Chapter 7
I read the message three times.
Megan noticed.
“What?”
I locked my phone.
“Nothing.”
She gave me the look only a sister can give.
“Sarah.”
“I cannot explain everything while you're driving.”
“Then give me the short version.”
“My husband is having an affair.”
Megan's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“What?”
“With a woman named Vanessa.”
“I’m turning around.”
“No.”
“I just want to talk.”
“No, you don't.”
“You're right.”
She took a breath.
“I want to run over his mailbox.”
I almost laughed.
It was the first almost-normal feeling I had experienced all day.
“There is more.”
“Of course there is.”
“The house isn't Michael's.”
“What?”
“It's Evelyn's.”
“Okay.”
“And there is no mortgage.”
Megan glanced at me.
“What do you mean?”
“The mortgage payments I thought we made every month went into Michael's secret investment account.”
She went silent.
“How much?”
“Almost four hundred thousand.”
“Sarah.”
“And his father isn't dead.”
“What?”
“He staged his death.”
“Stop.”
“I'm serious.”
“Why?”
“Gambling. Another woman. Money. I don't even know anymore.”
Megan looked straight ahead.
“I've known this man for seven years.”
“So have I.”
That was the problem.
I knew the version Michael gave me.
Not Michael.
Megan drove me to her condo in the suburbs.
The second we walked inside, she took my phone.
“Sit.”
“What are you doing?”
“Making tea.”
“You took my phone.”
“So you don't answer him.”
“I wasn't planning to.”
“Good.”
She made tea anyway.
Then she sat across from me.
“Start from the beginning.”
I did.
It took nearly an hour.
When I reached the part about Vanessa potentially being related to Evelyn's supposedly dead sister, Megan stared at me.
“This is not a marriage problem anymore.”
“No.”
“This is one of those documentaries where everyone has three names and hidden bank accounts.”
Despite everything, I laughed.
Then I cried again.
Megan moved beside me.
“I’m sorry.”
“I feel stupid.”
“No.”
“I paid fake mortgage payments for years.”
“You trusted your husband.”
“Exactly.”
“That doesn't make you stupid.”
“It feels stupid.”
She held my hand.
“You can be wrong about someone without being stupid.”
I needed that sentence.
I did not realize how much until she said it.
My phone rang from the kitchen counter.
Michael.
Megan looked at me.
“Want me to decline it?”
“Yes.”
She did.
He called again.
Then again.
I turned the phone off.
For the first time in years, Michael could not reach me.
It felt terrifying.
And freeing.
I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Vanessa standing in my kitchen.
No.
My living room.
Evelyn's house.
I didn't even know what to call it anymore.
The next morning, Megan was already awake.
She had made coffee.
“I took the day off.”
“You didn't need to.”
“Yes, I did.”
I checked my phone.
Seventeen missed calls.
Nine from Michael.
Three from Evelyn.
Two from Detective Hale.
One from an unknown number.
Two from a number I recognized as Michael's office.
I called Detective Hale first.
“Mrs. Carter.”
“Sarah.”
“Sarah. We need to speak.”
“What happened?”
“Charles Morgan is cooperating.”
My stomach tightened.
“Vanessa's father?”
“Yes.”
“What was he doing at Michael's office?”
“Looking for documents.”
“Why?”
“He claims they belong to his family.”
“The trust?”
“Yes.”
“Is Vanessa related to Rose?”
Hale paused.
“We're still verifying records.”
“But?”
“Charles says Rose was his mother.”
My breath caught.
“Then Vanessa is Rose's granddaughter.”
“Yes.”
Evelyn's niece's daughter.
A distant cousin to Michael.
Not close enough for the affair to carry the horror Michael first feared.
But close enough to tie Vanessa directly to the house and trust.
“What does Charles want?”
“He says Evelyn's parents illegally removed Rose from the family trust after giving her up for adoption.”
“Why did they give her up?”
“He claims they didn't.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“According to Charles, Rose was taken.”
My stomach dropped.
“By who?”
“That is less clear.”
“How do you lose a baby?”
