Chapter 10 - The Account Nobody Knew Existed
I did not go alone.
Emily came with me.
Mom was not home.
Mark and Vanessa were in the dining room.
The same dining room where my wife had been slapped.
The Christmas decorations were still hanging.
The tablecloth had been removed.
One wine stain remained on the rug.
Emily paused at the doorway.
I took her hand.
Vanessa noticed.
For once, she said nothing.
Mark placed a stack of papers on the table.
“We found an account that isn’t in Mom’s name.”
“Whose?”
He looked at Vanessa.
She answered.
“Mine.”
I stared at her.
Vanessa looked miserable.
Not polished.
Not smug.
Miserable.
“What do you mean?”
“Mom opened it years ago.”
“In your name?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She said it was easier.”
“For what?”
Vanessa looked down.
“Moving money.”
Mark slid several statements toward me.
Transfers from the trust had moved through Vanessa’s account before being used for family expenses.
Renovations.
Mortgage payments.
Vacations.
A car.
Scott’s dental practice.
Even part of Vanessa’s daughter’s private-school tuition.
I felt physically sick.
“How much?”
Mark answered.
“Over the years?”
He swallowed.
“More than two hundred thousand.”
Vanessa immediately said,
“I didn’t know where all of it came from.”
“But you knew some.”
She nodded.
“I knew about the dental office.”
“And you never paid it back.”
“Scott’s practice was struggling.”
Emily finally spoke.
“So you mocked me for using coupons while your lifestyle was partly funded with money taken from Daniel?”
Vanessa’s face burned.
“I know how that looks.”
Emily laughed softly.
“No.”
“You know what it is.”
The front door opened.
Mom walked in.
She stopped when she saw us.
Then she saw the papers.
Her face changed.
“You had no right.”
I stood.
“Neither did you.”
“This was my husband’s money.”
“No.”
“His own letter says it wasn’t.”
Mom’s eyes moved to Vanessa.
“You showed them?”
Vanessa stared at her.
“You told me it was family money.”
“It was.”
“You told me Daniel and Mark knew.”
Mark stood so suddenly his chair scraped the floor.
“We knew nothing.”
Mom pointed toward Emily.
“This is exactly what she wanted.”
I almost could not believe it.
Even now.
Even with bank records covering the dining table.
Emily was still the villain.
“No, Mom.”
I stepped between them.
“This is what you did.”
Then Vanessa began crying.
Not delicately.
Not beautifully.
She covered her face.
And through her hands, she said something none of us expected.
“She didn’t just take money.”
Mom froze.
May you like
Vanessa looked at me.
“She paid me to help break up your marriage.”
