- 2 weeks ago
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CreativityTranscript
00:02husband is utterly obsessed with his brother's wife
00:06on valentine's day i waited for him the entire night
00:11yet he was over at his brother's place fixing the plumbing for his brother's wife
00:15on a night of heavy snow our daughter spiked a high fever
00:20but he was there singing lullabies to his brother's kid instead
00:23after his brother passed away he simply moved that woman and her son into our home
00:28he even forced me to hand over our multi-million dollar fortune for the boy to inherit
00:33everything came to light the moment i got the paternity test report
00:37they were the real family all along if that's the case i'll send them to prison to stay together
00:43forever it was our 30th wedding anniversary i was in his study looking for our marriage certificate
00:49to surprise richard but an old love letter complete with a pressed flower fell out of his favorite
00:54poetry book on the envelope it said to my beloved anna the words inside didn't just break my heart
01:00they shattered it anna the southern sun is scorching but it's got nothing on you send me a dirty picture
01:07baby fast i need something to take the edge off anna was the widow of his best friend john
01:15i once admired him for his loyalty so i agreed to let this grieving woman into our lives
01:20he'd miss our daughter's school events just to go fix anna's plumbing but i bought it i told myself
01:25he was just being a loyal friend when i confronted him with the letter richard just frowned
01:37sarah you've always been so understanding she's a single mother how could i abandon her
01:41besides you have everything and she only has me his self-righteous bullshit stung my heart
01:47a tear fell onto the letter my eyes snapped open i was gripping a kitchen knife
01:53a half chopped tomato sat on the cutting board in front of me richard was leaning against the
01:58kitchen doorframe in his gray sweatpants scowling sarah are you listening to me why are you spacing out
02:03anna and her son just moved to the city they don't know anyone and hotels are too expensive isn't our
02:08downtown apartment empty let's just darrow it to them for a while i stared at the face i'd known for
02:1330
02:13years my fingertips trembling uncontrollably i'd gone back 10 years right to the day before our
02:2120th anniversary in my past life on this exact day in this exact kitchen he used the same excuse to
02:29get
02:29me to lend anna the apartment back then i thought he was simply being loyal i generously agreed the
02:36result anna and her son occupied that apartment for years when my daughter got into high school she was
02:41forced to live in a shitty cramped school dorm later anna changed the locks and acted like the
02:45place was hers richard just told me to tolerate it i took a deep breath i slammed the kitchen knife
02:51down on the cutting board and turned to face him looking straight into his eyes that apartment is for
02:56our daughter to use for her commute next year the answer is no richard froze for a second then his
03:01face
03:02darkened she doesn't start high school until next year it's empty now so what's the problem with them
03:07staying there for a few months sarah you were never this narrow-minded when did you become so cold
03:14he's all john left behind i gave him my word you have a home a family a whole life anna
03:22has no one
03:23but me there it was again that condescending moral blackmail i let out a cold laugh
03:31if she only has you then why don't you give her this house too you want to take care of
03:35her so
03:35badly fine go get a hotel room and play house with her there don't you dare use my daughter's
03:41apartment to play the hero my words left him speechless his face flushing a deep red he pointed
03:46a shaky finger in my face took him forever he finally choked out one pathetic sentence you're being
03:51completely unreasonable he spun around and stormed out slamming the front door behind him i walked
03:59into the study straight to the locked bookshelf richard never let me touch it claiming it was
04:04full of his priceless first edition books using the spare key i unlocked it my hand went straight for his
04:10favorite poetry book my fingers trembled an old love letter with a pressed flower fell out the envelope
04:16read to my beloved anna even though i already knew the truth actually holding it still made me sick
04:22i took out my phone and called my friend who works as a lawyer i need everything on richard his
04:28personal
04:28accounts any joint accounts and every shell company linked to him fast and don't let him find out
04:35the next morning the front door was shoved open richard walked in dragging a suitcase with one hand
04:40in his other he was holding the hand of a little boy around seven or eight the kids clothes were
04:45covered in mud he was clutching an open box of markers richard shoved the suitcase into the middle
