"Tell Victoria to back off, and I'll make it worth your while. I've got a consulting contract that could use someone with your skills." "Are you trying to bribe me to clean up your affair?" "I'm trying to help us both out."
"Get off my property before I call Natalie and tell her you're here trying to bribe me." He left, but not before saying, "You're making a big mistake. Victoria is not stable. She'll come after you too."
Wednesday, Victoria proved him right. She submitted a claim to small claims court for three months' rent, $4,500. Emotional damages, $5,000. Her share of furniture she never paid for, $3,000.
Lost wages from being too traumatized to work, $2,000. Total: $14,500. The kicker? She hadn't worked in six months.
She quit her job to focus on her art. She sold two paintings on Etsy in that time for $30 each. Thursday, Natalie called. She was leaving Garrett and moving back in with her parents temporarily.
She also had news. Garrett had been sued for sexual harassment at his company two years ago. It was settled quietly. The woman looked a lot like Victoria and like Natalie.
Garrett had a type. "I'm going to bury him in the divorce," Nat said, "and your ex is going to be Exhibit A." Friday, the best part. Victoria's mom, Sharon, called again, but this time she was panicked.
"Victoria needs to drop everything right now," she said. "Why would she do that?" "Because Garrett's wife just contacted me. She has evidence of everything."
Turns out Natalie had hired a PI after the first cheating incident years ago. She never fully trusted Garrett again. The PI had photos of Garrett and Victoria together at hotels, at restaurants, making out in his car. All dated and timestamped.
But here's the beautiful part. In several photos, Victoria is wearing her work badge from a job she hadn't quit yet, during hours she was supposed to be working at her government job, where time-card fraud is a federal offense. Natalie wasn't just going after Garrett in the divorce. She was considering sending the evidence to Victoria's former employer.
"Tell your daughter to drop the small claims case and leave me alone, or Natalie sends those photos to the Department of Labor," I told Sharon. "That's blackmail." "No, that's consequences. Victoria committed time-card fraud to have an affair. That's on her."
Final Update.
Victoria dropped the small claims case within 24 hours. But she couldn't let it go entirely. She sent me one last text.
"You and your sister ruined my life. Garrett and I could have been happy." I didn't respond, but Natalie did. She sent Victoria a cease-and-desist letter, along with a timeline of Garrett's affairs. Victoria wasn't special.
She was number four that Natalie knew about. The divorce proceedings between Natalie and Garrett got ugly fast. Victoria got subpoenaed as a witness. She tried to claim spousal privilege.
She wasn't a spouse. Then she tried to plead the Fifth. It was civil court. Then she claimed she couldn't remember anything until Natalie's lawyer showed her the photos.
The best part was when Victoria tried to claim she was also a victim and should be compensated from Garrett's assets in the divorce. The judge actually laughed out loud. "Ma'am, you knowingly engaged in an affair with a married man. You're not entitled to anything except perhaps a lesson in moral judgment."