Chapter 11 - Suzanne Began to Talk
Detective Cole separated Suzanne from Derek.
She stood near the staircase, arms folded tightly across her body.
Derek remained in the living room under Lieutenant Hayes’s watch.
Suzanne’s voice became small.
“I didn’t know about the assault.”
Skylar looked at her.
“You watched him shove me.”
“I thought you were being dramatic.”
“You told him not to leave marks.”
Suzanne’s eyes dropped.
“I was scared.”
“No,” Skylar said quietly. “You were scared he would get caught.”
The words landed hard.
Suzanne began crying, but Skylar felt no satisfaction.
Only exhaustion.
Detective Cole asked about Sable Coast.
Suzanne admitted she had created the company at Derek’s request. He claimed Skylar wanted to move assets discreetly for tax reasons.
“Did you ever speak to Skylar about it?”
“No.”
“Did you receive money from the company?”
Suzanne hesitated.
“Yes.”
“How much?”
She whispered the amount.
“Two hundred and eighty thousand.”
Skylar closed her eyes.
Derek shouted from across the room.
“She knew exactly what she was doing!”
Suzanne spun toward him.
“You told me the money was yours!”
“You spent it.”
“You gave it to me!”
“You signed the papers.”
The detective let them accuse each other.
Every sentence weakened them both.
Suzanne confessed that Derek had promised to divorce Skylar after the apartment transfer. He planned to sell the property, settle his company’s debts, and use the remainder to purchase a condo under Sable Coast.
“And Skylar?” the detective asked.
Suzanne’s mouth trembled.
“He said she would receive enough money to leave Florida.”
Skylar’s voice was barely audible.
“How much was enough?”
Suzanne looked ashamed.
“Twenty thousand.”
The apartment was worth more than four million dollars.
Derek had planned to steal Skylar’s home, drain her inheritance, and send her away with less than the amount he had spent on Suzanne’s car.
Skylar felt something inside her finally break.
Not her courage.
The last fragile thread tying her to the man she had married.
She removed the spare house key from her purse and placed it beside the ring.
“You wanted me gone,” she said. “Now you’re the one leaving.”
Derek smiled cruelly.
“You can’t remove me from my own home.”
Maya lifted the emergency protective order.
May you like
“Actually, she can.”
👉 Derek had believed marriage gave him permanent access to Skylar—but a judge had already signed the order barring him from the apartment.
