On the screen was footage from a hidden camera installed in the private room of a high-end restaurant. And the star of the video was none other than Ethan. He was talking to an unknown man.
Ethan’s voice was crystal clear.
“Don’t worry. If you handle the matter in court properly, get the ruling in my favor. As soon as I have the penthouse, I’ll sell it immediately. We’ll split the proceeds as we agreed. 60 for me, 40 for you.”
The other man laughed.
“Are you sure? I hear your father-in-law is no small fry.”
“That geyser is nothing but a broke old man now.” Ethan sneered. “And his daughter is so stupid she does whatever I say. I’ve got this completely under control.”
When the video ended, the living room was silent again, but this time it was a deathly silence. Carol looked at her son, her eyes wide with disbelief. It turned out her son had not only deceived his wife, but had dared to collude with a judicial official trying to buy justice with money.
And Ethan, his face was drained of all color. He stared at the tablet, trembling from head to toe.
“How did you get this?” he stammered.
“You thought I didn’t have the same connections as you?” my father said, his voice glacial. “The man you met with was a trap I set myself. I just wanted to see how low you would go. And you didn’t disappoint.”
The extreme shock caused Ethan to completely break down. He had not only failed, but his dirtiest scheme had been completely exposed. There was no escape.
“Your actions,” Mr. Jennings said, his voice firm as if reading an indictment, “not only constitute fraud and misappropriation, but there is also evidence of the felony crime of bribery. With this video and the testimony of the man who posed as a court officer, how many years in prison do you think you’re looking at, Mr. Miller?”
Ethan collapsed to the floor, covering his face with his hands. He didn’t even have the courage to look up. He had lost all will to resist, and the fear of prison had completely taken over his mind.
Carol, after the terrible shock, no longer dared to scream. She looked at her son, then at my father. Her eyes were filled with terror and desperation. It was then she realized they had walked into a lion’s den.
She staggered over and knelt before my father. All her pride and arrogance were gone, leaving only the misery of someone begging for mercy.
“Mr. Mr. Prescott, please, I’m begging you,” she wailed, her voice broken. “It’s all my fault. It was me in my stupidity who incited my son. Please forgive us this one time. He’s my only son. If he goes to prison, I won’t be able to live. Please, please have mercy.”
My father just looked at her coldly.
“Mercy, Mrs. Miller, when your son deceived my daughter, did you think of that word? When you and your son were gloating after stealing her assets, did you think a day like today would come? And when your son mercilessly insulted me, calling me a broke old man, did you think you would have to beg that same old man?”
Every question from my father was a dagger piercing her heart and she lowered her head even further, unable to answer.
“Dad,” I called out softly. A part of me felt uneasy.
My father turned to me, his gaze softening.
“Sophia, don’t get soft. If you don’t kill the snake, it will come back to bite you one day. This time, we have to pull it out by the roots.”
With that, he didn’t look at the mother and son again. He motioned to Mr. Jennings.
Mr. Mr. Jennings nodded and took another document from his briefcase.
“Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller,” he said. “Mr. Prescott, after much consideration, has decided to offer you one last way out.”
At the words out, both Ethan and his mother looked up, a spark of hope in their eyes.
“We will not press criminal charges for Mr. Miller’s attempted bribery.”
“On one condition,” Mr. Jennings said, placing the document on the table. “You will sign this affidavit. The contents are simple. You both voluntarily wave all rights to appeal the court’s decision, and at the same time, you acknowledge that this penthouse is the property of the Prescuit group. Furthermore, you pledged to never again appear in Miss Sophia Prescott’s life, nor to contact or interfere with her in any way.”
He paused and added in a chilling voice, “If you agree to sign, we will pretend none of this happened. But if you don’t, that video will be sent immediately to the district attorney’s office.”
It wasn’t a choice. It was an ultimatum.
Sign and lose the house in exchange for freedom, or don’t sign and go to prison.
