Chapter 6
I couldn't stop thinking about the authorization.
Medically incapacitated.
The words echoed through my mind.
I had been frightened for my baby.
Fighting to keep my blood pressure under control.
Trying to recover from emergency surgery.
And someone had been preparing paperwork that could affect our home if I became too sick to make decisions.
I felt violated.
Not just betrayed.
Violated.
Marcus sat beside my hospital bed.
His face looked exhausted.
"I need to tell you something."
I looked at him.
"What?"
He took a slow breath.
"My mother asked me about a power of attorney last month."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
He nodded.
"She said we should make sure someone could manage the house if anything happened during delivery."
I stared at him.
"What did you say?"
"I told her we'd handle it with our attorney."
I swallowed.
"And?"
"She got angry."
Of course she did.
Evelyn always became angry when someone refused to let her control a decision.
Marcus continued.
"She said I was being ungrateful."
I looked away.
The word felt familiar.
Ungrateful.
That was what Evelyn called me whenever I said no.
Whenever I wanted to rest.
Whenever I asked her to leave the nursery alone.
I looked at Marcus.
"Did you sign anything?"
He shook his head.
"No."
I exhaled.
Then he added, "But I didn't tell you about the conversation."
My eyes filled.
"Why?"
He looked ashamed.
"Because I thought ignoring her would make it go away."
I swallowed.
"Marcus, your mother doesn't go away when we ignore her."
He nodded.
"I know that now."
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I took his hand.
"We can't keep secrets from each other."
His eyes filled.
"You're right."
I squeezed his fingers.
"Even when the truth is uncomfortable."
He nodded.
"Especially then."
The next morning, Angela arranged a video meeting with us.
She had reviewed the disputed documents.
Her expression was serious.
"The signature on the property loan agreement needs independent examination."
Marcus nodded.
"And the medical authorization?"
Angela continued.
"It appears to have been prepared without the proper safeguards. We are challenging its validity and taking steps to prevent anyone from relying on it."
I felt relief.
"Can Evelyn take the house?"
Angela shook her head.
"Not simply by presenting these disputed papers. There are legal processes, and we're acting to protect your interests."
I exhaled.
For the first time, I felt like someone was standing between us and Evelyn's demands.
Then Angela looked directly at me.
"Nia, I also want to discuss the circumstances surrounding your signatures."
I swallowed.
"Okay."
She asked me to describe the nursery paperwork.
I remembered the afternoon clearly now.
Evelyn had arrived carrying a folder.
She said the furniture company needed a signature for delivery.
I was tired.
My ankles were swollen.
I had been trying to finish work before my maternity leave.
She placed the paper on the island.
"Just sign here."
I did.
I trusted her.
That was the worst part.
I had trusted her.
Angela listened carefully.
Then she said, "If the documents were misrepresented, that may be important to the legal challenge."
I nodded.
Marcus looked devastated.
He reached for my hand.
I squeezed his fingers.
Neither of us spoke.
After the meeting, a nurse came to take me to the neonatal unit.
Grace had made more progress.
Her breathing was improving.
She was beginning to tolerate feeding more consistently.
I felt hope rising.
When I reached her bedside, I smiled.
"Hi, my little fighter."
She moved her tiny hand.
I touched it gently.
Marcus stood beside me.
He smiled through tears.
"She's getting stronger."
I nodded.
"So are we."
He looked at me.
I continued.
"I know this is terrible. But we're finally telling the truth."
Marcus's eyes filled.
"Yes."
I looked at Grace.
"She's going to grow up knowing she never has to earn love by suffering."
Marcus nodded.
"Never."
For a moment, the room felt peaceful.
Then the nurse asked whether we'd considered doing skin-to-skin care again.
I smiled.
"Yes, please."
She helped me settle into a chair.
Grace rested against my chest.
Her tiny body felt warm.
Her breathing was gentle.
I closed my eyes.
For the first time since the emergency delivery, I allowed myself to believe she might come home soon.
Then Marcus's phone rang.
He stepped outside to answer.
When he returned, his expression had changed.
I noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
He sat beside me.
"Angela found something."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"Raymond Price has been involved in similar disputes before."
I stared at him.
"Similar how?"
Marcus looked toward Grace.
Then back at me.
"Disputed family loans. Property transfers. Questionable authorization documents."
I felt cold.
"Are you saying he does this to other people?"
Marcus answered carefully.
"Angela is reviewing the records. We don't know the full story yet."
I nodded.
But something about it made me sick.
Evelyn hadn't simply found a random financial adviser.
She had connected herself to someone whose business practices were already raising concerns.
Marcus continued.
"There's also evidence Raymond received money from my mother."
I frowned.
"For what?"
"Consulting services."
I stared at him.
"How much?"
Marcus swallowed.
"Seventy-five thousand dollars."
My eyes widened.
"Seventy-five thousand?"
He nodded.
I looked down at Grace.
Evelyn complained whenever I bought organic groceries.
She criticized the cost of prenatal vitamins.
She told me we were wasting money on baby clothes.
But she had paid a financial adviser seventy-five thousand dollars.
I felt anger rising.
Real anger.
Not the quiet frustration I'd swallowed for months.
I looked at Marcus.
"Why does she want our house so badly?"
He shook his head.
"I don't know."
Then he paused.
"But I think it has something to do with her finances."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Marcus looked ashamed.
"My mother has been asking me for money."
My stomach tightened.
"How much?"
"At first, small amounts."
I stared at him.
"Marcus."
He swallowed.
"Then twenty thousand. Then thirty."
I felt sick.
"Did you give it to her?"
He nodded slowly.
"Yes."
My chest tightened.
"Without telling me?"
His eyes filled.
"Yes."
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
I wasn't angry that he helped his mother.
I was angry that we'd been keeping separate secrets while someone was using our silence against us.
I looked away.
Marcus whispered, "I'm sorry."
I closed my eyes.
Then I took a slow breath.
"We need to stop hiding things."
He nodded.
"You're right."
I looked at Grace.
Our tiny daughter slept against my chest.
She had no idea what kind of world she'd entered.
No idea that the people who should have protected her mother had caused so much pain.
I whispered, "I want a different life for her."
Marcus's eyes filled.
"So do I."
That evening, Angela called again.
She had obtained records suggesting Evelyn had significant unpaid debts.
Some were connected to failed investments.
Others appeared to involve loans from private lenders.
Marcus looked devastated.
"How much does she owe?"
Angela hesitated.
"The available records suggest several hundred thousand dollars, though we need to verify the total."
I felt the room spin.
Hundreds of thousands.
Suddenly, Evelyn's behavior made more sense.
Her obsession with our house.
Her anger whenever Marcus refused to help.
Her attempt to create a loan claim.
She might have been trying to use our property to escape her own financial problems.
Marcus looked at me.
His face was pale.
Then Angela said something that made both of us freeze.
"There's one more development."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"Raymond has contacted your mother's lender."
Marcus frowned.
"Why?"
Angela's voice was serious.
"He appears to have represented that the Carter property could be used as collateral."
I stared at Marcus.
He stared back.
Our house.
Our daughter's future.
The place we'd planned to bring Grace home to.
Someone had tried to use it to cover Evelyn's debts.
And suddenly, I understood that this wasn't only about control.
May you like
It was about money.
And desperation.
