It was organized minute by minute. Photos, hotel entry times, restaurant receipts, video stills, even security footage showing Karen and Aaron entering his hotel floor together. There was no room for doubt. The next morning Karen kissed me before leaving for work. "Love you. " She said.
"Have a good day. " As soon as she drove away, I headed downtown to meet my attorney. Her name was Linda Reynolds. She flipped through the investigator's report without saying much. Finally, she looked up. "This is thorough. " "I wanted facts. " "You got them. " "I want to file today. " She nodded.
"We can. " We spent the next 2 hours going through everything. Bank accounts, retirement funds, the house, insurance, investment accounts. Anything that needed protecting was handled before Karen even knew I had spoken to a lawyer. Before I left, Linda slid a stack of papers toward me. "Once these are filed," she said, "there's no turning back. " I picked up the pen without hesitation.
I made that decision the moment she walked into another man's hotel room. I signed every page. When I walked out of the office, I wasn't wondering what I should do. That part was finished. The only thing left was deciding when Karen would find out her weekend in Vegas had cost her everything.
I didn't confront Karen that night. Or the next. I had a reason. My attorney needed a few more days to finish the paperwork and make sure everything had been filed correctly. Until then, I wasn't giving Karen a chance to move money, hide assets, or rewrite the story.
So, I waited. Not because I was uncertain, because timing matters. Karen, on the other hand, acted like nothing had happened. Wednesday evening we were eating dinner when she smiled and said, "Jessica's already talking about doing another girls trip next year. " I looked up from my plate. Really?
Yeah, somewhere tropical this time. I couldn't help but laugh. What? Nothing, I said. Just thinking.
She narrowed her eyes but let it go. The following afternoon my attorney called. We're ready. That was all I needed to hear. I went home a little earlier than usual and placed a thick folder on the kitchen table.
When Karen walked in, she smiled. You're home early. I've been waiting for you. She set her purse down. Everything okay?
Sit. My tone made her pause. She slowly pulled out a chair. I opened the folder and slid the first photograph across the table. It showed her standing outside Aaron's hotel, smiling at him.
The color drained from her face. What? What's this? I didn't answer. I placed down another photo.