Ethan didn’t have to think. He hastily grabbed the pen and with a trembling hand signed his name on the affidavit. Carol also got up unsteadily and following her son signed with a shaky hand.
When they finished signing, Mr. Jennings carefully put the affidavit back in his briefcase.
“Good,” my father said. “Now for the final step.”
He stood up, walked to the door, and motioned to the security team waiting outside.
“Come in.”
A dozen bodyguards in black uniforms entered in unison and formed two lines. Their presence made the air in the room heavy.
“Mr. Jennings,” my father said, “read them the rest of the ultimatum.”
The lawyer nodded.
“At the request of the legal owner of this penthouse, Mrs. Carol Miller and her son, Mr. Ethan Miller, are required to vacate this property within 1 hour. You may only take your essential personal belongings. All assets and furniture in the house are the property of the Prescott Group.”
My father turned to the head of security.
“Mr. Alonso, have your men assist Mrs. Miller and Mr. for Miller with their packing. Remember, only personal effects, clothes, shoes, things like that. The rest stays. If they are not gone in 1 hour, you will kindly escort them out.”
“Understood, sir.”
And so began the most humiliating eviction.
Under Mr. Alonso’s direction, the security team split into two groups. One group escorted Ethan and his mother upstairs, while the other brought in large boxes and began packing. They moved with professional speed.
The clothes in Ethan and Carol’s closets were pulled out and thrown into the boxes. Shoes, handbags, cosmetics, all met the same fate without the slightest respect, without the slightest compassion. Carol watched as her prized luxury items were treated like trash. Her face was ashen. She tried to intervene, but two bodyguards stood in her way with glacial stares.
“Sorry, ma’am. Mr. Prescott’s orders.”
Ethan just stood in a corner as if rooted to the spot. He had no strength left to resist.
This eviction took place before my eyes and those of curious neighbors peeking out their doors. The rumor that Mr. Miller’s house was being ransacked by thugs spread like wildfire.
Exactly 1 hour later, all of Ethan and Carol’s personal belongings were neatly packed into a few boxes.
“Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller, your time is up.” Mr. Jennings said, “Please leave.”
Carrying a few boxes, Ethan and his mother walked miserably out the door. As they passed me, Ethan stopped for a moment, looked up, and gave me one last look. In his eyes, there was regret, pain, and a faint glimmer of resentment. I, without a word, turned my head away coldly.
They walked out the grand doors under the curious stairs and whispers of the neighbors. The heavy iron gate slowly closed behind them, bringing an end to the darkest chapter of my life.
After Ethan and his mother were expelled, the spacious penthouse fell strangely silent. But it wasn’t peace. It was a cold emptiness. Carol’s expensive perfume, Ethan’s loud TV, it was all gone.
In the living room, amidst the remnants of their hasty departure, only my father and I remained.
My father came over and put a hand on my shoulder.
“It’s all over now, sweetheart.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. I wasn’t crying out of pity for them, but for myself. I was crying for five years of wasted youth for a faith that had been brutally trampled.
“I was wrong, wasn’t I, Dad?” I sobbed. “I was so stupid to believe in him.”
My father hugged me.
“No, you weren’t wrong. You were just too good. The fault isn’t in you, but in the inscrable hearts of people. Stop crying now. This will be an expensive lesson for you. Be strong, my girl.”
That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The image of Ethan, his desperate look as he was thrown out, haunted me. I didn’t feel satisfaction, just a vague sadness. If only he hadn’t been so greedy. If he had known how to cherish what he had, maybe we wouldn’t have come to this tragic end.
For the next few days, I stayed in the penthouse alone. My father, after settling everything, had to fly back to Dubai for work. He said I needed a quiet space to think and heal.
The news that Ethan Miller’s family had been kicked out of the penthouse spread quickly. Neighbors, friends, everyone was talking about it. The truth about my father’s faked bankruptcy and Ethan’s scam also gradually came to light. People no longer saw me as a poor wife abandoned by her husband. Instead, they looked at me with respect and a hint of awe.
