Chapter 5
I stared at the guest room door.
Vanessa knocked again.
"Marcus, are you coming?"
I lowered my voice.
"Daniel, I have to go."
"Don't sign anything."
"I won't."
"And Marcus?"
"Yes?"
"Be careful. If there's fraud, the people involved may panic when they realize you've discovered it."
I ended the call.
Then I opened the door.
Vanessa stood in the hallway wearing a white blouse and black trousers.
Her hair was perfectly styled.
She smiled as though yesterday had never happened.
"Good morning, handsome."
I couldn't return the smile.
She studied my face.
"Still angry?"
"Still thinking."
She sighed.
"I made your favorite breakfast."
I followed her downstairs.
The kitchen table was set beautifully.
Eggs.
Toast.
Fresh fruit.
Coffee.
My mother had begged Vanessa for water the day before.
Now my wife was serving me a meal like we were celebrating an anniversary.
I sat down.
Vanessa placed a folder beside my plate.
My stomach tightened.
"What's that?"
"Some paperwork."
"For what?"
She smiled.
"Remember that investment opportunity I mentioned?"
I looked at the folder.
"Remind me."
"It's a property development project. We could make a lot of money."
I lifted the first page.
There was the name.
Silver Crest Holdings.
I kept my expression neutral.
"How much money?"
"Enough that you wouldn't have to work so hard."
I turned the page.
A refinancing authorization.
A loan application.
Documents granting limited financial authority.
My pulse quickened.
"Why would we refinance our house for this?"
Vanessa laughed.
"Because you need money to make money."
I looked at her.
"Whose idea was it?"
"Mine."
"Nobody else?"
She hesitated.
Then smiled.
"Well, my consultant helped."
"What's his name?"
Her eyes flickered.
"Adrian."
I nodded slowly.
"Adrian what?"
"Cole."
I took a sip of coffee.
My hands were shaking beneath the table.
"Have I met him?"
"No."
"Maybe I should."
Vanessa's smile disappeared.
"Why?"
"If we're risking our house, I'd like to meet the man advising you."
She folded her arms.
"You don't trust me?"
I looked directly at her.
"Trust isn't the same as signing documents without reading them."
Her face hardened.
"You're being difficult."
I closed the folder.
"I'm not signing today."
She stared.
"What?"
"I want my lawyer to review everything."
Vanessa stood.
"Your lawyer?"
"Yes."
"Marcus, this opportunity won't last forever."
"Then it isn't the right opportunity."
She looked furious.
Then her expression changed.
Almost immediately.
She sat beside me and took my hand.
"Baby, I know you're upset about your mother."
I pulled my hand away.
"Don't bring Mom into this."
"She's turning you against me."
I stared at her.
"You did that yourself."
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I watched you mistreat her."
"Again with the camera?"
I stood.
"Yes. Again with the camera."
She looked away.
I took the folder.
"I'm keeping these."
She jumped up.
"No!"
The word came too quickly.
I froze.
Vanessa stepped closer.
"Those are my documents."
"They involve my house."
"Our house."
I shook my head.
"The home I purchased before we married. We can discuss any lawful ownership interests with attorneys. But you don't get to hide loans from me."
Her expression became cold.
"You think you're better than me because you bought this place?"
"No."
"You think I should just be grateful to live here?"
"I never said that."
She laughed bitterly.
"Your precious mother never approved of me."
I stared.
"What does Mom have to do with your investment?"
Vanessa looked away.
"Nothing."
I stepped back.
"I have to go to work."
She pointed at the folder.
"Leave that."
"No."
"Marcus."
I looked at her.
"Don't follow me."
Then I left.
I drove straight to Daniel's office.
He examined every page.
After twenty minutes, he looked up.
"This is worse than I thought."
My stomach tightened.
"How?"
"The documents don't just authorize refinancing. They include a broad power of attorney connected to the transaction."
I stared at him.
"Meaning?"
