Chapter 3: The Mistress With a Secret
Tessa Vaughn did not look like the woman who had entered my dining room three days earlier.
Gone was the confident smile.
Gone was the perfect posture.
Gone was the woman who looked like she had already won.
When she stepped into Natalie’s office, she looked exhausted.
And afraid.
I stayed seated.
Because I needed her to understand something.
This was not my home anymore.
This was not her stage.
Natalie stood.
“Why are you here?””
Tessa looked at me.
“I need to talk to Mara.””
I almost laughed.
Three days ago, she had walked into my house.
Now she needed my help.
“I don’t think we have anything to discuss,” I said.
Her eyes filled with panic.
“Yes, we do.””
She placed the folder on the table.
“I think Grant lied to both of us.””
I stared at the folder.
“What is that?””
“Proof.””
Natalie opened it first.
Inside were emails.
Bank transfers.
Messages.
The more she read, the quieter she became.
“What am I looking at?”” I asked.
Natalie looked at me.
“Grant promised Tessa the house.””
I blinked.
“What?””
Tessa nodded.
“He told me you were leaving. He said the divorce was already happening.””
My chest tightened.
“He told you that?””
“Yes.””
“And you believed him?””
Her face flushed.
“I thought…”
She stopped.
Because there was no good answer.
She thought she was replacing me.
She thought she was walking into a future.
Instead, she had been another person Grant controlled.
Natalie flipped through the papers.
“He transferred money into an account connected to you.””
Tessa looked away.
“I didn’t know.””
“Convenient,” I said.
She flinched.
Good.
Because I was angry.
Not jealous.
Not heartbroken.
Angry.
“You walked into my home.””
Her eyes dropped.
“I know.””
“You stood in front of my children.””
“I know.””
“You smiled at me.””
“I know.””
Her voice cracked.
“I know.””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then she whispered:
“He told me you were unstable.””
I looked at her.
“He said you were emotional. That you couldn’t handle reality.””
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“He always did like rewriting the story.””
Natalie closed the folder.
“Why come here now?””
Tessa hesitated.
Then answered.
“Because Grant called me last night.””
“And?””
“He said if anyone asked questions, I should say Mara abandoned the marriage.””
The room went quiet.
My stomach turned.
He was still trying to use the same plan.
Still trying to make me the villain.
Natalie looked at me.
“This helps us.””
I nodded.
But something bothered me.
“Why would you help me?””
Tessa looked down at her hands.
The diamond bracelet was gone.
“He told me he loved me.””
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“And then yesterday, when I asked about the house, he told me I was lucky he let me stay.””
There it was.
The moment she finally understood.
Grant didn’t love people.
He collected them.
He made them dependent.
Then he reminded them they needed him.
I looked at the woman across from me.
I still didn’t forgive her.
Maybe I never would.
But I understood something.
Grant had built his entire life on making people smaller.
And eventually, someone was going to notice.
That night, Grant showed up outside the apartment building.
Security called.
“Mara, there’s a man here asking for you.””
I already knew.
“Don’t let him up.””
A few minutes later, my phone rang.
Grant.
I answered.
Not because I wanted to.
Because Natalie told me sometimes people revealed themselves when they thought they had control.
“Mara.””
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
“Grant.””
“We need to stop this.””
I almost smiled.
“Stop what?””
“This ridiculous game.””
“I’m not playing a game.””
He sighed.
“You’re angry. I understand.””
I looked at Natalie.
She was recording.
“Do you?””
“Yes. You’re hurt.””
I waited.
Then he said the sentence I knew he would eventually say.
“But you need to remember something.””
“What?””
“You need me.””
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
The truth.
Not love.
Not regret.
Power.
“I don’t,” I said.
Silence.
“What did you say?””
“I said I don’t need you.””
His breathing changed.
“Mara, don’t make this difficult.””
“Grant, you brought another woman into our home.””
“That was a mistake.””
“No.””
I looked at the recorder.
“It was a confession.””
His voice sharpened.
“You think Natalie Brooks can save you?””
I said nothing.
Because that was the first time he mentioned her.
The first time he admitted he knew.
And then he whispered:
“I know exactly what you’ve been doing.””
My heart stopped.
“How?””
A pause.
Then:
“Because someone close to you told me.””
The call ended.
I looked at Natalie.
She looked back at me.
Neither of us spoke.
May you like
Because suddenly, the question wasn’t what Grant knew.
It was who had been helping him.