Michael fell silent.
Then he said, “You could still withdraw your complaint.”
Arthur closed his eyes.
For one brief moment, he remembered their years of friendship.
The birthdays.
The holidays.
The times they had stood beside each other during difficult moments.
Then he remembered Claire sitting in his bedroom, telling him that their marriage had never been about love.
He remembered the recording device, the proposed financial transfers, and the deliberate plan to ruin his reputation.
“I won’t interfere with the process,” Arthur replied. “The evidence should determine what happens.”
He ended the call.
It was the last time he spoke to Michael.
Arthur’s revenge had never needed to be violent or theatrical.
He had simply refused to conceal the truth.
And for a man who had spent months believing he could manipulate everyone around him, that refusal proved devastating.
PART 7: THE FINAL LETTERSix months later, Arthur received a letter from Claire.