04:50of the living room since you wouldn't lend them the apartment i brought them here anna's out tommy
04:55will be staying with us for a few days he pointed to my daughter's room tommy that's the biggest room
05:02it has the most toys you can sleep in there without a second thought the boy ripped his hand away
05:08he ran
05:08straight for my daughter's room a scream echoed from the room my daughter's scream
05:14i stormed in to see that boy tommy scribbling with a red marker all over the keys of my daughter's
05:18piano that piano was her sweet 16 gift i paid tens of thousands of dollars for it she washed her
05:26hands
05:26every single time before she played it my daughter tried to grab the markers the boy kicked her hard
05:32right in the shin uncle richard said i can stay here this is all mine now
05:41i grabbed him by the collar and yanked him away from the piano he started screaming and crying his
05:46legs flailing in the air richard ran in from the living room roaring
05:52are you insane he's a child without a father what is wrong with you i ignored him i dragged the
05:57kicking
05:57screaming boy all the way to the front door and shoved him outside no hesitation richard lunged
06:02at me trying to push me i sidestepped him and grabbed the suitcase i tossed it out the door
06:06right after the boy then i stood in the doorway blocking it richard was yelling in the hallway
06:11pounding on the door sarah have you lost your mind open this door right now
06:19the commotion brought our neighbors out into the hall just then the elevator doors opened out
06:25walked anna she was wearing a flowing white dress and carrying a luxury shopping bag she was in a hurry
06:31the moment anna saw the boy she rushed to his side she scooped him up into a dramatic hug and
06:37right
06:37on cue the tears started to well up in her eyes she looked up at me her voice trembling sarah
06:43i'm so
06:44sorry it's all my fault i didn't raise him right don't be mad at richard he was only trying to
06:51help
06:51us if you have to blame someone blame me just don't throw my child out the neighbors started whispering
06:57someone muttered that i was being cruel i watched her little performance and laughed a cold hard laugh
07:03you're right miss miller you do look tragic tragic with a ten thousand dollar designer bag bought last
07:09month on my husband's card every neighbor in the hall turned to stare at the bag the way they looked
07:13at anna changed instantly the color drained from her face it was pure instinct she tried to tuck the
07:20bag behind her out of sight richard's little scheme was crumbling and he knew it so he turned on me
07:24his
07:25eyes absolutely blazing sarah you want to play dirty fine from now on every joint account i can touch
07:30just getting locked down let's see how tough you are then he pulled anna and her son into the elevator
07:37i locked the door and sat down on the couch my phone lit up it was the report from my
07:43lawyer
07:44friend the documents made it brutally clear he had been draining our joint account bit by bit
07:48hundreds of thousands of dollars all of it had been funneled into an offshore account the owner of that
07:53account anna i gripped the phone so hard my knuckles turned white i gave myself 10 minutes to calm
07:59down then i called richard when he picked up i switched to a softer more compromising tone
08:04richard i was too emotional this morning i've had some time to think anna can't stay unemployed forever
08:10there's an opening for an assistant operations manager at my company tell her to come in tomorrow
08:16it'll give her a stable income he scoffed god he sounded so damn pleased with himself
08:21see was that so hard i'll thank you on anna's behalf
08:25after i hung up i slid off the wedding ring i'd worn for 30 years
08:31on her first day anna strutted into the company like she owned the place she didn't even bother
08:36reporting to the logistics department instead she walked right into a vacant executive suite
08:41and claimed it as her own for the next week she dropped richard's name everywhere she went
08:45she started meddling with the workflow of every single department my assistant emily gave me the
08:50run down in secret anna had already sidelined my entire core team the people who'd been with me
08:55for 10 years she replaced them with her own friends people i'd never even seen before
09:02i told emily not to pick a fight not yet just keep your head down and watch i said i
09:08want copies of
09:09every expense report every invoice she signs and anything that suggests kickbacks save it all at the
09:14monthly board meeting richard dropped a bomb he proposed a change in project leadership he handed my
09:19flagship project the east district development straight to anna the board members just stared
09:23at each other but no one challenged him not in that room after the meeting he called me into his
