Chapter 6
I didn't sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Marcus kissing Vanessa.
Then I saw the financial documents.
The signatures.
The waterfront house.
The insurance papers.
And the message warning that someone was coming for the money.
My daughters slept peacefully beside me in their bassinets.
I sat on the edge of my mother's guest bed and watched them breathe.
Ava's tiny hand rested beside her cheek.
Mia made a soft sound in her sleep.
I reached over and touched their blankets.
"I'm going to protect you," I whispered.
I didn't know how.
But I knew I had to.
The next morning, Denise called.
"Nia, we have some information."
I sat upright.
"What happened?"
"We obtained additional records connected to Harbor Crown Holdings."
My heart pounded.
"And?"
"Your name appears on documents associated with a property financing application."
I closed my eyes.
"Marcus used me."
"We need to determine exactly how the documents were submitted."
I swallowed.
"Am I in trouble?"
"Right now, our priority is establishing that you did not knowingly authorize fraudulent transactions."
I looked toward the girls.
"What should I do?"
"Continue preserving everything. Don't communicate privately with Marcus about the investigation. And don't sign anything he sends you."
I nodded.
"Okay."
Denise paused.
"There's something else."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"The property purchase appears to have involved funds from several accounts."
"Whose accounts?"
"One belonged to Vanessa."
I waited.
"Another account was connected to you."
I froze.
"To me?"
"Yes."
I stared at the wall.
"I don't have enough money to buy a house."
Denise's voice remained calm.
"The records show incoming transfers that may have been routed through an account associated with your identity."
My hands started shaking.
"What transfers?"
"Approximately three hundred thousand dollars."
I stopped breathing.
Three hundred thousand.
I had never seen that kind of money in my life.
I had spent the previous month worrying about the cost of formula.
And somewhere, someone had apparently been moving hundreds of thousands of dollars through an account connected to my name.
"Denise," I whispered, "I didn't know."
"I understand."
"I swear."
"Nia, take a breath. We are investigating the records."
I wiped my eyes.
"Okay."
After the call, I went downstairs.
My mother was preparing breakfast.
She looked at my face.
"What happened?"
I sat at the kitchen table.
Then I told her everything.
She listened quietly.
When I finished, she placed her hand over mine.
"That man has done enough damage."
I nodded.
"I don't know how to fix it."
She looked at me.
"One step at a time."
I started crying.
"Mama, what if they take the girls?"
Her face changed immediately.
"Who told you that?"
"Nobody."
I covered my mouth.
"I'm just scared."
She pulled me into her arms.
"Listen to me. Being deceived by your husband doesn't automatically make you an unfit mother."
I held her tightly.
"You've cared for those babies every day."
She kissed my forehead.
"And we're going to get you the help you need."
Her confidence helped me breathe.
But my fear didn't disappear.
That afternoon, Rachel Greene contacted me again.
She asked whether I would be willing to speak with an independent investigator working on the financial case.
I agreed.
The meeting took place in Denise's office.
Rachel arrived with a man named David Ellis.
He introduced himself as a forensic accountant assisting the investigation.
I sat between my mother and Denise.
David opened a folder.
"Mrs. Williams, I want to ask you about several transactions."
I nodded.
"Okay."
He showed me a bank statement.
I recognized the bank.
But I didn't recognize the account number.
"Have you ever opened an account ending in 4821?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"Have you ever authorized Marcus to open one for you?"
"No."
David made a note.
"Do you recognize this signature?"
He slid a document across the table.
I stared at it.
It looked like mine.
But something was wrong.
The letters were too carefully formed.
My signature was usually quick and messy.
This one looked practiced.
"That's not how I sign my name."
Denise leaned forward.
"Can we obtain the original application and authentication records?"
David nodded.
"That's part of the review."
I looked at the statement again.
There were deposits.
Withdrawals.
Transfers.
Large amounts of money moving in and out.
None of it belonged to me.
"How did Marcus do this?" I whispered.
David answered carefully.
"We're still determining who created the account and who controlled it."
Rachel looked at me.
"Nia, did Marcus ever ask for copies of your identification?"
I nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"When?"
"After the twins were born."
"What reason did he give?"
"He said he needed it for a family insurance policy."
Rachel exchanged a look with David.
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
David closed the folder.
"We need to examine whether those documents were used for other purposes."
I began crying.
I felt foolish.
Exposed.
As though every loving gesture Marcus had made was suddenly part of a larger plan.
Then Rachel asked another question.
"Did Marcus ever receive packages at your home under another name?"
I thought carefully.
At first, I remembered nothing.
Then something came back.
A small brown envelope.
It had arrived three months earlier.
Marcus told me not to open it.
He said it contained company documents.
"What name?" Rachel asked.
I closed my eyes.
I tried to remember.
Then it came to me.
"Michael Warren."
David sat straighter.
"Are you sure?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
Rachel looked at Denise.
"That's one of the identities we're investigating."
I felt cold.
"Marcus used another name?"
David nodded.
"We believe someone associated with the transactions did."
My heart began racing.
Then I remembered another detail.
The envelope had contained a card.
A black plastic access card.
Marcus told me it belonged to the shipping company.
I had placed it in a kitchen drawer because I didn't want the babies getting hold of it.
I looked at my mother.
"Mama."
She turned.
"What?"
"Remember the little black card Marcus left at our house?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"I think so."
"I put it in the drawer beside the refrigerator."
Rachel leaned forward.
"Do you still have it?"
I nodded.
"I think so."
Denise spoke.
"Before anyone handles it, let's document where it is and arrange proper collection."
I agreed.
Then David asked one more question.
"Mrs. Williams, did your husband ever mention a man named Calvin Price?"
My stomach dropped.
I knew that name.
Calvin was Marcus's older cousin.
He had attended our wedding.
He had held Ava and Mia at their baby shower.
He had even given us a beautiful wooden crib.
"Yes," I whispered.
David leaned forward.
"How do you know him?"
"He's family."
Rachel's face changed.
Then she asked, "Do you know where he works?"
I shook my head.
"No."
David glanced at Denise.
Then he said something that made my entire body go cold.
"Calvin Price is connected to one of the companies receiving the missing funds."
I stared at him.
My husband's betrayal had already destroyed my marriage.
Now it was reaching into the family I had trusted.
And I suddenly remembered something else.
Calvin had been the person who convinced Marcus to take the job at sea.
May you like
He had told me it would change our lives.
I just hadn't understood how.
