“Richard, your mother forged the adultery photos three years ago,” Marcus stated, his voice heavy. “But that’s not the worst part. When you gave Beatrice the responsibility of managing Elena’s alimony and Chloe’s trust, Beatrice never sent Elena a single dime.”
My blood turned to absolute ice. “What?”
“Beatrice opened a ghost account using Elena’s stolen social security number,” Marcus explained, pulling out copies of bank statements. “She funneled all ten thousand dollars a month—three hundred and sixty thousand dollars in total—directly into her own personal offshore account. It funded her diamonds. It funded that birthday party yesterday.”
I felt physically sick to my stomach. “But why didn't Elena fight back? Why did she leave Chloe behind?”
Marcus pulled out a highly classified police report.
“Because Beatrice threatened her,” Marcus said softly. “She planted stolen jewelry in Elena’s car and bribed a corrupt local judge. Beatrice told Elena that if she ever came within a hundred miles of Chloe or you, she would have her thrown in federal prison for grand larceny. Elena left to protect her daughter.”
May you like
My heart shattered into a million pieces. The woman I had loved, the mother of my child, had been violently forced into the shadows by my own mother.
👉 Where has Elena been hiding for the last three years?
