Sued My Fraudulent Ex To Prison Chapter 2

My brow furrowed, the veins in my temples throbbing with a rhythmic heat. Before I could speak, Mrs. Walters cut me off with a jagged laugh.

“I don’t want his apology. The wedding is off!”

I was shaking with rage, but my mind remained unnervingly sharp. I looked her in the eye. “What proof do you have that this bracelet is actually yours?”

The shimmering text paused for a fraction of a second before exploding:

[Damn, he’s got a brain! He’s not falling for the ‘prove you’re innocent’ trap.]

[Go get ‘em, King!]

Mrs. Walters choked on her next insult.

I reached down, snatched the bracelet from her hand before she could react, and held it up to the light. “It’s a plain gold band. No engraving, no unique markers. How do you know this isn't mine? I carry high-value items for my business all the time.”

She was speechless, her face turning a mottled purple. The chorus of relatives started up again, accusing me of being disrespectful and delusional. I didn't engage.

In the distance, the faint, wailing herald of a siren began to grow louder. I looked at their ugly, distorted faces and smiled.

“Why don’t you tell the police all about it?”

The text feed went wild:

[Wait, when did he call the cops?]

[This isn't how the script usually goes!]

A moment later, two officers were at the door. I finally let go of the phone I’d been clutching in my pocket. The moment I had seen the first ‘hallucination’ and realized the vibe in the room had shifted, I’d sent a pre-written emergency text to a friend of mine on the force.

Mrs. Walters tried to turn on the charm the second she saw the uniforms, waving it off as a ‘family misunderstanding.’

I stepped forward, my voice echoing in the small foyer. “She performed an illegal search of my property after orchestrating a false accusation of theft.”

Beth tried to play the peacemaker, stepping between us, but I spoke over her with clinical precision. “Your mother claims the item was stolen from the bedroom. I noticed the curtains were open when we arrived—there’s a Nest camera on the neighbor’s porch that has a direct line of sight into that window. Shall we pull the footage?”

I had spent the last ten minutes scanning every inch of the environment while they were screaming at me. The lead officer nodded, taking out his notebook.

Mrs. Walters turned pale. She started stammering, and I didn't give her an inch. I crossed my arms. “If you can’t prove the bracelet is yours, then it’s mine. It was in my bag, after all.”

Trapped by her own lies in front of her entire family and the law, she finally hissed through gritted teeth, “I... I must have accidentally dropped it into your bag while I was helping you with your coat.”

I laughed, a sharp, cold sound. “That’s a neat trick. My bag was zipped shut in the living room, and your bracelet was in a jewelry box in the back of the house.”

Beth reached for my hand again, but I recoiled as if she were a viper.

“We’re done, Beth. Your family is a nightmare, and I’m clearly overqualified for the role of your victim.”

The officers watched as I gathered my things. Beth’s family screamed insults at my back as I walked down the driveway. “Let him go! We don’t need a petty, small-minded man like him in this house anyway!”

I got into my car, the adrenaline finally beginning to ebb. The text feed was still scrolling:

[Beth isn't going to let a wealthy, only-child catch like Wyatt go that easily. That whole family was planning to live off his inheritance.]

I stared out the windshield, my heart sinking, but a plan was already forming. I wasn't just going to walk away. I was going to make sure they paid for the attempt.

When I got home, my parents were waiting in the living room. My mother saw my face and stood up immediately.

I dropped the ruined gifts on the floor and told them everything.