Updated Feb 25, 2026 • ~6 min read
POV: Gabi
Nix calls two days later.
“I found one of them.”
“One of who?”
“The women Brandon scammed. She’s willing to meet with you.”
My stomach clenches.
“Why would she want to meet me?”
“Because she thinks you’re the one who scammed her.”
Oh.
Oh no.
“Nix—”
“I explained the situation. That someone used your identity. She wants to hear it from you.”
“Okay. When?”
“Today. Three PM. Coffee shop in Fremont.”
“I’ll be there.”
NIX
I’m already at the cafe when Gabi arrives.
She looks nervous.
“Is she here?” Gabi asks.
“Not yet. Should be here any minute.”
We sit at a corner table.
Gabi orders tea she doesn’t drink.
3:07 PM.
The door opens.
A woman walks in.
Red hair. Late twenties. Scanning the room.
She sees me.
Recognition.
I wave her over.
“Kennedy?” I stand.
“That’s me.”
She looks at Gabi.
Her expression hardens.
“You.”
GABI
The redhead is glaring at me.
Like she wants to kill me.
“I’m Gabi—”
“I know who you are. You owe me ten thousand dollars.”
“I’ve never met you before.”
“Bull shit.”
She’s loud.
People are staring.
Nix steps in.
“Kennedy. Sit down. Let us explain.”
She hesitates.
Then sits.
Arms crossed.
Furious.
“You have five minutes.”
I take a breath.
“I didn’t scam you.”
“I have the messages. The Venmo transactions. All from YOU.”
“From someone using my name and photos. But it wasn’t me.”
She pulls out her phone.
Opens Tinder.
Shows me a profile.
My face.
Smiling.
The bio says: Gabriella M., 28, photographer, Seattle.
“That’s me,” she says. “We matched. We talked for three weeks. Got close. Then you told me about your startup. How you needed funding.”
“I never—”
“You said you’d pay me back double in six months. So I sent you $10,000. And then you ghosted me.”
Her voice cracks.
She’s fighting tears.
“Kennedy,” I say softly. “I’m a wedding photographer. I don’t have a startup. And I’ve never been on Tinder.”
“Then who—”
I slide a photo across the table.
Brandon.
“My husband. He created those profiles using my photos. He scammed you. And probably others.”
She stares at the photo.
“I don’t understand.”
“He’s been catfishing women. Pretending to be me. Taking money. It’s fraud. And I had no idea until a week ago.”
Nix adds, “I’m a private investigator. Gabi hired me when she discovered what he was doing. We’re building a case.”
Kennedy looks between us.
Processing.
“You’re serious.”
“Completely serious,” I say.
“So you didn’t take my money.”
“No. But HE did. And I’m going to make sure he pays for it.”
Kennedy’s anger shifts.
Not at me anymore.
At Brandon.
“I should have known. When ‘you’ introduced me to your ex-husband and things got… romantic.”
I freeze.
“What?”
KENNEDY
Shit.
I probably shouldn’t have said that.
But it’s out now.
“After we’d been talking for a few weeks, you said your ex-husband was actually a good guy. That you’d stayed friends. You wanted to introduce us.”
Gabi’s face has gone pale.
“And?”
“And… we met. For coffee. Then dinner. Then…”
I trail off.
“You slept with him.”
I nod.
“Multiple times. We dated for about a month. Then he said he needed space. And ghosted me too.”
Gabi stands abruptly.
Walks to the bathroom.
The PI—Nix—looks at me.
“How long ago was this?”
“Two months? Maybe three?”
“And ‘Gabriella’ introduced you to Brandon. Her supposed ex-husband.”
“Yeah. She said they’d divorced amicably. That he was a great guy. That we’d be perfect together.”
“Did you ever see them together?”
I think.
“Once. At a bar. They were friendly. Laughing. But not… couple-y. More like friends.”
Nix is taking notes.
“Did Brandon ever mention being married?”
“No. He said he was single. Focused on his startup.”
“Did he ask you for money?”
“Yeah. The business loan thing. Emergency with his mom. A few smaller asks here and there.”
“How much total?”
God, I don’t want to say it.
“Fifteen thousand.”
Nix whistles low.
“Did he pay any of it back?”
“Not a cent.”
“Do you have records? Messages? Venmo receipts?”
“All of it.”
“I’m going to need copies.”
Gabi comes back.
Eyes red.
She sits.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t know—”
“It’s not your fault.”
But she won’t look at me.
“Kennedy,” Nix says. “How many other women do you think Brandon is doing this to?”
“I found a support group. Online. Women who’d been scammed by someone matching this profile. There are at least six of us. Maybe more who haven’t come forward.”
“Six,” Gabi repeats.
“Yeah. We all have similar stories. Met ‘Gabriella’ online. She introduced us to Brandon. We dated him. He took money. He vanished.”
“It’s a system,” Nix says. “A fucking system.”
GABI
I feel numb.
Brandon didn’t just cheat.
He created an entire operation.
Use my identity to meet women.
Befriend them as me.
Introduce them to himself.
Date them.
Scam them.
Ghost them.
Repeat.
“I want to help,” Kennedy says suddenly.
“Help how?”
“Take him down. He can’t keep doing this.”
I look at Nix.
“Can she?”
“Absolutely. Testimony from victims strengthens the case. And if there are six of you—”
“Seven,” Kennedy corrects. “Another woman reached out yesterday.”
“Seven victims. That’s conspiracy to commit fraud. Wire fraud if any money crossed state lines. He’s looking at serious jail time.”
Good.
“What do you need from me?” Kennedy asks.
“Everything,” Nix says. “Messages. Financial records. Photos. Dates. Timeline.”
“I’ll send it all tonight.”
She looks at me.
“I’m sorry I thought it was you.”
“Don’t be. I would have thought the same thing.”
We sit in silence for a moment.
Then Kennedy says, “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why are you still with him? If you know what he’s doing?”
Good question.
“I’m not. I’m gathering evidence first. Then I’m filing for divorce. And pressing charges.”
“Good. He deserves worse than that.”
“Agreed.”
Kennedy stands.
“I should go. But Gabi?”
“Yeah?”
“For what it’s worth—I can see why he used your photos. You’re even more beautiful in person.”
The compliment is weird given the circumstances.
But I appreciate it.
“Thank you.”
She leaves.
Nix and I sit there.
“Seven women,” I say.
“That we know of.”
“How much money do you think he’s stolen total?”
“Conservatively? Probably over a hundred thousand.”
I feel sick.
“Where is it all?”
“That,” Nix says, “is what I’m going to find out next.”
END OF CHAPTER 5
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