Melinda French Gates is finally pulling back the curtain on the real reason behind her divorce from Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates—and it has everything to do with his disturbing ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

In an explosive new book excerpt published by Page Six, the former wife of one of the world’s most powerful men described a deep personal and moral breach that stemmed from Gates’ repeated meetings with Epstein—even after his 2008 conviction for sex crimes involving minors.

“That October, things had reached a fever pitch when The New York Times published a deeply disturbing article that raised serious questions about Bill’s conduct – questions that suggested he had betrayed not only our marriage but also my values,” Melinda wrote in her memoir The Next Day, which hit shelves Tuesday.

While Melinda Gates had previously alluded to discomfort with Epstein, her use of words like “betrayed” and “disturbing” signals a marked escalation—and raises even more questions about what she knew behind the scenes.

According to The New York Times, Gates met with Epstein several times beginning in 2011 at the financier’s Manhattan townhouse, well after Epstein’s criminal past was known. Despite these disturbing associations, Gates would later describe the meetings as simply “foolish,” claiming they were focused on “philanthropy.”

But Melinda’s memoir makes clear the damage went far deeper. And it wasn’t just her. According to Gates himself, even his daughter was disturbed enough to support her mother’s decision to end the marriage.

“She knew what had happened. She had enough information about what happened, that she understood I needed to move along,” Gates admitted in a past CNN interview.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Epstein’s involvement with Gates wasn’t limited to dinner parties. Around 2017, Epstein reportedly threatened Gates, leveraging knowledge of an affair Gates allegedly had with a young Russian bridge player. Epstein had reportedly met the woman in 2013 and even paid for her education at a coding school before allegedly trying to use the situation to blackmail Gates into supporting a shadowy philanthropic fund tied to JPMorgan Chase.

“Mr. Gates met with Epstein solely for philanthropic purposes... Epstein tried unsuccessfully to leverage a past relationship to threaten Mr. Gates,” a Gates spokesperson told the press.

Still, many Americans remain unconvinced. Epstein's suspicious 2019 “suicide” at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York—after being arrested on new sex trafficking charges—has long been the subject of serious public skepticism.

Even FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino recently promised to release new footage from Epstein’s jail cell to “prove no one was there but him.” Bongino’s vow came in response to MAGA backlash over his earlier Fox News interview with FBI Director Kash Patel, where both men were criticized for appearing to downplay Epstein-related conspiracies.

The truth, however, may be closer to emerging. Between Melinda Gates’ pointed revelations, Epstein’s blackmail attempts, and Bongino’s promise of new surveillance evidence, the public may finally be getting closer to answers in one of the most powerful and sinister political scandals of our time.