Chapter 5
By the next morning, Diane's post had reached thousands of people.
I knew because strangers started messaging me.
Some demanded that I confess.
Others insulted my appearance.
One woman told me I should be ashamed of bringing a child into the world under false pretenses.
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the screen while Ava slept beside me in her bassinet.
I had never felt so exposed.
My body was still recovering from childbirth.
I was exhausted.
My emotions felt painfully close to the surface.
And now people I had never met were discussing my baby as though she were public property.
I blocked another account.
Then another.
Finally, I turned off my phone.
Marcus appeared in the doorway.
"Nia?"
I looked up.
He was holding a tray with breakfast.
"You haven't eaten."
"I'm not hungry."
He set the tray down.
"I reported my mother's post."
I said nothing.
"And I made a statement."
That caught my attention.
"What statement?"
He handed me his phone.
Across the screen was a post from his verified business account.
It was short.
He stated clearly that Ava was his biological daughter.
He confirmed that the accusations against me were false.
He said the document circulated by his mother was not an authentic hospital record.
And he asked everyone to stop harassing his wife and child.
I read it twice.
Then handed the phone back.
"Thank you."
Marcus looked relieved.
But I wasn't finished.
"You should have believed me before strangers needed to hear you defend me."
His expression fell.
"You're right."
I looked toward Ava.
"She didn't deserve any of this."
"No," he whispered. "She didn't."
That afternoon, Elaine called.
She'd seen the posts.
She was furious.
"Nia, your mother-in-law has made several statements that are potentially defamatory."
I closed my eyes.
"Can we make her stop?"
"We can take steps to demand removal and preserve evidence. But I also want you to know something important."
"What?"
"Someone contacted my office this morning."
My heart jumped.
"Who?"
"Vernon Price."
I sat upright.
"The man who helped with the fake DNA test?"
"He says he wants legal advice about cooperating with the investigation. He also claims Diane hasn't paid him."
I stared at the wall.
"She hired him?"
"That's what he alleges."
Elaine continued.
"He says he was paid to create a document resembling a private laboratory report, but was not told it would be presented as a genuine hospital-issued result."
I felt anger burn through my exhaustion.
"That doesn't excuse what he did."
"No. And it certainly doesn't establish that his version is true."
I appreciated Elaine's caution.
She never treated allegations as facts.
But the pattern was becoming harder to ignore.
"Does he have evidence?"
"He claims to have emails and payment records."
I swallowed.
"Can we get them?"
"We're working through the appropriate channels."
After the call, I went downstairs.
Marcus was standing in his office.
I could hear his voice through the partially open door.
"Mom, take the post down."
I stopped.
A moment later, Diane's voice came through the speaker.
"That woman is destroying this family."
Marcus answered sharply.
"You are the one who published lies about my wife."
Diane laughed.
"Oh, Marcus. She's got you completely under her control."
"Take it down."
"You'll thank me eventually."
"No, Mom. I won't."
A pause.
Then Diane said something that made me step closer.
"If you keep siding with her, don't expect me to protect you from what comes next."
Marcus straightened.
"What does that mean?"
"You know exactly what it means."
The call ended.
He turned and saw me.
"How much did you hear?"
"Enough."
He looked shaken.
I leaned against the doorway.
"Marcus, what else is she holding over you?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he walked to his desk and opened a drawer.
He removed an old folder.
"There's something I should have told you years ago."
My heart sank.
"Another secret?"
He nodded.
"Before we got married, my mother convinced me to invest in a real estate project."
I folded my arms.
"Okay."
"I signed documents guaranteeing a business loan."
"How much?"
He hesitated.
"Eight hundred thousand dollars."
I stared at him.
"Marcus."
"I thought the property would generate enough income to cover the loan."
"And did it?"
"No."
He opened the folder.
"The company stopped making payments two years ago."
I looked at the paperwork.
The company's name was Carter Legacy Holdings.
Diane was listed as managing member.
Marcus was listed as guarantor.
I felt sick.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was ashamed."
I shook my head.
"We have a child together. We own a home together. How could you hide something like this?"
"I thought I could fix it."
"And your mother knew?"
He nodded.
"She's been telling me that if I challenge her, the creditors could come after me."
Suddenly, I understood another part of her control.
Diane hadn't simply used guilt.
She'd used fear.
But Marcus had allowed that fear to become secrecy.
And secrecy had poisoned our marriage.
"Have you had an attorney review this?"
"Not recently."
"Then you need to."
He nodded.
"I will."
I took a breath.
"Marcus, I cannot keep discovering major financial problems one conversation at a time."
"I know."
"If there is anything else, I need to hear it now."
He looked directly at me.
"That's everything I know."
I wanted to believe him.
But before I could answer, my phone rang.
It was Rebecca.
Her voice was unusually tense.
"Nia, I need you and Marcus to preserve any communications involving Carter Legacy Holdings."
I looked at the folder in his hands.
"Why?"
"Because the preliminary accounting review found payments from the family trust to that company."
Marcus stepped closer.
Rebecca continued.
"And there is no clear record showing that the trust received legitimate services or assets in exchange."
My stomach tightened.
"How much money?"
Rebecca hesitated.
"Approximately one point four million dollars is currently under review."
Marcus closed his eyes.
I stared at him.
This wasn't just family cruelty anymore.
May you like
This was potentially serious financial wrongdoing.
And the woman who had accused me of stealing my husband's future might have been taking from her own family all along.
