Then he pulled me into his arms again. "About my illness, I actually did some asking around. A fellow patient gave me a holistic treatment formula. It's just... a little expensive."
"Expensive doesn't matter. As long as it works, don't worry about the cost."
I jumped in before he could finish. He was obviously leading somewhere with this, and I needed to see exactly what game he was playing.
Darrell looked moved again. "Each dose costs a hundred thousand dollars. Three doses total."
There it was. Darrell's scheme, laid bare. He was trying to bleed me dry.
If that was his plan, I'd play along for now.
"Buy it. If there's even a sliver of hope, we have to try."
His eyes lit up instantly, though he still put on a show of reluctance. "Regina, you really don't have to do this."
"When do we pick up the medicine? I'll go with you."
"They prepare it in advance. We just wire the money and they ship it over."
He handed me an account number as he spoke. I transferred three hundred thousand dollars without a word. But when I made the transfer, the name on the receiving account caught my eye.
Now I knew exactly what Darrell was up to. The account for his so-called holistic treatment belonged to someone named Henson. It didn't take a genius to figure out the money was going straight to Naomi.
They were swindling me together. But that was fine. When the divorce came, I'd make them choke up every last cent.
"There. It's done, honey. The medicine's paid for. Relax. You're going to be just fine."
The flash of glee in Darrell's eyes was impossible to miss.
He put on a grateful performance, practically bowing with appreciation, but didn't forget to remind me: "Don't forget, you have the appointment at the clinic tomorrow."
I cursed him silently. Absolute scum.
I agreed on the surface and left the house early the next morning.
I never went to the clinic. I'd done the math. Even if I raised this child on my own, I could give them a good life.
Hudson Dickerson had been working fast. All the necessary documents were ready to go.
Any new evidence I found, I'd send his way immediately.
On top of that, I hired a private investigator to dig into Darrell and Naomi's history. Thoroughly.
What came back surprised me.
Naomi hadn't come back alone. She'd brought a six-year-old child with her.