My stomach turned, but it wasn’t a surprise anymore.
«There’s more,» he continued. «The trips to Maui were a lie. The detective obtained flight and hotel booking records. Every year, the four of them went to a luxury resort. Jax, Madison, Uncle Charles, and Aunt Carol. Airline tickets, 5-star hotels—all paid with credit cards linked to the account where your rental income was deposited.»
He showed me the documents. Reservation confirmations, plane tickets—all in their names, all paid with my money. The dates matched perfectly, between December 25 and January 6, for the last 5 years.
While I stayed in Manhattan working, believing they were visiting relatives, they were living like royalty on my dime.
«What do we do now?»
He leaned back, a shark-like smile appearing. «Now, we legally destroy them. Immediate divorce on grounds of adultery and fraud. With this evidence, Jax gets not a penny. We evict Charles and Carol from your brownstone, we file a civil suit for misappropriation for all the diverted money, a theft charge for the jewelry, and we can even pursue criminal charges.»
«Let’s do it,» I said without hesitation.
«Excellent. I will start preparing all the documentation; everything will be ready to file with the court tomorrow morning.»
I spent three days in the hotel, monitoring every movement through the cameras. Jax and Madison were growing increasingly comfortable in my condo. She had practically moved in, her things scattered everywhere.
They behaved like a couple in every corner—the living room, the kitchen, my bedroom—every space profaned by their betrayal. On the afternoon of the third day, watching another nauseating scene through the living room camera, I had an idea.
I already had the evidence, but I wanted to see the look on their faces. I needed to catch Jax red-handed, and I needed Aunt Carol and Uncle Charles to find out from me.
I waited for the right moment. On my phone screen, I saw Jax and Madison settle onto the living room sofa, drinking wine and laughing. They were completely relaxed. Perfect.
I grabbed my keys and left the hotel. Throughout the 10-minute drive, my heart beat fast, not from nervousness, but from a strange mix of rage and anticipation.
I parked in the garage, took the elevator up, and walked down the hall. I took a deep breath, checked my phone one last time, and threw open the door.
The scene was exactly what I expected. Jax and Madison were on the sofa. She was sitting on his lap, wearing one of my silk nightgowns.
They were kissing. The sound of the door opening made them spring apart. Jax turned his head and went white—literally white.
«Ava!» he yelled, pushing Madison aside and jumping up. «You… Japan… you shouldn’t be…»
Madison pulled a blanket over herself, eyes wide with panic. I stood in the doorway, observing them like specimens in a jar.
«Ava, please, let me explain,» Jax stammered, stepping toward me. «This isn’t what it looks like. Madison was… she needed a place to stay.»
«I want a divorce,» I cut him off. My voice was ice cold.
He froze. «What? Divorce?»
«You cheated on me, in our condo, with your ex-girlfriend. Of course, I want a divorce.»
I watched the panic in his eyes shift to calculation. He was looking for an angle.
«Ava, let’s talk calmly,» he wheedled, adopting a soft voice. «You’re angry, I get it, but…»
«There is nothing to talk about. I want you both out of my condo. Now.»
Madison stood up. «I’m so sorry, Ava.»
«Shut up,» I said without looking at her. «You owe me nothing. Just get out of my house.»
Jax took a step forward, and I saw a flash of arrogance he had always kept hidden.
«You won’t be able to prove infidelity,» he said, voice low. «And even if you do, you’ll have to pay me alimony and give me half your assets, including this condo. Good luck with the divorce, Ava.»
I smiled. A genuine, terrifying smile.
«We’ll see,» I replied.
And I left. I heard Jax calling after me, but I didn’t look back. I got into the elevator, and as the doors closed, I let the smile widen.
He really thought I had no proof. He thought I was stupid enough not to know that inheritance is separate property.
Back in the car, I dialed Aunt Carol. She answered instantly.
«Ava dear, how was Japan?»
I pitched my voice to sound trembling and hysterical. «Aunt Carol, I came back early, and I caught Jax with another woman.»
Silence. «What?» she finally said. «How? With another woman? Where?»
«In our condo,» I sobbed. «She was there, they were together. And she’s pregnant! Aunt Carol! Oh my God!»
«She’s… pregnant?» she murmured.
«I don’t know what to do,» I wailed. «How could he do this to me?»
«Ava honey, where are you?» Aunt Carol asked. I could hear the gears turning.
«I’m in the car, in the garage. I can’t go back in there.»
«Come here. Come home. We’ll talk. We’ll fix this.»
«I have to call a lawyer. I’m filing for divorce.»
«Ava, don’t be so drastic. Let’s talk maybe…»
«He cheated on me, Aunt Carol!» I snapped, dropping the act slightly. «In our condo. There is no fixing this.»
«You’re right,» she conceded. «Leave it to me. I’m going to talk to him. That boy is going to hear it.»
I hung up and smiled. The show was about to start.
I opened the camera app. Jax’s phone rang. He looked at it, terrified.
«It’s my mom,» he told Madison.
He answered, pulling the phone away from his ear as Aunt Carol’s screaming distorted the speaker.
«Are you stupid?! How could you let her catch you? Can’t you think with your brain for five seconds?»
«Mom, calm down. Let me explain…»
«Explain what? Years, Jax! Years of planning, years of building this, and you destroy it because you can’t keep it in your pants!»