09:28office
09:28his tone left no room for argument sarah that project is a gold mine anna needs the experience
09:34you own 60 of this company she's just drawing a salary don't be petty i looked him dead in the
09:40eye
09:45i gave him a calm nod fine whatever you say richard was completely buried in the east district project
09:52it was the perfect diversion i told everyone i was feeling unwell and needed to take a leave of absence
09:58in reality i spent every day meeting people in secret lawyers asset appraisers i started moving my assets
10:05i separated everything that was truly mine my parents shares my properties and my stake in the
10:10company's core patents i moved every last asset into a family trust the sole beneficiary my daughter
10:1710 days passed my private investigator delivered a package a stack of detailed reports and right on top
10:23a dna test from a certified lab that boy tommy wasn't some orphan left behind by a dead friend
10:30he was richard and anna's son their biological son
10:36that night richard came home early for once he was giddy opening a gift box in the living room
10:42inside was a custom tailored suit he put it on admiring himself in the mirror
10:47sarah our anniversary party is next week i've booked the grand ballroom at the city's top hotel
10:52he turned to face me i'm gonna make a special announcement there i'm officially naming tommy my god
10:56sound it'll finally give anna and the boy some standing in this town and it protects our reputation
11:01of course i looked at his smiling face i nodded of course darling let's make it unforgettable
11:09and you you're going to be the absolute center of attention i'll make sure of it
11:18on the night of the party everyone who mattered in the city was there richard was beaming he took the
11:23stage microphone in hand thank you all for coming to celebrate with me and my wife sarah
11:28for 20 years she's been the most generous and supporting partner a man could ask for
11:33i wouldn't be where i am today without her the room burst into applause i could feel the envious
11:38stares from across the room richard held up a hand to quiet them down his tone shifted but tonight isn't
11:43just about celebrating the past i also have some wonderful news to share about the future on cue
11:50a side door opened anna walked in she was wearing a white gown with a long train she held tommy's
11:56hand and led him to the stage the smugness in her eyes was impossible to miss richard stepped forward
12:02pulling the boy to his side this is the son of a dear friend who passed away my wife graciously
12:07agreed
12:07to welcome him into our family as our godson to secure his future i've decided to transfer 10 of
12:14my company shares directly to him a wave of murmurs washed over the crowd 10 of the shares that was
12:22a
12:22fortune tens of millions of dollars to give that to a godson with no blood ties it was unheard of
12:28every single eye in the room snapped to me i walked up to richard i snatched the microphone right out
12:33of
12:33his hand richard are you starting to believe your own bullshit i ignored his stunned expression instead
12:41i turned and gave a signal to the tech booth at the back of the room
12:51the giant screen behind us lit up it was filled with screenshots of bank statements
12:56for five years you've been funneling our money into anna's offshore account millions of dollars so
13:02this is what your loyalty really looked like the color drained from richard's face he lunged for the
13:07microphone what are you talking about shut it off shut that screen off now i took a step back the
13:13image
13:13on the screen changed again this time the screen showed everything anna had been doing at the
13:17company over the last 10 days forged invoices records of kickbacks from suppliers chat logs every
13:25transaction was crystal clear the total came to over half a million dollars anna that's called
13:30embezzlement and for that amount it's a felony the police are already on their way to the hotel
13:37her legs gave out she just collapsed right there on the stage
13:43richard was furious sarah you had us watched you vicious
13:46bitch tommy is your godson how could you do this to him a cold laugh escaped my lips i reached
13:53into
13:53my purse and pulled out two pieces of paper i slapped them across richard's face hard one was that
13:58disgusting love letter the other the official sealed dna report godson richard how dare you use
14:06your own son to humiliate me like this to make me pay to raise your little secret family what did
14:12you
14:12think i was your personal otam i stared at his ghost white face then i dropped the mic on the
14:17stage
14:17floor keep the shares richard maybe you can brag about them in prison i'll see you in court
14:24anna scrambled up from the floor she lunged at richard clinging to his arm her makeup was a mess
14:29she looked pathetic richard you promised you'd protect us you promised she turned to me and there
