Chapter 4 - The House of Cards Collapses
Over the next three months, the legal system dismantled Ethan’s life piece by piece.
The forensic accountants I hired discovered that Ethan hadn't just embezzled from the company; he had also taken out a secondary fraudulent mortgage on his mother's house to fund Sabrina's extravagant lifestyle and buy her silence. When the bank found out the corporate documents he used as collateral were forged, they immediately initiated foreclosure proceedings.
Margaret, who had spent her entire life looking down her nose at working-class people, was forced to pack up her designer clothes and move into a tiny, state-subsidized studio apartment. Her socialite friends completely blocked her number. She went from hosting charity galas to waiting in line at the free clinic for her blood pressure medication.
Sabrina didn't fare any better. Her father, furious at the public humiliation she had brought upon their family name, completely cut her off financially and removed her from his will. Without Ethan's corporate account to fund her, she was sued by the luxury boutiques where she had run up massive debts.
One rainy afternoon, I received a phone call from Grant Miller, the private investigator who had helped me expose the affair.
"Grace, thought you'd want to know," Grant said over the line. "The DA just finalized the plea deal. Ethan pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and corporate fraud. He's looking at five to seven years in a state penitentiary."
I closed my eyes, feeling a profound sense of relief wash over me. "And Margaret?"
"Two years' probation and three hundred hours of community service for her role in obstructing justice and failing to report child endangerment. She’s going to be cleaning city parks in an orange vest."
"Thank you, Grant. For everything."
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"You did the hard part, Grace. You survived."
I hung up the phone and looked out the window at the bustling city below. The storm had passed. The snow had melted, and the ground was finally beginning to thaw.
