“They talked about getting you to sign financial authority after the baby was born.”
“I refused months ago.”
“Yes.”
“They knew that.”
“Yes.”
“So why—”
Rebecca opened another folder.
“One recording suggests they were considering arguing that you were medically incapable of managing your finances.”
I stopped breathing.
“What?”
“Helen apparently believed postpartum depression could be used to portray you as unstable.”
“That’s insane.”
“Yes.”
“And probably legally unsuccessful,” Rebecca said, “but the intention is important.”
I thought about the comments.
You’re emotional.
You’re confused.
Pregnancy has made you irrational.
All those months, I had assumed Helen was simply cruel.
What if some of it had been rehearsal?
What if they were building a story?
The detective later played me part of Nicole’s recording.
Helen’s voice filled the room.
“Once the baby comes, Claire will be exhausted. She won’t know what she’s signing.”
Then Trent.
“What if she checks?”
“She never checks anything anymore.”
A pause.
Then Richard.
“Get the authorization first. After that, we can restructure.”
My heart pounded.
They thought I was weak.
They thought I was stupid.
Most frightening of all, they thought I was alone.
But Nicole’s recording continued.
There was another voice.
“What about Mercer?”
My brother.
Helen scoffed.
“Keep Claire away from him. She listens to that brother of hers.”
Trent answered, “He already hates me.”
Richard said, “Then make sure he has a reason to stay away.”
The recording stopped.
I looked at Eli.
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
“Eli?”
“A year ago, someone filed an anonymous complaint alleging I was using state resources to harass Trent.”
I stared.
“You never told me.”
“It was investigated and dismissed.”
“You thought Trent did it?”
“I suspected him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because by then you had already stopped returning my calls.”
Guilt cut through me.
“I thought you hated my husband.”
“I did.”
Despite everything, I laughed once.
A broken little sound.
Eli came closer.
“I didn’t know what was happening, Claire. I knew something was wrong. Every time I pushed, Trent used it to pull you farther away.”
I remembered Trent saying Eli was jealous.
That my brother wanted to control me.
That Eli had never respected our marriage.
Isolation had not happened overnight.
It had happened one reasonable-sounding explanation at a time.
By evening, the hospital cleared me to leave.
I was not returning to the Whitmore estate.
Rebecca had arranged temporary accommodation at a secure location while legal orders were addressed.
I changed into clothes Eli had brought.
Before leaving, I stood beside the hospital bed and looked at myself in the dark television screen.
Bruised.
Exhausted.
Terrified.
But standing.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
Then a message appeared.
You think you won.
A second message.
You have no idea what your brother did.
A photograph followed.
It showed Eli outside a warehouse at night, standing beside a man I didn’t recognize.
May you like
Underneath it were six words.
Ask him where your money went.
Popular Posts
→- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Recently Viewed
Stories you read recently will appear here.
