When Natalie’s mother praised her daughter for being so selfless and generous toward her sick mother-in-law, Margaret accepted the compliment with a modest little smile.
Natalie quietly pushed back her chair and rose from the table.
“I’ll be right back,” she said.
A few moments later, sound poured from the speakers hidden in different corners of the house.
“Anthony, I got lucky again…”
A dead silence fell over the dining room.
The recording continued.
“Your wife is just a gullible fool.”
“I married a rich woman.”
“She’s the goose that lays the golden eggs.”
Shock spread from face to face around the table.
Natalie turned off the recording.
“I think that’s enough.”
In a calm, even voice, she laid everything out: the invented illness, the forged medical papers, the money they had taken from her, and Anthony’s plans to keep using her as long as he could.
Then she announced her decision.
“On Monday, I’m filing for divorce. Tonight, you can both pack your things.”
She gave Anthony and Margaret one week to return every dollar they had taken from her—twice the amount, as compensation for the damage they had caused. If they refused, she would take the evidence straight to the police.
Within an hour, Anthony and his mother were out of the house.
Five days later, the money was in Natalie’s account.
Anthony called again and again, begging her to give him another chance.
Natalie did not answer once.
Not long afterward, NatStyle’s newest collection became the most successful launch in the company’s history.
And at last, Natalie understood the difference between loneliness and freedom.
She realized freedom suited her much better.