"If validly executed, it could let someone act on your behalf in financial matters beyond what you intended."
I leaned back.
"Vanessa wanted me to hand over control."
Daniel nodded.
"And there are inconsistencies in the notary information."
I rubbed my face.
"What should we do?"
"We're notifying the lender of suspected fraud and asking them to suspend processing. We'll also file the appropriate property alerts and preserve the evidence."
I nodded.
Then I remembered the security footage.
"There's something else."
I showed him the recording of Vanessa and Adrian.
Daniel watched silently.
When Adrian discussed the house, Daniel paused the video.
"Send me the original file."
I did.
He looked at me.
"Marcus, this may support a criminal investigation."
I felt sick.
"I never thought my marriage would end like this."
Daniel's expression softened.
"I'm sorry."
I shook my head.
"I can handle betrayal."
Then my voice cracked.
"But what she did to my mother..."
I couldn't finish.
Daniel waited.
After a moment, I asked whether I should contact the police.
He nodded.
"Given the suspected forgery and coercion, we should make a report."
That afternoon, I met Detective Allison Reed.
She listened carefully.
She watched the recordings.
She examined copies of the financial documents.
Then she asked a question I hadn't considered.
"Mr. Bennett, does your wife have access to your identification documents?"
"Yes."
"Bank accounts?"
"Some."
"Passwords?"
"Possibly."
I felt increasingly uneasy.
Detective Reed wrote everything down.
"We need to look at whether any unauthorized transactions have already occurred."
I leaned forward.
"Do you think she's stolen money?"
"I don't know yet."
She paused.
"But your attorney was right to stop the refinancing."
I thanked her.
As I stood to leave, my phone rang.
Renee.
I answered immediately.
"Is Mom okay?"
There was silence.
Then Renee whispered, "Marcus, you need to come."
My chest tightened.
"What happened?"
"Mom collapsed."
Everything inside me stopped.
"What?"
"She's at St. Mary's Hospital."
I grabbed my keys.
"Is she conscious?"
"Yes, but the doctors are running tests."
I was already moving.
"Tell her I'm coming."
I reached the hospital twenty minutes later.
Mom lay in a bed with an IV in her arm.
Her face was pale.
Renee sat beside her, crying.
I hurried forward.
"Mom."
She opened her eyes.
"Marcus."
I kissed her forehead.
"What happened?"
Renee answered.
"She became dizzy and couldn't stand."
A doctor entered.
He explained that Mom was dehydrated and exhausted.
Her blood pressure had dropped.
Her knees were severely inflamed from overuse.
He recommended fluids, rest, follow-up care, and a safer daily routine.
I listened with growing anger.
My mother had been suffering for weeks.
And I had never noticed.
After the doctor left, Mom squeezed my hand.
"Don't blame yourself."
I looked at her.
"How can I not?"
"Because you didn't know."
I lowered my head.
"I should have."
She touched my cheek.
"You're a good son."
I began crying.
For the first time since discovering Vanessa's cruelty, I let myself break.
Mom held my hand until I could breathe again.
Then she whispered something unexpected.
"Marcus, there's one more thing."
I looked up.
"What?"
"Vanessa came to my room last week."
My chest tightened.
"Why?"
"She brought me some papers."
I stared at her.
"What papers?"
"She said they were for my medical care."
I felt cold.
"Did you sign them?"
Mom looked frightened.
"I couldn't read everything."
"Mom..."
"She said I had to sign if I wanted to keep living with you."
My heart dropped.
"What did the papers say?"
She shook her head.
"I don't know."
Then she began crying.
"But I saw the name of my old house."
I froze.
My mother's house.
The small home she had inherited from my grandparents.
The home she had kept for forty years.
I stared at her.
"Mom, did Vanessa ask you to sign something involving your property?"
She nodded.
May you like
And suddenly, I realized my wife hadn't been targeting only my home.
She had been targeting my mother's too.
