Rachel closed the folder.
“These recordings and financial records will be provided to investigators. The legal process will determine the consequences.”
I nodded.
“Then let’s finish this.”
Three weeks later, Paul and Diane received formal notice of the next legal proceedings.
By then, the story had spread through their family.
The respectable Bennett family was suddenly facing questions nobody had dared to ask before.
Paul’s relatives began calling.
Some wanted to know what had happened.
Others wanted me to withdraw my statements.
One message came from Paul’s cousin.
“Please don’t ruin his life. He’s still your husband.”
I read it twice.
Then I deleted it.
I had spent years trying to protect a marriage that had never protected me.
I wasn’t going to sacrifice my safety to preserve its appearance.
The investigation continued.
The hospital records documented the severity of my injuries. Mrs. Young provided her statement. The security footage supported my account of escaping the house. Margaret’s recordings gave investigators additional evidence of the family’s attempts to conceal previous incidents.
