I made my wife sleep on the balcony after my sister said, “She’s stealing your money.” At three in the morning

The next evening, Liam called Gwen. He made his voice sound hollow, exhausted, and defeated. He told her that Nora had disappeared completely and that he realized Gwen was right all along. He asked her to come back to the Grand Rapids apartment to help him pack up Nora's things.

Gwen, smelling victory and believing she had successfully isolated her brother, agreed immediately.

At 8:00 PM, the doorbell rang. Liam opened it to find Gwen standing there, a sympathetic smile plastered on her face that didn't reach her cold eyes.

"Oh, Liam," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so glad you finally came to your senses. Family is all you have."

"You're right, Gwen," Liam said, stepping back to let her in. The apartment was dimly lit. In the kitchen, hidden out of sight, a high-quality audio recorder was active, connected to a live feed that Marcus and a trusted federal investigator—whom Marcus had contacted through an old friend—were monitoring from a vehicle parked down the street.

Gwen walked into the living room, looking around with an air of triumph. "We'll get rid of all her things tomorrow. You can start fresh. You deserve better than a thief."

Liam stood by the window, looking out at the balcony where he had foolishly locked his wife just nights before. "Gwen... I need to know the truth about the $8,000. Why did she really give it to you? I saw the account details. It was your dummy corporation."

Gwen stiffened for a fraction of a second, then laughed lightly. "I told you, she was trying to hide it. I intercepted it to save you."

"Stop lying, Gwen," Liam said, turning around slowly. His voice was no longer defeated; it was lethal. "I found her diary. I know about Leo."

Gwen’s smile vanished, replaced by a sharp, icy glare. "That little bitch spoke? It doesn't matter. Her diary is hearsay. Leo is dead, and nobody cares about a reckless boy who drowned."

"But they do care about the person who pushed him," a voice called out.

From the hallway bedroom, Nora stepped out. She looked strong, her eyes fixed on the woman who had terrorized her family for years.

Gwen gasped, taking a step back, but quickly recovered her arrogance. "You think you can scare me? You have nothing. The police closed that case years ago."

"They closed it because you paid to hide the primary footage," Liam said, stepping closer to Nora, locking his arm with hers. "But they haven't seen the secondary camera backup. The one that shows you pushing Leo into the bay and watching him drown."