I HIRED AN ACTOR TO PRETEND TO BE MY BOYFRIEND AT THE POOL PARTY
Jordan stared into the box as if he’d seen a ghost.
“What is this?”
Clark answered calmly.
“It’s yours.”
Percy leaned over to look inside.
Her smile disappeared instantly.
The box contained a thick stack of documents.
On top sat a single envelope marked:
Jordan Collins – Personal
He ripped it open.
Inside was a letter.
His eyes raced across the page.
“What the hell?”
Clark folded his arms.
“I own the company your employer hired six months ago to conduct an internal financial audit.”
Jordan froze.
“You…”
“I recognized your name the moment your ex-wife told me who you were.”
The backyard fell silent.
Clark continued.
“I almost refused this acting job.”
“But after reviewing what happened…”
“…I decided to accept.”
Jordan looked terrified.
“What are you talking about?”
Clark reached into the box and removed another folder.
“Our audit uncovered thousands of dollars in fraudulent expense claims submitted under your employee account.”
Percy’s face turned pale.
Clark looked at her.
“Many of them benefited both of you.”
Jordan shook his head.
“No…”
“That’s impossible.”
Clark calmly replied,
“It isn’t.”
“The investigation has already been completed.”
“The documents inside that box include your termination notice.”
“A civil recovery claim.”
“And notice that the evidence has been forwarded to law enforcement for review.”
Jordan stumbled backward.
“This…”
“This is because of her!”
He pointed at me.
Clark shook his head.
“No.”
“This is because of your own decisions.”
“You committed the fraud.”
“You signed every reimbursement.”
“You approved every false invoice.”
“I simply delivered the paperwork.”
Jordan looked around desperately.
Every guest had gone completely quiet.
Even our teenage son stood frozen beside the pool.
Clark stepped closer.
“You mocked the mother of your children because you thought appearances were everything.”
“But character…”
“…always catches up.”
Jordan’s hands trembled so violently that the documents slipped into the pool.
The pages spread across the water.
Several guests watched silently as the ink slowly blurred.
Percy quietly removed the bracelet Jordan had bought her.
She placed it on the table.
“I’m done.”
Without another word…
She walked away.
Jordan called after her.
She never turned around.
He looked at me.
For the first time…
There was no arrogance left.
Only panic.
“I’m sorry.”
I looked at him for a long moment.
Then I smiled gently.
“You should save your apologies.”
“Our children deserve them far more than I do.”
I walked over to my son.
“Happy birthday.”
He hugged me tightly.
“Mom…”
“You didn’t need a fake boyfriend.”
“You’ve always been the strongest person I know.”
My eyes filled with tears.
Clark quietly picked up his car keys.
As he was leaving, he smiled.
“You know…”
“I was only hired to pretend for one afternoon.”
I laughed.
“I know.”
He hesitated.
“But if you’d ever like to have dinner with someone who’s not pretending…”
“…here’s my real phone number.”
He handed me a small card.
This time…
There was no acting involved.
Sometimes the best revenge isn’t making someone jealous.
It’s letting them watch you rebuild a life they never deserved to be part of.