“Sarah, this happened more than sixty years ago.”
“But somebody knows.”
“Maybe.”
“What does David have to do with it?”
“Charles claims David discovered the truth while handling Evelyn's parents' estate.”
“And used it?”
“Yes.”
“Against Evelyn?”
“He appears to have tried.”
I closed my eyes.
“So Vanessa knew Michael was connected to the family that took her grandmother's inheritance.”
“Yes.”
“Did she target him?”
Hale hesitated.
“Charles says yes.”
I felt sick.
“Did Michael know?”
“We have no evidence of that.”
I believed him.
For once.
Michael had looked genuinely horrified.
“What was Vanessa trying to accomplish?”
“According to Charles, obtain financial documents and prove the property should have partially passed to Rose's descendants.”
“Through sleeping with my husband?”
“Charles says that was not part of his plan.”
“His plan?”
“He admits he encouraged Vanessa to get close to Michael.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“How?”
“He told her to meet him socially.”
“Where?”
“The gym.”
Exactly where Michael said they met.
“And then?”
“Charles says Vanessa was supposed to become friendly with him.”
“She became more than friendly.”
“Yes.”
“Did Charles know?”
“He says he found out later.”
“Did he tell her to stop?”
“He says he did.”
I laughed bitterly.
“How responsible.”
Hale continued.
“There is something you should know.”
“What?”
“Charles says Vanessa initially planned to approach you.”
I stopped breathing.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you handle most household finances.”
My skin prickled.
“How would he know that?”
“Public information, social media, observation.”
“Observation?”
“We believe Vanessa watched your household for several weeks.”
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Before meeting Michael?”
“Yes.”
I thought about all the ordinary days.
Driving to work.
Grocery shopping.
Jogging around the neighborhood.
Someone might have been watching.
“What made her choose Michael?”
Hale's answer was simple.
“He was easier.”
That hurt in a strange way.
My husband had been the weakness in our marriage.
Vanessa found him.
He let her in.
“What happens now?”
“We're trying to locate Vanessa and David.”
“They're together?”
“We don't know.”
“Why was Vanessa's car found near our house?”
“We believe someone else drove it.”
“Charles?”
“No. We have video placing him elsewhere.”
“Then who?”
“We're investigating.”
I sighed.
“Is Michael safe?”
Hale paused.
“I can't guarantee anyone's safety.”
My heart tightened despite everything.
“Has someone threatened him?”
“Not directly.”
“Then why say that?”
“Because financial disputes can escalate.”
Megan was watching my face.
“Should I stay away from the house?”
“Yes.”
That answer was immediate.
“Why?”
“We found signs someone entered the garage overnight.”
My stomach dropped.
“After I left?”
“Yes.”
“Police were there.”
“Not continuously.”
“What was taken?”
“We're checking.”
“Was Michael home?”
“No.”
“Where is he?”
“With Evelyn.”
That brought an unexpected flicker of relief.
“Okay.”
Hale lowered his voice.
“Sarah, do you have access to the investment account?”
“No.”
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever signed financial documents for Michael?”
“Tax returns.”
“Anything else?”
“Joint banking.”
“Power of attorney?”
“No.”
“Trust documents?”
“No.”
“Property documents?”
“No.”
“Loan documents?”
“No.”
He was quiet.
“What?”
“We found a document in Charles's possession.”
My skin prickled.
“What kind?”
“A transfer agreement.”
“For what?”
“A portion of Michael's investment account.”
My heart jumped.
“To who?”
“Vanessa.”
I stood.
“What?”
“Your signature appears as witness.”
I felt dizzy.
“I never signed anything.”
“We suspected that.”
“When was it dated?”
“Four months ago.”
I tried to remember.
Four months ago.
Michael had told me he attended an overnight corporate retreat.
He returned exhausted.
He bought me flowers.
I had thought he was being sweet.
“Did Michael sign it?”
“Yes.”
The room tilted.
“He transferred money to Vanessa?”
“The document says he agreed to transfer eighty thousand dollars.”
“Did he?”
“We're checking.”
