Chapter 4
I watched my wife kiss another man in the doorway of the home I had worked twelve years to buy.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Renee stood beside me.
"Oh, Marcus."
I couldn't answer.
The security recording continued.
The man followed Vanessa into the living room.
He wore a dark jacket.
A gold watch gleamed on his wrist.
He looked familiar.
But I couldn't place him.
Vanessa closed the curtains.
"Relax, Adrian," she said.
Adrian.
The name struck something in my memory.
I had heard it before.
A few months earlier, Vanessa mentioned a financial consultant named Adrian who helped one of her friends with a property investment.
At the time, I barely paid attention.
Now I leaned closer to the screen.
Adrian sat on my sofa.
Vanessa curled beside him.
The same sofa where my mother had been afraid to sit.
I felt physically sick.
"Did you get his signature?" Adrian asked.
Vanessa shook her head.
"Not yet."
"Then we have a problem."
"Marcus trusts me."
"Trust doesn't pay the money you owe."
Vanessa stiffened.
"Don't start."
Adrian leaned forward.
"We have thirty days before Harrison starts asking questions."
I paused the video.
Renee looked at me.
"Harrison Property Transfer Services."
I nodded.
Everything connected.
The secret folder.
The property documents.
The stranger in my home.
I started the recording again.
Vanessa lowered her voice.
"Once Marcus signs the refinancing application, we can finish the transfer."
Adrian shook his head.
"And if he refuses?"
Vanessa smiled.
"He won't."
"You're that sure?"
She looked toward the hallway.
"I know exactly how to convince him."
My stomach twisted.
Adrian laughed.
"Using the old woman?"
Vanessa nodded.
"Marcus would do anything for his mother."
Renee covered her mouth.
I gripped the phone.
"What does that mean?" she whispered.
I didn't know.
But I was beginning to understand that my mother's suffering wasn't merely cruelty.
Vanessa might have been using her deliberately.
The recording continued.
Adrian stood.
"Don't get sentimental."
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
"Please. Evelyn has been driving me crazy since she moved in."
"Then send her away."
"I will. Once we get the house."
The words hit me harder than the kiss.
Once we get the house.
Not once we refinance.
Not once we save money.
Once we get the house.
I looked at Renee.
"Take Mom home."
She hesitated.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm calling a lawyer."
"And Vanessa?"
I looked toward the stairs.
"She doesn't know what I found."
Renee nodded.
"Keep it that way until you know what you're dealing with."
I agreed.
After they left, I saved copies of the videos and sent them to a secure account Vanessa couldn't access.
Then I called my attorney, Daniel Brooks.
Daniel had helped me purchase the house before I married Vanessa.
He answered immediately.
"Marcus, everything okay?"
"No."
I told him about the property documents.
His tone changed.
"Have you signed anything recently?"
I thought carefully.
"Vanessa asked me to sign some bank forms last month."
"What forms?"
"She said they were for a joint savings account."
Daniel became quiet.
"Did you read them?"
My stomach sank.
"Not closely."
"Marcus."
"I know."
He sighed.
"Send me anything you have. Don't sign another document."
"Can she transfer the house without me?"
"Not legally if she lacks your authorization. But forged documents and fraudulent financing can create serious problems."
I closed my eyes.
"What should I do?"
"First, protect your records. Second, we need to check the property title."
I thanked him.
Then I went upstairs.
Vanessa was sitting on our bed.
She looked up.
"Are you done being dramatic?"
I stared at her.
Four years.
Four years of birthdays, vacations, late-night conversations, and promises.
I had loved this woman.
I had trusted her with everything.
Now I didn't know who she was.
"Mom's staying with Renee tonight," I said.
Vanessa shrugged.
"Good. Maybe she'll learn some boundaries."
I felt anger burn through me.
But I remembered Daniel's warning.
I needed evidence.
Not another argument.
"I need some space," I said.
Vanessa narrowed her eyes.
"Are you seriously choosing your mother over me?"
"I'm choosing not to keep fighting tonight."
She studied me.
Then her expression softened.
"Marcus, baby."
She stood and approached.
"I know today looked bad."
I stepped back.
She stopped.
"You're upset."
"Yes."
"But you know I love you."
I looked at her.
I remembered the video.
Adrian's arms around her.
Her mouth against his.
The cold way she discussed taking my house.
"Do I?" I asked.
She blinked.
"What?"
"Do I know that?"
For the first time, she looked uncertain.
I turned away.
"I'm sleeping in the guest room."
She called after me.
"Marcus, don't be ridiculous!"
I closed the door.
Then I locked it.
The next morning, Daniel called.
His voice was serious.
"Marcus, we found something."
I sat up.
"What?"
"An application was submitted to refinance your property."
My stomach tightened.
"Was it approved?"
"Not yet. But the lender has a copy of what appears to be your signature."
I closed my eyes.
"I didn't knowingly sign a refinancing application."
"Then we need to challenge it immediately."
"How much?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Four hundred and twenty thousand dollars."
I felt sick.
The house was worth nearly eight hundred thousand.
I had worked for years to reduce the mortgage.
Now someone wanted to borrow against everything I had built.
"Who receives the funds?"
Daniel paused.
"That's the problem."
"What problem?"
"The application includes instructions for a large disbursement to a business account."
"Whose account?"
He took a breath.
"A company called Silver Crest Holdings."
I had never heard of it.
"Who owns it?"
"We're checking."
I looked toward the guest room door.
"Daniel, I think Vanessa is having an affair with a man named Adrian."
There was a long silence.
Then Daniel spoke.
"Adrian what?"
"I don't know his last name."
"Describe him."
I did.
Daniel became quiet again.
"Marcus, listen carefully."
My chest tightened.
"What?"
"There's a man named Adrian Cole who has been connected to several suspicious property transactions."
I stared at the wall.
"Are you saying he scams people?"
"I'm saying there have been complaints, and some matters remain under investigation."
I swallowed.
"What does he do?"
"He persuades people to use property equity for supposed investments. Sometimes the money disappears."
My heart pounded.
"And Vanessa?"
"We don't know her role yet."
I closed my eyes.
Daniel continued.
"Marcus, don't confront them until we understand the paperwork."
I nodded.
Then I heard footsteps outside my door.
Vanessa.
She knocked.
"Marcus?"
I covered the phone.
"What?"
"I made breakfast."
I stared at the door.
May you like
Then she said something that made my blood run cold.
"And I have some documents I really need you to sign today."
