The Forsaken Son-in-law

Chapter 7: When Trust Trembles

The dawn after the storm was gray and still. The city of Veradena lay under a heavy mist, as though nature itself was holding its breath for what was about to happen.

Shantel stood by the kitchen window, her fingers wrapped around a mug of coffee that had long gone cold. Billy hadn’t come to bed. She’d heard the front door creak at some ungodly hour and the shuffle of his steps through the corridor.

He was hiding something—she could feel it in her bones.

When Billy finally came downstairs, his shirt half-buttoned and his eyes bloodshot, she tried to greet him with warmth.

“Did you sleep at all?”

He didn’t answer, just reached for the coffee pot and poured himself a cup, avoiding her gaze.

“Billy,” she said softly. “Talk to me. Please.”

“I’m fine,” he muttered. “Just tired.”

“Is it work?”

His hand froze mid-sip. “I said I’m fine, Shantel.”

The sharpness in his voice startled her. He had never spoken to her that way before. The silence that followed stretched, heavy and brittle. Then, without another word, he set down his cup and left the house.

Shantel stood motionless, the ache in her chest spreading like smoke.

---

At the Damaris company headquarters, whispers followed Billy wherever he went. Conversations halted when he entered a room. Files that used to be on his desk vanished.

He could feel eyes on his back — suspicion, judgment, fear.

At noon, Mr. Damaris called him into the boardroom. The old man’s face was calm but cold.

“Billy,” he said, folding his hands. “I’ve received disturbing information.”

Billy’s pulse quickened. “About what?”

“About transactions tied to offshore accounts,” Mr. Damaris said. “Your name appears on them.”

Billy forced a nervous laugh. “That’s ridiculous. Anyone could’ve forged my name.”

“I hope so,” said the old man quietly. “Because if it’s true… you haven’t just betrayed this company — you’ve betrayed my daughter.”

Billy’s mouth went dry. “You’re accusing me without proof?”

“I’m giving you a chance,” Mr. Damaris said. “Tell me the truth, and maybe we can fix this.”

But Billy said nothing. His pride, his fear, his shame — all tangled into silence.

“Very well,” Mr. Damaris said, standing. “You’re suspended until the investigation is complete. Leave your office keys with Mrs. Cole.”

Billy’s heart crashed. Everything — his plans, his power — was slipping through his fingers. He stood frozen as the old man turned away, the door closing like a verdict behind him.

---

That evening, Shantel found him sitting on the back porch, staring at the garden pond. He looked smaller somehow, his shoulders hunched, his spirit dulled.

“Father called me today,” she said quietly. “He said you’ve been suspended.”

Billy’s jaw tightened. “He would.”

“Is it true?”

“Depends on what he told you.”

“That you moved money without authorization.”

He didn’t look at her. “People love to talk.”

“Billy…” she whispered, voice trembling. “Look at me. Tell me the truth.”

He turned, eyes blazing. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Then help me understand!” she cried. “I’m your wife!”

Her desperation echoed through the night. He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. “I did what I had to do.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “For what? For money? For pride?”

“For freedom!” he shouted, rising to his feet. “I’m tired of living in your father’s shadow — of being treated like a servant in my own home!”

Shantel stepped back, hurt and stunned. “My father gave you everything.”

“No,” he hissed. “He gave me a leash.”

The silence that followed was shattering.

She took a shaky breath. “So you stole from him.”

Billy turned away, unable to answer.

Shantel covered her mouth, tears streaming down. “You’ve destroyed everything we built together.”

He didn’t stop her when she walked away. He didn’t even call her name.

For the first time since he married her, Billy felt utterly alone.

---

That night, Shantel sat in her room, clutching her wedding photo. In it, Billy’s smile was wide and real — not the mask he wore now.

How had love turned into this?

She picked up her phone, hesitating. Her fingers hovered over her father’s number.

If she told him everything, Billy might lose everything. But if she didn’t… he’d lose himself.

After a long moment, she whispered to herself, “He needs to face what he’s done.”

And she made the call.

---

Meanwhile, Billy met Dalia one last time — in the same dim lounge where their alliance had begun.

“You told me this would work,” he growled. “You said no one would find out.”

Dalia’s smile was faint and cruel. “I told you to cover your tracks. You got sloppy.”

“You set me up.”

She shrugged, swirling her drink. “Don’t be naïve. You were always a temporary arrangement. The moment you stopped being useful, you stopped existing.”

Billy stared at her, realizing the truth. The woman he trusted had used him like a pawn, feeding his greed until he destroyed himself.

“You’ll pay for this,” he whispered.

“Maybe,” she said, standing gracefully. “But not tonight.”

She walked away, leaving him alone under the dim light, surrounded by the ruins of his ambition.

---

When Billy returned home, the house was quiet. Shantel’s clothes were gone from the closet. Her wedding ring sat on the nightstand beside a folded letter.

His hands shook as he opened it.

> Billy,

I loved you beyond reason, beyond pride. I tried to believe the man I married was still inside you. But you’ve chosen a different path — one that leads away from love and toward destruction.

I can’t follow you there.

— Shantel

Billy sank to the floor, the letter trembling in his hands.

Outside, the wind howled through the trees, carrying away the last trace of warmth from the home he once shared with her.

For the first time, Billy understood what it meant to be rich in things that don’t matter — and bankrupt in everything that does.