Chapter 10 - The Ex-Boyfriend’s Truth
With Patricia behind bars at the county detention facility, unable to post her fifty-thousand-dollar cash bail due to her frozen accounts, Nicole was left completely destitute. The country club guests had fled within minutes of the police arriving, leaving Nicole alone in the ballroom surrounded by unopened baby presents she couldn't afford to take with her.
She had no car, no money, and no shelter.
Ethan and I waited outside in the parking lot as the club staff packed up the unauthorized decorations. We weren't there to gloat; we were waiting for a man who had driven four hours across state lines to deliver the final piece of the puzzle.
A dark blue pickup truck pulled into the club lot. A tall, rugged man in his early thirties stepped out, wearing work boots and a faded flannel shirt. It was Marcus—Nicole’s supposed “abusive ex-boyfriend.”
He didn't look like an abuser. He looked utterly exhausted, with dark circles beneath his eyes and a weary, defeated posture.
“Ethan,” Marcus said, extending a calloused hand. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me. I’m sorry it came to this.”
“Thanks for coming, Marcus,” Ethan said, shaking his hand. “Nicole told us you kicked her out on the street after finding out she was pregnant.”
Marcus let out a bitter, dry laugh. He reached into his truck’s glove box and pulled out a thick manila folder, handing it to Ethan.
“Nicole didn't leave because of an argument,” Marcus said, shaking his head. “She left because she drained my business payroll account of forty-five thousand dollars. She transferred it to Patricia the day before she packed her bags and fled to your town.”
I stared at the bank statements inside the folder. The transfer receipt was right there: forty-five thousand dollars wired directly from Marcus’s landscaping firm to Patricia Vance’s personal checking account.
“And that’s not even the worst of it,” Marcus continued, looking toward the ballroom entrance where Nicole was currently sitting on the steps, weeping into her hands.
“What do you mean?” I asked, a knot forming in my stomach.
Marcus looked directly at Ethan. “Ethan… Nicole isn't four months pregnant. She isn't even three months pregnant.”
May you like
Ethan furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about? She’s been showing for weeks. She’s been talking about a December due date.”
Marcus sighed heavily, pulling up a medical portal on his smartphone. “We went to an early ultrasound back in May before she robbed me. The doctor told her the pregnancy wasn't viable. She had a full medical termination three months ago, Ethan. She isn't pregnant at all.”