14:36was still a flicker of defiance in her eyes sarah i know you hate me but tommy's innocent he's only
14:43eight he doesn't understand any of this i bent down i picked up the dna report from the floor
14:50folded it neatly and placed it back in my purse anna whether your son is innocent or not is none
14:57of my
14:57business what you should be worried about is how many years you'll get for embezzling half a million
15:03dollars just then the ballroom doors swung open two uniformed police officers walked in they headed
15:08straight for the stage anna miller you're under arrest for embezzlement come with us anna started
15:12shaking her head frantically clutching richard's sleeve richard save me please i can't go to prison
15:18tommy needs me an officer stepped forward he pried her fingers off richard's arm and pulled her away
15:24they hauled her away she was screaming the whole way richard you can't do this to me
15:29you told me you'd make me your wife you lied to me for eight years her voice faded away as
15:36the
15:36heavy hands slammed shut every eye in the room was now fixed on richard
15:42the successful man who had been talking so confidently on that same stage half an hour earlier
15:48was now a wreck he was on his knees his suit wrinkled his hair a mess he looked up at
15:54me his
15:54eyes were filled with pure terror sarah we've been together for 20 years 20 years and you destroy
16:04me like this in front of everyone i stood over him richard when in those 20 years did you ever
16:10treat
16:10me like a wife our daughter was burning up with a fever and you were at anna's house fixing her
16:16plumbing when she won the state piano competition i was the only parent in the audience the year my
16:23parents died you were two hours late to their funeral because you were at tommy's birthday party
16:29you took the money my parents left me to support your mistress and your secret son and you expected
16:35me to play the part of the perfect grateful wife i played that part for 20 years and done
16:42i took a file out of my purse and handed it to my lawyer who had just walked on stage
16:47that's the
16:48divorce petition along with the proof of his asset transfers it will be filed with the court first
16:54thing in the morning the divorce case moved much faster than i had expected richard hired the most
17:06expensive lawyers in the city they tried to argue about the division of assets
17:10his strategy was simple he claimed the money moved to the offshore account was just a series
17:16of legitimate business investments he said they had nothing to do with anna as for the dna test
17:24his lawyer argued his case in court my client admits he had an affair with ms miller but that is
17:30a
17:30marital issue it should not strip him of his legal rights as a co-founder of the company my lawyer
17:36a close friend adjusted her glasses and stood up your honor the plaintiff would like to present exhibit
17:41c she turned her laptop screen towards the judge and the opposing counsel these are the complete
17:47transaction records they show the defendant richard hale transferring a total of seven hundred thousand
17:52dollars to anna miller's offshore account over the past five years every single transfer date lines
17:58up perfectly with anna's purchases of overseas property and luxury cars furthermore three of the
18:03defendant shell corporations are registered to anna's overseas address the legal representative
18:07is listed as her cousin richard's lawyer's face fell he stared down at the documents sweat beating
18:13on his forehead my lawyer pressed on under family law anyone who hides or transfers marital assets can
18:19end up with less or nothing at all and given the defendant's long-term affair and the child he fathered
18:25outside this marriage we asked the court to let him leave with nothing richard shot up from his seat
18:33he pointed a finger at me sarah you can't do this i helped you build this company it wouldn't be
18:39what
18:39it is today without me order in the court the judge banged his gavel warning him to be quiet richard's
18:46lawyer pulled him back down into his seat he just slumped in the chair defeated after the hearing i
18:51walked out of the courthouse richard ran after me blocking my path sarah please don't leave me with
18:55nothing i was wrong i shouldn't have hidden it from you i can get all the money back i swear
19:00i'll never
19:00see anna again can we just start over you're my only wife sarah you always were i looked at him
19:07my
19:08voice flat then what was anna what is tommy you called her your beloved in that letter so what was
19:14i
19:15his face looked like he'd been slapped i walked around him and kept going and one more thing 60
19:22of the company shares were inherited from my parents that seed money you invested i paid you back with
19:28interest 10 years ago this has always been my company you were just a co-founder in name only
