Nia nodded, absorbing every word.
«And third,» Keisha paused. «We need to find other victims. If we combine our testimonies, the case will be much stronger. I know such women exist. Evelyn mentioned once in conversation that the scheme has been working for five years. That means besides me, there is at least one or two more.»
«How do we find them?»
«Through the courts. Divorce cases for Julian and Marcus are public information. We can request through the lawyer, see if they had other marriages that ended quickly, find these women and talk to them.»
Nia stood up and paced the room. Her head was still foggy, but a plan was starting to break through. A clear, sequential plan.
«When is the wedding?» Keisha asked.
«In a week? Next Saturday.»
«That means we have a week to prepare everything. It’s not much, but we’ll have to make it work. The main thing is not to give yourself away. Marcus must suspect nothing.»
«I can handle it.» Nia said it quietly but firmly. «I will play the role of the lovestruck fool so well he won’t guess a thing.»
Keisha smiled for the first time during the whole conversation. «You are strong. That is good. You will need all your strength.»
They exchanged phone numbers. Keisha dictated the lawyer’s contact info and wrote down his office address. They agreed to meet tomorrow evening to discuss details.
«Are you going home now?» Keisha asked. «To Marcus.»
«I’ve been living with him for the last two months. Moved almost everything to his place.»
«Can you keep a straight face?»
Nia took a deep breath and wiped the last tears. She took a mirror out of her purse, touched up her lipstick, and fixed her hair. A pale face with red eyes was reflected in the mirror, but the gaze was steady.
«I can,» she said. «I have no other choice.»
They went down the back stairs. The hall was already more crowded, with waiters scurrying between tables. The manager looked at Nia in surprise and walked up to her.
«Good evening. You are here about the Thorne banquet, correct? I’m sorry we lost you. Thought you weren’t coming.»
«Yes, sorry. Got held up.» Nia feigned a guilty smile. «Can we discuss the details now?»
«Of course. Come into my office.»
They sat for half an hour discussing the menu, drinks, and hall decorations. Nia took notes, nodded, and smiled. Inside, a storm was still raging. But on the outside, she looked like an ordinary bride concerned with organizing a celebration.
When everything was discussed, Nia left the restaurant. It was completely dark outside, and a fine rain was falling. She got into her car, started the engine, but didn’t move. She laid her head on the steering wheel and just sat like that for a few minutes, allowing herself a final moment of weakness.
Then she raised her head, wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket, turned on the headlights, and drove to Marcus’s home. She was driving to the man who was supposed to become her husband in a week. To the man who planned to destroy her life. She drove through the night city and repeated to herself like a mantra: I can handle this. I am strong. I won’t let them win.
Nia parked at Marcus’s building and sat in the car for a few minutes, gathering her courage. It was a five-story walk-up in a quiet residential area. The windows on the third floor glowed with warm yellow light. Marcus was home, waiting for her.
She had to go in there and pretend that nothing had changed, that she was still that same trusting Nia who loved him and dreamed of a wedding. She took out her phone and looked at the screen. Three missed calls from Marcus.
Where are you?
How did the meeting at the restaurant go?
Nia, are you coming soon?
Ordinary messages from a caring fiancé. Now, every word read differently, with a taste of lies. Nia typed a reply: Driving. Almost there. Discussed everything. It will be beautiful. She added a heart emoji, sent it, put the phone in her bag, and got out of the car.
Going up the stairs, she rehearsed her smile. She stopped before the door, took a deep breath, found the key, and opened it.
«Nia, finally!» Marcus came out of the room, smiling broadly. He hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. «I was starting to worry. How did it go?»
His hands were on her shoulders, his lips on her skin. Just yesterday, this caused warmth and butterflies in her stomach. Now, every touch was repulsive. But Nia forced herself to smile and hugged him back.
«Everything is great,» she said, trying to make her voice sound natural. «Chose the menu. Discussed the hall decorations. It will be very beautiful, you’ll see.»
«I didn’t doubt you.» Marcus ran his hand through her hair. «You have excellent taste. Did you eat? I ordered pizza. It just arrived.»
«No, didn’t eat. Hungry as a wolf.»
They went into the kitchen. It was an ordinary evening scene: a pizza box on the table, two plates, and a bottle of wine. Marcus poured wine into glasses, talked about his day at work, about a picky client, and about how tired he was. Nia listened, nodded, and ate pizza, although every piece got stuck in her throat.
«Mom called today,» Marcus said casually, pouring her more wine. «Asked about the wedding. She’s very worried that everything goes well.»
Nia almost choked. Worried. Evelyn was worried. Of course, $150,000 was at stake.
«She is always so caring,» Nia squeezed out. «I got lucky with my mother-in-law.»
«Yeah?» Marcus smiled. But Nia noticed something elusive in his eyes. Tension? Guilt? «She really grew to love you. Says you are like a daughter to her.»
Like a cash cow, Nia thought. But she said aloud, «I love her very much too. She helps us so much.»
They sat until eleven. Nia forced herself to keep up the conversation, laughed at his jokes, and discussed plans for the honeymoon. When Marcus tried to hug her in bed, she pleaded a headache and fatigue. He didn’t insist. He kissed her forehead and wished her good night.
