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Santiago nodded. “Good work.” The note of approval in his voice made her want to preen, but she pushed down the inconvenient reaction. She didn’t need his appreciation, damn it.
“It didn’t take much effort on my part,” she said. “I told them you’d been unfaithful, and they went with it.” It was the story they’d agreed upon last night, one that would make it easy for them to track how the Woodses behaved. If they encouraged Santiago to confess his marital sins, they’d know her bribe had worked. If they tried to convince Ainsley she was better off on her own, they’d know Santiago’s bribe held sway. Either way, they both had the Woodses on camera accepting bribes to skew the results of the marriage retreat.
It was the start of a rock-solid case. If only they could end things now and go back to their normal lives...
“Come on,” Santiago suggested. He got to his feet, throwing his napkin on the table. “The first session starts in five minutes. We should head to the room.”
“Sounds good.” Ainsley rose as well and moved to stand by him. Together, they set off for the entrance, where one of the ever-present smiling employees stood to direct them to their next stop.
She stole a glance across the room as they left, back in the direction of where she’d pursued the Woodses. Brett still stood in the doorway, his eyes fixed on her. He noticed her look and nodded, his smile slipping a bit.
Ainsley swallowed, bile rising up the back of her throat. Something was going on behind the scenes here, she just knew it.
But did she really want to find out what it was?
* * *
He was going to go insane.
After two days at the marriage retreat, Santiago had just about reached his limits. He didn’t think he could sit through one more group discussion, participate in another self-reflection, or handle an additional couple’s therapy session.
It was all so...slick. So carefully crafted to manipulate the thoughts and feelings of the “chosen victim,” as he’d taken to thinking about it. By now, it was clear the Woodses had picked his side and were actively working to wear down Ainsley so she would agree to an easy divorce. It was enough to turn his stomach, and the only thing that kept him going was the knowledge that Ainsley was here with him, and that she knew the truth.
She sat across from him now as they ate lunch together. He stole glances at her face between bites and wondered how anyone who had vowed to love, honor and respect someone could have their heart turned so drastically. He and Ainsley had never married, but he had loved her and he still cared deeply for her. He couldn’t imagine getting to a point in their relationship where he would pay people to deliberately hurt her.
But that seemed to be what half the people in this room had done. Unless he missed his guess, most of the couples in the room had at least one person who had paid to sway the outcome of this retreat. He knew in his own group sessions, the counselor had focused on tips and tricks to manage the divorce process, everything from hiding assets to choosing an attorney. And wouldn’t you know it, they just so happened to have a list of lawyers they could recommend if anyone was interested. He hadn’t recognized any of the names on the list, but he’d definitely pass the info along to the police later. The whole thing made Santiago wonder just how big this racket really was—were the bribes simply limited to the Woodses, or was there a network of people ready and waiting to profit off the misery of others?
Ainsley’s experience had been quite the opposite, as though she was in a totally different r
etreat. She’d told him that members of her group were being counseled to move on, to maintain their dignity and let go without a fight. Based on what she’d told him, her group sessions had encouraged people to look inward, to blame themselves for the problems in their marriages. As he glanced at the faces around the room, he could tell based on the pinched, anxious expressions that the message seemed to be taking hold.
It was enough to make him want to end things now, to stop this charade and tell the Woodses he and Ainsley had them on camera accepting bribes. But that wasn’t quite enough. They had to collect evidence proving the bribes had made a difference in how he and Ainsley were being treated, in the things that were said to them. Only then would he have the strongest case against them. Anything less, and there was a very real risk that the Woodses would be able to argue their way out of the lawsuit he planned to file as soon as this retreat was over.
“Are you okay?”
Ainsley’s voice broke into his thoughts, and he looked up to find her watching him, concern shining in her eyes.
Santiago nodded. “Just thinking.”
The corner of her mouth lifted in a wry smile. “Try not to,” she advised. “You’ll just get angry.”
“How are you holding up?” he asked. “You’re the one getting the short end of the stick here. At least in my sessions, the counselors are validating everything I say. I know it’s fake, but it’s got to be exhausting to be told you’re in the wrong all the time.”
She shrugged and dropped her eyes to her plate. “It’s not fun,” she said. “But I know not to take it personally. I’m worried for the people who actually believe what we’re being told.”
“No kidding.” That’s what kept him up at night; the innocent people in this situation who, through no fault of their own, were being manipulated into thinking they’d done something wrong.
“Five more days, right?” she said softly. “We can get through five more days.”
Santiago nodded, knowing they had no other choice. “Eyes on the prize,” he muttered.
Chapter 6
Three days later...
The thought kept circling around Ainsley’s mind, a mantra she was silently chanting to herself to get through the current group counseling session. It was unbelievable, the way the other members in her “circle” were being told to let go and move on with their lives, or to forgive and forget, even though their spouses had been treating them badly for months, or even years.
“...so you see, Jenny,” continued Alexa, one of the counselors Ainsley was quickly growing to hate, “while it’s tempting to blame your husband for his infidelity, it’s important to examine your emotional and sexual availability over the last several months. Have you been a true partner to him, or have you let the demands of your life intrude in your marriage?”
