Chapter 8 - THE WOMAN BEHIND THE MASKJessica sat alone in a cheap apartment that night.
For the first time, there was no one to perform for.
She removed her makeup.
Looked into the mirror.
And saw someone she barely recognized.
She remembered Margaret's old house.
The marble floors.
The chandelier.
The enormous kitchen.
The pool.
The guest rooms.
She had believed those things represented her worth.
Now she understood something she had refused to see.
She had never owned any of it.
She had only been allowed to live there.
And instead of being grateful, she had treated generosity as weakness.
Her phone buzzed.
A legal notice.
Jessica closed her eyes.
May you like
For months, she had told herself Margaret was the villain.
But now the lie was becoming impossible to maintain.
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Chapter 9 - EIGHT MONTHS OF CONSEQUENCESJustice did not arrive overnight.
Chapter 10 - THE DEPOSITIONMarch 2027.
Chapter 11 - THE CONFESSIONRichard continued.
Chapter 12 - THE PRICE OF ENTITLEMENTJessica eventually accepted a plea agreement.
Chapter 13 - THE LAST LESSONMargaret gave David one final piece of advice.
Chapter 14 - TWO YEARS LATERTime passed.
