Cynthia Hamilton - Madeline Dawkins 01 - Spouse Trap Read Online Free PDF Page B

egg. Maybe some fruit, too. Whatever you’ve got.” Madeline was scanning the emails she had no intention of answering when she belatedly realized Erma was still standing there.
    “Is there something else…?” Erma eyed the floor for a moment while she summoned her resolve.
    “I just wanted to say that both Mr. Hughes and myself are very sad that you’ll be leaving us…” Erma averted her gaze again. Madeline could see she was on the verge of tears. “I know this isn’t my place, but it hurts to see you and Mr. Ridley not getting along. I’ve never worked for a nicer couple than the two of you. I’m just going to keep it in my prayers that you’ll patch things up with Mr. Ridley. The thought of you leaving him is breaking his heart. I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have said that,” Erma sobbed, as she fled the room.
    Madeline watched Erma’s departure with her mouth hanging slack. So that’s how the bastard’s spinning it, she thought bitterly. Steven had found a way to turn her into a double villain: an unfaithful tramp and a fickle wife.

SEVEN
    After working at her computer until her neck and shoulders began to ache, Madeline pushed away from the desk, her mind a seething jumble of information and half thought-through plans. As she stretched her kinked muscles, she decided the best way to assimilate everything she had researched was to go for a run. She changed, tied her hair back, grabbed her sunglasses and cap and jogged out the front door.
    She traversed along the path, past the pool and the gardens, then let herself out the security gate that led out to the deeded trail. She turned right, angling back above her property, choosing the path that would be more challenging on the front end.
    After ten minutes of a butt-burning climb, during which she thought of nothing more than putting one foot in front of the other, the trail eased to a more manageable incline. As her heartbeat stabilized, she was able to focus her attention on formulating a strategy for dealing with her underhanded husband.
    As she ran, her brain started another list:
    Get referral from Cheryl for a good L.A. divorce attorney
    Contact P.I. – see list
    Set email to auto-responder
    Get money
    It occurred to her she would need to withdraw a large sum of money from their joint account so she could work under the radar. She did have a separate account that she’d transferred when she relocated from Denver—her private little nest egg, so insignificant in size, she’d all but forgotten about it.
    As she jogged along, it hit her that her small savings account was still in her maiden name. That was a bit of luck, she thought. Once Steven made her a signatory on his accounts, she had stopped using her own meager funds. What was $25,000 compared to the high six-figures of their joint accounts? It wasn’t much, but it gave Madeline an unexpected lift to realize she wasn’t entirely without assets of her own.
    But while Steven was away, she needed to withdraw as much from their checking account as she could without setting off any alarms. That would be her first stop of the day, she thought, as she circled back toward home. Although exercise had been a good way to jumpstart her brain, nothing would be as reassuring as taking action. The sooner she got her artillery in place, the better she would feel. Three and a half days was not a lot of time to erect a line of defense capable of thwarting her diabolical, devious husband, but it had to be enough.

    Madeline skimmed over her revised notes while she brushed her teeth. From what she had read online, it was possible to break a prenup if certain conditions existed. According to one site, “clear proof of coercion, duress, fraud, or bad intent” will void the document. If having been drugged and raped in order to be divorced without a settlement wasn’t clear proof of “bad intent,” nothing was. But she would need to hire her own private investigator to connect the photos to Steven. The