I had never heard Aunt Carol scream like that. The mask was gone.
«I’ll fix it,» Jax tried to say.
«Fix it? She’s filing for divorce!»
«She has no proof.»
«She caught you in the condo with your pregnant mistress, you idiot!»
Then Uncle Charles’s voice cut in, chillingly calm via speakerphone.
«You are a fool. We trusted you. We gave you one task: make her sign the power of attorney. And you failed.»
«I tried. She wouldn’t sign. But I’ll make her drop the divorce,» Jax pleaded.
«How?» Uncle Charles asked. «What leverage do you have?»
Silence.
«That’s what I thought,» Uncle Charles said. «We’ve lost everything because of you.»
«We haven’t lost it yet,» Jax argued weakly. «She’ll still have to give me half the assets. Even with adultery, it’s divided.»
Aunt Carol laughed bitterly. «You really are dumb. Those properties are her inheritance; they don’t enter into the split. She’s divorcing you. You’ll be left with nothing, and a pregnant mistress to support. Congratulations, Jax.»
Jax slumped onto the sofa. «Can you come here? We need a plan.»
«No,» Aunt Carol said. «You made this mess, you clean it up. I’m fed up, Jax.»
She hung up. Jax stared at the phone. Madison tried to approach him, but he shoved her away.
«You need to leave,» he said coldly.
«But Jax, I have nowhere to go.»
«That is not my problem!» he screamed. «Go to your parents, go wherever, just get out!»
I watched Madison gather her things, sobbing, and run out. Jax was left alone, pacing, sending me desperate texts I promptly deleted.
I turned off the cameras. Phase 1 complete.
The next morning, at 8 AM, court officers served the papers. One went to the brownstone, the other to my condo. I was in Mr. Harrison’s office when Aunt Carol called.
«AVA!» she screamed, panic replacing rage. «What is this? An eviction notice? You’re kicking us out?»
«Yes,» I replied.
«But why? What have we done? This is Jax’s fault, not ours! We had nothing to do with it!»
«Aunt Carol,» I interrupted, my voice devoid of emotion. «I know everything. The fake trips. The diverted rents. The plan you had since my parents’ death. I know everything.»
Dead silence.
«You have 30 days to get out. I suggest you find a lawyer.»
I hung up. Then Jax called.
«Ava. Is this serious? Divorce, misappropriation, theft?»
«Yes.»
«You don’t have proof.»
«Yes, I do. Security cameras, Jax. Audio. I have the recording of you with Madison. I have the recording of the kitchen meeting where you confessed the plan. I have the bank records.»
«You recorded us,» he whispered. «That’s illegal.»
«Not in my own home, it isn’t.»
He breathed heavily. «How much do you want? To drop the lawsuits?»
I laughed. «Jax, I have money. What I want is justice.»
«I’ll give it back! With interest!»
«You have nowhere to sleep. How will you pay me back?»
«Please,» he begged, crying now. «I’m going to lose everything.»
«Welcome to the club,» I said. «The difference is, I was smarter.»
«My parents are going to kill me,» he whimpered.
«That is not my problem.»
«You knew since Christmas?» he asked, putting it together.
«Yes. You destroyed yourselves. I’m just watching the fallout.»
I hung up and looked at Mr. Harrison. «I feel free,» I said. «I feel free.»
He smiled. «Your father would be proud.»
It took two months for everything to resolve. The divorce was fast because Jax had no way to fight. With all the evidence, his lawyer practically begged him to sign everything without opposing it.
«It’s the only way out,» I heard the guy say in the courthouse hallway.
I watched Jax sign the papers. His hand trembled so much the pen nearly fell. He couldn’t look me in the eye even once. I left there officially divorced, officially the owner of everything that was always mine.
The judgment for misappropriation came shortly after. $280,000 to be repaid. Aside from the jewelry, the judge determined a 30% wage garnishment. Only Jax had never had a real salary; he had never truly worked in his life.
«I suggest the defendant get a real job,» the prosecutor almost laughed.
And that’s what happened. A few weeks later, Mr. Harrison told me that Jax had finally found a job: a server at a coffee shop in Queens. For the first time in his adult life, he was genuinely working, waking up early, wearing a uniform, serving customers, and cleaning tables.
The same guy who spent his days pretending to study charts in front of the computer, who lectured me about strategic investments, was now finally doing something productive.
Uncle Charles and Aunt Carol had 30 days to leave the brownstone. On the last day, I went to conduct the inspection with the court officer. I expected it to be messy. I did not expect complete vandalism.
Broken furniture, holes in the walls, spray-painted insults, shattered mirrors on the floor. They had destroyed everything they could before leaving. Uncle Charles was waiting for me at the door, glaring.
«Satisfied?»
«Of course not. And this damage?»
«We have nowhere to go.» Aunt Carol appeared behind him, crying. «We’re old, we have no money, you took everything from us.»
«I took back what was always mine. You are the ones who spent years pretending it was yours.»
«Your father robbed us.» Uncle Charles took a step toward me, but the officers stepped in between us. «That money was ours.»
«My father bought your share; you chose to cash out. It wasn’t his fault you gave up too soon, and it’s certainly not mine.»
«You’ll regret this,» Aunt Carol hissed.
«I won’t,» I said.
«But you will, every single day.»