“He will get worse,” Jerome said. “Greedy people are impatient. When they think they have won, they like to gloat.”

He leaned forward again, his eyes sharp behind his glasses.

“If you play your part, he will want to show off his new life with his pregnant mistress. He will want the world to see how successful he is.”

“He’ll start bragging,” Rachel said, a realization dawning on her face. “On social media. To his friends. To everyone.”

“Precisely,” Jerome said. “And every post, every photo, and every public boast will be another nail in his coffin.”

I took a deep breath.

The coldness in my hands was gone, replaced by a low, burning heat.

“So I have to pretend to be weak,” I said.

“Just for a little while,” Jerome said. “Can you do that, Avery?”

I looked at Rachel. She gave me a firm nod.

“I can do it,” I said. “I will do whatever it takes.”

“Good,” Jerome said. “I will draft our initial response to his divorce petition. We will reject his first settlement offer and demand a full audit of his assets. That will buy us at least four weeks.”