A few days later, I got a call from an old friend who worked at the same company as Ethan.
“Sophia, have you heard the news?” Her voice was full of excitement. “Your ex-husband Ethan got fired.”
I was a little surprised. According to her, after the scandal, Ethan’s reputation was in ruins. No company would trust a senior position to someone who had tried to scam his own in-laws. His company, under pressure from public opinion, and likely with a little nudge from my father’s connections, made the swift decision to let him go.
“And that’s not all,” my friend continued. “I heard his mom after the shock of being kicked out was hospitalized and has now moved to the countryside. They say she’s in a really bad way. It’s truly karma.”
I listened to her words but felt nothing. It was the price they had to pay for their greed and malice.
I thought our story would end there that we would each go our separate ways and never meet again.
But I was wrong.
About a week later, late at night, as I was getting ready for bed, the doorbell rang. I looked at the intercom screen and my heart stopped.
It was Ethan.
He was standing under the dim yellow light of the entryway. He looked truly miserable. His impeccable suit had been replaced by a wrinkled shirt. His hair, always neat, was a mess. His face was gaunt, his beard unshaven, and his eyes were red and swollen as if he hadn’t slept in days.
He was no longer the arrogant, confident executive. He was just a failure, a nobody.
I didn’t want to open the door, but seeing his pathetic state, the last shred of compassion I had left stirred. I opened the door slightly.
“What are you doing here?” I asked coldly.
He didn’t answer. He just looked at me and suddenly dropped to his knees.
“Sophia, I I’m sorry,” he cried. It was the heart-wrenching sobb of a man who had lost everything. “I was wrong, Sophia. I was so wrong. Greed blinded me. I was an animal, human trash. I have no right to ask for your forgiveness. I just I just wanted to see you one last time to tell you I’m sorry.”
He remained kneeling, his head on the floor, his broad shoulders shaking with sobs.
I stood there looking at him. My heart was a whirlwind of emotions. I hated him for what he had done to me and my family. But seeing his miserable state, I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of pity. After all, this was the man I once loved.
“Get up.” My voice softened slightly. “It’s all over.”
“No.” He shook his head. “It’s not over until you tell me you forgive me. Sophia, I know it’s impossible, but please, couldn’t you give me one more chance? A chance to start over? I promise I’ll change. I’ll find another job. I’ll work hard and pay you back for everything. Couldn’t we Couldn’t we start over?”
Start over?
I was stunned. How could he say something like that after everything that had happened?
I smiled bitterly.
“Start over, Ethan. Do you think everything can just go back to the way it was? Can you put a shattered mirror back together? My trust. You smashed it to pieces yourself.”
I looked him straight in the eye.
“Ethan, you know what? What hurt me the most wasn’t you scamming me out of my house. It was you mercilessly insulting my father. When my father was at his lowest, you trampled on his pride. That’s something I will never forget.”
He lowered his head, unable to argue.
“You were wrong,” I continued clearly. “But your biggest mistake wasn’t greed. It was your failure to be grateful. You had everything. A wife who loved you, in-laws who supported you unconditionally, and a brilliant future. But you threw it all away. You discarded a gold mine for a lump of coal. That was your greatest stupidity.”
My words were like a dagger, sinking deep into his pride. He stopped crying and just sat there stunned.
“Leave.” My voice was tired. “We have nothing more to talk about. Don’t come looking for me again. Just live your life.”
With that, I shut the door. I didn’t look back once.
I leaned against the door and started crying again. But this time, they weren’t tears of anger. They were the last tears to say goodbye to a love, to close a sad chapter of my life.
The price of betrayal wasn’t just material loss. It was the collapse of character, a guilty conscience, and a loneliness that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Ethan paid too high a price. And I, too, learned a lesson I would never forget.
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