Chapter 9 - The Missing Money
I checked the account myself.
Cassandra was right.
Forty-eight thousand dollars.
Gone.
The money was supposed to cover childbirth expenses, unpaid leave, and emergencies involving the twins.
Travis knew exactly what it was for.
I called the bank.
The representative confirmed the transfers.
Travis had used credentials from a linked household profile.
He was never supposed to move funds from the protected reserve.
But months earlier, I had temporarily added him while dealing with a contractor payment.
I had forgotten to remove the permission.
Travis had not forgotten.
I stared at the transaction dates.
Three days before I went into labor.
Twenty-eight thousand dollars remained in his personal account.
Twenty thousand went to Deborah.
Then I saw a memo attached to the transfer.
MALL / CREDIT PAYOFF.
My hands started shaking.
Deborah's shopping obsession suddenly looked different.
It wasn't simply selfishness.
She had been spending money taken from the emergency fund meant for my children.
Cassandra's voice hardened.
“Do not confront him.”
“Why?”
“Because I want records preserved before he starts moving anything else.”
She filed an emergency financial restraining request that afternoon.
By nightfall, the relevant accounts were flagged.
Travis called me seventeen times.
I did not answer.
Then he left a voicemail.
“Natalie, you don't understand the money.”
“Mom had debts.”
“I was going to replace it.”
“You're making this look criminal when it isn't.”
I forwarded the voicemail to Cassandra.
She replied with four words.
Keep every single message.
The next day, my son's brain imaging results arrived.
Dr. Chen entered my room smiling.
That smile was the first good thing I had seen in days.
“The scan looks much better than we feared.”
I covered my mouth.
“Really?”
“We still need follow-up.”
“But right now, we are cautiously optimistic.”
I began sobbing.
“What about long-term problems?”
“We can't promise anything yet.”
“But he's strong.”
“So is his sister.”
I finally held my son that afternoon.
Noah.
That was the name I had chosen months earlier.
His sister was Ava.
Ava opened her eyes while lying against my chest.
Noah slept beneath my chin.
For twenty minutes, there were no police.
No lawyers.
No Brooks family.
Only my babies.
Then Cassandra arrived.
She stood beside the window carrying a thick folder.
“I have something you need to see.”
I looked at the folder.
“What now?”
“Your husband filed first.”
My stomach tightened.
“For divorce?”
“No.”
Cassandra put the paperwork into my hands.
“For temporary custody.”
I stared at her.
“He’s claiming you’re mentally unstable from childbirth.”
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Then Cassandra smiled without humor.
“He made one serious mistake.”
“What?”
“He filed his statement under oath.”
She tapped the folder.
May you like
“And almost every page contains a lie we can prove.”
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