Chapter 6
I went to Mr. Grant's office the next morning.
Claire came separately. We sat on opposite sides of the table while he showed us the copy Dana had provided.
It was a consent form, dated the month after the condo was purchased. It said I knew about Claire's investment and approved the use of household funds to support it.
A signature resembling mine appeared at the bottom.
“I have never seen this,” I said.
Claire stared at the page.
“Dana said she needed proof my husband knew about the project,” she whispered.
“Who signed it?” Mr. Grant asked.
Claire rubbed her forehead.
“I did.”
My stomach turned.
“You signed my name?”
“I thought I'd tell you once we sold.”
“You keep saying you thought you'd tell me later.”
“I knew you would say no before we had a chance to make a profit.”
Mr. Grant asked whether any lender or bank had relied on the form. Claire said Dana had wanted it for their private records. Dana's attorney had now produced it to support her claim about rent.
Mr. Grant made no promises about what might follow. He kept a copy of Claire's admission and said we'd need to address the false signature directly.
I looked at Claire. She had used my trust as if it were a blank space she could fill in when convenient.
“You can't stay in the house while we sort this out,” I said.
She opened her mouth, then shut it.
“Where do you want me to go?”
“Your sister's. Or a hotel. I need room to think.”
“I'll go to my sister.”
She gathered her bag and left the office before me.
Mr. Grant waited until she was gone.
“Do you want to pursue separation?”
“I don't know yet,” I said. “I know I need to protect my daughters and our accounts.”
“We can start there.”
He helped me list what had to happen next. Claire's access to the college savings account was already blocked while its administrator reviewed the withdrawal. We arranged to secure the accounts I owned individually and to document the shared finances. I would also speak to a tax professional about the withdrawal.
I hated how much work had landed on me after someone else made the choices.
Leah picked me up outside the office. I told her about the signature. She pulled into a quiet parking lot before she answered.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
“You don't have to be.”
“I keep thinking about the years I trusted her with the girls.”
“She did care for them,” Leah said. “That makes what she did harder to understand. It doesn't mean you imagined it.”
I called Maya and Brooke together that evening. I told them Claire was staying with her sister and that they could see her when they wanted. I didn't share details of the signature until I understood what it meant.
Brooke sat very still.
“Is Mom coming back?” she asked.
“I don't know.”
“You're not going to make us pick a parent?”
“No.”
Maya took her sister's hand.
“I need some space from Claire,” she said. “You can call her if you want, Brooke.”
“I don't want to right now.”
We ate takeout at the kitchen table because none of us felt like cooking. Brooke put the Mustang keys beside me.
“I never drove it,” she said.
“I know.”
“I wish I'd told Mom I didn't need it.”
“She should have asked how she could pay for it,” Maya replied. “You didn't do this.”
Brooke leaned her head against Maya's shoulder. It was the first time they'd held each other since the party.
Two days later, the condo dispute became clearer. Dana had collected rent and kept records of repairs she'd paid for. Some bills were real. Other amounts still needed to be accounted for. Claire had an ownership interest she could sell, but she and Dana would need to settle their claims.
Claire put the condo on the market through an agent both owners agreed to. It wasn't instant justice. It was an asset that might repay part of what she'd taken, and I made sure Maya understood the difference.
The Mustang was listed too. Brooke didn't want to watch it leave, so I arranged the viewing while she was at Leah's. When the buyer drove it away, I felt relief and sadness together. Brooke deserved a birthday memory that didn't make her feel guilty.
At the end of that week, Maya received a letter from the nursing program. She opened it at the table.
Her enrollment deposit was due in ten days.
“I can pay that,” I said.
She read the rest.
“There are more costs before classes start.”
“We'll plan for each one.”
She handed me the letter. I could see she wanted to trust me. I had told her the fund was safe. I had been wrong about that, even though I wasn't the one who took it.
“I'll show you the account we use for every payment,” I promised. “You'll know what has been paid.”
She nodded.
May you like
Then Brooke's phone buzzed. She read a message from Claire and turned pale.
“Mom says she has something she should have told us years ago.”
