Chapter 7 - What Richard Had Planned
Maya read the messages twice.
Then she asked Owen how he had accessed the tablet.
“It never logged Dad out.”
“Did you search his messages before today?”
“No.”
“He gave it to me for school.”
“Last night, notifications started appearing.”
Maya nodded.
“You did nothing wrong.”
Owen looked relieved, but only slightly.
Sophie sat beside me at the kitchen table.
“What does Grandpa mean about the house?”
I glanced at Maya.
She answered carefully.
“It means the adults need to review some documents.”
“Are we going to lose our home?”
“No,” I said.
It was a promise I intended to keep.
The house had belonged to my grandmother.
Daniel and I renovated it after we married.
His name had been added to the title, but mine had never been removed.
If Richard thought he could take it, he had been planning more than a divorce.
Ellis searched county property records.
He found a pending deed transfer submitted four days earlier.
The document claimed I had agreed to place the house into a family trust controlled by Richard.
My signature appeared at the bottom.
Again, it was close.
Again, it was false.
The notary seal belonged to one of Richard’s longtime employees.
Maya sat back slowly.
“This is not simply marital misconduct.”
“What does it become?”
“Potential fraud.”
Sophie looked between us.
“Did Dad forge her name?”
Nobody answered quickly enough.
Her face crumpled.
“He did.”
I took her hand.
“We do not know every detail yet.”
“Yes, we do.”
Owen’s voice was hard.
“He lies about everything.”
He stood and walked toward the window.
“He lied about Mom.”
The room went silent.
Owen and Sophie’s biological mother, Emily, had died in a car accident when Owen was four and Sophie was an infant.
Daniel rarely spoke about her.
He had always said the grief was too painful.
“What do you mean?”
Owen turned around.
“Dad told us she left him before the accident.”
“He said she was having an affair.”
I had never heard that.
“He told me she died while driving to meet another man.”
Sophie looked horrified.
“That isn’t what he told me.”
“What did he tell you?”
“He said she was coming home to apologize.”
Two different children.
Two different stories.
Both designed to control how they remembered their mother.
I felt sick.
“Did your grandfather ever say anything about Emily?”
Owen nodded.
“He said Dad saved us from becoming like her.”
Maya closed the laptop.
“Rachel, I think the children should speak to a counselor.”
“I agree.”
“I also think we need to request the original accident and probate records.”
Owen looked at us.
“Why?”
“Because your father has demonstrated a pattern of changing facts when the truth does not benefit him.”
The doorbell rang again.
This time, Richard stood outside.
He wore a dark suit and held a leather folder.
He did not look like a grandfather visiting frightened children.
He looked like a businessman arriving to close a deal.
I opened the door but did not invite him inside.
“I need five minutes.”
“You can speak in front of my attorney.”
He saw Maya behind me.
His mouth tightened.
“This concerns the children.”
“Then their counselor can be included.”
“It concerns your future.”
He lifted the folder.
“Daniel is prepared to offer you a generous settlement.”
“We filed for divorce this morning.”
Richard’s expression did not change.
“Then you should read the offer before making another mistake.”
Maya took the folder.
Inside was a settlement agreement.
Daniel would pay me one hundred thousand dollars.
I would leave the house within thirty days.
I would waive all claims to the investment accounts.
I would surrender the external drive.
I would agree never to contact Owen or Sophie again.
I looked at Richard.
“You think I can be purchased.”
“No.”
May you like
His voice was cold.
“I think you can be removed.”
