Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN WHO PLANNED TO BECOME MRS. MORETTI
Sophia hadn’t been waiting for my marriage to fail.
She had been designing the failure.
That was the conclusion Evelyn reached after reviewing the records.
Hotel receipts appeared whenever I confronted Adrian.
Anonymous photographs were sent to me.
Sophia always “accidentally” wore something of mine after arguments.
Every humiliation pushed me toward divorce.
And the Bennett succession clause made divorce valuable.
But the photograph delivered to Teresa suggested something worse.
The wife leaves. The widow inherits.
My blood turned cold when I read it.
Evelyn looked at me.
“If someone wanted Adrian dead after your divorce…”
“Sophia could claim his estate?”
“Depending on what documents they forged.”
My stomach twisted.
Then another piece surfaced.
A draft marriage certificate.
Adrian Moretti.
Sophia Lane.
Unsigned.
Prepared six months earlier.
I laughed bitterly.
“Well. At least she’s organized.”
Caroline didn’t laugh.
Neither did Evelyn.
Then Adrian requested a meeting.
I refused to see him alone.
We met in Evelyn’s conference room.
His attorney came.
So did mine.
Adrian looked exhausted.
No perfect suit.
No cold control.
He stared at me for several seconds.
Then said:
“I’m sorry.”
I looked away.
He continued.
“The trust was part of why I approached you.”
My chest tightened.
“At first?”
“Yes.”
“Explain.”
“My father told me the Bennett shares needed to remain aligned with our companies.”
“So he told you to marry me?”
“He suggested I meet you.”
I laughed.
“How romantic.”
Adrian flinched.
Then continued.
“I expected a business arrangement.”
“And?”
“I fell in love with you.”
“While sleeping with Sophia?”
His face tightened.
“I betrayed you.”
“Yes.”
“No excuse.”
That surprised me.
He didn’t say Sophia manipulated him.
Didn’t blame stress.
Didn’t say I misunderstood.
He simply owned it.
Then I asked:
“Did you forge my signature?”
“No.”
“Did you transfer my assets?”
“No.”
“Did you know your father was alive?”
His face changed.
“No.”
I believed that answer.
I hated myself for believing it.
Then Adrian opened a folder.
“I found something in Sophia’s apartment.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“Copies of my life insurance policies.”
Caroline whispered a curse.
Adrian continued.
“And a schedule.”
He pushed it toward me.
Dates.
Locations.
Private dinners.
Driving routes.
Then one line circled in red.
DECEMBER 14 — AIRPORT TRANSFER.
My chest tightened.
“What happens December 14?”
Adrian looked toward me.
“I’m supposed to fly to New York.”
Then his attorney added:
“The aircraft maintenance company is owned by Victor Lane.”
I stared.
The affair.
The divorce.
The forged documents.
The fake death.
All leading toward Adrian’s planned trip.
Then the conference-room door opened.
Detective Bennett entered.
She placed a sealed evidence bag on the table.
Inside was a small bottle.
“What is that?”
I asked.
She looked at Adrian.
“It was found in Sophia’s bathroom.”
Then at me.
“Claire, lab analysis indicates it contains a powerful sedative.”
My stomach tightened.
Bennett continued.
“And Sophia’s fingerprints were found on your husband’s life insurance file.”
May you like
Then she added the secret that changed everything.
“The primary beneficiary was altered last month—from Claire Moretti to Sophia Lane.”
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