19:37the court's final judgment came down given richard's long-term affair his secret child and his fraudulent
19:44transfer of marital assets the court ruled that he had forfeited all rights to our shared property
19:50the company shares the real estate the savings they were all mine as i walked out of the courthouse
19:56my friend put an arm around my shoulder congratulations sarah you're free when i got home
20:02my daughter ran up and hugged me mom i've known for a while actually the first time tommy came to
20:09our
20:10house i thought he looked just like richard i didn't want to tell you i was afraid it would
20:15hurt you i saw the tears welling up in her eyes she had never once complained about her father's absence
20:21it wasn't that she didn't care she was trying to protect me i pulled her into my arms and held
20:27her
20:27tight you don't have to carry that burden for me anymore she buried her face in my shoulder
20:36mom can we move i don't want to live here anymore yes i said we'll move
20:46our new home was in the south district it was a house with a yard just a 10 minute drive
20:51from my
20:51daughter's school an old oak tree stood in the yard with a swing left by the previous owners hanging
20:56from a thick branch my daughter's eyes lit up the moment she saw it she ran over climbed on and
21:03gave it
21:03a couple of pushes i stood by the gate smiling as i watched her my phone rang it was an
21:10unknown
21:10number i answered there was a long silence then richard's raspy voice came through sarah it's me
21:17i said nothing i just waited anna got four years her mother came and took tommy away i'm living alone
21:24now in some ruddown studio apartment in the suburbs i can't even get into the office you changed all the
21:29key codes he paused his voice getting lower i want to see our daughter just once can i
21:35my voice was calm you can see her but not now when she's ready to see you'll contact you herself
21:43until then don't call this number again i hung up and blocked his number
21:50three months after the divorce the company was finally back on track after the company gala i was
21:55heading down to my car when richard appeared blocking my way he was so much thinner than
22:00before his cheekbones jutted out his eyes were sunken his hair was a mess sarah i know you don't
22:05want to see me but i really need to talk to you just five minutes i'll leave right after i
22:10stood by
22:10my car door and looked at him fine talk he took a deep breath and pulled a crumpled envelope from
22:17his
22:17pocket i wrote you you a letter it took me a long time i rewrote it so many times and
22:24i still couldn't
22:25get it right he held it out to me his hand was shaking i didn't take it his hand froze
22:32in midair
22:32after a long moment he slowly lowered it sarah i've had a lot of time to think and i finally
22:37get it
22:39you're the person i wronged the most i didn't deserve to be your husband i never did richard if you
22:46were
22:46still rich and powerful today you wouldn't be standing here saying this
22:52you're not apologizing because you feel guilty you're apologizing because you've run out of options
22:59i gave him one last look and got into my car keep the letter i said my voice cold
23:05i don't need it and don't come to the office again next time security will call the police
23:15my daughter was accepted into the best music conservatory in the state sometimes friends
23:20would mention what they'd heard about richard he was deep in debt people were after him for money
23:24he moved several times finally ending up in a tiny low-rent apartment in the suburbs
23:29anna wrote to him several times from prison he never replied tommy was taken back to his grandmother's
23:36small hometown in the countryside i heard he was doing poorly in school always getting into fights
23:41i felt nothing when i heard all this absolutely nothing one weekend my daughter called
23:50mom richard found me he wants to see me it's your decision i told her if you want to see
23:55him see him
23:56if you don't then don't i'll support you either way there was a long silence on the other end of
24:00the
24:01line mom i don't want to see him he was never really my father he was just a stranger who
24:07lived
24:08in our house and now that stranger is finally gone i don't want him back i gripped the phone and
24:12my eyes
24:13stung okay then you won't i whispered in my old life i made it to our 30th anniversary my hair
24:20was gray
24:20my back was bent and i was still trying so desperately to hold together a marriage that had been broken
24:25for
24:26years but now now i'm 45 my hair is still dark i stand tall and the flowers in my yard
24:33are in full bloom
24:34my daughter got into the best conservatory in the state my company is thriving
24:39and there is no one left in my life to make me feel small
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