Chapter 7 - The Unraveling of Matthias
By two o'clock in the morning, the Dre estate was swarming with federal agents, emergency medical technicians, and news crews who had rushed to Greenwich as word of the raid leaked to the press.
The sixty high-society guests had been questioned and released, their luxury cars streaming out of the driveway into the snowstorm. Dre Global Logistics' stock was already plunging in after-hours trading, and the company's board of directors had called an emergency midnight session to strip Richard Dre of all executive power.
Inside the estate's grand living room, EMTs examined David, hooking him up to a supplemental oxygen line before transporting him to the hospital for observation.
I sat on a velvet sofa near the fireplace, wrapped in a warm blanket, drinking a cup of hot tea provided by an officer. Uncle Arthur stood beside me, organizing the legal documents for tomorrow's formal court arraignment.
Matthias walked slowly across the room toward me.
He had taken off his torn suit jacket, his tie hanging loose around his collar. He looked completely defeated, aged ten years in a single night.
He stood in front of the sofa, looking down at me, then at my hands resting over my pregnant belly.
"Serena..." Matthias whispered, his voice trembling. "I... I don't even know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything, Matthias," I replied calmly, setting my tea cup down on the mahogany table.
Matthias fell to his knees in front of me, grabbing my hands with desperate intensity. "I am so sorry, Serena. God, I am so sorry! I was blind! I was arrogant! I thought I was protecting the family, but my father was using me... and Fiona... Fiona was just a distraction because I felt overwhelmed by everything!"
I looked down at his tear-stained face, but I felt no pity. The trauma nurse in me had seen plenty of men cry after making terrible, destructive choices. Tears didn't undo blood, and they certainly didn't undo betrayal.
"Fiona wasn't just a distraction, Matthias," I said, pulling my hands gently but firmly out of his grip. "She was a choice. You chose to buy her a thirty-thousand-dollar necklace while I was at home picking out cribs. You chose to lie to me about Boston while you were sleeping in a hotel in New York."
"I'll change!" Matthias pleaded, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'll give up my position at Dre Global! I'll cooperate with the federal prosecutors! I'll do whatever it takes to fix this! Please... don't take our daughter away from me!"
"I'm not taking her away from you, Matthias," I said softly. "She will know who her father is. But you will never be my husband again."
I reached into my handbag resting on the sofa beside me and pulled out a sleek white envelope. I laid it on his knees.
Matthias stared down at the envelope. "What is this?"
"Divorce papers," I answered cleanly. "Drafted three days ago by Uncle Arthur's firm. It includes full physical custody of our daughter, child support backed by your independent trust fund, and a complete division of our personal assets."
May you like
Matthias choked on a sob. "Serena... please... give me one more chance..."
"You had nine years of chances, Matthias," I said, standing up from the sofa, wrapping the warm blanket tightly around my shoulders. "Tonight, you brought someone to your family's party to humiliate me. But I brought someone too. I brought the truth."
