“What is it?” I asked.
He didn’t answer immediately. He pulled out his phone and tapped through several folders.
“I waited until today because I needed all the information,” he said finally. “I hired a private investigator, and he was only able to give me everything a few minutes ago.”
I froze. “You did what?!”
“What is it?” I asked.
“I didn’t trust Arthur,” Caleb said. “There was just something about the way he talked, Mom. He’s always evasive. And the way Rowan started isolating — it reminded me of how things ended with you two.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, still confused.
“There’s something you have to know about him. I found out he isn’t who he says he is.”
Putting two and two together, “You think he’s conning her?” I asked.
“I know he is.”
“You think he’s conning her?”
He showed me documents — legal ones. They weren’t screenshots from gossip sites, but court records and investigative summaries.
Arthur had filed for private bankruptcy two years before meeting me — and he never disclosed it. There were records of defaulted business loans, credit cards in collections, and unpaid back taxes. A lawsuit from his ex-wife outlined years of hidden finances and missed alimony.
“He’s a serial manipulator,” Caleb said, voice thick with disgust. “He targets women with money. Rowan has your name and your connections. He’s using her, Mom.”
A lawsuit from his ex-wife
outlined years of hidden finances
and missed alimony.
I was stunned into silence as I thought back to my short-lived life with Arthur.
Before our wedding, I had insisted on a prenup. It wasn’t because I thought he would take advantage of me, but because after years of navigating divorce with money involved, I knew better.
He hesitated at first, saying it felt unromantic. But I told him flatly, “If this is about love, then a piece of paper won’t scare you.” He signed it — though his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes after that.
Things changed soon after.
He hesitated at first,
saying it felt unromantic.
Caleb’s hand touched mine. “He’s still in litigation, and he didn’t disclose any of this to Rowan. We have to tell her.”
“But she won’t believe it if it comes from us,” I said, my voice breaking. “Not in private — not when he’s in control.”
He looked at me. “Then let’s make it public.”
And that’s when the plan formed.
“Then let’s make it public.”