I could barely breathe.
“Did he know what he was signing?”
“That is something you need to ask him.”
I hung up.
Megan stood.
“What happened?”
I grabbed my coat.
“I'm going to Evelyn's.”
“No.”
“I need answers.”
“Then call him.”
“No.”
Megan blocked the door.
“Sarah.”
“I need to see his face.”
“That is the most dramatic sentence you've ever said.”
“Megan.”
She stepped aside.
“Fine.”
“But I'm driving.”
Evelyn opened her door twenty minutes later.
She looked exhausted.
“Sarah.”
“Where's Michael?”
“In the kitchen.”
I walked past her.
Michael stood immediately when he saw me.
His face filled with relief.
“Are you okay?”
“Did you sign an agreement giving Vanessa eighty thousand dollars?”
The relief disappeared.
Evelyn stared at him.
“You what?”
Michael's mouth opened.
Then closed.
I already knew.
“When?”
He looked at me.
“Four months ago.”
“Why?”
“She told me she was starting a business.”
I laughed.
“You gave your mistress eighty thousand dollars to start a business?”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“I didn't give it to her.”
“You signed an agreement.”
“I signed something.”
“What did you think it was?”
“A loan commitment.”
“That's somehow better?”
“No.”
“Did the money leave the account?”
“Not that I know.”
“You don't know?”
“She said she needed proof of funds to get another investor.”
I stared at him.
“And you believed her.”
His eyes filled.
“Yes.”
Evelyn whispered, “Michael.”
He turned.
“Please don't.”
“No.”
Her face crumpled.
“You gave that woman access to money Sarah helped earn.”
“I know.”
“Did you forge Sarah's signature?”
His head snapped toward me.
“What?”
“There was a witness signature.”
“I didn't know.”
“It looks like mine.”
He stared at me.
“I swear I didn't.”
For once, I believed him.
Not because I trusted him.
Because he looked genuinely shocked.
“Who was there when you signed it?”
“Vanessa.”
“Anyone else?”
“A notary.”
“What name?”
“I don't remember.”
“Where?”
“A coffee shop.”
Megan whispered from behind me.
“You signed an eighty-thousand-dollar agreement in a coffee shop?”
Michael looked ashamed.
“Yes.”
I laughed.
It was either laugh or scream.
“Did you read it?”
“Most of it.”
“Most?”
“I trusted her.”
I stared at him.
Then said quietly, “That's exactly what I did with you.”
His face broke.
Silence filled the kitchen.
Then Evelyn's phone rang.
Detective Hale.
She put it on speaker.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Carter, we located Vanessa.”
Michael stepped closer.
“Where?”
“St. Joseph's Hospital.”
My stomach tightened.
“Is she hurt?”
“Yes.”
“How badly?”
“Non-life-threatening.”
“What happened?”
“She was found at a roadside rest area.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
“What about David?”
“No sign.”
Evelyn asked, “Has she talked?”
“Briefly.”
“What did she say?”
Hale paused.
Then answered.
“She says David attacked her.”
Michael went still.
“Why?”
“She says she tried to leave.”
“Leave what?”
No answer for a second.
Then Hale said, “A plan to take control of the house.”
I looked at Evelyn.
Her face hardened.
“Let her try.”
But Hale continued.
“There's something else.”
“What?”
“Vanessa says David isn't trying to get the property for Rose's descendants.”
“Then who?”
“Vanessa claims David believes the original trust still gives him beneficiary rights.”
Michael shook his head.
“Dad knows it was invalid.”
“Apparently he has another document.”
“What document?”
“A will.”
Evelyn looked confused.
“Whose will?”
“Your mother's.”
Her face changed.
“My mother died thirty-one years ago.”
“Yes.”
“What does it say?”
Hale hesitated.
Then spoke.
“According to Vanessa, it leaves the house equally to Evelyn and Rose.”
The room went silent.
Evelyn whispered, “Rose was supposed to inherit half.”
“Yes.”
“And someone hid the will.”
“That is the allegation.”
“Who?”
May you like
Hale answered.
“David.”