Nia lay in the dark, listening to his breathing nearby, and felt like she was going crazy. How can you sleep next to a person who is betraying you? How can you pretend that everything is normal? But she knew she had to. For the sake of justice. For Keisha. For herself.
The next day, Nia left work early, citing pre-wedding hassles. Her boss was understanding and even joked that brides are forgiven everything. At five in the evening, she was already sitting in the office of attorney Mr. Sterling. The office was small and filled with cabinets of folders and books. Behind the desk sat a man in his fifties with graying hair and an attentive gaze.
«Keisha warned me of your visit,» he said, pointing to a chair. «Sit down. Tell me everything.»
Nia told him everything: about Marcus, meeting him, the wedding in a week, yesterday evening at the restaurant, the overheard conversation, and Keisha and her story. Sterling listened without interrupting, taking notes in a notepad.
«So, you heard their conversation with your own ears. But there is no recording,» he clarified when Nia finished.
«No, I didn’t even think to record. I was just hiding behind the screen.»
«Understood. That complicates the case. Your testimony will carry weight. But without material evidence, they can contest it. They’ll say you misunderstood something, or made it all up due to a quarrel with your fiancé.»
«What should I do?»
Sterling leaned back in his chair, thinking. «We need to obtain evidence of their fraudulent intent. Ideally, an audio recording or video. Where they either discuss the scheme or offer you to sign documents under false pretenses. You said Evelyn plans to give you papers after the ceremony.»
«Yes, they planned for me to sign everything within three days after the wedding. Before leaving for the honeymoon.»
«That means we have time. Here is what I propose. You continue to play the role of the unsuspecting bride. When they bring the documents, you turn on the voice recorder on your phone. Let them explain to you what these papers are. Why they are needed. If they lie, say that these are not loan agreements but something else. That will be proof of deception.»
«Is that enough? Combined with other evidence?»
«Yes. Plus, we need to pull up the divorce cases of Evelyn Thorne’s sons. I will make inquiries at the courts and get the information. If there are disputes about debts or about division of property according to strange schemes, that will also work in our favor.»
Nia nodded, absorbing the information.
«And most importantly,» Sterling continued, «we need to find other victims. Keisha is the first. You are a potential second. But they haven’t scammed you yet, so your case is preventative. We need actual victims. If we find at least one more woman who suffered from this family, we can file a collective report to the police. Then they will open a criminal case for large-scale fraud.»
«How do we find them? Through civil records? Through courts?»
«I have assistants who will handle this. Give me a couple of days.»
They talked for another hour, discussing details. Sterling explained exactly which phrases to try to capture on the recording and how to behave so as not to arouse suspicion.
When Nia was leaving, he said, «You are a very brave young woman. Not everyone is capable of this. Hang in there. We will get them.»
The next day, Nia met with Keisha in a small cafe on the outskirts of the city. The women sat in a far corner, speaking in low voices.
«Sterling called me this morning,» Keisha said. «His assistant already started checking. Found interesting information.»
«What kind?»
«Julian had two marriages. One lasted two months. Divorced three and a half years ago. That’s me. But it turns out, a year before me, there was another marriage. Lasted only four months. A woman named Renee Brooks. After the divorce, she filed a lawsuit to declare the transactions invalid, but lost.»
Nia straightened up. «That means she is a victim too.»
«Looks like it. Sterling already found her contact info. She lives in a neighboring district. Works as a salesperson in a clothing store. I want to meet her. Talk. Maybe she will agree to testify.»
«I’ll go with you,» Nia said decisively.
«I’m sure it might be hard. Listening to someone else’s pain that is so similar to yours. Are you sure?»
«We must be together in this.»
The next evening, the three of them sat in the same cafe. Renee Brooks turned out to be a woman of about thirty-five. She was thin, with a tired face and nervous hands. When Keisha explained why they had come, Renee initially wanted to leave.
«I don’t want to dig up the past,» she said, standing up. «It was four years ago. I made my peace with it.»
«Renee, wait.» Nia took her hand. «They are going to do the same thing to me. My wedding is in a week. If you don’t help, I will become the third victim, and then there will be a fourth, a fifth. They won’t stop.»
Renee slowly sank back into the chair, silent, looking out the window. Then she asked quietly, «What do you want from me?»
«Tell your story. Give a statement. Help us stop them.»
Renee covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking. Keisha hugged her. They sat like that for a few minutes, and then Renee began to speak. Her story was almost a carbon copy of Keisha’s story: meeting Julian, a quick wedding, documents for the family business, honeymoon, return and discovery of debts for nearly $100,000, divorce four months later, and loss of her condo.
«Years of payments,» Renee said. «I tried to fight. Renee spoke through tears. Sued. Tried to prove I was deceived, but they had all the documents in order. Good lawyers, connections. The judge ruled against me. I lost my last money on legal fees.»
«But now it’s different,» Keisha said. «There are already three of us. Three women. Three identical stories. This is not a coincidence. It’s a system. Sterling says that with three victims, the case is much stronger.»
«Do you really think they can be put in jail?» There was hope in Renee’s voice.
«We don’t just think. We will do everything for it,» Nia said firmly.
Renee wiped her tears and straightened up. «Okay, I’m with you. Tell me what needs to be done.»