Part 2The Appraisal Trap

I didn't confront Mark.

Instead, I did something else—I started investigating Chloe Davis.

The method was simple.

Every Friday night, Mark "worked late."

This Friday, I took the afternoon off.

At 5:30 PM, I parked across the street from his office building.

At 5:50 PM, he walked out.

He was holding a bouquet of flowers.

Pink roses.

He got into his car and headed toward the South Lake district.

I tailed him from a safe distance.

He pulled up to the gated entrance of a luxury condo complex.

South Lake Gardens.

A woman in a white sundress hurried out to meet him.

She was young. Maybe twenty-five or twenty-six.

She smiled brightly, took the flowers, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

Mark wrapped his arm around her waist, and the two of them walked through the lobby doors together.

I sat in my car, watching them disappear into the building.

Around the woman’s neck hung a necklace.

From sixty feet away, I couldn't make out the exact design.

But I recognized the distinct luster of the chain.

It was the unmistakable gleam of platinum.

I waited for an hour.

They didn't come back out.

I pulled out my phone and took a photo of the complex entrance.

South Lake Gardens, Building B.

Then, I looked up the phone number for the property management office.

The next day, under the guise of a "misdelivered package," I tried to fish for resident information in Building B.

Property management refused to give me any details.

So, I tried a different approach—I staked out the front gate for two days.

On the afternoon of the second day, I saw the woman come out to pick up a package from a delivery driver.

I managed to catch a glimpse of the shipping label: Chloe Davis.

The address: South Lake Gardens, Building B, Unit 1502.

Chloe Davis.

The woman who had taken my jewelry to Van Cleef & Arpels for servicing.

I got back into my car and searched her name online.

I didn't find much.

But I did run a public property records search for Unit 1502 in Building B of South Lake Gardens.

The registered owner: Mark Sterling.

Date of purchase: 2023.

We got married in 2014.

He had bought this condo during our marriage.

Where did the money come from?

I checked the credit card statements again.

There were no massive withdrawals or down payment charges.

He hadn't used his credit cards to buy the condo.

So where did the cash come from?

I opened another app—our joint high-yield savings account.

I scrolled back.

Late 2022, a massive outbound transfer: $120,000.

Transfer destination: Mark Sterling's personal checking account.

Memo: Investment.

I had asked him about it at the time.

He had told me, "It's a buddy's startup project. Very low risk. We'll see a return in six months."

Six months later, I asked about the ROI.

He said, "It's still scaling up. Needs more time."

I hadn't brought it up again.

$120,000.

Combined with a standard mortgage, it was more than enough for a down payment on a two-bedroom condo at South Lake Gardens.

I sat in the driver's seat and let out a dark laugh.

Mark.

You used our money to buy a condo for your mistress.

You stole my jewelry to let your mistress flaunt it around town.

And you had the nerve to tell me, "You're not into dressing up."

Alright.

Perfect.

I started the engine. I didn't go home.

I drove straight to the law firm of my best friend, Rachel.