Chapter 5 - Suzanne's Reckoning
Three weeks passed in relative quiet. The locks were secure, the temporary restraining order had been converted into a permanent one year injunction, and the initial discovery phase of the divorce had officially begun. I had returned to work, wearing light makeup over the fading mark on my cheek, receiving quiet support from colleagues who had seen the public evidence.
Then came a rainy Tuesday morning. I was walking through the parking lot of the downtown grocery store when a screech of tires broke the silence. A beat-up silver sedan whipped into the empty stall right beside my driver's side door, blocking my exit.
The door flew open, and Suzanne stepped out, wearing oversized sunglasses and clutching a cheap imitation leather handbag. Her hair was unwashed, and she looked exhausted, stripped of the glossy arrogance she had worn in my condo.
"Clara! Stop! Don't you dare walk away from me!" she yelled, jogging toward me across the wet asphalt.
I immediately stopped, pulled my smartphone out of my coat pocket, and held it up to record her face. "Suzanne, there is a protective order in place. Approaching me on Derek’s behalf is a direct violation."
"I don't give a damn about Derek right now!" Suzanne cried out, her voice cracking with desperation. She wasn't angry anymore; she was panicked. "Derek got kicked out of his hotel! The bank froze his cards because your lawyer filed an asset freeze during the divorce! He owes twelve thousand dollars to private lenders, and because I co-signed with him last year on a car loan, they're coming after me! They're going to repossess my car, Clara!"
"That sounds like a conversation between you and your brother," I replied evenly, keeping the camera lens pointed at her trembling hands.
"You have hundreds of thousands in savings!" Suzanne pleaded, stepping closer with tears streaming down her makeup. "You made six figures in bonuses this year! Just write a check for fifteen thousand dollars to pay off the collections agency! If you do, I swear on my life I'll convince Derek to sign the uncontested divorce papers without asking for alimony! Please, Clara! I have nowhere else to live!"
Looking at her, the illusion finally broke completely. For four years, I had treated Suzanne like a menacing monster who controlled Derek’s loyalty. But seeing her standing in the rain, she was just an undisciplined parasite who had fed on Derek's vanity, while Derek fed on my forbearance.
"Do you remember what Derek told me while my face was burning under the sink?" I asked quietly.
Suzanne hesitated, looking down at the pavement.
"He told me you were coming over to take my bank cards and my handbags," I said, each word deliberate and ice-cold. "You weren't coming to see if I was breathing. You were coming to pick my bones clean while I was wounded. You didn't care if I had a face left, as long as your shopping spree went through."
"I... I was just listening to Derek! He said you agreed!" she sobbed.
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"Get in your car and drive away, Suzanne," I said, pointing toward her vehicle. "If you are not off this parking lot in sixty seconds, this video goes straight to Detective Miller. You'll spend the weekend in county jail, and Derek won't have the money to post your bail."
She stared at me, realizing there was no hidden reserve of guilt left to manipulate. Without another word, she turned on her heel, threw herself into her car, and sped away so fast her tires spun against the wet pavement.
